For the past few years, Jacob has been writing. And cooking. He has started and stopped so many "books" I have lost count and reads/watches everything food-related he possibly can. (He cooks very well too, which is a major reason I have begun running again!) He finished a story for school this morning that combines both of his passions and gave me permission to share it. Enjoy!
Jakob and the Soldiers
“Here you go, sir,” said Jakob as he handed a Jewish man a perfectly cooked beefstuk. He walked back into the kitchen or, as he called it, his kitchen.
“Elmo, get down from there! Those cookies aren’t for you!” he said to his younger brother as he laughed. As Elmo finished his unauthorized snack, Jakob heard his mother approaching.
“Hallo, could you please prepare some stamppot for the Jews?” she asked out of breath from her daily chores.
“Ja” Jakob replied.
The Bakker family always possessed a full pantry of fresh vegetables, fruits, grains, and anything else they needed. They practically ran a restaurant with twenty mouths to feed everyday. In fact, the family decided earlier that year when they began hiding Jews from the Nazis, that if the Germans ever tried to enter their home they would pretend it was a restaurant. Just as Jakob was getting out mashed potatoes for the stamppot, he heard a knock on the heavy front door.
“Openstellen!” Jakob could tell who was at the door. He looked over at Elmo.
“Get the guests upstairs…” he whispered
“Openstellen!” said the person at the door again as he banged on it. Elmo started to cry.
“Tell Mama and Pa. It’ll all be OK. Now, hurry.” Jakob whispered again. This was the moment Jakob had been preparing for for a almost a year. He was ready. Or at least he thought so.
Mama and Pa came bolting down the stairs as if there had been a fire.
“Come in!” Mama said kindly just as she had rehearsed.
They did, and right away Jakob could see it. The Nazi logo. It was right on the soldier’s helmets.
“Hallo, welcome to Nederlands Restaurant!” said Mama, trying to sell a small dining room as a restaurant.
“Where are the Jews?” questioned one of the soldiers immediately.
“What Jews? This is Nederlands Restaurant. We have the best beefstuk in all of the Nederlands” said Mama.
“Where are the Jews?” the other soldier questioned brutally.
“What jews?” Mama asked, convincingly.
“Well, if this is a restaurant, who is the chef?” asked the second soldier much more calmly.
“I am.” Jakob spoke up.
This got a roar out of the soldiers. Mama and Pa just stood with straight faces staring at the soldiers.
“You are lying! A ten..” the first soldier started.
“Eleven,” corrected Jakob.
“....year old can not be the chef at a restaurant.” finished the first soldier, unbelievingly eyeing Jakob.
“I am. Order something,” commanded Jakob.
“For the both of us, two beefstuk, two stamppot, and two beers. I assume you have that in Nederlands Restaurant,” said the second soldier.
“Yes sir! It’ll be right up,” said Jakob as he threw a towel onto his shoulder and walked into the kitchen.
Jakob roughly chopped some andijvie and threw it in a pot with the mashed potatoes. Jakob had always loved this smell even before he was tall enough to see inside the pot.
He then fried a couple of strips of bacon and a few slices of rookworst with an onion. He threw all but the rookworst in the pot with the potatoes. This smell was even better than the last. Finally, to make it creamy and delicious, he added milk and butter.
He then made simple steaks. He seasoned them and then quickly cooked them in a cast iron pan. Dinner was served. Pa brought two bottles of beer into the dining room just as Jakob brought in the beautiful looking plates. Mama sighed, relaxed at the site of the plates.
“Maybe the boy is a cook,” whispered the first soldier to the second, looking at the plates.
“Elmo seems quiet,” thought Jakob curiously.
“Eet smakelijk,” said Mama encouraging them to enjoy their meal.
The first soldier tasted the stamppot. His eyes bulged.
“This is wonderful!” he exclaimed. The other soldier nudged him. He had just cut into the beefstuk.
“The beefstuk is raw and bland!” yelled the second soldier.
“I apologize,” said Jakob, frightened, which was unusual for him. “I’ll make it up to you, free dessert.”
“If your pudding is good, we’ll be gone,” said the second soldier sternly.
Jakob had been practicing making pudding earlier, and it turned out great. There were leftovers, so all he had to do was put it in bowls. He wished he could remake it, but he used the last of the sugar making it earlier. He spooned the pudding into bowls and put it in the oven. He prayed it would be good. After it had reheated he brought the dessert to the soldiers. They both just stared at it. The second soldier picked up his spoon, as did the first. The second soldier picked up a little bite with his spoon, as did the first. They both tasted it.
“This is…” said the second soldier, he paused, “absolutely…” he paused again, “delicious.”
Jakob, Mama, and Pa all smiled at the same time. The first soldier shouted something in german. A third soldier walked down the stairs with someone Jakob knew. Elmo! The third soldier responded in german. Jakob only knew one word the third soldier said. Boy.
“He scared me.” said Elmo, hugging Pa’s leg.
Pa wanted to become hostile, but knew that would only provoke the soldiers. Pa spoke german and knew that the Nazis were talking about Elmo.
“What did you tell them, son?” Pa whispered to Elmo.
“Nothing, they asked me about the…” he whispered back.
“Shhhh!” Pa told Elmo.
“We are leaving. There are no Jews here,” the third soldier said in dutch.
With that, they left. No interrogation, no fights, and best of all no prisons.
Thank you, God. prayed Jakob.
“Jakob,” said Mama, “go clean up.”