Peter Blake - Plastered

Scottish Writers' Podcast

Runner-Up in Dumfries & Galloway Arts Association Flash Fiction Competition 2006. Read by Bruce MacKenzie.
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Plastered

Diners at ristoranti Da Delfina are presented with a glass of prosecco to sip while making their selection from the menu. Favoured guests, are served by Carlo himself. He joined me at my table and poured the wine talking rapidly in his Tuscan Italian. He can speak English but refuses; it’s as though he feels speaking anything other than the Tuscan dialect will somehow dilute the purity of his cooking. Carlo Cioni is Italy’s foremost Tuscan chef.
As I lifted my glass in salutation he noticed the plaster on my finger, I trapped it in the door and the nail had turned black.
‘Aha!’ he said. ‘If you worked in my kitchen you would have to wear a blue plaster. It is the rule from Brussels for ristoranti, so if it falls off in the cooking, we can easily see it and throw away the food.'
‘What a good idea’ I said. ‘It’s nice to see something useful coming out of Brussels?’
‘Of course, you are right.’ He said. ‘It is good to have sensible rules, however.’ He paused, leaned closer and said softly, ‘have you considered how many of the old plasters you have eaten?’
© Peter Blake 2006