Seventeen, and the Memorial Day (4)
The moment I opened the menu, my vision swam. Every dish had that Italian-looking word from the sign emblazoned at the top, followed by English below, and Korean at the bottom.
The problem was, even the Korean didn't give me a clue what any of it was. Sal timboca... Rosso wine sauce... What the hell is this...
Each item had a polite description attached. Something about white wine and butter sauce, aged beef tenderloin with red wine sauce... Sentences like that. But even with the explanations, I couldn't picture the food, couldn't make sense of it—my head just kept spinning.
If there were photos, I might've gotten the gist, but scanning the menu, there wasn't a single picture or even a little illustration. Just walls of text. Staring at those fancy, pretentious fonts made me feel like the biggest idiot alive.
And the menu itself was intimidating. Thick leather cover that felt heavy in my hands, and every page turn released a subtle leather scent. Not unpleasant, but so luxurious it made me anxious, like I had to handle it with kid gloves.
But the real issue was something else.
Why aren't there any prices listed...?
No matter which page I flipped to or menu I scrutinized, there were no prices anywhere. Ajusshi said he'd pay, but that only made me hesitate more. What if I picked something ridiculous in a place that screamed money, with names that sounded just as pricey...?
I was glaring at the menu, groaning internally, when—
"Pfft..."
A soft chuckle came from across the table. I lowered the menu slightly and peeked up cautiously. Ajusshi was looking at me, smiling. Not laughing out loud, but his eyes crinkled with amusement.
"...?"
Why's he laughing? My brain was still whirling with menu names and prices, so I couldn't fathom what was so funny.
Ajusshi kept smiling at me, then propped his chin on his hand. "Having trouble picking? Want some help?"
I clutched the menu tighter and ducked my head. "No, I'm... fine. Um..."
Determined to try again, I peered back down. Same result. All names were total strangers, and the descriptions only confused me more the longer I read. Flipping pages back and forth just tangled my thoughts worse.
"...Ajusshi."
I called softly, lifting only my eyes above the menu.
"Yeah?"
"Um... could you... help me out?"
Saying it out loud made my ears burn. Ajusshi just chuckled once and slid my menu toward himself.
"Sure, let's pick together then."
He handled it like a pro, tapping sections with his finger as he flipped. "Steak should be tenderloin, I think."
His finger paused on the steak page. "How do you like it cooked? I recommend medium rare."
"Ah, yeah. That sounds good."
That much I could handle. I'd heard those terms somewhere before, so I answered easily enough.
Ajusshi nodded and flipped to the pasta. "Pasta—cream or tomato?"
"Tomato. With... seafood if possible."
"Got it."
Then salad. Truth be told, I had no clue, so when he pointed to one with nuts, cheese, and some dressing and said it'd be good, I just went with it.
Once we'd settled on the basics, Ajusshi pressed a small button by the table. Knock knock. Two raps from the door.
"Come in."
The staff member who'd seated us opened the door quietly and entered. He approached Ajusshi naturally. "Ready to order?"
Ajusshi glanced at the menu once more and rattled off the order smoothly. They were the same menu names I'd been wrestling with, but hearing them from him felt totally different. Not just reading the Korean-transliterated English, but rolling them off with real pronunciation.
Ajusshi's really good at English too...
The staff nodded, jotting notes, clearly understanding perfectly. I just sat there blankly, listening. As they spoke, those menu words from earlier started sounding familiar. Stuff I couldn't parse reading, but flowed effortlessly from his mouth—it was magical.
The staff finished and left, plunging the room back into quiet. I fidgeted, glancing around anxiously, while Ajusshi just smiled at me.
Soon another staffer entered, filling water glasses, setting out side plates, forks, and knives. Then a small basket of steaming bread and a tiny dish of yellow oil went in the table's center.
"Pre-meal bread. The side is extra virgin olive oil. If you'd like, you can dip it in balsamic vinegar too."
The staff dripped dark liquid from a small bottle into the oil, mixed it, bowed, and left quietly.
The bread looked different from usual—pretty shape, something sprinkled on top. Too intimidated to touch, I just stared at the basket until Ajusshi demonstratively tore one, dipped it deep in the oil, and ate. Only then did I tentatively follow.
It was surprisingly plain yet chewy— just bread, but way tastier.
A bit later, the ordering staff knocked and returned with two beautifully plated dishes.
"Salad first."
He set one carefully before each of us. In the large plate's center, colorful greens piled in a circle. Crumbled white cheese on top, dotted with walnuts, brown sauce artfully drizzled around the edge.
"Seasonal green salad. Young leaf greens with goat cheese and caramelized nuts, dressed in balsamic vinaigrette."
His soft tone explained, but half the words were new to me. Goat cheese... caramel... what was that... vine... something... Korean, sure, but half alien gibberish.
Still, the plate screamed expensive salad. Poking my fork in hesitantly, I speared cheese, greens, and nuts together. First bite left me puzzled—grassy at start, but chewing shifted it. Tangy sauce bloomed, followed by sweet-sour notes. Creamy, salty cheese with nutty crunch—perfect match.
As I neared the end, the staff returned. This time, wide white plate with red sauce swirled in a circle, pasta mounded atop, studded with clamshells, shrimp, squid.
"Second course: Spaghetti ai frutti di mare al pomodoro."
The tongue-twister flustered me, but catching my eye, he clarified. "Pasta with fresh seafood and tomato sauce."
I nodded, twirling noodles on my fork for a bite. I'd expected familiar tomato, but it was richer, deeper—tangy yet umami-packed, aroma subtly luxurious. The pasta strands were chewy-smooth, not like store-bought.
As the plate emptied, sauce pooling at the bottom, I regretfully scraped the last bits when—perfect timing—the staff entered again.
This plate was bigger. Thick steak slab centered on white porcelain, evenly browned, flecked with minced green herbs. Trimmed veggies stacked beside, red sauce pooled beneath—artfully refined.
"Main: Filetto di manzo al vino rosso."
Familiar pronunciation. "Grilled aged beef tenderloin with red wine sauce."
Even with the Korean gloss, it didn't click—vaguely recalled from the menu, that's all. Now before me, it daunted more. Steaks I'd had were square-ish slabs to hack at; this was a masterpiece. Afraid to ruin it, I picked up fork and knife, then set them down. No clue where to cut—ended up just staring dumbly.
Then another knock. Different staff set a glass before me quietly. Ice-filled, half brimming with reddish juice-like liquid, orange/lemon/grape slices bobbing, herb leaf on the rim—gorgeously garnished.
"Non-alcoholic sangria."
Short explanation, bow, exit.
I gawked, mouth half-open.
...But I didn't order this.
"You said you wanted to try alcohol last time."
Turning, Ajusshi peered over his glass at me. "No real booze, so I ordered this for the vibe. Zero alcohol—it's fine."
Ah, he remembered. A tickle warmed my chest.
Ajusshi casually tapped his glass—green-tinted drink inside. "Virgin mojito. Non-alcoholic too."
Driving, probably. Felt bad he couldn't drink because of me.
Then he lifted his glass. "Before we eat... cheers?"
A question mark popped in my head.
...Toasting with this? He'd been so casual, but now it felt awkward—his words, everything.
Is he doing this on purpose to cheer me up?
The thought twitched my lips. I ducked my head to hide it, lifted my glass. "Yeah... cheers."
Clear clink echoed softly in the quiet room.
Sangria sip: sweet fruit, subtle aroma filling my mouth. No alcohol, but felt like booze after ages.
Setting it down, Ajusshi glanced at my plate. "Struggling with the steak? Want me to cut it?"
Sudden offer—I reflexively looked down. Before I could speak, he stood, came to my side, and started slicing slowly with knife and fork.
Why was Ajusshi acting like this today? Overkill for cheering me up, wasn't it?