Poem: "What You Believe Is Great Work"

[ysabetwordsmith]

This poem came out of the September 7, 2021 Poetry Fishbowl. It was inspired by a prompt from technoshaman. It also fills the "Set Attainable Goals" square in my 9-1-21 card for the Platonic Love Fest Bingo. This poem has been sponsored by Anthony & Shirley Barrette. It belongs to the Rutledge thread of the Polychrome Heroics series, and follows "The Melting Pot."


"What You Believe Is Great Work"

[Wednesday, July 20, 2016]

Kardal left his food truck in
the hands of his employees and
went over to the Business Incubator.

Labib had some paperwork for him
to sign, applying for programs that
would help launch the restaurant.

Kardal was nervous and dithering
over the project, and it showed.

"Relax," said Labib. "You're doing
the right thing. That means, no matter
what challenges come up -- and they will --
you'll find a way to overcome them."

"What makes you so sure of that?"
Kardal said. "I feel so shook up."

"Your work is going to fill a large part
of your life. The only way for you to be
truly satisfied is to do what you believe
is great work, and the only way to do
great work is to love what you do,"
said Labib. "I've tasted the food you
make, Kardal. You cook with love.
Everything is going to be fine."

Kardal took a deep breath
and signed the paperwork.

"Excellent," said Labib. "Now,
I know this is a bit awkward, but
the best real estate agent for
the job is Fidella Shedd. She
promises to stay in public and
has arranged open houses for
the buildings you will be viewing,
to minimize any hint of impropriety."

"Understood," Kardal said. "It's
just different, the American way."

When Fidella arrived, she was
politely professional and did
not offer to shake hands.

The two of them walked
around downtown together,
looking at buildings and talking
about the other restaurants.

Sometimes other people were
present, sometimes not, but
the important thing was that
someone could enter at
any time, so they weren't
ever really alone together.

They viewed several properties,
but the ones that Kardal liked
were hopelessly out of budget,
and the cheaper ones all had
a variety of serious flaws in them.

Then they entered an older area
with picturesque brick buildings
and an eyesore of a parking garage.

"Some of these have been subdivided,
which lowers the cost," said Fidella.
"You told me you didn't want to start
with too much floor space to handle."

"I really don't," said Kardal. "If this
works out, then I can get another place,
like I'm keeping the food truck going."

"That's a good plan," said Fidella.
"All right, let's explore this place and
see what it might have to offer you."

The front room belonged to a building
that had once been much larger, which
was clear from the way it had brick on
one wall and plaster on the opposite.

It lacked fixtures, as it hadn't been
a restaurant for years, but that was
all right -- he'd want new ones anyway
to create a Syrian atmosphere for it.

The kitchen was still there, if old enough
that most of the appliances would need
to be replaced, but the bathrooms had
gone to some other establishment.

Kardal was wringing his hands over
the expense of whole new bathrooms
when the real estate agent mentioned
a charity called Dottie's Potties that
would pay for single-user facilities.

"Really?" Kardal said, amazed.

"Yes, it's been around for a while,"
said Fidella. "Dotties allow everyone
to go without regarding gender, and
that has plenty of advantages."

Kardal instantly thought about
parents with children, and also
how the ladies' room usually had
a line while the gents' stood empty.
This would neatly solve both problems.

"Would you like to see the apartments
upstairs, or are you only interested in
restaurant space?" Fidella asked.

"There's more?" Kardal said.
"Sure, I'd like to take a look."

"There are three apartments
above the commercial floor,"
Fidella said. "The second floor
has a two-bedroom unit, and
the third floor has a pair of
one-bedroom units. You and
some of your workers could live
there instead of commuting."

They explored all three,
with old hardwood floors
that only needed a polish
to look splendid, and arches
in some spots rather than doors.

The third-floor apartments were
narrow and kind of cramped,
which sent them back down
to explore the second again.

Kardal didn't really need
a two-bedroom apartment,
but then again, someday he
might meet a nice girl and have
children. Meanwhile, he could
use the extra room as an office.

Besides, this apartment had
a much bigger kitchen built
into a corner, instead of
the tiny galleys upstairs.

"I like this place," said Kardal.
"It really feels like this has
potential for the Melting Pot."

So they went in search of
financing for the acquisition.

The Rutledge Wafira Bank was
thrilled to help Kardal acquire
the restaurant and the apartments
over it, with the understanding that
he would buy out the restaurant first
but also had an option to take over
the apartments later if he wished.

"Congratulations," Fidella said
as they walked out of the bank.
"Rutledge expedites the purchase
of business properties to promote
entrepreneurship, so it should
only take thirty days to close.
What are you going to do next?"

Kardal looked at his watch. "I have
a meeting with Penina Trueblood
to discuss the restaurant menu."

"Then I won't keep you any longer,"
Fidella said, and they parted company.

Kardal went to the old brick building that
held the Rutledge Dietary Wellness Center.
Like his future restaurant, it had character,
with hardwood floors and carved doorframes.

Penina's office on the second floor looked
out over green grass and maple trees.
Inside, it held her desk, filing cabinets,
a table and chairs, and all kinds of
resources about food and nutrition.

She was kind enough to leave
the door open so they could
see other people walking by.

"So tell me all about
your new restaurant,"
Penina gushed, grinning.

Kardal described the name,
the building he had picked out,
what he'd seen of its space, and
what he wanted to do with it.

"That sounds beautiful," she said.
"What are your thoughts on menu?"

"I want to revive some things I used
to make at Mandy's Diner," he said.
"I have many new things to add,
but probably not all at once."

"That's sensible," said Penina.
"Add one or two new things
per category to start with. If
you keep introducing new ones,
it will maintain customer interest.
It's good to set attainable goals."

"Some new things will be bigger,"
said Kardal. "There's room to have
a bar for salads, sandwiches, and soups."

He showed her some of the counters
that he'd been browsing on the bus.

"Given your typical ingredients, those
should be pretty healthy, especially if you
include vegetarian options," Penina said.

"Many of the ingredients will be vegetables,"
Kardal said. "I want to offer one each of
meat stew and vegetable soup of the day."

"Wonderful," said Penina. "You have
a Healthy Plate already, and combos.
What about more options there?"

"I also want to introduce sarma, which
are stuffed grape leaves, and kubbeh,
which are balls of bulgur and ground lamb,"
Kardal said. "They'll make good combos."

"Kubbeh ... like kibbe, fried?" she said.

"No, they can be made several ways,
and I prefer baked ones," said Kardal.

"That's good," said Penina. "Anything
you can do to promote healthy ways
of cooking will improve your menu."

"Well, I am going to add a few bits
of American fast food," he confessed.

Penina groaned and put her face in
her hands. "Whyyy?" she said.

"Oscar pointed out that not everyone
would necessarily choose to come in,
but might be humoring someone else,"
Kardal explained. "Offering a choice of
familiar things might encourage them
to stay and maybe try something new."

"All right, what's the damage?" she said.

"Hamburgers, fried chicken sandwiches
and nuggets, mashed potatoes, and
French fries," Kardal said. "I figure
they'll go with the dips I already have."

"Hmm, that's true, and most of your dips
use vegetables," Penina said. "Perhaps
you could offer samples, too, or some sort
of tasting plate. It can take many offerings
before people decide they like a new food."

"I hadn't thought of that," Kardal said
as he made a note on his smartphone.
"That is a wonderful way to encourage
trying something new in small bites."

"Good," said Penina. "What else
can you add in the way of produce?"

Kardal had to think about it. He hadn't
put as much effort into side dishes yet.

"I could make fasolia bzait, green beans,"
he said. "Many vegetables can be roasted,
then topped with tahini and za'atar sauce."

"That sounds delicious," Penina said.

"Maybe I should add new salads,"
said Kardal. "People love those.
Let's see, there's one that mixes
shredded carrots, rice, and fruit.
I could do a real fruit salad too."

"Will you be able to source enough
ingredients for regular menu items?"
Penina said. "You've been switching."

"I want some standard things and
then some variety," Kardal said.

"Talk to local farmers and make deals,"
she said. "People like to eat local,
and our farmers need support."

"That's true," said Kardal. "I've
got some contacts already. I can
see if they're able to increase supply.
Do you have any more ideas for me?"

"You've made a good start in supporting
special diets," Penina said. "More would help."

"I'm planning to offer whole multigrain pita,
and gluten-free if I can find a good recipe,"
said Kardal. "I was hoping you'd have
advice on non-dairy alternatives, too."

Penina pulled out some pamphlets.
"Here's a gluten-free mini-cookbook,
a comparison of non-dairy items, and
a list of Vermont suppliers," she said.

That led to a more general raid of
her handouts, followed by playing
with pieces of plastic food to try
different combination platters.

"You have several new things
to offer for the Healthy Plate,"
Penina said. "That's good."

"Yes, I'm sticking with things
that will be relatively easy and
affordable, but that still offers
new choices," Kardal said.

"Let me know when you finalize
a menu plan," she said. "I can
help you with calorie mapping
and designing a menu to mark
different foods for special diets,
healthy choices, and so on."

"That would be great," he said.
"I'm excited, but nervous too."

"I think you're off to a great start,"
Penina said. "I really look forward
to helping you succeed with this."

"Labib told me that the secret to
success and satisfaction is doing
what you believe is great work,"
said Kardal. "I don't know if
the Melting Pot will be great,
but I certainly hope it is."

Penina leaned forward,
patting the table instead of
touching Kardal's hand.

"You're a good man and
a great cook," she said. "It
will be a fantastic restaurant."

* * *

Notes:

This poem is long, so its character, setting, and content notes will appear separately.

Comments

[(Anonymous)]

>>Penina leaned forward,
patting the table instead of
touching Kardal's hand.<<

This is a good example of Alternate Cultural Affection. (Phrase based off a trope that uses different gestures b/c different species, instead of different cultures.)

Another example I can think of, but don't think I've seen used in RL, would be giving someone a blanket instead of hugging.