Cooking Class with Shimizu-san 3
It had been for some time since we started the cooking class, and our group had reached the stage of cutting the ingredients.
“Who was in charge of cutting the ingredients?”
“It’s only me.”
I answer Kon’no question, who is sitting in front of me in the classroom.
“Uhh, shouldn’t two people be in charge of cutting the food?”
“There weren’t many people in our group, so I’m the only one who cuts the food.”
“Ah, come to think of it, that’s right.”
To be precise, the number of people in our group is the same as the other groups. However, we always assume it was reduced by one because Shimizu-san was usually absent.
“Oy.”
“Sh-Shimizu-san? I-is there a problem?”
Shimizu-san’s sudden remark made Kon’no surprised and he panicked.
“W-what’s wrong?”
“I’ll do it too.”
“Yes…?”
Kon’no looks like he just heard something unbelievable.
“I said I’d cut the food too. If it’s a two-person job, why not have me do it? Besides, if I don’t do anything, I will be treated as a slacker…”
She spoke rather quickly, but I guess she meant that Shimizu-san would help me cut the ingredients. However, there is one thing I am concerned about.
“I’m glad you will help me, but have you ever used a knife, Shimizu-san? “
” …no problem.”
What’s with this pause before her answer? I felt an inexpressible anxiety.
“I’ll ask you again, Shimizu-san, can you use a kitchen knife properly? “
“…it’s not a problem.”
I asked again, but the pause before her answer did not disappear. I tried to make eye contact with Shimizu-san, but she turned her head away from me. It makes me nervous, but I want to respect her desire to do what she wants to do.
“I get it. Is that okay with you guys? “
I checked with the other members of the group, and they all nodded their heads in agreement. Some of them looked relieved. Perhaps they don’t want to do the same work with Shimizu-san.
“Then it’s decided. Let’s work hard together, Shimizu-san.”
“Y-yes.”
Thus, Shimizu-san helped me with the task of cutting the ingredients, which I was the only one in charge of.
“Shimizu-san, first of all, can you cut the cabbage into an appropriate size?”
“Okay.”
There are four kinds of ingredients to be cut this time: cabbage, onions, carrots, and pork ribs. I had a little trouble deciding which one to ask Shimizu-san to cut first, but I decided to ask her to cut the cabbage first.
What should I cut first? I should cut the pork belly last and start with the carrot, which is hard and difficult to cut. Thinking about this, I turned to Shimizu-san, who was staring at the cabbage with a knife in her hand.
“Shimizu-san? Can you put the knife down for a moment?”
“…uh? Okay. “
Shimizu-san follows my instruction with a question mark on her head. I look around. Fortunately, our classmates seem to be too absorbed in their work or conversation to look at her. That was dangerous, if someone had seen how Shimizu-san was holding the knife, they might have screamed.
“I want to ask Shimizu-san, what were you trying to do earlier? “
“Didn’t you tell me to cut a piece of cabbage? “
Shimizu-san looked at me strangely.
“I did say that, but why were you holding the knife like that? “
“The way I hold it? “
“Yes. When you cut cabbage or anything, you basically hold it like this.”
I hold the knife normally and show it to Shimizu-san. Shimizu-san stared at the way I held the knife, and at the same time, her face turned red rapidly.
“I-I was nervous. I usually hold it like that.”
“It’s true that cooking in front of other people can make you nervous.”
I put the knife back on the table. I have never seen a person hold a knife upside down because of nervousness, but now I know there are people like that in the world.
“Ah, I was just a little nervous. Now that I know how to hold it, can I cut the cabbage? “
“Okay. If you have any questions, just ask me.”
“Alright.”
Shimizu-san held the knife normally this time and grabbed a cabbage with her other hand. Then she brought the knife blade close to the edge of the cabbage.
“Shimizu-san stop! Hold on for a second! “
“What now? “
Shimizu-san puts down the knife again with a look of puzzlement on her face.
“I’d like to say a lot of things, but first of all, how were you going to cut the cabbage? “
“Cabbage is usually shredded, right?”
Her eyes were clear, and I immediately knew she was not joking.
“That notion is not wrong, but this time it’s not shredded because it’s used for stir-fried meat and vegetables.”
“Is that so? “
If I hadn’t been looking at Shimizu-san, my group would have ended up with [Stir-fried meat and vegetables with shredded cabbage.]
“Then how big do I need to cut it? “
“I’ll cut the cabbage and show you how big to cut it later. Now, I’ll tell you how to cut the cabbage. First, cut it in half because if you cut it as it is, it will be round, unstable, and dangerous.”
” …I see.”
I guess she didn’t know that either. I’m really glad I found it before she got hurt.
“I know how to cut it. Can I cut the cabbage now?”
“Yes. Be careful when you cut it.”
Shimizu-san holds the knife again for the third time. I was getting nervous as I watched her. Shimizu-san held the cabbage firmly with her left hand, put the knife in the middle of the cabbage, and cut it into two pieces without any difficulty.
“Is this okay?”
Shimizu-san looked somewhat uneasy. It might be because I pointed out her mistake twice.
“Yes, it’s fine. It’s a clean-cut.”
“I see… That’s good.”
Shimizu-san looks relieved. I think her face looks a little reddish.
“Alright. Let’s keep going like this.”
“O-okay.”
I gave her some more advice, and then Shimizu-san managed to finish cutting the cabbage.
