sevenswells: (Lonely Puck awww (Glee))
[personal profile] sevenswells
Title: The Art of Love and Cooking

Author:
[livejournal.com profile] sevenswells

Beta: [livejournal.com profile] drgaellon 

Rating: R for language?

Fandom/Pairing:
Glee, Puck/Kurt (and a little Top Chef season 2 too) (yeah, I know)

Warnings/Spoilers:
None, really. It's Alternate Universe, in which glee club never happened (no Mr Schue, yay!). I don't think I'll include the baby drama either. Well, I haven't quite made up my mind about it yet. Also, this fic is a slow-building one, I'm sorry about that. Well, not too slow, hopefully. Lots of OCs, sorry about that too. There will be sex, there will be drama, but mainly, there will be FOOD, and a lot of talk about food because I'm an obsessive glutton.

Comments:
The story comes originally from an incredible prompt I found on the [livejournal.com profile] puckurt  comm; I kinda took the idea and ran away with it, though, so it's not exactly like the original prompt, even if the general idea is the same. Thanks to [livejournal.com profile] chavelaprincess  for this awesome prompt that is currently ruining my life since I really don't have the time to write this but doing it anyway.


Word count: 3 770 T______T


CHAPTER ONE : ÉCHAUDER (1/2)


"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Tweed-New Haven Airport. Local time is 11:20 and the temperature is 81 degrees Farenheit.

On behalf of US Airways and the entire crew, I'd like to thank you for joining us on this trip and we are looking forward to seeing you on board again in the near future. Have a nice day."

About fucking time. Puck groaned deep in his throat as he mechanically rubbed at his eyelids with the heels of his hands, and grimaced. He tried to move his pasty tongue just to see if it could feel again, but it seemed to be fossilized inside the dryness of his mouth. Not a good thing, he decided grimly, he still needed it for work.

He'd never liked planes. Even if travelling first class was a big improvement from the first time he took an economy class seat in a plane flying out of Ohio to New York and then from New York to Paris, his big frame never really fit; he always felt too cramped and crowded. The air conditioning was torture, too; it dried him from inside out and left him with a thirst that could not be quenched, no matter how many times he called on the (fuckable, but weren't they all?) stewardess to bring him something to drink.

Then there was the food.

Puck tried not to be too much of a snob, most of the time. He'd eaten the most magnificent foods in the world and still tasted some earth-shattering, revolutionary dishes sometimes, so of course day-to-day couldn't really compare, but he would never spit on it either. There was still an all-American  jock somewhere inside him who didn't care about fancy food and allowed him to enjoy, from time to time, a simple burger or mac and cheese without any fuss. He would be a hypocrite if he tried to erase from his record the time when the only cooking technique he knew was pouring hot water into a Cup-O-Noodles. After all, one of the most important things he learned in cooking class was that every single thing you ate in your life, even the bad stuff, was part of your experience as a chef.

He also knew he couldn't ask too much from airplane meals, but then again, he couldn't help it : dry, rubbery omelets were just plain irritating, no matter the circumstances. The croissant had remained untouched, hadn't even been looked at : croissants that weren't perfectly fresh, crispy and light to the teeth on the outside, fluffy as a cloud on the inside, still warm from the oven, could very likely be considered a crime against humanity in his book. The only breakfast item that had found favour with him had been the fresh fruit: thank God they hadn't done anything more to it than cut it into pieces. He was even surprised they hadn't managed to find a way to fuck up something as simple as cutting up a fruit.

Okay, so, usually, he wasn't so pissy. But it had been a long night, and he truly felt like shit : the bad food had merely been adding insult to injury.

Speaking of which, he was starving now. Luckily, it was almost lunch hour in Connecticut; he hoped his client had that covered at least. It would be great if the meeting took place at a local restaurant, as he was curious to test the quality of the tables there.

He took the file he'd barely read out of the attaché case again and reviewed it as the other passengers were gathering their belongings and starting to queue out. "Aurélien Marlowe and Evan J. Andrews", he read on the invitation that Gill had fixed with a paperclip on the file's cover. The Marlowe kid was a senator's son, according to Marcel. Yalie, law graduate, seasoned cricket player, the whole WASP nine yards... and a raging homo. His affected black-and-white portrait, probably taken by a professional photographer, said it all. Mother a French model, which explained the good looks and the ridiculous name from a Harlequin novel.
Evan J. Andrews was more of a mystery, though. Well, not in the gay department, at least : famous Broadway singer, tenor, had a thing for onstage cross-dressing, but he was known for being very discreet outside the stage. Very few public appearances, even fewer photos that actually showed his face in a recognizable way.
Gill had included a copy of some arts magazine in the file, featuring a long article about the guy but it had only one photo, picturing him onstage, in costume (Puck had had to squint a bit at the photo for several minutes before he could recognize Andrews was dressed as some sort of witch), most likely taken from a spectator's seat, and a little blurry on top of that. The guy's PRs had to be totally ninja to manage controlling his image like that.

So that was why Marcel had said that this was going to be a huge gig: big media-driven event coupled with what was likely to be a political coup. Marcel would have rather done it himself but the client had specifically asked for traditional French cuisine, and even Marcel had to recognize that was definitely Puck's forte.

Puck still remembered the heated (and very drunk) argument about molecular and classical cuisine that had started off their friendship, the first time he'd met the former Top Chef finalist, at a dinner after some cooking competition they were both invited to in Vegas. At first Marcel had been a little defiant and very unwilling to strike up a conversation with anybody present, in fear of spending an uncomfortable moment having to justify himself for having been on TV. Puck hadn't particularly wanted to bother, but he'd been bored; plus, there hadn't been really anybody else to talk to, so he'd kept trying to make the other young chef talk. After a few glasses of wine though, things had started to get out of control.

"Don't get me started on Ferran Adrià, man, the guy's a crook," Puck had said, drunkenly banging on the table with his fist. "Why would anyone want to do molecular cuisine anyway?"

"Because it's fun, innovative! Molecular's a true revolution, come on!"

"Mere fashion, all this, just for show. The product, man. When you guys grow up you'll realize cuisine should be all about the product. Even Bocuse..."

"Wha..." stammered Marcel.

"Lemme finish -- even Bocuse dropped Nouvelle Cuisine and went back to basics, to terroir -- shut up -- that guy, he's like, I dunno, Mr Miyagi combined with Obi Wan, you know? So far ahead of us, and he's, like, understood it all, like everything, man. Shut up, lemme speak. What I'm saying is... It all comes down to this. Simplicity. Taste. Product. Bocuse, dude." (Puck finished his glass of Côtes-du-Rhône in one gulp) "Bocuse."

"Bocuse? You cannot be serious! Bocuse is a fucking blimp, who's clinging to his past glory and regularly bribing the Michelin critiques just to hold on to his miserable stars and meaningless title. Now, Robuchon, on the other hand, he didn't hesitate to tell them to go fuck themselves. That guy doesn't need stars. Best fucking chef in the universe is what he is. Always putting himself in danger..."

"Just what the fuck are you talking about? Robuchon doesn't even have one restaurant running in the whole of France! He's flooding the US and Japan with fucking tapas bars, I mean what is the point? France is where gastronomy really matters, dude. There's no 'danger' anywhere else. You can't compare fighting crocodiles in the Amazonian and a friggin' walk in the park, seriously."

"You know what? You're so full of shit I don't even know where to start..."

And so it went.

But then after a few more glasses of excellent wine, they'd finally agreed to disagree and had been all bromacing over each other by the end of the evening. Puck had told Marcel that he totally should have won Top Chef, and that that Ilan dude was just a jackass that deserved a good punch in the face. Marcel had told Puck he'd been considering starting a catering business and he needed a business partner.

A few days later, sobered up,  Puck had gone back to Los Angeles for a one-on-one cook-off with Marcel, to see if their collaboration could work.

Their cooking styles couldn't have been more different; nevertheless, even though the theme hadn't been fixed, they'd both gone for fish.

Puck had made crunchy sardine with thyme purée, quick-pickled lemon, tapenade and an oven-baked tomato stuffed with ground wheat, inspired by his broke culinary student days, when he could only eat cheap food like oil-canned sardines. The general direction of the dish didn't digress much from traditional Provençale cuisine, but that was his style after all: conservative, direct and simple, no tweaks, no tricks. The flavour was raw, uncompromising, the ground wheat and the herbs brought an earthy flavour to the dish. Either you liked it or you didn't, but there was no beating around the bush.

Marcel, he, had made a variation around oyster: oyster meringue, oyster caught in jelly and iodine long cake with caviar, fried shallots, diced daikon and beet as garnish. It was all there, the innovation and the fun Marcel had told Puck about : the play on the textures was constant, and Puck had kept eating  the different components of the dish in shuffle mode, tasting one, then two together, then back to the first one, since they all complimented one another exquisitely. There was a softer echo of the flash-freezed meringue in the espuma that topped the jelly and the cake was a beautiful contrast in its tangibility against the elusive, airy espuma, and the watery nature of the jelly. It was almost reminiscent of Japanese cuisine, the subtlety with which it was all put together and the fact that it was less about the taste, which was, mainly, iodine, than about the texture.

Puck had realized then that not only were Marcel's cooking style and his own different, they were practically polar opposites.

"It's good, this," Marcel had said. "Not crazy about the tapenade but you seem to know your stuff. I honestly never thought sardine could taste so, well, high-end. You took risks, and I respect that."

"Yours is good too," Puck had gruffly recognized. "I still think espuma is prissy BS, but wow, that cake... Is there... what, is that chicken in there?"

"Turkey, yeah, that I've mixed with oysters."

"Wow. Good call, man."

Then Marcel had offered his open hand to a very dumbfounded Puck and said, "So. Wanna be partners in crime?"

Puck had hesitated, opened his mouth, closed it, opened it again.

"I... I'm sorry, Marcel: I thought what I did today would carry the message clearly enough. Your dish was great, I'll give you that, but it doesn't mean I'm ever gonna go molecular. It's just not my style. The dish I made today represents everything I will ever stand for, and as much as it would be great to work with you, I'm afraid that's final."

"Yeah, I got that. But maybe that's what I'm looking for. Maybe I need someone to counterbalance my own style, and our difference will be our strength. Or... something along those lines. You know, I wasn't looking for someone exactly like me. Well, to be perfectly honest, I didn't even know what kind of partner I was looking for in the first place, but after tasting your dish, I think you might be the man for the job. So what do you say, Puckerman? Shall we give it a try?"

Puck had finally shook Marcel's hand, saying, "Call me Puck," and that was that.  Indeed, with their styles so different, they covered a lot of ground, so maybe that's why they started to acquire a reputation so fast in the business. Of course, the name "Marcel Vigneron" might have had a hand in that, too. Thank reality TV for small favours.

In the airport, Puck picked up his luggage and guitar case off the baggage carrousel and looked for the exit.
This deal, however, catering for a senator's son's gay wedding with a big name Broadway singer, was the first of real importance of all the contracts they'd had up until then. Massive importance, in fact.

"This is going to be your Vaux-le-Vicomte inauguration," Marcel had said.

"You mean I'll commit suicide before the end of the gig?"

"You do that, and I'll find a way to bring you back from Jew Hell for a special session of ass kicking, believe me. Let's say your Sistine Chapel, if you prefer, and by the way, François Vatel committed suicide at Chantilly, not Vaux-le-Vicomte. Whatever. My point is, this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Screw this up, and I swear they'll never find your body. Am I clear?"

"Your threats have no teeth, monsieur Vigneron, I know my mother will avenge me in blood. My studies have cost her way too much to let it go to waste."

(Which wasn't entirely true, but Marcel didn't need to know that, did he?)

"Cut the bullshit for a few seconds and listen, Puck, I'm serious, here : if we score this, it will open all kinds of doors for us, and I'm talking ebony doors with handles of pure gold. Supposedly, we're as good as hired, but they want to meet you first, so they can be sure -- you know how emotional people can be about every single thing when wedding's on the line, and, obviously,  food is a crucial matter. Swear to me you'll do whatever is humanly possible and even more to bring this deal home. We need it. Swear."

"You know me, man. I'll reel this baby in, no prob. Yeah, I swear."

A young woman in a severe navy blue suit and bright acid-yellow high-heeled shoes was waiting for him in the airport hall, holding a board announcing his full name. As Puck got closer, he judged her to be attractive, but it seemed she ferociously wanted people to forget about that: her blonde hair was pulled in an extreme ponytail that also slightly pulled her features back, so she looked a little like an alien that had stolen human skin to use it as a disguise, only the skin was a size too small. She was the type of woman who wanted to look efficient and not to be fucked with - in any sense of the expression. Her make-up had obviously been applied in a utilitarian way, no more, no less. Finally, her stilettos were shaped in a form that made Puck instinctively fear for his crotch.

"Chef Puckerman?" she said, shooting her hand right up in front of his chest in a bold, energetic move. It was so tiny and yet had such a steely grip that Puck felt his eyes water. "Beatrix Lonsdale, pleasure to meet you. I'm the planner."

She eyed the guitar case slung on his shoulder.

"You play the guitar?"

"That's an assault rifle, actually," he smiled.

He forced himself not to look down to check on the remaining distance between her pointy pumps and his genitals after the look she returned him.

"Our car is waiting. Follow me, please," she said icily and turned, stilettos clicking hard against linoleum.

Puck obeyed sheepishly, wishing he really had an gun instead of a stupid guitar in case he had to defend himself, and thinking "Beatrix" sure rhymed with a very specific word that fitted the girl like a glove.

In the ninety minute ride from the airport to the 52-acre estate located in the town of New Canaan where the wedding was supposed to take place, she filled him in on the details of the job.

Puck knew from the file Gill had prepared for him that it would in fact last full two weeks, and if Puck's hiring was confirmed, he was to remain on the premises to cater not only for the wedding itself, but also to provide his services for any meal of the day, small numbers or not, and for the various parties the couple will be hosting, since prestigious guests and members of the extensive family were expected, but were not all available at the same time. The main events would be the official engagement ceremony that would start off the festivities, the rehearsal dinner and, of course, the wedding dinner itself, which would be attended by 400 guests.
Beatrix explained that it would take place in the open, under a marquee, since the estate possessed an open meadow with a nearby waterfall and late-spring weather in Connecticut was usually perfect for this kind of occasion.

Puck's head was starting to spin, and that wasn't just because he was so famished he was ready to munch on the leather seats of the car. He wasn't intimidated, so to speak, but he was now learning full measure of what was expected of him as a chef for this occasion. His mind was already buzzing with the menus he was planning on doing. He felt truly excited, because that might be his chance to get completely wild with food. Yes, Beatrix told him, the budget was unlimited. No, he wouldn't have carte blanche on the menus, they would have to be discussed and approved first by the spouses-to-be. Yes, the kitchen in the main house was fully equipped, but there were additional kitchens too, in fact, there were two caretaker guest houses on the grounds of the estate, and Puck would be accommodated in one of them during the job. Although if he ever thought that that wouldn't be enough because the number of guests was significant indeed, there was the possibility of renting the kitchen of a nearby French restaurant called La Vie de Bohème, for preparations.

At some point the car took a turn through a pine forest, and soon, where the dusty road turned paved, they were approaching the main house, which Beatrix told him was really a French-style château, reminiscent of those of the Loire Valley in France. It was the first time Puck saw her express some kind of emotion, when she told him about the grand staircase inside. Chicks, he scoffed mentally, even though he might himself have gaped a little when he'd laid eyes on the building. He'd been in France for a long time, but he'd never visited the châteaux in the Loire Valley. Maybe those in France were more impressive or legit, but Puck thought this one did a pretty good job at being romantic and picturesque. White brick walls and grey roof tiles, and many large windows were what he noticed first, then when he stepped out of the car he could admire the pure, simple lines  of the architecture without any flourish, brought out by the subtly landscaped surroundings. He knew nothing about construction, but he felt kinship with this one, based on his philosophy of cooking, what he was striving to achieve as a chef: purpose, conciseness, as well as maintaining the highest standards of simplicity.
Inside, the woodwork was as beautiful as the facade, and the furniture revealed taste and restraint, precious woods with no shine, only patina, which probably came with the privilege of being an old rich family in Fairfield County. Anything new in this place would probably stick out like a sore thumb. Puck had never been to a house with porcelain plates hung on the walls alongside oil-painted individual family portraits before, and flower arrangements upon corner tables made of stone and metal. He also noticed an old colourless flag torn into shreds attached to a trumpet, and a rusty sabre, both nailed above the chimney in the foyer, souvenirs from the Civil War, no doubt, as if the other ornaments all around weren't proof enough of this family's antiquity. Everything reeked of history and dignity, loaded with centuries and dust.
As they moved further into the foyer, they met a man of late middle-age with a graying beard and temples, clad in an expensive suit, on his way out. Beatrix took immediate control of the situation by presenting them to each other.

"Senator Marlowe, this is Chef Noah Puckerman. Chef Puckerman, meet Senator David Marlowe, the father of Aurélien."

"It's a pleasure, sir, " said Puck.

"The pleasure is all mine, Chef."

The senator's handshake was confident and practiced, and his smile was measured, not over-friendly, not condescending. A bonafide, pedigreed politician. He added, "So I gather it's Kurt who insisted on having you doing the catering for the wedding?"

With that Puck froze in his tracks. He hadn't heard that particular name in a very long time. Not since high school in fact. It wasn't a common name, not if you didn't live in a musical from the sixties. Yet, he knew such coincidences simply were impossible, so he shrugged the bad feeling away and politely asked, "I'm sorry, sir, who's Kurt?"

Mild surprise showed on Senator Marlowe's face.

"Ah," he said, so you haven't met him then. Here I was convinced you two knew each other. He's in the living room right now. Aurélien will join you in a few minutes. As for me, I'm afraid I can't attend to this particular matter just now, so I'm leaving everything to Miss Lonsdale here and the boys. They're the ones who get the last word, after all. I'll see you around, Chef."

When he mentioned Beatrix's name on his way past them, his hand had darted to pat on the young woman's shoulder. She'd shuddered almost imperceptibly, and the hand had lingered a second too long. From where he stood, Puck had had the utter conviction the old dirty bastard was totally banging the wedding planner. Interesting. Or not. Rich politicians, he thought, jaded. And chicks, he added mentally when he caught the fleeting look of longing that was out of place on the young woman's face, and quickly replaced with her much more conventional type-A mask.
When Puck entered the living room accompanied by Beatrix, and discovered who was waiting there for him, once the initial shock wore off, he was overwhelmed by the sudden urge to kick himself, violently. He should have known.

"Well," he said slowly, raising his eyebrows in disbelief. "Fuck me in the Ozarks." He heard Beatrix behind him faintly gasp at the profanity. "Kurt Hummel."


Chapter One part 2/2

Date: 2010-06-16 10:39 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] entropynchaos.livejournal.com
This is an awesome start to the story and I can't wait to see where you take it. I love that Kurt's taken a stage name and Puck doesn't know it's him until they're face-to-face.

Yeah, there's a few mistakes but not many - and I love you for getting the plural of château correct - I've seen it written wrong so many times in fic that it makes me want to cringe.

Fantastic fic - I'll be waiting on tenterhooks to read the rest! ♥

Date: 2010-06-16 10:57 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] majoraccent.livejournal.com
Salut, mademoiselle.
&I'm going to stop now before I embarrass myself with two years of French.

Concept? Unf. Yes.
Could I deduce you were French from this story? Yep. Aside from the refrences to France, you got grammatical errors in English that wouldn't be there en français.
Your internal monologue is amazing, though.

Je serais prêt à regarder par-dessus vos histoires ... Peut-être que mes deux ans de français me serait utile.

Date: 2010-06-16 11:55 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] bardlover6.livejournal.com
I'm glad someone else loves Top Chef. It premieres tonight! Marcel: I think we all had to agree to disagree with him. Xanthum gum in Hawaiian cooking? lol

This is great!

Vive la France! et Puckurt!

Date: 2010-06-16 12:16 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] namasta13.livejournal.com
Coucou!

J'aime beaucoup ton histoire ;), ça fait plaisir de voir une autre française!
On a beaucoup de points en commun, Puckurt bien sûr et on fait partie des rares personnes qui adorent Marcel Vigneron! Si tu aimes aussi Spike Mendelsohn (saison 4), je t'épouse! (enfin un pacs quoi ^^) En plus, je viens de voir sur ton profil que tu étais membre de suzuki tsuta (une de mes mangakas préférées!) et de house slash....

Ton histoire est très prometteuse, perso je n'ai pas repéré de fautes mais je ne suis pas une référence !
J'ai hâte de lire la suite et de voir la nouvelle saison de top chef, c'est demain, non?

Bizzzz,

Anne.

Date: 2010-06-16 01:09 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] ayurubie.livejournal.com
Sooo i really didn't understand much the french stuff.. though i still can't wait for the next installment. :)

Date: 2010-06-16 02:25 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] empath89.livejournal.com
I love the concept. Very cool idea. However, there were some mistakes...or maybe not mistakes but rather things that work in french (I'm assuming that french is your native language), but look weird in english. Like the dashes. Is that common in french? Because I do know that Russian dialogue (at least the older stuff, I don't know about more modern lit since I haven't read anything new) uses dashes instead of quotation marks. But even knowing that, it really through me off. So, I would like to help you if you're still looking for a beta. However, I do wanna know about how often you update and what kind of turn-around time you want.

Date: 2010-06-16 02:32 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] recrudescence.livejournal.com
OH MY FUCKING GOD. MARCEL. MARCEL OF THE JIMMY NEUTRON HAIR AND THE ~FOAM~ ILU.

Top Chef is probably the extent of my food-savvy, but you really seem to know what you're talking about here.

That said, this is so incredibly bizarre, but it works. Most of the futurefic I've seen hasn't treated Puck too kindly, so it's great to get a take on how he might have escaped Lima Loserdom. And I really like that he's still Puck at the core. "Fuck me in the Ozarks" really seems like something he'd say. =)

Date: 2010-06-16 04:54 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] marimaripoliana.livejournal.com
oh my oh my oh my oh my !!

i need more DDD: !

Date: 2010-06-16 05:09 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] muse127.livejournal.com
This kind of reminds me of the movie 'The Wedding Planner' which I happen to love, so. =D

Also, this line makes my life:

"Fuck me in the Ozarks." He heard Beatrix behind him faintly gasp at the profanity. "Kurt Hummel."

I'm from the Ozark area, so I was particularly giddy when I read that lolol

Can't wait for more!

Date: 2010-06-16 05:32 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] boysinperil.livejournal.com
I love that they are arguing about Ferran Adria; only true foodies are going to understand scented foams and molecular cooking.

The dashed dialogue is, as you can tell from other comments, going to be seen as an error by a lot of people who are used to reading American English. I think it's readable but you might want to put up an Author's Note addressing it so you don't get a ton of "this is wrong" comments.

Date: 2010-06-16 07:18 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] chavelaprincess.livejournal.com
LMAO! I had a love/hate relationship with Marcel in Top CHef!

I LOVE THAT YOU PUT HIS ASS in this! I wanna pick apart his brain but still slap him in the face. LOL!

LOL!

Now, now, what the hell is Kurt up to hiring Puck? I CAN NOT WAIT FOR MORE!

Date: 2010-06-16 08:22 pm (UTC)
ext_403666: (Suggestive Much?)
From: [identity profile] lezi.livejournal.com
Can I just say, as a foodie, this is practically porn for me. And no one even took their shirts off yet! :D

Amazing job so far! I'm just not used to the dialogue style, with the hyphens and without the parentheses. Really lovely, though; your descriptions--especially of the house--are brilliant, and while I'm kind of confused with the original characters, I can't wait to see more of the canon characters!

Date: 2010-06-17 12:38 am (UTC)
ext_25166: (Cooking - Chef's Knife)
From: [identity profile] abluegirl.livejournal.com
As a serious foodie, I really enjoyed this first part, and I can't wait to read the rest!

Date: 2010-06-17 02:16 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] slashastic.livejournal.com
yes yes YES.
i've always wanted to read a story with chef!puck stealing bride to be!kurt! YAAAAY!

Date: 2010-06-17 09:19 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] berylia.livejournal.com
OH this is good ! And I'm going to hate you sooooo much since I'm on a diet !
This is really, really, fu****ing good...
I'm a sucker for future fics and I can't wait to have those wonderful flashbacks, filled with angst !

Date: 2010-06-17 10:57 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] mattiezumi.livejournal.com
I like it!

I almost didn't read this, since I'm not really into Puck/Kurt (...yet!), nor do I follow Top Chef, but since you wrote it, I couldn't resist!

You have such a way with descriptions. I could see every dish clearly forming in my mind, and the way you described the house - woman, It was practically 3D! Loved that, loved a lot more too, but if I attempt to list them all out, along with all the reasons why, my comment will be long than the story!

I especially adored the way you wrote Puck, who is the apple of my eye. I loved how although he has matured and evolved since high school, that little dash of endearing crudeness you've weaved into his speech and thoughts here and there, makes him entirely recognizable. Not to mention that there's a sort of refinement to his mind that makes the idea that Puck has made it as a top chef plausible! Big Heart For You! :)

Whereas I can easily see Puck as an Adult, living in a Grown Up World (mostly cuz he's so damn hot, I routinely picture him doing naughty Grown Up Activities... Now with an added chef cosplay twist! HAWT! :D), I confess, I can't picture Kurt at all. I'm curious and excited as to how you'll choose to present future him!

But, but, if there was no glee club, does that mean that they won't be randomly breaking out into song and dance? I'm not gonna lie, I might miss that a little! And without the familiar background of the glee club, I can't even begin to imagine how these boys grew up and out of that town, especially without the so-called loving embrace of glee, and the self-growth and understanding being in glee fostered/nurtured/promoted. Or whatever life lesson those kids are supposed to glean from the experience. Whatever.

Wow. Am I long-winded, or what?! Bottom line, just looking forward to what comes next!

Love ya!

Date: 2010-06-17 01:32 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] sevenswells.livejournal.com
Thank you - I have no merit at all for the plural of château, since French is my first language ^^;; But it's really cool that you like preciseness about that! Have you studied French?

Thanks for the compliments, and I hope you'll like the second part! >.

Date: 2010-06-17 01:38 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] sevenswells.livejournal.com
Yes, Neil Patrick Harris icon, this Puck icon wants to clean your pool plz!!!

Anyway, where was I...?

Ah, yes!

Thank you for all the compliments! Deux ans de français seulement? You're pretty good, seriously! I hope you'll like the second part of the story. There are still mistakes in it because I still don't have a beta, but I'll correct them eventually. Tenses... ugh. I have no problem with them in French, but I'm really struggling in English.

And then the hyphens. Well, for that even in French I'm not so good with dialogue punctuation.

Date: 2010-06-17 01:44 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] sevenswells.livejournal.com
Thank you for reading and commenting on this!

And, yes, Top Chef is to me one of the best reality TV shows in the world. I loved even more Top Chef Masters, which I've been watching continuously as I was writing this fic. Love that you love both Puckurt and TC!
And, yeah, Marcel's a dork, but I love him just for that. <3

Date: 2010-06-17 02:09 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] sevenswells.livejournal.com
Thank you for your comment!

You guessed right, French is my native language, and, yeah, the hyphens are pretty common in French for dialogue punctuation - but I'm, uh, pretty "liberal" with them even in French.

It would be really great if you could help me out, seriously, thank you for proposing, you're a saint (and even if you realize you can't beta this after all, you're still a saint).

About the updates and such, I'm a slooooowwwwww writer, unfortunately. Especially in English, since I have to check every word of vocabulary (and I'm sure there are still mistakes in that department), and especially with this fic, since I did research like crazy for every single aspect of the story - recipes, location, gay marriage laws, flight hours, EVERYTHING.

For the turn-around time (by that, you mean the time you would take to read and correct my fic, right?), I don't want to be a bother, so I guess it depends on how busy you are, or on how long the chapter is (I've never written chapters this long before, believe me! T____T )... but generally speaking, I guess I can't wait for more than a whole month. Does that estimation seem okay to you?

Just let me know if that suits you, if you're still interested anyway, and not too put off by the story yet, I can definitely take no as an answer ^^ (just saying this because somebody has already proposed to beta this in the comments here and after I posted the second part he or she simply erased her comment... I seriously don't know how to take it, but I think I'm kind of vexed... O____o )

Date: 2010-06-17 02:26 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] majoraccent.livejournal.com
Who doesn't want to clean NPH's pool? I mean, seriously. :T I wouldn't even have to be paid. I'd just ask for him to sing a sentence.

Oui. Seulement deux ans.
My French is amazingly limited, I have no doubt about that.
I'd be able to order food and talk about places, but that's about it. :I
I could be your beta if you'd like. ;B

Dude. French tenses are straight up confusing.
Imperfect, Future, Conditional, Passe Compose.
Shoot, all we have is past, present, and future.
And our verbs don't change with a different pronoun like French does.

Re: Vive la France! et Puckurt!

Date: 2010-06-17 02:35 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] sevenswells.livejournal.com
Ouééééé! Merci! Je suis sur le c*l que tu aimes Glee et Puckurt et Top Chef et Marcel en même temps, c'est trop cool! Merci de commenter ici!

J'ai pas encore vu la saison 4 de Top Chef, hélas; comme je les mate de façon très très pirate et en streaming en général, je galère pour trouver des liens, vu que Bravo TV est vénère de les virer dès qu'ils pointent le bout du nez. Là récemment je me suis mise à Top Chef Masters et je crois que j'aime encore plus que Top Chef! C'est d'ailleurs plutôt TCM qui m'a inspirée pour cette fic, plus que TC - les chefs confirmés ont des personnalités vraiment cheloutes, du coup c'est rigolo.

Et sinon, youpie Suzuki Tsuta, moi aussi c'est une de mes mangaka préférées! Coupiiiiiine! ^0^

Encore merci pour les compliments, j'espère que la suite te plaira! (ça y est, je l'ai postée)

Date: 2010-06-17 02:36 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] sevenswells.livejournal.com
Ah, yes, sorry for all the french, I guess I got a bit carried away... Since I barely manage in English, I think I overused French as a vengeance ^^;;;

Thank you for commenting! I hope you'll like the second part!

Date: 2010-06-17 02:43 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] empath89.livejournal.com
You're very welcome. And no, I won't just disappear :) Unless the beta-ing aspect won't work out (you don't like my beta-ing style, decide not to write anymore, etc...), I would love to help out.

A month? Oh, god, I don't think I've ever taken that long ;) I usually have very quick turn around times (within 24 hours), but now I'm working a full-time job, so that might put a damper on things, especially if one of my other betas gets inspired and I start falling behind...but it really should never take more than a week (unless I'm vacationing or something very last-minute comes up). But I'm just letting you know right now: I'm more of a grammar beta rather than characterization/plot. I just feel more comfortable with it. Of course I'll point things out if they seem really strange, but I usually avoid those points. So, if all is good, then write to me at empath89 (at) yahoo (dot) com

Hope to hear from you :)

(oh and the person who deleted their comment? That's pretty bad. I'd be mad myself)

Date: 2010-06-17 03:52 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] sevenswells.livejournal.com
Thank you dear!

but it really should never take more than a week

Wow, that fast? °°

(unless I'm vacationing or something very last-minute comes up).

Of course, that's perfectly normal

But I'm just letting you know right now: I'm more of a grammar beta rather than characterization/plot. I just feel more comfortable with it. Of course I'll point things out if they seem really strange, but I usually avoid those points.

That's really fine by me, since by now the plot and characterization in this fic are pretty much fixed in my head. If you do have any comments on anything, though, I'd be ready to hear them, no problem. But what I really needed was help in the grammar department, so it's perfect!

Thanks again, sending you an e-mail right away! ^0^

Date: 2010-06-17 04:24 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] sevenswells.livejournal.com
You here! OMG I'm so pleased! Thank you for reading and commenting!

HAHAHA JIMMY NEUTRON HAIR!! That's exactly it XD!!

Top Chef is probably the extent of my food-savvy, but you really seem to know what you're talking about here.

Hey, have you seen your icon? I'm pretty sure we're kindred spirits in shameless gluttony, am I right or am I right?

Most of the futurefic I've seen hasn't treated Puck too kindly, so it's great to get a take on how he might have escaped Lima Loserdom.

Never thought of it that way, but yes! The general theme of this fic is redemption, which I think intrinsically applies to Puck. I don't know when exactly, but there will be flash-backs about his life as a student in France which might explain how he matured that way (yeah, France is a scary place)

And I really like that he's still Puck at the core.

OMG thank you for saying this, you have no idea how worried I am about OOC when I'm fooling around with AU

"Fuck me in the Ozarks" really seems like something he'd say.

Totally stole it from Maddox: http://www.thebestpageintheuniverse.net/c.cgi?u=signs

I think it's one of my favourite lines ever, although I didn't know it was originally a "Deliverance" reference. Urban dictionary, how do I live without you, I want to know.

http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=fuck%20me%20in%20the%20ozarks

Date: 2010-06-17 04:25 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] sevenswells.livejournal.com
Wish granted! ^^

Thank you for reading and commenting, I hope you like the second part too! <3

Date: 2010-06-17 04:31 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] sevenswells.livejournal.com
This kind of reminds me of the movie 'The Wedding Planner' which I happen to love, so. =D

Good call, I totally need to see it again as a research material! Thank you for reminding me this. Also, yeah, I chose to take the direction of romantic comedy full force because that's what got me hooked to the prompt in the first place, except I want MOAR FOOD everywhere in it.

I'm from the Ozark area, so I was particularly giddy when I read that lolol

Haha, sorry for that! It's a line I use often, but only recently I've read that it was a "Deliverance" reference

http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=fuck%20me%20in%20the%20ozarks

Thank you for commenting, dear; I hope you like the second part!

Date: 2010-06-17 06:01 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] sevenswells.livejournal.com
I love that they are arguing about Ferran Adria; only true foodies are going to understand scented foams and molecular cooking.

Indeed! I didn't want to be too obscure, but they had to look like they knew what they were talking about ^^ I'm actually planning on doing a bonus post to each chapter anyway, in order to explain about the recipes and food philosophy and great cooks, since I learned many interesting things that I want to share.

Thank you for the suggestion about the Author's Note, I think it helped!

Date: 2010-06-17 06:08 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] sevenswells.livejournal.com
Hey babe, you're the source of everything, congratulations! XDD I'm glad you liked it. And yeah, Marcel, we love to hate him and hate to love him etc etc, but in the end I gave up and just plain loved him. The rap on the rooftop! That was genius.

Now, now, what the hell is Kurt up to hiring Puck? I CAN NOT WAIT FOR MORE!

I'm your genie in a bottle you know, because guess what? Wish granted! XD

AND we learn more about Kurt's intentions in the second part. Sly little bastard that he is >:DD

Date: 2010-06-17 06:55 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] sevenswells.livejournal.com
Can I just say, as a foodie, this is practically porn for me. And no one even took their shirts off yet!

I love you, A LOT, for saying this. Thank you, because this is porn to me too, and it pleases me so much that the foodies recognize themselves in this!!! I may post seperate bonuses to each chapter in the future, explaining the recipes and food philosophy and great Chefs that are mentionned in this; because, other than my experience as an obsessive glutton, I learned a lot of cool stuff as I did my ground research -- do you think that would interest you, maybe?

At any rate, thank you for commenting this! And, yeah, hyphens business is srs bsns, I never knew °3°

About the OCs, I'm truly sorry. I always feel a bit uncomfortable when I use a lot of them like that in fic, but hopefully you'll get used to them and they'll make sense in the end

Hope you like part 2!

Date: 2010-06-17 07:04 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] sevenswells.livejournal.com
Thank you SO much, fellow foodie, it really pleases me, since the whole point of this fic really is talking about food. In the near future I may post a separate bonus to each chapter, explaining what I learned during my research for this fic about the recipes and chefs and food philosophy; would you find that useful somehow? I would love to share all the cool stuff I've learned, but I'm afraid people might be bored. This said, even if one or two people are interested, I will definitely do it.

Second part is up, btw, I hope you'll like it too! ^^

Date: 2010-06-17 07:08 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] sevenswells.livejournal.com
Thank you!

i've always wanted to read a story with chef!puck stealing bride to be!kurt!

Tell me about it. ME TOO! But then there weren't any! So I had to do it myself! T____T

Date: 2010-06-17 07:27 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] sevenswells.livejournal.com
Thank you babe!! Sorry about the diet, though, it really wasn't on purpose ^^;;

Future fics rule indeed! ^0^ And yeah, omg the flashbacks, they're gonna be epic - especially Puck's studies in France, just you wait, mwahaha!

Date: 2010-06-17 08:08 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] sevenswells.livejournal.com
I almost didn't read this, since I'm not really into Puck/Kurt

Whaaaaaaaaaat...? *scowls*

(...yet!)

Ha! Sure hope so! è___ê

Just kidding, my lovely, it's great you gave this fic a chance, even though you weren't into the pairing, thank you babe!! ^0^//

I adore your comments as usual, I've already told you this, but you're an amazing reader, seriously!

I especially adored the way you wrote Puck, who is the apple of my eye.

He's mine too!! He's now in the majority of my icons! I'm a very sick person!

Thank you for saying Puck is recognizable in this fic, it's always the main problem with AUs, OOC-ness, that is. And yeah, I think Puck has been kind of "forced" to mature and evolve - through his studies in France, in fact. Hahaha, I really want to write that part now

I confess, I can't picture Kurt at all. I'm curious and excited as to how you'll choose to present future him!

That might be because Chris is so young and Mark is already an adult - the oldest of the "teenage" cast, in fact. I hope you'll find Kurt believable in the second part I've just posted today.

But, but, if there was no glee club, does that mean that they won't be randomly breaking out into song and dance?

Um, well, this is a glee fic after all, and I can't help but mixing songs and music with everything, so there will definitely be some singing!! Don't forget Puck brought a guitar with him... :D I'm not saying anything more. There will be songs in the next chapter too, don't worry.

And without the familiar background of the glee club, I can't even begin to imagine how these boys grew up and out of that town, especially without the so-called loving embrace of glee, and the self-growth and understanding being in glee fostered/nurtured/promoted.

Muahaha! Well, yeah, they'd be psychologically instable, won't they, if they never had glee in their life? And Puck wouldn't stop throwing Kurt into dumpsters, now would he? *iz Evil Genius* >:D

Love ya!

Love you even more! Don't hesitate to give me your opinion on the second part, babe, I'm anxious to hear it!

Date: 2010-06-17 10:11 pm (UTC)
ext_403666: (Foot Love. <3)
From: [identity profile] lezi.livejournal.com
"do you think that would interest you, maybe?"

Would it interest me?
Um. HELLS YEAH. :D

(Part two's posted? *flails to read*)

Date: 2010-06-18 05:02 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] laugh-at-fish.livejournal.com
OK, SO... I'm still reading right? BUT IT HAD TO COMMENT ABOUT THIS:
and the ridiculous name from a Harlequin novel.

HAHAHHAHAHA. I used to work in a chain restaurant and the cleaning lady was this girl in her mid-20s who'd always sit and read Harlequin novels on her breaks. The covers killed me EACH and EVERY TIME. So yeah, i loved that. xD

*goes back to reading* xD

Date: 2010-06-18 05:24 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] laugh-at-fish.livejournal.com
OK, so now I finished this part. ♥
I love this so much. did you study in some sort of cooking school or what? cuz you seem to know a lot. ^^; Or you pick more than a thing or two from Top Chef! XD (I've seen a little of it but I used to love Food Network and Iron Chef and stuff so YEAH <3)

I LOOOOOVE reading and watching stuff about cooking. I'm actually not as good as I wish I were, but one day(when Im done studying to be an illustrator!) I want to study to be a chef. At least a pastry chef. So this fic? PERFECTION. I like the image of someone as brute-ish and beefy & manly as PUCK being a chef. It adds a lot of depth to him but at the same time his cooking style grounds him as a "simple guy" so its veeery interesting.

I never, ever write comments so long(I rarely even comment on fics at all!) but I'm loving this so much and it shows that you worked hard at it so I wanted to tell you that its beautiful and awesome and that I will google later all the names you mentioned cuz I want to learn!

Also, in what Top Chef season was Marcel in? so I can watch it. xD :)

Can't wait to read part two,
--k

Date: 2010-06-18 05:47 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] sevenswells.livejournal.com
(I'm LOLing a little too because of what my icon wants to do with your icon, PuckxSpock would be the most crack!pairing ever, but I think it could work somehow. Hahaha and Puck would have an unimportant job on the Enterprise, like the copy machine guy. XD Okay now really laughing for good)(on second thought, Spock having a ~*pool*~ and making drinks to Puck like a cougar is even more LOLalicious)

The covers killed me EACH and EVERY TIME. So yeah, i loved that. xD

Haaaaa, Harlequin covers... And the names! One of the reasons I love Jesse St James so much is because of his ridiculous Harlequin name. A friend and I were joking about it, saying he was actually a Viscount from a Harlequin novel and owned a castle in England that had the name of a cool animal in it, like, "Blackwolf". Jesse St James, Viscount of Blackwolf. AND we could totally imagine him with the tight pants and the open shirt and holding Rachel who would wear a flowing white dress (and a little transparent too).

So, yeah. Harlequin rules. XD

Date: 2010-06-18 06:19 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] sevenswells.livejournal.com
I love this so much. did you study in some sort of cooking school or what? cuz you seem to know a lot. ^^; Or you pick more than a thing or two from Top Chef! XD (I've seen a little of it but I used to love Food Network and Iron Chef and stuff so YEAH <3)

Well I love cooking, and there are some excellent cooks in my family, and I also watch, and read, anything that's related to food - do you know Bistro Smap? OMG I love it even more than Top Chef. I think the only people in the world that are as crazy about food and food-related stuff are the Japanese, seriously. I have a lot of manga at home where food is the main theme - they're gorgeous! And I can't read them too often, because they make me hungry even when I've already eaten!

But most importantly, I live in Paris, and I can tell you it's no legend that the French know their business when it comes to food. It really is a way of living and thinking here. I've been invited to some really good restaurants, and I used to know a professional food critic too (she was the one who made me taste my first truffle, raw and in thick slices... oh god it was incredible. Truffles totally live up to their reputation, I don't agree with people who think they're expensive for nothing)

I'm actually not as good as I wish I were, but one day(when Im done studying to be an illustrator!) I want to study to be a chef. At least a pastry chef.

Wow!! O_____O That's a srs life plan here, and I don't know you, but I cannot help but approve violently! (>0<)-b

It adds a lot of depth to him but at the same time his cooking style grounds him as a "simple guy" so its veeery interesting.

Thank you! Indeed I thought that this style would be most fitting - it couldn't be about innovation or fireworks and spectacle. The original prompt wanted Chef!Puck to stick to his roots which I can very well imagine too, but Jewish cuisine is, um, with all due respect, a little limited. Plus I really, really wanted to talk about French cuisine, because of course that's what I know best (even though I'm MAD about asian food in general too).

I never, ever write comments so long(I rarely even comment on fics at all!) but I'm loving this so much and it shows that you worked hard at it so I wanted to tell you that its beautiful and awesome and that I will google later all the names you mentioned cuz I want to learn!

OMG thank you, really!! Indeed I've worked hard on this, so I'm planning to make bonus posts about the cool stuff I've learned during my research for this fic, the recipes, the food philosophy and the great chefs. I'm a bit of a chatterbox IRL and I love sharing that kind of info - I guess that would interest you? I was afraid that it might bore people other than me to death, but I guess we might be kindred spirits on this! ^^

Also, in what Top Chef season was Marcel in? so I can watch it. xD :)

Season Two!! I think it's my favourite Top Chef season ever. So much drama! And Marcel! He's... I dunno, he's kind of irritating and weird, but I can't help but love him! In the end I really was rooting for him.

You HAVE to watch Top Chef Masters too, I love it even more than Top Chef because the confirmed chefs are so rad! Their personnalities are really out there - I watched TCM the whole time I was writing this fic, and I can tell you it really was inspiring.

See you soon for the bonus post then! ^0^

Date: 2010-06-18 02:50 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] sevenswells.livejournal.com
E-mail sent, but yahoo is acting all weird, so I hope you actually received it. >.<

Date: 2010-09-25 01:01 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] lil-miss-choc.livejournal.com
How have I only just found this fic?! And right before I go to bed as well. I will be up early tomorrow to read the whole thing!

Date: 2010-09-25 12:21 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] lil-miss-choc.livejournal.com
If Puck wants good aeroplane food, he should try Singapore Airlines. One of the best steaks I've ever had, seriously. And the air hostesses are all stunning.

Puck's sardine dish sounds absolutely delicious!



Okay, now I've finished this chapter, I am loving this story. Can't wait to see Kurt and Puck's reunion! *toddles off to next chapter*

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