Cooking Up Trouble
Everyday Together · Level A2
"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Kaoru asked Yui. "Does Daichi even know how to cook?" She rang the bell for his apartment.
Yui shook her head. "I don't think so," she said. "He's so busy programming that he always orders takeout."
"I don't know if I can eat his food," said Kaoru. "I'm very particular."
"Yes, I know, Ka-chan," Yui said.
The door opened, and Takumi stepped out. "You two made it."
"Takumi?" said Kaoru. "Are you already here?" She sniffed and rubbed her nose. There was a burnt smell coming from the apartment.
"Yes. I was helping Daichi make dinner," Takumi said, smiling. He moved back, and the women came inside.
"Was there a fire?" asked Yui. She rubbed her nose.
Takumi turned a little red. "A small one. The chicken is fine, though," he said.
Yui and Kaoru washed their hands and sat at the table. Kaoru looked at the big screen TV and gaming setup in the living room.
"This is my first time here," said Kaoru. "It's very clean."
Yui leaned closer to Kaoru and whispered in her ear. "Dai-chan hires a cleaner to come here once a week. He never cleans," she said.
Kaoru giggled.
"What was that?" Daichi asked. He stepped out of the kitchen with some bowls of miso soup.
"Nothing," said Kaoru. "Just admiring your apartment."
"Thank you," said Daichi. "I cleaned it up this morning." He put the bowls down on the table.
Yui and Kaoru laughed.
Takumi brought some rice bowls, cups and chopsticks. He set them in front of Yui and Kaoru. "I hope you enjoy tonight's dinner," he said. "We worked really hard at it." He sat down.
Daichi placed a salad and some dressing on the table. "The sauce was really hard," he said. "I think I added enough sugar." He went back into the kitchen.
Yui sniffed the air and wrinkled her nose. "Are you sure? It smells burnt," she said.
"We had a small problem with the chicken," said Daichi. "We fixed it." He set a plate in front of Yui. "What do you think?"
"Teriyaki chicken? That's pretty easy to make," Yui said. "The sauce looks good."
Daichi set another plate in front of Kaoru and Takumi. "This is to say sorry for last week when we missed the train," he said.
"That wasn't your fault, Dai-chan," Yui said.
"No, but you came to hear our band playing and missed the train," said Takumi.
"It was a fun night, but the next day was very difficult," said Kaoru. "Hey, how was the meeting with Quiet Signal Records?" she asked.
"Pretty good," said Takumi. "I can't quit my job yet, but the people there enjoyed our music."
"That's great," said Kaoru. "What exactly do you do at your company?" she asked.
"I mostly deal with computer problems and fixing the systems when they go down," said Takumi. "I can speak English and Japanese quite well, so I usually get international clients."
"How's your keigo?" asked Yui.
Takumi rubbed his neck. "My manager yelled at me the other day because I called him 'buddy' by accident."
"I hate polite speech," said Yui, sticking out her tongue.
Daichi sat down at the table. "Please dig in," he said.
The four said, 'Itadakimasu' and picked up their chopsticks.
Yui picked up a piece of chicken and licked the sauce. "Wow! This is sweet. How much sugar did you use?" she asked.
"Three tablespoons," said Daichi. "The recipe said to use one, but there were four of us, so I added more."
Kaoru used a knife to cut the chicken in half. "Um, it's still pink in the middle," she said.
"Really?" said Daichi. "I was trying for something like a steak. I guess I should have cooked it a bit longer."
"How's the soup?" asked Takumi, smiling. "I made that."
Yui took a sip and winced. "How much miso did you use?"
Takumi looked up. "I think I used the same as Daichi, three tablespoons. Why?" He took a sip and coughed. "Why is it this salty?"
Kaoru shook her head. "The rice and salad are okay, but the chicken needs more heat."
"I can cook it again," said Daichi. He picked up the four plates and went into the kitchen.
"Where did you learn how to cook?" asked Yui.
"YouTube," said Daichi.
"I asked Chappy," said Takumi. He joined Daichi in the kitchen.
Kaoru looked at Yui and shook her head. "You need real cooking lessons," she said.
"Do you think so?" asked Daichi. "YouTube videos are pretty good," he said.
"Are you burning the chicken?" asked Yui. "There's smoke coming from the kitchen."
"Oh no!" said Daichi. He raced back into the kitchen.
Takumi laughed.
"You too, Ta-kun," said Yui.
"Me?" Takumi pointed at his chest.
"You ruined miso soup," said Yui. "I think you both should take cooking lessons."
✦
The next Saturday, Daichi and Takumi stood at their table in the community center classroom.
"Are you sure about this?" asked Takumi. He looked around at the other students. There were two retired men, a university student with heavy black makeup and three young housewives.
"Yui recommended this place," said Daichi. "She's the one with the most cooking experience."
"Okay, but the teacher is a little scary," said Takumi.
"Now, class. I want you to crack three eggs into the bowl and whip them with your whisk," said Mrs. Kurogane. She crossed her arms and stared at them.
Daichi picked up one egg in his right hand and tossed it into his left. He cracked the egg and tried to open it with one hand. It shattered all over his fingers.
"Ugh," Daichi said and went to the sink.
"Mr. Tachibana," said Mrs. Kurogane to Daichi. "If you want to play with your food, there is an acting class on the third floor."
"Sorry, Sensei. It won't happen again," Daichi said. His face was red.
Takumi laughed.
"You too, Mr. Connors. You must respect your food," Mrs. Kurogane said.
"Sorry, Sensei," said Takumi. He picked up another egg and cracked it into his bowl. Daichi cracked the other two.
"I'll whisk," said Daichi.
"Pick the shells out first," said Takumi.
Daichi took the bowl and mixed the eggs.
"Good," said Mrs. Kurogane. "While your partner is doing that, the other person can start dicing the onions for the omelet rice."
Takumi picked up an onion and a knife. He placed the onion on the cutting board and cut off the top and bottom. He sliced it in half and started cutting big slices. "This is easy," he said.
"Mr. Connors," said Mrs. Kurogane. "You have to peel the brown skin from the onion before you start slicing."
The university student at the next table smiled and looked away.
"Oops. Sorry," said Takumi.
Mrs. Kurogane shook her head. "Now, add a pinch of salt and a bit of milk to the eggs," she said.
"How much milk?" asked Daichi.
"Just a little bit," Mrs. Kurogane said.
Daichi held up a full cup. "Is this enough?" he asked.
"Two teaspoons, Mr. Tachibana," Mrs. Kurogane said, shaking her head.
"Oh, okay," Daichi said.
"She should have said that," whispered Takumi.
Daichi nodded and measured two teaspoons of milk into the eggs.
"You may want more salt," said Takumi.
"I think you're right," said Daichi.
"Mr. Connors," said Mrs. Kurogane. "I think you have diced the onions enough."
Takumi jumped and turned around. "Really. How small should they be?"
"They should be a little bigger," she said. "You can use them, but it won't have the same taste." She moved away from the two.
"Is she part ninja?" asked Takumi.
"Maybe," said Daichi. "Better protect yourself."
The university student next to them laughed again.
✦
"Okay, let's check what you made," said Mrs. Kurogane. She went to one of the retired businessmen and tried a bite of his omelet rice. "Not bad, Mr. Suzuki. Next time, use a bit more salt."
"Thank you, Sensei," said Mr. Suzuki.
Mrs. Kurogane went to the university student and checked her food. "Very good, Miss Oi. Your eggs are very fluffy, but your onions are a little too big. Next time, dice them a little smaller."
"I'll do that, Sensei. Thank you," said Miss Oi.
"We're next," said Takumi.
Daichi looked at their omelet rice. "She's going to hate ours," he said.
"Why is the egg black, Mr. Tachibana?" Mrs. Kurogane asked. "And was there a fire earlier?"
"I was trying to flambé the eggs," said Daichi.
"Don't!" said Mrs. Kurogane. She took a spoon to the omelet and took a bite. She winced.
"What's wrong?" asked Takumi.
"You have too much salt in the eggs, and I can't taste any onion," she said. "It's okay for your first time, and the rice is good. Next time, follow the recipe. Don't experiment."
"Yes, Sensei," said Takumi and Daichi at the same time.
Mrs. Kurogane shook her head and went to the table with the young housewives. She tried a bite of their omelet and nodded. "Much better than last week. Keep up the good work," she said.
The three women nodded and squeezed each other's arms.
"Was it that bad?" Takumi asked and took a bite of the omelet rice.
"Your face says it was," said Daichi, smiling.
Mrs. Kurogane stood at the front of the class. "Next week we'll be making curry rice. Please invite a friend or family member to the class to taste test it. The best curry will get their lesson fee refunded for the day," she said.
"I have to win that," said Daichi.
"Are you sure?" asked Takumi. "We didn't do very well with this."
"Don't worry. I can make curry," said Daichi. "This'll be a piece of cake."
The university student laughed again.
✦
"Are you sure about this?" asked Kaoru. She and Yui sat in the corner of the class. Several other people were sitting in chairs next to them.
"I've tried your curry before, Dai-chan," said Yui. "It was closer to soup than curry."
"Don't worry," said Daichi. "You'll love it."
Takumi leaned forward. "He's been practicing all week for this," he said. He followed Daichi to the table and opened the recipe book.
"I don't need that," said Daichi. "When I'm programming, I find a cowboy style gets the best results."
"But that makes a lot of mistakes," said Takumi.
"Don't worry about it," said Daichi. "Let's do this."
Mrs. Kurogane stood at the front of the class. "Okay. You all have the same ingredients and curry blocks. Follow your recipes and make your best curry."
"I'll start by frying the meat," said Daichi. "You peel the potatoes."
"We have to cut the onions first, don't we?" asked Takumi.
"That's the easy part," said Daichi.
Takumi picked up a potato and a peeler. He stood over the sink and started peeling them. "That's one," he said. He picked up another one.
"You're so slow," said Daichi. "Hurry it up!" He poured some oil into the fry pan.
"That's not enough oil," said Takumi. He grabbed the bottle and squeezed. More oil fell into the pan.
"I don't want to burn the meat like the egg last week, but that's way too much," said Daichi. He grabbed some paper towels and wiped up the oil.
Takumi shook his head and peeled a second potato.
✦
"Do you think they can make a good curry?" asked Kaoru.
"I don't know," said Yui. "Daichi never stops when he starts doing something."
"He is pretty stubborn," Kaoru said, nodding. "Takumi's too slow. How long did it take him to peel the carrot?"
"Five minutes?" Yui said, shaking her head. She took out a bag of cookies. "Do you want one?" she asked.
"Thank you," said Kaoru. "They smell like cinnamon."
"I'm trying a new recipe. "These were the rejects," said Yui.
Kaoru took a bite. "No way these are the rejects. They're delicious."
"Thank you," Yui said and took a bite.
"Excuse me?" said a voice.
Yui and Kaoru looked up and saw Mrs. Kurogane standing in front of them.
✦
"You don't have to dice the potatoes," said Daichi. "They can be in big chunks." He crossed his arms.
"I like small potatoes," said Takumi in a loud voice. "When they are too big, they are difficult to eat." He glared at Daichi. "You're burning the meat!"
"Leave my meat alone!" said Daichi. He glared back at Takumi. "You stop dropping the carrots on the floor! It takes you ten minutes to peel another one."
"I have to get it right!" said Takumi, raising his voice.
"Mr. Connors! Mr. Tachibana!" said Mrs. Kurogane. "This is a cooking class, not a wrestling one. There will be no fighting." She crossed her arms.
"Sorry, Sensei," Takumi and Daichi said together. They both had red faces.
"Please work together or leave," Mrs. Kurogane said.
"We'll work together," said Daichi.
"Good!" Mrs. Kurogane said and turned away.
"Umm, Sensei. Where did you get that cookie?" Takumi asked.
"From your friend in the back," Mrs. Kurogane said. "She's a very good chef." She turned around and went to the front.
Takumi looked for Yui and saw her talking to the university student.
"Yui just gave the high school girl a cookie," Takumi said.
"Miss Oi?" Daichi looked back and saw the student laughing with Kaoru and Yui. "Do you think they are talking about us?" He asked.
"No," said Takumi. He looked again, and they pointed to him and Daichi. "Maybe." He waved to them.
They waved back.
"We should work together to make this curry," said Daichi.
"We are working together," said Takumi. "And burning the meat." He pointed at the frypan.
Daichi jumped and turned off the fire. "No, we're fighting. If we work together, the curry could be better."
Takumi looked at the small potatoes and the carrots. "It couldn't hurt," he said.
Daichi raised a fist, and Takumi met it with a fist bump.
"Let's show those girls how good our curry is," Takumi said.
"That's right," Daichi said and sighed. "Good thing I brought some more meat."
"Yeah, I can't eat that," Takumi said, pointing to the burnt pieces.
✦
Yui looked at the plate of curry rice and sniffed. "It smells okay," she said. What did you put in it?"
"I wanted to add more flavour, so I put in some coffee," said Takumi. "My mom used to use that back home."
"I tried to stop him," said Daichi, shaking his head.
"You try it first, Yui," Kaoru said.
"Why me?" asked Yui.
"You are the chef," said Kaoru. She smiled and took a picture of the curry with her smartphone.
Yui sighed and put her spoon into the curry. She took a bite and smiled. "It's a bit bitter, but it has a nice taste."
Mrs. Kurogane appeared next to them. Takumi jumped.
"Yes. They burned the onions and forgot the garlic, but the results were not bad," said Mrs. Kurogane. She smiled. "Next week, we'll try making a cha-han. Please don't burn the rice."
"She must be part ninja," said Takumi.
Kaoru took a bite of the curry and nodded. "Yes. This is much better than the teriyaki chicken you made, but the coffee flavor is a bit too much for me."
Daichi sighed. He took one of Yui's cookies. "Give me one more chance. What's your favorite food?"
"I like a good meat sauce pasta," said Kaoru.
"One week," said Daichi. "I'll make you a good pasta." He took a bite of the cookie.
Kaoru looked at Yui and shook her head.
Takumi looked at the university student. "Why is Miss Oi always laughing at us?" He asked Kaoru.
"You mean, Karin?" said Kaoru, smiling. "She thinks you two are a manzai team. She wanted to know if you were famous, but was too nervous to ask," she said.
"Oh," said Takumi. He turned to Karin and waved. "Congratulations on winning the contest," he said.
She started giggling and turned away.
"Stop teasing her," said Yui. "I have one cookie left, but I'm not going to give it to a meanie."
Takumi bowed to Yui. "Sorry, Yui. I won't do it again."
Yui smiled and gave Takumi a cookie.
✦
"There's no burnt smell this time," Kaoru said. She looked around Daichi's apartment. It was as clean as the last time.
"Daichi wouldn't let me help with the pasta this time," said Takumi. "He wants to show you he can cook."
"Did you make anything tonight, Takumi?" Yui asked.
"I made the salad from scratch," Takumi said. "It took me a while to cut everything just right."
"It looks good," said Yui.
"Dinner is served," said Daichi. He placed a large bowl of meat sauce pasta on the table. "Just wait." He went back into the kitchen and brought out a second bowl of carbonara pasta.
"Did you make all of these yourself?" Kaoru asked.
Daichi nodded. "Well, the meat sauce one. The carbonara is from a package. But I made the pasta myself."
"He even fried the ground beef," said Takumi.
"I wanted everyone to like it," said Daichi. He put some meat sauce pasta on a plate and handed it to Kaoru and Yui.
They sighed. "We have to eat this, don't we?" Kaoru asked Yui.
Yui nodded. She put some pasta on her fork and tried it. She chewed slowly. Kaoru did the same thing.
Kaoru raised an eyebrow and looked at Yui. Yui stood up and moved towards Daichi.
"What! What did I do?" Daichi asked, backing away. He looked scared.
"It was delicious, Dai-chan," Yui said. She kissed his cheek.
Kaoru took another bite. She didn't say anything.
"How about you, Kaoru?" Daichi asked.
Kaoru sighed and put her chopsticks down. She looked at him, and a small smile appeared on her face.
"Something's different," said Takumi
"It's very good, Daichi. You're getting better," Kaoru said.
Daichi fist-bumped with Takumi. "I'm going to try baking next," Daichi said.
Yui punched him in the stomach.
Daichi laughed. "Don't worry. No one could ever beat your cookies."
Takumi laughed and put some pasta on his plate. "Let's eat!"