Absinthe

"How is it?" I asked Robert as he took a spoonful of the soup that I had made in preparation for the upcoming challenge.

Robert closed his eyes again and took a deep breath. "I plead guilty, your honor!"

"Hey, stop joking around. This is serious. I'll be on janitorial duty if I fail."

"It's amazing. No, it's not amazing. This is seriously good."

"I'm regretting calling you for this. I should have contacted people with more refined tastes like Faye or Cassie."

I then remembered that Faye was still not talking to me. It's the longest fight we've had, and I didn't really know how to resolve it. Meanwhile, Cassie was still MIA. Even her family didn't know where she was!

"What's bothering you?" Robert, the ever-perceptive guy, asked. "Come on, you know you can talk to me."

"Chef Maxwell said we are to present him with a dish that will signify our chosen culinary specialization, which is what will define us and our approach in cooking. The problem is I don't really know what I am as a chef."

"You make great desserts! That means you're a pâtissier, right? Isn't that the kind of specialization you have?"

"No, it's not that," I answered dejectedly. I sat on the chair next to Robert and covered my face with my hands. "Yes, I'd like to be a pâtissier, but we're talking about a cuisine specialization—French, Indian, Chinese..."

"You're doing a lot of baking and a lot of sweets, so doesn't that fall under French cuisine?"

I looked up and saw confusion on Robert's face.

"You have a point. But the core aspect of French cuisine is the impeccable methods chefs use to convert various ingredients into food. I don't really think that's my core as a chef."

"Why'd you say so?"

"Because I'm having too much fun reinventing French desserts. I get a high from discovering ways on how to incorporate what I learned in class: all those chemicals found in the ingredients and techniques that are just not traditional."

"Molecular gastronomy?"

"Yeah, you could say that. But I just don't know which cuisine my style falls under!" I said, exasperation wearing me down.

Robert was quiet for a moment. Then, he started eating the main meal I made him, a medium-cooked filet mignon with raspberry sauce.

he said, a choking sound escaping his

wrong?" I asked, immediately reaching for a glass of water in case

difficulty as he took several more

sauce. I'm not sure if sweet sauces

it now! I know

The cuisine that will signify who I am as a chef? The cuisine that will

is

eyebrow. "Are you joking? Is Filipino cuisine even a

is! And it's your

couldn't help but take that as a slight insult. I mean, I'm proud to be a Filipino, but there's nothing special about

"You've lost me."

is always based on combinations of contrasting

"How is that Filipino?"

is that

don't

and pork adobo. Sinigang na

invisible scoring I made on all sides to allow the salty flavor of the butter to seep in. The raspberry sauce was also tangy and sweet,

I mean?" Robert said with a grin. "And I learned about counterpoint from my mom's cooking. It's also a main feature of Filipino cuisine, and it's present in all the food

"Counterpoint?"

have the contrasting base of saltiness, sweetness, and sourness. So instead, we eat them with a

The sweetness of chocolate rice porridge

sweet puto!" I

are stewed in its blood. Filipinos typically pair that with a sweet, steamed

counters itself when it's topped with

how I cook all my food?" I asked, doubt starting to

answered confidently. "Remember the crème caramels you served us? You said you revised

caramel for the sugar dome and made it contrast with the sweetness of the

smiled, and I naturally smiled

definitely my

"I'm happy for you."

Rob. I couldn't have

it, Robert had swept me up in a