The Food Sorcerer

It was still dark when Abhay decided that he had had enough of his attempts to go back to sleep. He kicked his blanket off and rushed out of the dormitory room. The testing day was finally here. Lack of enough sleep meant that he’d have to forget about having a relaxed mind. Besides, he had done quite well in all the practice tests even with a mind full of thoughts. He looked at the clock in the common area. There were still a good three hours before his teachers would lead the students to the River Temple, the venue of the test. Trying to take his mind off the test, Abhay began his morning chores.

At 17, Abhay was about to appear for his first test. As the morning got brighter, he began bumping into his peers – most of them were repeat test-takers. The teachers had selected only a few of them to appear for their first test.

'Culinary Enchanters' was among the very few schools imparting lessons in food sorcery. Academics were still divided on whether food sorcery is an inherited trait or one that can be taught. Yet, given its ever-flourishing image, teachers at 'Culinary Enchanters' were some of the most sought-after educators. Students, who had cleared the test and had the 'Culinary Enchanters' label, were in high demand – finding riches early in their careers. Royal families, war troupes, celebratory gatherings – all trying hard to hire them.

At the end of the two-year course, the budding sorcerers had to appear for a test conducted by none other than the Priests of the River Temple. Abhay had visited the temple only once as a child – to beg near the carriage halt at the Temple. As he allowed his mind to drift through his life’s journey, he remembered how a teacher at 'Culinary Enchanters' had rescued him from the group of beggars. With no knowledge about his parents, he had taken almost a year to recover from the hunger of the streets.

After a slight display of his cooking abilities, he was enrolled in the food sorcerer course. Throughout the course, he had imagined being at the River Temple as a test candidate. The gentle river, the cold breeze, the serious faces of the Priests – he had been there so many times in his head. Then there were his thoughts about the people who used to beg with him. (What do they get even if I get hired by the Queen herself?) But today was not meant for such distracting thoughts – soon, he would be performing on the stone platform while the three Priests stared down at him. The stalls surrounding the platform, packed with viewers, did nothing to pacify the nervous test candidate. (Will I see someone from those days there?)

When the school’s carriages were lined up, Abhay made a quick run to the one with ingredients. He peeked inside to make sure that the bag of ingredients bearing his name had been packed. “It’s all in there,” said a rough voice, “Didn’t we already go through it last evening and again this morning?” Abhay quickly closed the carriage door. Kory, the school’s Ingredient Supervisor, had always been nice to him. “You’ll do well. I have seen you perform.” Abhay nodded and went back to his carriage.

The journey to River Temple saw Abhay talking to the fellow competitors in his carriage. Thankfully, none of them talked about the test. Soon, the carriage’s swaying and rocking put Abhay to a much-needed sleep. He woke up only when the carriage stopped with a jerk at the River Temple. He stepped down and saw that there were beggars were not allowed anymore at the temple.

The river’s gentle gushing, the bells’ rhythmic ringing – Abhay closed his eyes to soak it all in. A few volunteers were helping the students reach the waiting area. Others were taking the ingredients to another room.

The waiting area had a window directly overlooking the stone platform. Since, food sorcery was not something one could copy from another, there were no restrictions on students witnessing other students’ performances.

Abhay pressed his nose against the window. Looking at the stalls was so overwhelming. As he stared at all the people, he thought he had caught a glimpse of Madhav – the boy who used to offer his share of bread to Abhay in those days. (He still looks so hungry) But he brushed the thought aside. Surely, Madhav would have grown up by now.

The three Priests assumed their seats and a loud bell gonged. The first candidate brought out from her ingredient bag a few carrots, lettuce, tomatoes, spinach, and a packet of milk. She muttered a few words. The ingredients turned into a neat bowl of salad topped with cheese gratings. The bowl was passed from one Priest to the other. Smiles adorned their faces. The candidate had clearly passed the test. A roar of claps and whistles ran through the viewers’ stalls. The girl bowed and left.

The next candidate took a bowl of rice, milk, and sugar out of his bag. The judges did not react to his preparation as kindly as they had done to the girl. Apparently, the boy had made rice cakes but not using the milk meant a clear violation of test rules. He courteously requested the Priests to try the rice cakes. Each of them took a bite and nodded. The candidate had prepared rice cakes with the surprise of ice cream within.

Abhay kept watching while a few candidates passed, but others (sweetened bitter gourd chips, buttered guava leaves paste, chocolate soup) could not impress the Priests. When Abhay stepped onto the stone platform, he took out his ingredients – just sugar, salt, and spices. He, then, proceeded to ask the Priests’ assistants to give a few preparations of candidates who had prepared very basic dishes. After a brief discussion, the Priests allowed Abhay’s request. If he would cheat in any way, they would simply fail him.

Abhay had three plates in front of him – cookies, bread, and fried rice. After muttering words of his sorcery, the plates were offered to the Priests.

The first Priest chose to try fried rice. A couple of bites and he closed his eyes, with a visible smile on his face. The fried rice had the exact same taste of the one he had tried as a youth while learning at the Jewel Temple. His favourite teachers, his co-students, his efforts in achieving Priesthood – he remembered it all. He kept his eyes closed, losing himself in a sense of nostalgia.

The second Priest, while confused about the first Priest’s reaction, tried a cookie. The cookie melted in his mouth. He chewed on it softly and closed his eyes too. He recalled his time in the prison - how he used to look forward to finish his term – counting his days only by a cookie in the breakfast. It was not particularly tasty but it told him to find something good even in his lowest times. He smiled when he recalled how this simple realization had opened his path to Priesthood.

The third Priest took a bite of the bread. He stopped chewing for a bit, let out a groan, and continued. It took him a while to realize that his mind had gone back to the confluence of Priests where he had had similar bread. The other Priests commending him for his knowledge, his pleasure at sharing wisdom with others, and the joy he had found in guiding others – it all came back to him.

Abhay awaited his result. The audience sat silent while the Priests finished eating. Once done, the three of them shared their experiences with each other.

The third Priest began, “What you have shown here is quite peculiar. With your sorcery, you took each of us to a particular moment in our past and we were lost in our histories. What you seem to have forgotten, though, is that once we finished eating, like our mouths, our hearts were empty too. You did not consider that food is temporary. For this shortcoming, we have decided not to pass you.”

Abhay hung his head down in disappointment, collected his bag, and walked back to the resting area. He tried to be positive – he had showcased whatever he had trained for. He tried to pay attention to the rest of the candidates. Yet, his thoughts wandered to what the Priest had said - the temporary nature of food and how his ability to bring back strong memories leave a person all empty.

As Abhay thought about what he could do during the year to follow to pass the test, he realised that he was quite hungry. As he began walking towards the eating area, he began nodding.

Ten years later…

It was still dark outside. With enthusiasm, Abhay got out of his bed and peeked outside the window of his small room. Kory was busy managing the carriages with the ingredients. Later, Abhay called upon his team of food sorcerers to the kitchen. In no time, they had conjured sufficient quantities of breakfast items. Soon, the carriages were refilled and were on their way.

Staring out from his carriage, Abhay looked at the dwindling paths amidst the mountains. His journey after the test had been similar to these roads. Soon after the test, he had moved out of Culinary Enchanters. A few days later, he had gone through an uphill battle of convincing his teachers and the Priests to seek food donations from its past students as well as those from other culinary schools. With their collective efforts, they were now making food available to the poor all over the country. He kept looking with content at the other carriages following his carriage, proudly displaying their team’s name – 'Culinary Providers'.