Bad Meat
A short story
The assignement was to write a short story about a young woman
struggling with a job. This story follows a waitress, Samantha,
battling her nerves and Olivia. Olivia is the head chef in the story; who
struggles with her ego. Both women are facing the same challenge of satisfying and unruly customer
Samantha picks up the unwanted filet mignon from the unhappy customer’s table. Slowly, she turns on her heels and makes her way back towards the kitchen of the Le Cellier Steakhouse. All color has flushed from her face. Her heart beats faster as she approaches the double metal doors to the kitchen. Before entering, she sets the plate down and reties her black apron. She adjusts her white collared shirt, clearly stalling. She walks into the kitchen and works her way towards the head chef. Samantha is careful not to get in anyone’s way. Bumping into someone handling steak knives over hot stoves could end disastrously. Weakly she calls for the head chef, Olivia’s, attention; her voice cracking a little. Samantha can’t hold onto the plate any longer; her palms are sweating causing her to lose her grip. Samantha has to tell Olivia that an order of filet mignon has been sent back.
Samantha hasn’t been a waitress for long at the Le Cellier Steakhouse in Albany. This is only her second week and she is still learning the tricks of the trade. She is a beautiful, young, blonde, woman who is soft spoken. Often, she is too shy to ask questions. She prefers to suffer in silence. She does not wish to cause aggravation by asking a stupid question. While the other servers stand around and gossip before the restaurant opens, Samantha double checks her section. She makes sure the forks and knives are lined up evenly. She makes sure the fresh cut flowers in the center of the table are arranged in the most aesthetic way possible. She is consistently running her hands over her black, knee high skirt to smooth out any wrinkles. Her co-waiters never offer up any advice. The little information she has gathered about her current employment has come from conversations she has over heard. Normally Samantha finds eavesdropping repulsive, but sometimes she just can’t help herself.
Early on Samantha learned that Olivia Morrison is very passionate about her job. Cooking is more than just a job to her. She has over heard that Olivia is single and has no family that lives near-by. When Olivia is not working, she is either at home experimenting with new recipes, or at local organic markets shopping for ingredients. Olivia does not own a TV; she finds no entertainment in the lives of other people or characters. Olivia is not one for pets either. She has never found companionship with a thing that slobbers and sheds. The two most important things that Samantha has learned about Olivia are: no one has ever sent back one of her infamous filet mignons, and that she is the least friendly person Samantha will ever encounter.
Tonight is a typical busy Friday night for a restaurant. Couples schedule romantic dates; friends celebrate promotions, all come to get a taste of Olivia’s special filet mignon. But tonight, someone was less than satisfied with their meal. It is Samantha’s job to bring the customer what he wants. If she doesn’t do so it will come out of her tip. Samantha has to break it to Olivia that for the first time ever, food has been sent back to her. A task clearly Samantha is not prepared to do. Samantha calls for Olivia’s attention. Olivia can’t hear Samantha’s soft voice over the hustle in the kitchen. Samantha thinks about tapping her on the shoulder. Immediately she puts that thought out of her head. Olivia does not look like the type who likes to be touched. Samantha will have to raise her voice this time.
“Olivia, this filet is no good. The customer wants a new one” Samantha says.
All of the sudden the whole kitchen seemed to have froze. No one could believe what they had just heard, especially Olivia. Every pair of eyes looks away from Olivia. No one would dare make eye contact with her now, not while she is holding a steak knife. Olivia does not wish to look at anyone either. She is too ashamed. Instead she examines the filet. She circles it like a vulture would. Walking around slowly, staring at the unwanted specimen. What could possibly be wrong with it? The Filet Mingon is Olivia Morrison’s specialty. Olivia is proud to know that her special creation is the most popular item on the menu. Today someone had the nerve to send it back.
“Did the guy say why?” Olivia asked.
“He said he wanted it well done, not medium well.” Samantha says.
Olivia couldn’t believe that someone would send the filet back over the tiniest discrepancy. There is practically no difference. Olivia has been cooking since she was a little girl. She knows when a steak should be taken off the grill. Olivia grasps the plate; she opens the tin cover to the garbage and angrily tosses the unwanted scraps in the trash. She lets the tin cover slam back down to cover the unsightly garbage. She cleans off her knife and yells for everyone to get back to work. Samantha’s high ponytail bobs up and down as she runs out of the kitchen.
Each piece is carefully selected. There would be no fat on any of the small steaks. Very carefully she grills each piece. She rotates the filet a quarter turn to get the cross design. The filets have been marinating in her special herb and butter marinade balanced with a delicate mix of ingredients. Olivia very carefully transfers the filet from the grill to the plate. She treats each one as if it were her own baby. It pained Olivia to throw away the filet. The small filets are served on big, square, white plates. This helps to separate the side dish from the main steak. Olivia is careful when pouring the creamy mushroom sauce over the filet mignon. Olivia will not allow the thick sauce to seep onto the side dish. Sauce spilling over the entire plate is one of the most visually disgusting sights to Olivia. That sight is not nearly as appalling as the filet with only one bite taken out of it. That image will forever be burned into Olivia’s memory. On the plate next to the filet mingon are her special cream cheese mashed potatoes; a special twist on one of her favorite foods. A recipe she learned from her mom when she was a little girl.
She sets all the dinners she has prepared aside. She paid special attention to one. Samantha enters the kitchen holding her breath. She hopes Olivia will not displace her anger on her. Olivia personally hands the dish to Samantha without saying a word. Their hands slightly brush against each other as the plate is transferred from Olivia’s hands to Samantha’s. A sight no one in the kitchen ever thought they would see. Olivia is the least personable person employed at the Le Cellier Steakhouse. For the first time, Olivia is holding her breath as Samantha leaves with the new filet mingon, hoping the customer will be satisfied this time.
Olivia knew this day would come. Not everyone could be her biggest fan. Working in a small kitchen with other chefs, dishwashers, and waitresses Olivia has learned that you can’t please everyone. Olivia doesn’t care what her co-workers think of her. She feels no need to develop any personal connection with the people she works with. Olivia remains professional at all times. She never talks more than she has to. When she does speak to the others, it is always about the fine cuisine that she is preparing. The other workers talked about topics that never interested Olivia. She doesn’t own a TV and can’t contribute to a conversation about the Jersey Shore. She still doesn’t understand what the fist pump is. Their opinion had never mattered to her before. She never realized how much she truly cares what her co workers think of her until tonight when she was embarrassed.
The embarrassment only intensifies when Samantha comes trotting into the back of the kitchen a second time. Olivia was sure she had cooked the filet long enough this time. Olivia was almost afraid that the filet was on the grill for too long. An overcooked steak is awful. The pieces become too hard to chew. Olivia was sure that the filet was cooked well done this time.
Samantha walks to the back and must relive the awful experience all over again. Samantha doesn’t know if she will be able to survive the night. If she does, she just might quit after.
“Olivia,” she calls, “could you please fix this order? He wants it really well done.” Samantha says as she twirls her hair. A nervous habit she has always had.
“The last one wasn’t good enough?” Olivia exclaims.
“The guy wasn’t happy. He sent it back again.” Samantha says.
Olivia orders Samantha out of the kitchen. Furious, she begins to prepare the third filet mignon for the mysterious, unhappy, customer. She waves her steak knife around in the air before forcefully stabbing the filet and placing it on the grill. She throws the pots and pans down on the stove top to prepare the mushroom sauce. They crash and clank when they bang together, resembling the sound of thunder. This only draws more attention to Olivia. Olivia has had food sent back to her before, but never her filet mignon. She never thought this day would come. Olivia never thought this would happen to her twice in one night. Olivia had suffered a big blow to her ego this evening.
Samantha carries the third filet mignon out. Samantha considers praying as she walks back to the customer with the filet in her hand. Samantha believes this man is more unpleasant than Olivia. Samantha must face the wrath of the man only to return to face the frustration of Olivia. Samantha is caught between a rock and a hard place. She feels as though she is running laps. As soon as arrives at the table, she is immediately sent back to the kitchen.
Olivia’s confidence was about to take another hit. Olivia cringes as she sees Samantha make her way towards her. Unfortunately for Samantha she has to be the bearer of bad news. A role Samantha was not used to playing. Samantha hoped that she didn’t have to say anything this time. She wasn’t sure if she could speak. The old man who sent back the food, almost made her cry. Samantha hopes the tears won’t ruin her mascara. The kitchen is hot, too hot for Samantha too handle. The heat is making her light headed. The tension makes her feel as though she is about to pass out.
Olivia has always been able to handle criticism. When going to school for the culinary arts, she had to be tough. Shows such as Hell’s Kitchen do not compare to the hell that was training for Olivia to become a chef. She knows everyone has different tastes. Some prefer spicy, some prefer sweet. She has never encountered a man who preferred to taste a steak that tasted like charcoal. Did this man want to eat a pile of ashes? Olivia thought to herself. Olivia and Samantha would be at the Le Cellier Steakhouse all night. This man would never be satisfied. The whole night would be a cycle of fear for Samantha and a cycle of embarrassment for Olivia. It had to end.
Samantha was a glorified middle man. The diners relay information to her, and she reports back to the chefs. Samantha had enough. She did not want to face Olivia again, at least not on her own. Samantha was no longer scared of Olivia. She looked more sad than angry when Samantha came back the third. Olivia had Samantha’s sympathy this time.
Samantha storms out of the kitchen this time. She walks with confidence now. She pushes through the double doors and stomps out to the dining area. She grabs the man’s arm and orders him to stand up and follow her. She drags the middle aged man to the back of the kitchen. They walk through the flames of the kitchen. The man is beginning to sweat, which will ruin his nice Armani suit. She orders him to tell Olivia himself exactly how he wants his filet. This man is not used to taking orders. Tonight, he will comply. The man looked just as frightened as Samantha did the first time she sent the food back. The man was shaking at the sight of Olivia. Her big build can be intimidating to anyone. Olivia stands there, waiting, tapping her nails on the cold countertop. The man begins to speak but starts to stutter. He unbuttons the first button to his shirt. He readjusts his tie. He searches for a rag to wipe off his forehead, but his muscles begin to cramp up.
“Get out of my kitchen” Olivia orders. “I don’t allow bad meat in my kitchen” she says.
Samantha escorts the man out. Olivia begins to cook again. She refuses to make another filet for the man. She just sends out an order of cream cheese mashed potatoes with asparagus on the side. He does not deserve anymore. Olivia refuses to waste anymore of her good meat on a bad man.