I'll take a brief break from the recipes, but I cannot describe my daily life for long without involving food in some way.
So what exactly do I do all day?
When I was first assigned to the kitchen, I was almost constantly busy. I was in charge of gathering and preparing raw ingredients, making sauces, cleaning meat and fish, and cleaning pots, pans, dishes, and the general kitchen area.
I've since proved my worth and am now allowed to delegate busywork to other kitchen slaves. I do still like to lend a helping hand in the work rather than just oversee, because I am held responsible for making sure it is done right. I also do not want the other slaves to see me as someone who has forgotten where he came from.
I must always rise early. Ientaculum must be ready before the family awakens. Fresh-baked bread is extremely important, as it is yet another mark of my master's status. His children have no need to walk further than their table to enjoy a mouthful of warm bread. I also see to it that fresh eggs, fruit, and cheese, along with milk and honey, are set out with the bread.
Prandium is composed of similar stuff. I am usually able to serve more warm bread from the oven, along with fruit, nuts, and olives.
The cena is the meal I often need to prepare for all day, for I must prepare the gustum, a hearty mensa prima, and the sweet mensa secunda. Fried or roasted dormice are a favorite gustum in the family. When we have important guests, I must pull out all stops and do whatever the mistress orders. She will usually call for a good roast ostrich or peacock, a magnificent roast boar, or maybe a large selection of fish and shellfish to serve as the caput cenae. When the family is dining without guests, I will make regular favorites like fried veal or a small fish dish. To finish off the meal, I often send out cooked fruit and ova sfongia dressed in plenty of passum that matches the taste of the fine wine that my master has chosen.
That's just the cooking part.
Sometimes I will have the chance to go to the forum, if I so choose, unless I opt to send another slave with a list. I will usually go along to help choose which things look freshest and tastiest, as I have quite a bit of experience. The marketplace is quite chaotic, but fortunately many sellers already recognize our master's name and will have the finest wares set aside for us when we arrive.
At the end of the day, I retire to my own quarters. I have one of the nicest slave rooms in the house, due to my important position as cook. I could almost say that I am the most important slave in the entire household, since my master's grand feasts have become widely renowned. Now every feast he holds must inspire respect and awe in his guests without fail, lest he lose his social standing.
I am proud to serve at my master's great house, and I feel as though I am truly a part of it. He praises and rewards me for my cooking. However, I obviously do not want this to be my life forever. I would give up the security of my position as a slave in an instant for the risks of being a solitary freeman. But I feel that the day will come soon, and my master and I will part amicably. I am currently training one of the younger kitchen slaves in hopes that he can take my place when I am gone.
