Post by Kyomei Kuchiki on Jul 21, 2012 13:24:34 GMT -5
Kyomei stood in front of the small building, with his paintbrush and paint in hand. The building had been abandoned for so long, the owner was more then happy to part with it for nothing, seeing as it needed incredible work that Kyomei would have to do on his own. The paint on the walls was peeling, the awning over the entrance needed some patchwork, and the sign over top of that needed to be flat out replaced. Kyomei began work making the storefront looking appealing and clean. The old paint had to be scraped off by hand, and then a new primer had to be applied before the paint went on. When Kyomei had finished, the walls finally matched the neighboring buildings, looking a pristine, clean white. To fix the awning would require a little bit of sewing and that wouldn't take too long. The new sign that Kyomei put up read "Ramen R Us"
The inside of the building was going to need some work too before Kyomei was ready to open shop. There were already some tables, but those needed to be scrubbed clean and sanitized before the health department would even consider allowing Kyomei to run a restaurant out of here. The tables were arranged for maximum seating, and bar stools were placed at the counter for customers in a hurry. The floor didn't need to be repaired much, as it was just the stone layer of the Seireitei covered by thin strips of wood. Some of them needed to be swapped out as they had rotted away. The windows were still intact, but hadn't seen a cleaning in ages. Soap and water weren't enough in some sections, and those had to be scraped off with a chisel before the soapy water could make it shine.
The room Kyomei planned to be the kitchen was in desperate need for some work. It looked like a wasteland of garbage and filth. Kyomei readied himself for the last bit of cleaning. Kyomei gritted his teeth and prepared to get dirty. He could always take a long hot shower later. The massive piles of garbage needed to be taken to the back of the building, and placed into the dumpster. However, there was far too much trash for the dumpster to handle. So, periodically, Kyomei applied a little pressure from a Sho to compact the trash more and more into the dumpster. Maintaining a Shakkaho as a heat source would melt the garbage down into a more compact form as well. When the garbage was clear from the room, the equipment needed to be cleaned, inside and out.
Kyomei took apart the stove, scrubbing each and every part for cleanliness. The burners needed to be scraped off of the charred buildup from much use, and the tubing for the gas needed to be flushed out as well seeing as something had managed to block up all of them. The gas itself would need to be filled up, no surprise, so Kyomei added that to the list of things he would need for the first day of opening. The sink seemed surprisingly free of obstructions, until Kyomei fished up a hair ball the size of a baseball from the drain. He spent the next hour purging the pipes of any and all foreign objects. When the pipes were clean, the stove was ready, and the back room was clear, all that was left to do was knock out half of a wall so that the kitchen would be seen from the counter and that food could be delivered easily.
The section of wall would have to be removed without the assistance of Kidou, because Kidou would be too unpredictable. Kyomei got to work with a sledgehammer, hitting the wall over and over. It was tiring work, as Kyomei wasn't terribly strong. In fact, he was quite weak, he barely matched some humans in strength. The wall removal took up more time then Kyomei would have liked, but it got done and Kyomei cleaned up the mess. The final job was to paint the inside of the restaurant and then go shopping for the next day's customers.
He purchased flour, spices, meats, all vital ingredients for exceptional ramen. It wouldn't be a five star joint, seeing as Kyomei was no master of cooking, but if Kyomei could get a good cook to work with him, then the place could be incredibly popular in a few years. As it was, the restaurant was situated in a busy area during the day, which is why the owner was so quick to give it to someone who would fix it up. Removing a blemish from the street would do well for Kyomei, as people would be likely to give it a try at least once. Returning to the store, Kyomei placed all the supplies in the newly cleaned cabinets. He placed a "Help Wanted, apply inside" sign in the front window, locked the door, and headed back to the Squad 6 Barracks for the night. He'd have to be up bright and early in the morning to catch the breakfast rush.
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Dawn creeped over the horizon and Kyomei was already up and on his way to the store. He unlocked the door, propped it open, and entered in. He started to form the noodles ahead of time, but leave them uncooked until a customer ordered them. His menu was limited at the moment, but there were a few different styles and flavors of Ramen that he knew how to make. To form the noodles, he mixed the flour and water and pressed them through holes in a press. It wasn't a quick process, but it resulted in well crafted home made tasting noodles. Being made like home was Kyomei's goal for his cooking. If it didn't taste like Mom would make, then it needed improvement. With the noodles pressed and ready for cooking, Kyomei stood at the counter, though still inside the kitchen, and waited for the throng of people to pass by the store. Maybe one or two would decide to stop for a quick bite to eat.
Kyomei's first customer was a lad who appeared to be in his late teens, early twenties. He was hungry and Kyomei was ready to cater to him. Beef was the boy's favorite, so Kyomei worked on seasoning the cooking noodles just right while the meat simmered on the other half of the stove. Kyomei layered the food for aesthetics in addition to taste. A small helping of the noodles was placed at the bottom of the bowl, then strips of savory beef was placed on top of that. More noodles, followed by more beef, then topped with a spice garnish. Kyomei received his money, placed it in the register, then handed over the ramen with a set of chopsticks. The customer was fairly pleased by the ramen. The one bowl was filling enough for him, so he placed it back on the counter and left, leaving a tip in the jar. "My first customer and my first tip all at the same time. Things won't be too bad, hopefully"
The breakfast rush was less than spectacular. A few customers trickled in as the morning progressed, and each one was fairly pleased with the food before leaving. Some seemed to refer the shop to others as they left, and more than a few entered because of the recommendations. Kyomei had more than enough supplies for the morning rush, though he wished for an assistant to come work with him. He looked at the sign while he cooked and wondered if anyone would take his offer and come apply. At this moment, Kyomei would take any and all applicants considering that they had a decent work ethic and attitude. As the morning rush filtered away, and Kyomei was left in the store alone, he wondered if during the lull someone would come apply. Two people working together would be quite effective.
The inside of the building was going to need some work too before Kyomei was ready to open shop. There were already some tables, but those needed to be scrubbed clean and sanitized before the health department would even consider allowing Kyomei to run a restaurant out of here. The tables were arranged for maximum seating, and bar stools were placed at the counter for customers in a hurry. The floor didn't need to be repaired much, as it was just the stone layer of the Seireitei covered by thin strips of wood. Some of them needed to be swapped out as they had rotted away. The windows were still intact, but hadn't seen a cleaning in ages. Soap and water weren't enough in some sections, and those had to be scraped off with a chisel before the soapy water could make it shine.
The room Kyomei planned to be the kitchen was in desperate need for some work. It looked like a wasteland of garbage and filth. Kyomei readied himself for the last bit of cleaning. Kyomei gritted his teeth and prepared to get dirty. He could always take a long hot shower later. The massive piles of garbage needed to be taken to the back of the building, and placed into the dumpster. However, there was far too much trash for the dumpster to handle. So, periodically, Kyomei applied a little pressure from a Sho to compact the trash more and more into the dumpster. Maintaining a Shakkaho as a heat source would melt the garbage down into a more compact form as well. When the garbage was clear from the room, the equipment needed to be cleaned, inside and out.
Kyomei took apart the stove, scrubbing each and every part for cleanliness. The burners needed to be scraped off of the charred buildup from much use, and the tubing for the gas needed to be flushed out as well seeing as something had managed to block up all of them. The gas itself would need to be filled up, no surprise, so Kyomei added that to the list of things he would need for the first day of opening. The sink seemed surprisingly free of obstructions, until Kyomei fished up a hair ball the size of a baseball from the drain. He spent the next hour purging the pipes of any and all foreign objects. When the pipes were clean, the stove was ready, and the back room was clear, all that was left to do was knock out half of a wall so that the kitchen would be seen from the counter and that food could be delivered easily.
The section of wall would have to be removed without the assistance of Kidou, because Kidou would be too unpredictable. Kyomei got to work with a sledgehammer, hitting the wall over and over. It was tiring work, as Kyomei wasn't terribly strong. In fact, he was quite weak, he barely matched some humans in strength. The wall removal took up more time then Kyomei would have liked, but it got done and Kyomei cleaned up the mess. The final job was to paint the inside of the restaurant and then go shopping for the next day's customers.
He purchased flour, spices, meats, all vital ingredients for exceptional ramen. It wouldn't be a five star joint, seeing as Kyomei was no master of cooking, but if Kyomei could get a good cook to work with him, then the place could be incredibly popular in a few years. As it was, the restaurant was situated in a busy area during the day, which is why the owner was so quick to give it to someone who would fix it up. Removing a blemish from the street would do well for Kyomei, as people would be likely to give it a try at least once. Returning to the store, Kyomei placed all the supplies in the newly cleaned cabinets. He placed a "Help Wanted, apply inside" sign in the front window, locked the door, and headed back to the Squad 6 Barracks for the night. He'd have to be up bright and early in the morning to catch the breakfast rush.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dawn creeped over the horizon and Kyomei was already up and on his way to the store. He unlocked the door, propped it open, and entered in. He started to form the noodles ahead of time, but leave them uncooked until a customer ordered them. His menu was limited at the moment, but there were a few different styles and flavors of Ramen that he knew how to make. To form the noodles, he mixed the flour and water and pressed them through holes in a press. It wasn't a quick process, but it resulted in well crafted home made tasting noodles. Being made like home was Kyomei's goal for his cooking. If it didn't taste like Mom would make, then it needed improvement. With the noodles pressed and ready for cooking, Kyomei stood at the counter, though still inside the kitchen, and waited for the throng of people to pass by the store. Maybe one or two would decide to stop for a quick bite to eat.
Kyomei's first customer was a lad who appeared to be in his late teens, early twenties. He was hungry and Kyomei was ready to cater to him. Beef was the boy's favorite, so Kyomei worked on seasoning the cooking noodles just right while the meat simmered on the other half of the stove. Kyomei layered the food for aesthetics in addition to taste. A small helping of the noodles was placed at the bottom of the bowl, then strips of savory beef was placed on top of that. More noodles, followed by more beef, then topped with a spice garnish. Kyomei received his money, placed it in the register, then handed over the ramen with a set of chopsticks. The customer was fairly pleased by the ramen. The one bowl was filling enough for him, so he placed it back on the counter and left, leaving a tip in the jar. "My first customer and my first tip all at the same time. Things won't be too bad, hopefully"
The breakfast rush was less than spectacular. A few customers trickled in as the morning progressed, and each one was fairly pleased with the food before leaving. Some seemed to refer the shop to others as they left, and more than a few entered because of the recommendations. Kyomei had more than enough supplies for the morning rush, though he wished for an assistant to come work with him. He looked at the sign while he cooked and wondered if anyone would take his offer and come apply. At this moment, Kyomei would take any and all applicants considering that they had a decent work ethic and attitude. As the morning rush filtered away, and Kyomei was left in the store alone, he wondered if during the lull someone would come apply. Two people working together would be quite effective.
