Chapter 4 / 51 · 1 min

Beef Recipe

The hardest part of living alone abroad is cooking for yourself.

While Aroni was around, she would cook beef and leave it on the third shelf of the fridge. I’d come home from the office, heat it in the microwave, and eat. Simple.

And today?

I came home, took the frozen beef wrapped in polythene out of the deep freezer, and left it under running hot water in the sink.

I was starving. But there was nothing to do. An hour for the meat to thaw, then another hour to cook.

To make use of that first hour, I started frying the spices. Tricks Aroni had taught me. First you fry the spices, then add the softened meat and let it sit on low heat for an hour.

Strange.

People leave, but a part of them stays behind. As a memory. As a language. Or as a very ordinary beef recipe.

The spices were done.

I went to unwrap the beef from the polythene, and I stood there staring at the meat, filled with endless irritation at myself.

My body was shaking with anger.

Instead of the beef, I had taken out Aroni’s meat by mistake.

Seriously?

Now I’d have to wait another hour for the beef to thaw.