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Description

A blade moved swiftly, peeling off skin, cleaving it's target and staining all around it crimson. Talsi ti'Xolcas watched Neljiith ti'Vhireht as he cleaned and chopped up a beet for today's borscht. He took note of every move of the knife, the position of his hands and all the other little details. When he felt he was done he turned his head to her.

"By the gods, watch your hands. I don't need your fingers in my soup. And eighths are still too big."

He looked crestfallen. "I was going to chop them up fine once i'd I had a few beets peeled and sectioned. That's what you do."

She let out a sigh. "I'd cut them in half initially. Big difference. Still, you are liable to cut yourself up. Let me show you..." And so she showed him a few tricks on how to keep one's digits safe while dicing a beet, which would also be useful for tomatoes, onions, various vegetables and even meat.

Neljiith had arrived in Tabula Rasa about a year ago, part of a regular batch of new releases from the camps, and soon found work at Talsi's cafe. He could chop firewood, wash dishes, clean the tables, mop the floor and all the other little tasks that let Talsi focus on cooking, taking orders and making change. Even though she paid him ten credits a day her revenue increased by more than twice that and sometimes she collapsed in bed not completely exhausted.

Now she had plans and the first step in this was taking on another employee. She could use some more hands in the kitchen as the sooner diners were served the happier they were and the sooner they'd be on their way, making room for fresh diners to fill their seats. In that regard, she saw teaching Neljiith how to do some basic jobs for a couple extra credits and hiring another new release as the easiest path.

So far, it had been hard going. He'd never learned how to do any meaningful cooking beyond dressing rabbits. With a fair bit of criticism he'd proved that he could dice carrots and peel potatoes, now they were moving onto beets. He kept making a bunch of small mistakes that end up wasting time or getting his fingers nicked. It was a frustrating experience, especially since she knew that it was frustrating for Neljiith as well. Especially since she knew that her skills at teaching left something to be desired. Being raised in a society in which the grunt work was done by slaves leaves an impact in a lot of different ways, especially in management style. Often she found herself realizing that she talked to Neljiith too harshly and aggressively for trivial faults.

"Now" she said, calming down "can you try again?" Neljiith got another beet, peeled it and cut it in half neatly and safely, if still a bit slow. "Better, but you can do better still." And so they continued until the diced beet bowl was full and remained, to every-one's relief, finger free.

From the Beginning...

Previous: Infrastructure: Part Three Hundred and Sixty Eight
Infrastructure: Part Three Hundred and Seventy

Description

A blade moved swiftly, peeling off skin, cleaving it's target and staining all around it crimson. Talsi ti'Xolcas watched Neljiith ti'Vhireht as he cleaned and chopped up a beet for today's borscht. He took note of every move of the knife, the position of his hands and all the other little details. When he felt he was done he turned his head to her.

"By the gods, watch your hands. I don't need your fingers in my soup. And eighths are still too big."

He looked crestfallen. "I was going to chop them up fine once i'd I had a few beets peeled and sectioned. That's what you do."

She let out a sigh. "I'd cut them in half initially. Big difference. Still, you are liable to cut yourself up. Let me show you..." And so she showed him a few tricks on how to keep one's digits safe while dicing a beet, which would also be useful for tomatoes, onions, various vegetables and even meat.

Neljiith had arrived in Tabula Rasa about a year ago, part of a regular batch of new releases from the camps, and soon found work at Talsi's cafe. He could chop firewood, wash dishes, clean the tables, mop the floor and all the other little tasks that let Talsi focus on cooking, taking orders and making change. Even though she paid him ten credits a day her revenue increased by more than twice that and sometimes she collapsed in bed not completely exhausted.

Now she had plans and the first step in this was taking on another employee. She could use some more hands in the kitchen as the sooner diners were served the happier they were and the sooner they'd be on their way, making room for fresh diners to fill their seats. In that regard, she saw teaching Neljiith how to do some basic jobs for a couple extra credits and hiring another new release as the easiest path.

So far, it had been hard going. He'd never learned how to do any meaningful cooking beyond dressing rabbits. With a fair bit of criticism he'd proved that he could dice carrots and peel potatoes, now they were moving onto beets. He kept making a bunch of small mistakes that end up wasting time or getting his fingers nicked. It was a frustrating experience, especially since she knew that it was frustrating for Neljiith as well. Especially since she knew that her skills at teaching left something to be desired. Being raised in a society in which the grunt work was done by slaves leaves an impact in a lot of different ways, especially in management style. Often she found herself realizing that she talked to Neljiith too harshly and aggressively for trivial faults.

"Now" she said, calming down "can you try again?" Neljiith got another beet, peeled it and cut it in half neatly and safely, if still a bit slow. "Better, but you can do better still." And so they continued until the diced beet bowl was full and remained, to every-one's relief, finger free.

From the Beginning...

Previous: Infrastructure: Part Three Hundred and Sixty Eight
Infrastructure: Part Three Hundred and Seventy