Chapter 17 — Tomorrow's Kitchen

A group of night shift workers brought a pot of soup before the Home Kitchen opened, but their pot did not fit in the industrial stove.

Ha measured the diameter and looked at Khoi. “If you put it in the main kitchen, you have to change the heat.”

The man named Quan said: "We just want to cook in one pot like at home."

“This kitchen is not like the kitchen at home,” Khoi replied.

“So why is it called a shared kitchen?”

The question was not meant to be a retort, but made Khoi point to the rulebook: the user group can bring the recipe and ingredients, the Kitchen provides the area, tools, cleaning instructions and the person in charge of the shift. No one is allowed to use their own pot without checking.

Quan nodded. “We need to know how much testing you will do.”

“To the point of not causing others to eat something unsafe.”

“What about the taste?”

“The flavor is decided by the group, but the ingredients must be listed.”

“What if the customer doesn't like it?”

“Customers have the right not to buy.”

Quan looked at the pot of soup. “Sounds fair.”

“Fairness does not mean always convenient.”

Shared kitchen week begins on a day without rain. The first group are night shift workers. They cook vegetable soup and braised fish, dividing the spices into two levels. The four members of the group take turns washing, cutting, cooking and scoring. Ha checks the living area, Khoi checks the temperature, Linh guides the labeling.

Lan's mother stood outside the counter and did not enter the kitchen unless called. She said it was a way to train the shop not to revolve around her.

Sample customers come from those who have registered in advance. Some are workers in the same factory, some are neighbors. They are not given free food. Each person pays the base price, and the cooking group decides where to use the difference.

Quan wants to use the extra money to buy more fish for the next shift. Another person wanted to pay the cook. The group debated in front of the public board.

Khoi did not intervene. He just reminded: "Wages must be recorded, not considered voluntary if the person needs money."

Ha looked at him. “Where did you learn this question?”

“From you.”

“Don't talk like I'm the textbook.”

“I will take names.”

“Write it on the board, not in words.”

The second day is the student group. They brought second-rate vegetables from a food warehouse, wanting to make small portions for the residents. A girl named Mai suggested cooking vegetable noodles but did not want to use seasoning powder. Another group wanted dishes that could be stored overnight.

Khoi asked them to choose a target. "Eat immediately, or leave overnight? Both ways require different processes."

Mai said: "Eat now."

One person objected because the quota could not be sold. Vy asked if they had data on customers they wanted to bring back. No one has.

They tested three take-away portions, recorded the closing time, temperature, and time the customer received them. A portion was returned because the vegetables were wilted. No one covers. The group of students gathered and decided not to sell overnight until there was a suitable storage cabinet.

A student complains that the stove has too many rules. Ha asked: "Do you want to cook freely or do you want others to freely eat without worrying?"

He didn't answer, but went back to washing the tray.

On the third day, a woman selling cakes brought the recipe for pompano braised with pineapple. She wanted to try a small batch because customers at the market often buy it to take home. The recipe includes her family's fish sauce, but the source of the fish sauce is not fully labeled. Khoi requested to replace it with one with a clear source. She said the dish would lose its taste.

Khoi does not argue about taste. He explained that it is impossible to sell a dish without recording the ingredients and source. She left, taking the pot of uncooked fish with her.

Lan's mother asked: "Do you have to be so hard?"

"Have."

“She has been cooking for many years.”

"Experience Do not change source records.”

“What if she doesn't come back?”

“The kitchen is not the place to receive all orders.”

In the evening, she returned with a bottle of fish sauce with a label. She said she found a similar one. The batch of fish was cooked and sold out within an hour. She earned her first salary by the pound, not a thank you.

On the fourth day, the group of elders brought the fish porridge recipe. They want to open in the morning for people going to the doctor early. Khoi had to adjust the hours because the kitchen still had the evening shift. Vy calculated the costs of opening early: electricity, staff, ingredients and unsold porridge.

Mr. Sau said: “Don't cook the whole pot. Sold by subscription.”

One person objected because visitors had no share.

They chose to cook two small pots, one according to registration, one as backup. The spare pot at the end of the session had five portions left. A woman bought four portions for her neighbors. The last part is put into the meal fund, not considered lost money.

On Thursday, a group of mothers wanted to use the kitchen to make baby food. They need separate areas, separate tools, and long cleaning times. Linh pointed out that the kitchen did not have enough colored knives to separate food. Khoi suggested buying more, but the fund was not enough.

The group contributed money to buy a small knife set. They recorded it as common property, not belonging to one person. Vy made a loan slip. Lan's mother looked and said that in the past, no one thought that a knife needed clear ownership.

“In the past, many things were done with trust,” Vy replied.

“Is there no more faith now?”

"Still. But trust should not force people to remember to change documents.”

On Friday, the shared kitchen had a serious problem. A group cooked braised meat, but the person in charge forgot to write down the cooling time. Khoi discovered it when he opened the cabinet. The food has not shown any signs of spoilage, but it is impossible to determine how long it has been at a safe temperature.

The group wants to continue selling because they have made a large deposit. Ha stopped everything.

One member cried, saying they collected money all month. Khoi said the money will be refunded according to the agreement if the error belongs to Bep Nha Kitchen's process, but if the error belongs to the group, a meeting must be determined. The person asked who decided.

Ha replied: "The person present in the shift, based on the minutes."

No one is allowed to sell items. Meat is destroyed. The group lost money on materials, but they recorded the error so as not to repeat it. Khoi saw that Ha seemed in pain when she stopped, but she did not back away.

On Saturday, they opened the kitchen to all the participating groups at the same time. Each group has an area, a person in charge and a dish. The space is tight, the calls thicken. Ha coordinates, Khoi stands between stations, Linh checks labels, Vy checks money, Binh checks deliveries.

There were times when three groups needed a fire. One group has to wait. Some customers complain that the food comes out slowly. Someone misplaced it. A tray of vegetables fell to the floor. The kitchen is not as beautiful as Man's video. But every mistake has a name and a way to handle it.

Quan stood in front of the board and told everyone: "I thought the shared kitchen meant everyone could do whatever they wanted. It turns out that everyone has to clearly state what they are doing so that someone else doesn't take on the burden."

Mai asked: "So is it still mine?"

Ha replied: “If you have the right to make decisions within your responsibility, yes.”

Khoi heard and saw that the answer could apply to the whole brand.

At the end of the day, the seven groups sat down. They don't vote on which dish is the best. They evaluate four things: whether it's repeatable, whether it's safe, whether workers get paid, and whether customers know what they're buying.

Three dishes were chosen to continue the season. Two items need to be corrected. The two groups paused because they were not needed bag.

The shared kitchen week's revenue is not large, but enough to pay participants, part of the operating fee and purchase food separators. Meal fund increased. More importantly, Kitchen House has a list of people who have used the kitchen, not a list of people promised to come.

The bank receives the report. The call letter said the plan had better data than expected, but wanted to know if this model could last. Vy sent out the kitchen reservation schedule for next month, and six groups have registered.

Man also sent an invitation. He asked Nha Kitchen to let his group rent the kitchen for a day to try new dishes, paying a higher fee.

Khoi did not answer immediately. Ha said: "The outside is a competitor, but renting a kitchen is a transaction. Separate the two things."

Vy asked: “What if they film it?”

“Prohibited if there is no agreement.”

“If they learn the process?”

"The process is not secret. The right to use the name is what needs to be protected."

Khoi sent Man the price list for renting a kitchen, with regulations not to use identifying images, not copying internal documents and not attaching the name Bep Nha to the advertisement. Man agreed.

In the evening, Lan's mother asked Khoi if he felt uncomfortable when his opponent paid the kitchen rent.

"Have."

“Still accepting?”

“If the transaction is clear and does not lose the shop's rights.”

Lan's mother nodded. “Growing up sometimes means knowing that people you don't like can still pay right.”

When the communal kitchen ended, the sign in front of the restaurant read:

OPEN FORMULA — SIGN CONTRIBUTOR'S NAME — RECORD PRICE — RECORD RISK.

Khoi changed "open recipe" to "conditional open kitchen".

Ha asked why.

"An open recipe doesn't mean the kitchen door is open to everything. You still have to know what goes in."

Ha nodded. “This name is less romantic.”

“But rather.”

In the storage room, Khoi looked at the weekly report. There is a line that outsiders do not know: the bridge capital is enough to help pay part of Binh's debt, but not enough to repair the entire hood. If the bank does not renew, the shop is still dangerous.

Lan's mother took the recording box. She said: "The last file of the flood season still has an unheard part."

Khoi asked why he didn't say anything until now.

“Because I don't want to use it when you don't know how to listen to others.”

She pressed the phone.

In the tape, after the sound of the water receding, a strange man's voice said to Lan's mother: "If you need money, I can recommend a loan. Just use the shop's name as security."

Lan's mother's voice asked: "Conditions?"

The man said: "Just the name. The staff still works, the shop is still yours."

Khoi looked at his mother. The tape stopped right before her answer.

Tomorrow, they must know who Mom signed that condition to save.