Oᴅᴇᴛᴛᴇ Mᴀʟᴇɴᴄᴏɴ (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
cardsharked) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
hotelcaelum2023-12-29 02:25 pm
cardsharked) wrote in hotelcaelum2023-12-29 02:25 pm
Entry tags:
le reveillon
WHO: French people and you
WHERE: The restaurant complex industrial kitchen floor/a random ballroom and entertainment floor
WHEN: Nebulously between Christmas and New Year’s Eve
WHAT:The Who Pudding Cook-Off Le Reveillon dinner
WARNINGS: Alcohol and boozing; maybe there will be an actual physical fight over the food? Mistletoe shenanigans possible. Let me know if I need to add new warnings.
ALLEZ CUISINE
Anyone interested in contributing food to the dinner will have a place to cook in the giant industrial kitchen. Just a few weeks ago, sentient shadows were stabbing unsuspecting guests in the back here, but today it’s lively and bustling. There may even be a handsome, empty-headed blond vampire wandering around to kick off each round of oven preheating with a hearty catchphrase. Before hopping into the fray, consider grabbing an apron or team varsity jacket from the wardrobe hanger. The old staples are there – “Kiss the Cook,” “I Love You a Latke,” “Sugar and Spice” – but there are also some unusual standouts, like jackets with an extra sleeve attached or aprons that have fashioned the lyrics of “Santa Claus is Coming to Town” into death threats.
The kitchen has been incredibly well prepared and stocked, and anything necessary to cook a fine holiday meal is available. Of course, some ingredients may have been shuffled around during the procurement. Maybe cooks need to cross team lines to borrow a cup of sugar, apples will be in the onion basket, or paprika will mysteriously pop out of nowhere in a cloud of spice. Working together is the easiest way to make sure the meal goes smoothly. As a reminder, anyone is welcome to throw a dish or two into the mix regardless of their national cuisine of choice. Get cooking!
FRIENDS AT THE TABLE
Here to cook, or a cook who’s finished their rotation in the kitchen? An adjacent ballroom space has been furnished to hold the dining party, with decorations and ambiance supervised by Sumina. As for the food, there's a plethora of options, with Team France(?) alone providing traditional staples like roasted quail, braised oysters, acorn soup, fennel salad, foie gras and pate with crusty bread wedges, creme caramel, and buche de noel. Menu placards at each table list the dishes on offer, but the full menu information can only be unlocked by answering a discussion question over appetizers – “What’s your New Year’s Resolution? Why? How can we help?”
Alcoholic and virgin bubbly drinks are available for all guests. The effervescence of these drinks is contagious! These drinks have a slight, but pleasant, uplifting effect. Drinking one might make attendees chipper and outgoing enough to chat more openly than normal or literally light on their feet, allowing them to float an inch or two off the ground. No one will be forced to experience sensations or feelings they don’t want to; they are purely opt-in, like the joy that comes from smelling a warm homegrown memory.
In addition to any other decorations, Polaroid-style pictures dot the wall. These snapshots contain representations of happy memories of guests throughout the previous year but can only be viewed by people who want to see them, and only memories of people who are willing the share them will appear. Otherwise, they might contain potential futures, hopes, dreamscapes, aspirations, or other talking points for those who are willing to see them.
SMALL BITES
If anyone truly wants to turn this meal into an epic showdown, feel free to start a rousing debate over different dishes or fashion a scorecard out of the menu placards. Golf pencils are mysteriously available for any and all ranking needs.
Though it’s only nebulously New Year’s Eve, guests who stick around until midnight will see the ballroom dim to a warmer, soothing color, lights twinkling down a countdown the last few minutes to the end of the day. As the time ticks over, guests can hold on to indoor-safe sparkle fireworks or take the floor to give a toast to the upcoming year. Insert other preferred New Year's traditions at will.
The mistletoe is still rumored to be out and about, so take care when mingling.
If asked about any of the weird dinner happenings, Odette hasn’t got a clue. She’s just here for the food. Must be more hotel shenanigans, or maybe someone else put their twist on things.
WHERE: The restaurant complex industrial kitchen floor/a random ballroom and entertainment floor
WHEN: Nebulously between Christmas and New Year’s Eve
WHAT:
WARNINGS: Alcohol and boozing; maybe there will be an actual physical fight over the food? Mistletoe shenanigans possible. Let me know if I need to add new warnings.
ALLEZ CUISINE
Anyone interested in contributing food to the dinner will have a place to cook in the giant industrial kitchen. Just a few weeks ago, sentient shadows were stabbing unsuspecting guests in the back here, but today it’s lively and bustling. There may even be a handsome, empty-headed blond vampire wandering around to kick off each round of oven preheating with a hearty catchphrase. Before hopping into the fray, consider grabbing an apron or team varsity jacket from the wardrobe hanger. The old staples are there – “Kiss the Cook,” “I Love You a Latke,” “Sugar and Spice” – but there are also some unusual standouts, like jackets with an extra sleeve attached or aprons that have fashioned the lyrics of “Santa Claus is Coming to Town” into death threats.
The kitchen has been incredibly well prepared and stocked, and anything necessary to cook a fine holiday meal is available. Of course, some ingredients may have been shuffled around during the procurement. Maybe cooks need to cross team lines to borrow a cup of sugar, apples will be in the onion basket, or paprika will mysteriously pop out of nowhere in a cloud of spice. Working together is the easiest way to make sure the meal goes smoothly. As a reminder, anyone is welcome to throw a dish or two into the mix regardless of their national cuisine of choice. Get cooking!
FRIENDS AT THE TABLE
Here to cook, or a cook who’s finished their rotation in the kitchen? An adjacent ballroom space has been furnished to hold the dining party, with decorations and ambiance supervised by Sumina. As for the food, there's a plethora of options, with Team France(?) alone providing traditional staples like roasted quail, braised oysters, acorn soup, fennel salad, foie gras and pate with crusty bread wedges, creme caramel, and buche de noel. Menu placards at each table list the dishes on offer, but the full menu information can only be unlocked by answering a discussion question over appetizers – “What’s your New Year’s Resolution? Why? How can we help?”
Alcoholic and virgin bubbly drinks are available for all guests. The effervescence of these drinks is contagious! These drinks have a slight, but pleasant, uplifting effect. Drinking one might make attendees chipper and outgoing enough to chat more openly than normal or literally light on their feet, allowing them to float an inch or two off the ground. No one will be forced to experience sensations or feelings they don’t want to; they are purely opt-in, like the joy that comes from smelling a warm homegrown memory.
In addition to any other decorations, Polaroid-style pictures dot the wall. These snapshots contain representations of happy memories of guests throughout the previous year but can only be viewed by people who want to see them, and only memories of people who are willing the share them will appear. Otherwise, they might contain potential futures, hopes, dreamscapes, aspirations, or other talking points for those who are willing to see them.
SMALL BITES
If anyone truly wants to turn this meal into an epic showdown, feel free to start a rousing debate over different dishes or fashion a scorecard out of the menu placards. Golf pencils are mysteriously available for any and all ranking needs.
Though it’s only nebulously New Year’s Eve, guests who stick around until midnight will see the ballroom dim to a warmer, soothing color, lights twinkling down a countdown the last few minutes to the end of the day. As the time ticks over, guests can hold on to indoor-safe sparkle fireworks or take the floor to give a toast to the upcoming year. Insert other preferred New Year's traditions at will.
The mistletoe is still rumored to be out and about, so take care when mingling.
If asked about any of the weird dinner happenings, Odette hasn’t got a clue. She’s just here for the food. Must be more hotel shenanigans, or maybe someone else put their twist on things.
no subject
[These gains are meant to flex suits! Anyway.]
Well, mainly I put in sausage and spam. The latter, which you're talking about is a processed and preserved ham of sorts that has other ingredients to help it be shelf-stable. It's really salty if you eat it by itself so I don't recommend doing that. Great ingredient for other dishes like this though.
no subject
I see... So it's processed in such a way that prolongs its shelf-life... Without the use of magic, I presume?
[ Just... making sure... ]
no subject
[He's giving himself a big serving of stew with plenty of noodles and gestures to Sumina's bowl.]
Eat up before it gets cold!
no subject
But! At his encouragement, she does start to dig in earnestly; there's something meticulous about the way she samples each different ingredient that's found its way into her bowl, and each bite she takes, she seems to consider rather thoughtfully. She's a foodie!! ]
Mmm... Very savory! And spicy, as you said, but the flavorful sort of spice. It's rather... comforting, this army stew! [ A beat. ] Might you know why it's named that way, Mister River?
no subject
Her question is a good one and he takes a sip of broth before answering.]
There's a good amount of history behind its name and origins. Recent enough, but way before I was born. You sure you're up to learning about some minor human history?
no subject
[ She pulls a glass bowl full of little slips of paper over. ]
I prepared these slips of paper with various questions for guests to get to know each other with. What say you?
no subject
Sounds good to me!
Oh, by the way... You can just call me River. I'm not like, old or anything like that.
no subject
Forgive me, River - I hadn't meant to insinuate you're... old. [ No, he definitely doesn't seem old, if she's right in her assumption that he's human. ] It's a force of habit of mine, haha. I work in hospitality at home, you see...
[ And without further ado, she pulls out a slip of paper! ]
Ah, here's a good one: "How do you spend your free time?"
no subject
[A lot of espers work in hospitality. Great way to gather intel and it can be a thankless job in its own way.]
How do I spend my free time...? [He grins and holds up his arm to flex his bicep. You can see it even through his sleeve!]
I work out at the gym! I'm a big fitness guy, you see. It's a great way to clear my mind and make me feel refreshed!
no subject
W-Wow. A very... healthy habit! That's rather admirable, River.
Does exercising not make you feel tired?
no subject
The endorphins are worth it! That's chemicals in your body that are released when you're stressed in layman's terms.
Being a doctor is little more tiring for me to be completely honest, but that's just the medical field for ya.
no subject
[ he's so respectable! ]
I feel that makes it even more admirable that you manage to stay consistent with your fitness despite having such a demanding profession.
[ sure, there's healing magic where she's from and all, but still, being a healer is tough! ]
no subject
Fitness helps release stress for me. I need something outside of the job that I can enjoy. That way, when the next workday comes, I'm mentally ready and at my best.
no subject
...Hmm. That seems nice, Mister River. Are there other activities you take part in outside of your job?
no subject
What else?
[Gonna eat some more stew and chew on that thought before swallowing.]
I like playing games, specifically video games. Oh, I help tutor my cousins in their schoolwork. I'll help my mom and grandma cook. Watching movies with my friend and roommate is always fun if there's something interesting that catches our eye, but she'll fall asleep if it isn't interesting.
[
back home miss lulu sneezes for some reason]no subject
You must be quite close with your family. It's very sweet of you to do all of that for them, despite what a busy schedule you must have.
no subject
My mom and grandma raised me mostly by themselves after my old man passed away. So now that I'm a fully functioning adult, I gotta make sure I'm doing the same for them.
no subject
[ That smile soon takes on a sympathetic note, as does her voice. ]
I'm sorry to hear about your father. It seems your mother and grandmother raised an upstanding fellow even on their own. I'm sure they appreciate all that you do for them - and that you remember to take care of yourself, too...
[ She could stand to learn the same for herself, she knows. ]
no subject
[He gestures animatedly as he continues.]
I got teased by my friends for being a mama's boy and such and it made me insecure for a while; I tried to overcompensate in some ways until my teachers set me straight.
Raising any kind of kid is hard work. I had to learn early on that I had to take care of myself so that Mom and Grandma wouldn't have as much to worry about.