Home Fires
HOME FIRES
by Soledad
Fandom: Stargate Atlantis
Characters: Dr. Radek Zelenka, Dr. Rodney McKay, Dr. Elizabeth Weir, Col. John Sheppard
Recipient: sallymn
Summary: Sometimes it is the flavours of home that makes a place home.
Beta read by the generous curiouswombat, whom I owe my thanks.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
All surviving members of the original Atlantis expedition agreed that the best part of having regular contact with Earth again was that one could from time to time order things from home. Small things one missed most, from books through music and movies to food.
Especially food. While they had a year to grow used to foodstuffs commonly eaten in the Pegasus galaxy, everyone had at least one personal favourite sorely missed that they were now eager to share with the others. One could find the most unlikely people taking over the communal kitchen to show others what a really delicious dish was supposed to be like.
Therefore neither Doctor Weir nor Colonel Sheppard was surprised when - on an unexpectedly nice, peaceful day - they walked by the mess hall and heard a long string of angry words coming from the kitchen area.
In Czech.
“It seems today is Doctor Zelenka’s turn to amaze us… or shock us into the next incarnation,” Sheppard commented.
Doctor Weir nodded. “That’s right. He mentioned having ordered the right ingredients to make real knedlíky.”
“To make what?” Sheppard, who - unlike Doctor Weir - didn’t speak Czech, appeared mildly alarmed.
“Knedlíky are simple boiled dumplings; a staple food of Czech cuisine,” Doctor Weir explained. “They are served on the side of many traditional dishes. Doctor Zelenka was planning to serve it to vepro kaldo zelo.”
“Which is what exactly? It sounds like a declaration of war,” Sheppard seemed somewhat suspicious.
Doctor Weir laughed. “Don’t worry, Colonel. It is merely roast pork with dumplings and sauerkraut - a delicious meal if made correctly.”
Sheppard gave the kitchen area a doubtful look. “And you think Zelenka can make it correctly? Because I don’t understand a word from what he’s saying, but he doesn’t sound happy. And something is definitely burning in there.”
Doctor Weir listened to the Czech cursing for a moment.
“It’s just the onions,” she then said, smiling. “Fortunately, they grow in our greenhouses and are easily replaced. It seems that Doctor Zelenka asked Rodney to watch them, and Rodney got… distracted.”
“He asked Rodney to help him in the kitchen?” Sheppard said in shocked disbelief. “Has he lost his mind? Everyone knows that Rodney is a disaster waiting to happen when it comes to normal, practical things.”
“Perhaps,” Doctor Weir allowed. “But he and Doctor Zelenka are friends; and friends share things that are important to them.”
“Suuure,” Sheppard drawled, more than a little doubtfully, because in that very moment another string of Czech curses drifted in their direction. Then, unexpectedly, Zelenka switched to English.
“Ne, Rodney, stop! You’ve whisked long enough. Now batter must be set aside until foamy.”
“And how long is that supposed to take?” Rodney’s pensive voice asked.
“About ten minutes. You’ll see on foamy surface when it’s ready. Until then we’ll combine flour, eggs and salt.”
“What for?”
“To add it to yeast mix and knead dough until it detaches from edges of bowl.”
“This is all very unscientific!” Rodney complained.
“Of course it is,” Zelenka agreed readily. “Making knedlíky is not science; it is art.”
“Are you a food artist now?” Rodney’s voice dripped with sarcasm.
Zelenka laughed. “Ne, ne!” But my babička was one, and this is her old family recipe. Never to be shared with strangers.”
“I feel so honoured,” if humanly possible at all, the sarcasm in Rodney’s voice grew even thicker. “And what now?”
“Now we cover bowl with cloth and let it rise for two hours in warm area, away from drafts,” Zelenka declared.
“Two hours?” Rodney echoed. "And we’ll do - what for two hours?”
For him, whose over-active mind practically never rested, that was clearly a frightening concept. Zelenka laughed again.
“No worries. I’ve prepared another batch in advance, so that we won’t waste precious time. I also put on salted water to boil, in large pot. We can shape first batch now and make knedlíky while second batch is rising.”
“The dough has gone up nicely,” Rodney said, somewhat mollified. “How do we shape it?”
“We dusk work surface with flour and make three loaves,” Zelenka explained. “Then, when water boils, we carefully place loaves into pot.”
The two outside the kitchen listened with interest as Zelenka patiently instructed Rodney how to form the loaves the right way.
“Zelenka has the patience of a saint,” Sheppard commented.
“Fortunately for us,” Doctor Weir agreed. “Nobody can handle Rodney half as well as he does. I never thought I’d live to see the day when Rodney does anything in the kitchen.”
“Anything but complaining,” Sheppard added with a slightly malicious grin.
Meanwhile the loaves had clearly been shaped to Zelenka’s satisfaction because he declared them ready to be put into the boiling water.
“They must boil now for twenty minutes,” he explained. “After ten minutes we’ll turn them over so that both sides will cook well. We have to maintain steady, rolling boil for right consistency.”
“You mean we’ll just watch the water for ten minutes?”
“Ne, ne. I’ll keep half an eye on knedlíky, while watching pork with other eye. You’ll open tinned sauerkraut and put it into another pot, so that we can warm it up alter. I assume you do know how to use tin opener?”
“Are you kidding? I lived off tinned food in all my years at university,” Rodney said indignantly. “Done!” he announced about five minutes later. “What now?”
“Now I’ll turn over knedlíky,” Zelenka replied; there was a smile in his voice, “and you’ll invite Doctor Weir and Colonel Sheppard, who are eavesdropping in mess hall, to join us. I’m sure I can find something for them to do, too.”
~The End~
by Soledad
Fandom: Stargate Atlantis
Characters: Dr. Radek Zelenka, Dr. Rodney McKay, Dr. Elizabeth Weir, Col. John Sheppard
Recipient: sallymn
Summary: Sometimes it is the flavours of home that makes a place home.
Beta read by the generous curiouswombat, whom I owe my thanks.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
All surviving members of the original Atlantis expedition agreed that the best part of having regular contact with Earth again was that one could from time to time order things from home. Small things one missed most, from books through music and movies to food.
Especially food. While they had a year to grow used to foodstuffs commonly eaten in the Pegasus galaxy, everyone had at least one personal favourite sorely missed that they were now eager to share with the others. One could find the most unlikely people taking over the communal kitchen to show others what a really delicious dish was supposed to be like.
Therefore neither Doctor Weir nor Colonel Sheppard was surprised when - on an unexpectedly nice, peaceful day - they walked by the mess hall and heard a long string of angry words coming from the kitchen area.
In Czech.
“It seems today is Doctor Zelenka’s turn to amaze us… or shock us into the next incarnation,” Sheppard commented.
Doctor Weir nodded. “That’s right. He mentioned having ordered the right ingredients to make real knedlíky.”
“To make what?” Sheppard, who - unlike Doctor Weir - didn’t speak Czech, appeared mildly alarmed.
“Knedlíky are simple boiled dumplings; a staple food of Czech cuisine,” Doctor Weir explained. “They are served on the side of many traditional dishes. Doctor Zelenka was planning to serve it to vepro kaldo zelo.”
“Which is what exactly? It sounds like a declaration of war,” Sheppard seemed somewhat suspicious.
Doctor Weir laughed. “Don’t worry, Colonel. It is merely roast pork with dumplings and sauerkraut - a delicious meal if made correctly.”
Sheppard gave the kitchen area a doubtful look. “And you think Zelenka can make it correctly? Because I don’t understand a word from what he’s saying, but he doesn’t sound happy. And something is definitely burning in there.”
Doctor Weir listened to the Czech cursing for a moment.
“It’s just the onions,” she then said, smiling. “Fortunately, they grow in our greenhouses and are easily replaced. It seems that Doctor Zelenka asked Rodney to watch them, and Rodney got… distracted.”
“He asked Rodney to help him in the kitchen?” Sheppard said in shocked disbelief. “Has he lost his mind? Everyone knows that Rodney is a disaster waiting to happen when it comes to normal, practical things.”
“Perhaps,” Doctor Weir allowed. “But he and Doctor Zelenka are friends; and friends share things that are important to them.”
“Suuure,” Sheppard drawled, more than a little doubtfully, because in that very moment another string of Czech curses drifted in their direction. Then, unexpectedly, Zelenka switched to English.
“Ne, Rodney, stop! You’ve whisked long enough. Now batter must be set aside until foamy.”
“And how long is that supposed to take?” Rodney’s pensive voice asked.
“About ten minutes. You’ll see on foamy surface when it’s ready. Until then we’ll combine flour, eggs and salt.”
“What for?”
“To add it to yeast mix and knead dough until it detaches from edges of bowl.”
“This is all very unscientific!” Rodney complained.
“Of course it is,” Zelenka agreed readily. “Making knedlíky is not science; it is art.”
“Are you a food artist now?” Rodney’s voice dripped with sarcasm.
Zelenka laughed. “Ne, ne!” But my babička was one, and this is her old family recipe. Never to be shared with strangers.”
“I feel so honoured,” if humanly possible at all, the sarcasm in Rodney’s voice grew even thicker. “And what now?”
“Now we cover bowl with cloth and let it rise for two hours in warm area, away from drafts,” Zelenka declared.
“Two hours?” Rodney echoed. "And we’ll do - what for two hours?”
For him, whose over-active mind practically never rested, that was clearly a frightening concept. Zelenka laughed again.
“No worries. I’ve prepared another batch in advance, so that we won’t waste precious time. I also put on salted water to boil, in large pot. We can shape first batch now and make knedlíky while second batch is rising.”
“The dough has gone up nicely,” Rodney said, somewhat mollified. “How do we shape it?”
“We dusk work surface with flour and make three loaves,” Zelenka explained. “Then, when water boils, we carefully place loaves into pot.”
The two outside the kitchen listened with interest as Zelenka patiently instructed Rodney how to form the loaves the right way.
“Zelenka has the patience of a saint,” Sheppard commented.
“Fortunately for us,” Doctor Weir agreed. “Nobody can handle Rodney half as well as he does. I never thought I’d live to see the day when Rodney does anything in the kitchen.”
“Anything but complaining,” Sheppard added with a slightly malicious grin.
Meanwhile the loaves had clearly been shaped to Zelenka’s satisfaction because he declared them ready to be put into the boiling water.
“They must boil now for twenty minutes,” he explained. “After ten minutes we’ll turn them over so that both sides will cook well. We have to maintain steady, rolling boil for right consistency.”
“You mean we’ll just watch the water for ten minutes?”
“Ne, ne. I’ll keep half an eye on knedlíky, while watching pork with other eye. You’ll open tinned sauerkraut and put it into another pot, so that we can warm it up alter. I assume you do know how to use tin opener?”
“Are you kidding? I lived off tinned food in all my years at university,” Rodney said indignantly. “Done!” he announced about five minutes later. “What now?”
“Now I’ll turn over knedlíky,” Zelenka replied; there was a smile in his voice, “and you’ll invite Doctor Weir and Colonel Sheppard, who are eavesdropping in mess hall, to join us. I’m sure I can find something for them to do, too.”
~The End~