Food Relevance from a Drunken Cook

Billy the bartender will forever remember James the cook.

I was working at a bar on 8th st. here in Saskatoon. I had always wanted to be involved in a place from the initial renovation stage and this was one of my first. We started around two weeks before opening with large group orientations and we in the kitchen began creating some of the dishes to help the staff understand what they were.
         It wasn’t long until the drinkers assimilated into a group and began getting to know each other in the alcoholic relationships that religious drinking coworkers often do. It was a great time, the first six months were busy as hell and we drank copious amounts of alcohol every night closing the bar down.
         Out of most of the people their there were only a few that I still talk to now but there were a few that I will always remember and one in particular that will forever remember me. He was a great guy and he fed me beer like it was my last day on earth and he was unfortunately in the wrong place at the wrong time.
         I had made a beef stalk the night before and cooled it in a large pail for the night. The next day there was a two inch thick fat cap over the gelatinized beef broth and it was a tinted green off white color from the herb and vegetable mix I used as flavor. Now I always herd of this and often contemplated it but this was the first time that I committed to the idea. I removed the circular two inch thick fat and cleaned it up and then I cut a thin triangle out of it and placed it on a large 12 inch circular dinner plate. It looked really convincing. After that I cut up a few pieces of fruit and dressed it up with some fruit coolie, the finishing touch was some freshly whipped cream and a sprinkle of cocoa. It really looked delicious, just like a rich and creamy cheese cake.
         After looking at it me and one of my cooks whom I have grown to call Garbie (he eats anything) laugh and contemplate who to give it to. We decide that the girls, our night servers are worthy of such an attack so I, as strait faced as possible, approach the main bar and let everyone know that there was a leftover cheese cake if anyone wants it and retreat to the kitchen chuckling to myself the whole time. It was the beginning of our dinner rush so I didn’t go out to check on my dessert for an hour or so. When I did my good friend Billy was working behind the bar and all the servers were buzzing around with a million things to do so the cake sat there untouched. Disappointed I asked for an ice water from Billy the bartender and as I begin to go back to the kitchen he asks me ”What’s with that cake there?” as I turn I look to the cake and then to Billy, I figure what the hell. “It was left over so I brought it for anyone who wants it.” I then turn and scurry back to my line witch is stalked with potential weapons for my self defense.
         I think it was ten minutes before he came storming in to the kitchen completely overcome by rage and me and Garbi stood staring at him with big smiles on our faces. He sent the whole plate smashing into the garbage, told me to go fuck my self and retreated out of the kitchen. I laughed as all the servers said “I almost had a bight of that” and “it looked so good.”
         Later after service I went out to see Billy and he was waiting with a smile on his face, obviously over the initial anger stage and bent on revenge. “You want a drink?” He asks. “Yeah right, you think I was born yesterday? How was that for you?” I ask laughing. Billy then in a low and serious voice replies “I’ll get you you know, it might not be for years, it might be tomorrow but I’ll get you.” He never did but he always manages to find someone to remind me he remembers. I’ll be working somewhere completely ignorant and a rep or delivery person will walk by and ask me “are you James,” I’ll say yes and they’ll tell me “Billy says he’s going to get you,” what I’ll say, “I don’t know some guy named Billy asked me to send you a message, he said he’s going to get you but that’s all I can say.”
         Forever remembered by an old friend and colleague, I wonder what he’ll do.