Tomorrow's Vengeance by Marcia Talley Read Free Book Online Page B

– but decided the suggestion wouldn’t be appreciated.
    There was a deafening crash of crockery. Filomena winced. ‘It’s that stupid Korean girl again. We have two kitchens at the colony,’ she explained. ‘One we must keep kosher for our Jewish residents. This girl, she doesn’t understand that the meat dishes and the dairy dishes must be washed separately. There are always mixups.’
    â€˜Once they come out of the dishwasher, how would anybody know the difference?’ I wondered aloud.
    Filomena stared, wide-eyed, as if I’d suggested she cut the grated parmesan with sawdust. ‘Raniero would!’
    My eyes made a sweep of the dining room. I estimated it could seat one hundred and fifty, maybe two hundred diners. ‘How many Jewish residents do you have?’
    â€˜Around twenty,’ Filomena said.
    â€˜There’ll be several more in a month or two,’ Naddie added. ‘Having a kosher kitchen is a big selling point for Orthodox Jewish seniors. We’re also one of the very few communities of this type that caters to the dietary requirements of Muslims.’
    â€˜And vegetarians,’ Filomena cut in. ‘Low salt, low fat, dairy-free, gluten-free – we do whatever our residents require.’
    Just thinking about a day in the life of the resident dietician made my head spin. It would be worse than planning the menu when Emily brought friends home from college for Thanksgiving, but I wasn’t nearly so accommodating as Calvert Colony appeared to be. I drew the line at serving Tofurkys or vegan pumpkin pie made with tofu instead of eggs.
    â€˜What do Muslims require?’ I asked, genuinely curious.
    â€˜Food must be certified halal,’ Filomena said. ‘This means “lawful” or “permissible.” Pork is a no-no, just like it is for the Jews. In general, what is kosher is also halal, as long as the correct words are said over it at the time the animal is slaughtered.’
    â€˜We’re very careful about the Circle U and the Crescent M at Calvert Colony,’ Naddie explained.
    Filomena nodded. ‘There are other symbols for kosher and for halal, but those two are the most common.’
    â€˜Tomorrow is Italian night,’ Naddie said, changing the subject. She snagged a menu from a wooden rack near the hostess station and handed it to me. ‘Why don’t you join me? You won’t be disappointed.’
    I quickly scanned the page –
Antipasto
,
Il Primo
,
Il Secondo
,
Contorno
. ‘Very proper,’ I said with a smile. ‘You’d think you were in Rome.’
    â€˜The Bucchos come from a long line of restaurateurs,’ Naddie informed me. ‘Raniero brought a great deal of experience with him from Argentina.’
    Filomena beamed. ‘My brother and I, it is our dream to have a restaurant one day. It will be
asado
, how do you say? Steak house.’
    â€˜
Asado?
Is that anything like
churrascaria
? Where they bring grilled meat to your table on skewers?’
    Filomena nodded. ‘Exactly. Twelve different kinds. And a salad bar, very fancy.’
    I glanced back at the menu again, puzzled.
Bruschetta alla Napoletana. Tortellini alla panna. Capelli d’Angelo alla chef.
It didn’t sound Spanish to me. Paul and I often dined at Jaleo, a tapas restaurant in D.C.
Setas al ajilio con la serena. Camarones en salsa verde. Arroz con pollo.
Now
that
was Spanish.
    â€˜This menu is so Italian,’ I observed as I slipped it back into its holder. ‘And you’re from Argentina. I was expecting Spanish, I guess.’
    â€˜My brother and I, we are
Italo-Argentino
,’ Filomena explained. ‘During the Second World War, many of our countrymen went to Argentina. Our grandfather, too. In Italy, he was
avvocato
, a lawyer, but he dreamed always to own a restaurant. Argentina was, how do you say, land of opportunity?’
    I was quiet for a moment, letting that