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GORAN - THE CHEF

NOVEL

SIMO JELACA, Ph.D.

While Goran studied in Ottawa and Toronto he had been going out with some girls, mainly from his faculty, but nothing serious, since he hadn’t planned to marry before he finished everything he had planned. In Ottawa, while at Carleton University, his girlfriend who used to come to Goran’s home and his parents knew her, was a very nice looking, fair-haired and blue-eyed, originally South-American. Her name was Mina and she was born in Canada, as well as Goran too. Her grandparents had immigrated from Peru to Canada, so she was a second generation Canadian. They were studying the same programs and when together at Goran’s home they spoke about special foods, and cultures, as well. Goran was very much interested in Inca civilization, especially since his grandpa had worked in Peru, as an expert, and visited Machu Picchu, and even climbed up to the top of Huayna Picchu hill. Goran’s grandpa Boris told children many times about his experience in Peru, especially pointing out writings of Swiss writer Erich von Daniken. He was amazed with Inca’s civilization, expressing also what evils Francisco Pizzaro did to Incas. Grandpa Boris once described to Mina that he had seen the statue in monastery Custodia de la Merced in Cusco, high 130 cm, made out of 22,200 g 22-carat gold, with 1518 diamonds and brilliants and 615 pearls, consisting of ruby, emerald and topaz. That statue was made from 1720 to 1804, in the style of French neoclassicism and baroque. When Mina heard that description, she said that she hadn't seen it, even though she once visited Cusco with her parents. She said that she would like to go once again with Goran, both to enjoy Inca’s civilization, which Goran would like very much, too. Boris’s experience in Peru was memorable for himself, as he had many unforgettable occurrences, and he loved Peruvians very much.

When Goran was studying his Masters in Toronto, he had girls with whom he used to go out, but never spoke much about them. They were colleagues and from time to time went to restaurants, and a few times a year in theater or some concerts. Goran was popular among his colleagues, and he loved his friends. At home, and every time when he was coming from Toronto, he mainly had spent his time with his cousin Vanya, who was a student in Toronto too, but two years ahead of Goran. They used to see each other often while studying, and knew each other too.

Goran had finished his Masters in 2035, when he was twenty four years of age. During the following summer vacation he told his parents that he plans to continue the PhD program, which parents accepted without complaints, mentioning only that with a Masters degree he already has his career and it’s up to him whether he wants it more or not. His father said that he will help financially how much they can, but it’s also his own responsibility to do everything on time. “No problem for that”, answered Goran. “You know that I have finished everything else on time and with the best marks, so I do not expect anything strange can happen to me. My plan is in fact to work a year or two before that, and find out exactly what would be best to do in the research”. That was the time between 2035 and 2036 year, when his mom Sandra was 63 years old, and already started to think about retirement. His father Luka was four years older than his mother, already ready to retire, but since he had been running his own private business, he didn’t think about it. They both were asking Goran to think about marriage and planning his own family. Goran’s reply each time was: “I am only twenty five, and still have time for that. I’ll do that on time, don’t you worry. You will be grandparents and have enough time to enjoy with grandchildren”. Goran found his first employment in a restaurant of hotel Chateau Laurier, near the Parliament building in Ottawa.

Fairmont Château Laurier stands as a testament to this dynamic, thriving city. Located next door to the Parliament Buildings, the landmark Fairmont Château hotel is a magnificent limestone of a French château. This luxury downtown Ottawa hotel near Parliament Hill enchants guests with its charm and stateliness. Summer or winter, there are healthy activities in the city. The Rideau Canal offers miles of bicycle and inline skating paths and the world's longest skating rink just outside our door.

In this hotel Goran got the best experience possible, since in this hotel the most prominent guests were served, so they had to prepare food of the best quality and based on different cultures. That was the best that Goran might have expected for the beginning of his career. As a beginner, he hasn’t been exposed personally to many guests, but besides that it was good.

Good experience for Goran was his learning of the French language. He had learned it in high school as an obligatory, but not much used. While in Toronto at the Masters program he didn’t learn it at the university, only a bit privately when it was necessary to ask and/or say something to someone. In the Chateau Laurier hotel most people spoke French more than English, so whether he liked it or not, he had to use it. But, since Goran planned to continue his study in Montreal it was an opportunity to know the language before time comes to listen to lectures in French.

Goran knew some facts about his city, where he was born, and wanted it for others to remember, too.

Ottawa's Parliament Hill stands high above the Ottawa River and is graced by the Neo-Gothic style. Parliament buildings had been built in the last half of the 19th century. The most prominent feature is the Peace Tower that divides the House of Commons and the Senate on either side. In front of the Parliament buildings is the Centennial Flame, lit in 1966 to commemorate the centenary of the Canadian Confederation, and behind the buildings is a sculpture garden. In the summer, the Changing of the Guard takes place on the front lawn of the Houses of Parliament, if weather permitting. Below Parliament Hill, a lovely walk runs alongside the Ottawa River.

In Ottawa join two rivers, River Ottawa coming from west and River Rideau joining her from the right. In Ottawa there are many parks and recreation places. One of the best and biggest is Mooney’s Bay Park, which is located on the right side of River Rideau, with the city’s sandy beach. River’s level is regulated by gates, such a way that at summer level is high, while at winter it is very low. In the summer, while water level is high at Mooney’s Bay Park, a Canadian kayak competition. During those days hundreds of big camps were opened for selling souvenirs and food. Thousands of visitors enjoy spectacles and music bands. Below the river gates are waterfalls, an attraction for numerous visitors. Water murmur pleases everybody’s ear, while hundreds of birds are chirping on all trees which surpass the rocks and river. From falling water rising millions of drops through which is light breaking in a view of the rainbow. Children enjoy it. Through the parallel gates water is regulated into the Rideau Canal, which freezes in winter and thousands of people enjoy skating. This skating rink is over seven kilometers long and is one of the longest in the world. Many students are coming to the university at winter time on skates.

Ottawa is a city of about 1.2 million habitants, composed of most of all world nations. It is very nice to live in Ottawa, even at winter time when snows are deep and temperatures fall down to -40°C. Streets are cleaned the same day as the snow falls and people are properly dressed. School buses usually run on time.

Ottawa is the national capitol and a cosmopolitan city. Main industry in Ottawa is the federal government, and centerpiece is Parliament Hill. Otherwise, Ottawa is a cultural center and a really beautiful place for life and visits.

Ottawa is the seventh coldest capital in the world. There are more than 14 museums in Ottawa, but the Canadian Museum of Civilization and Aerospace Museum are the most visited museums in Canada. There are 35 major festivals in Ottawa. The Canadian Tulip Festival, held every May, is one of the most famous. The beautiful Château Laurier was built by Charles Melville Hays, the president of the company who died on the Titanic, 12 days before the hotel's opening.

Ottawa's history isn't without devastation. There were two big fires. The first was the Great Fire of 1900 which destroyed hundreds of buildings and lumber mills. The second fire was in 1916 when a fire broke out on Parliament Hill in the Center Block. The only part left standing was the Library of Parliament.

English and French are the main languages spoken in Ottawa. You will also hear many other languages, as Ottawa is a diverse, multicultural city, and about 25 percent of its residents are from other countries.

Ottawa is a joy for outdoor enthusiasts. As well as being home to the Government of Canada, Ottawa is a high-technology center, and boasts more engineers, scientists and PhD graduates per capita than any other city in Canada. It's a great place to bring up a family and a fascinating city to visit. Ottawa is a multilingual city. Approximately 50% of people speak English, 32% French and the rest a mix of other languages including Chinese, Arabic, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese and Serbian.

The Ottawa Capital region welcomes more than 8 million visitors annually. Ottawa is the fourth cleanest city out of 300 major cities ranked around the world. There are seven downhill ski resorts within easy driving distance of Ottawa.

The National Gallery of Canada,Canadian Museum of Contemporary Photography, Laurier House, Royal Canadian Mint, Library and Archives Canada, Currency Museum of the Bank of Canada, Canadian Museum of Nature, Canadian War Museum, Canadian Science and Technology Museum, and the Canadian Aviation and Space Museum are Canadian treasures of science and arts.

The Indian Ottawa tribe is related to the Chippewa tribe (also known as the Ojibwa tribe.) The Chippewa’s and Ottawa’s have similar customs and speak dialects of the same language, just like Americans and Canadians speak English with different accents. Most Ottawa Indian people live in their original homeland in southern Ontario. There are over 15,000 Ottawa Indians today. Each Ottawa Indian community lives on its own reservation (or reserve, in Canada). The political leader of an Ottawa band is called a Chief (in the Ottawa/Ojibway language). Many Indian Ottawa children like to go hunting and fishing with their fathers. Ottawa women wore long dresses with detachable sleeves and usually wore leather moccasins on their feet. Back in the 1800's, some Ottawa men began wearing long headdresses like their neighbors the Sioux. Other Ottawa men wore their hair in the Mohawk style. Today, some Ottawa people still wear moccasins or a beaded shirt, but they also wear modern clothes like jeans and they only wear feathers in their hair on special occasions like a dance. There are lots of traditional Ottawa legends and fairy tales. Storytelling is very important to Ottawa Indian culture.

The chef in the hotel Chateau Laurier was French named Adrian, who was generous toward Goran and Goran was always gentle to him. Goran was always on time to work, kept very clean and gentle to all staff, so he learned to obey the highest class and everyone was honest to him too. Mr. Adrian told Goran once that he is from nearby Montreal, where they still have a house, more used as a cottage. He and his wife Julie have a daughter Ines, who has just finished her study of languages, twenty one years old, started to work at local high school and younger son, seventeen, Dorian, who is at the last year of his high school. When Adrian heard of Goran’s plan to do his PhD in Montreal, he felt happy to continue a good relationship with him. He said: “Once we are in Montreal I will introduce you to my family and we’ll go to our cottage for a weekend”.

Goran told Adrian about his cousin Vanya, whose career he likes very much.

“My cousin Vanya is just two years older than me, he recently finished university, got married already and both of them (Vanya and Nikolina) are employed at the National Research Council of Canada. A head of the department where Nikolina works with Dr Louise Stahowsky and Dr Anastasia Christopher from Canadian Space Agency (CSA) had recommended Nikolina to fly to the International Space Station (ISS) with her husband Vanya (my cousin) to be fertilized in space for Canadian medical research experiment. We all in our family are looking forward to having the first Canadian baby born in space, although it has many risks as well, too”. Goran loved Vanya and felt himself as Vanya’s best friend.

Adrian had listened to Goran with interest, expressing his hopes for a successful experiment in space for Canadians, with people that he knows.

After spending two years in Chateau Laurier hotel, working under Adrian’s supervision, Goran learned much, improved his French and decided to quit the work and enroll at McGill University. It was 2038 year, and Goran was 27 years old. His mom filled 65, but still continued to work a year or two more, just to help Goran’s tuition payments. Gorani had saved most of his money he earned for those two years, but parents always want to be behind their children.

Before the school year started Goran had arranged everything at the university, and went to Montreal to rent the apartment. Adrian had suggested to him what area of the city seemed the safest. It was a weekend day by the end of August, still very warm and green around. As agreed, Goran arrived at Adrian's home, where Adrian welcomed him and introduced to his family. Goran was looking forward the most to meeting Ines. Shaking hands with everyone, he also hugged everybody, and kissed Mrs. Julie and Ines too. Both Goran and Ines looked happy, with bright smiles on their faces. Mama Julie had followed each of their glance and move. She had already heard a lot about Goran from her husband Adrian, intimately expecting their attachment.

While sitting and talking with Adrian and Julie Goran was secretly casting a glance to Ines, noticing her elegantly shaped figure with wasp-waisted waist, her chestnut-brown hair over her shoulders, and her deep-sea water blue eyes, mixed with a bit of green nuance on turquoise color. When walks she moves elegantly, and she has voguish clothes. Obviously she was expecting to meet a gentleman, so she got dressed properly. She wore gothic clothes in a body like way. When Ines smiles she shows shiny white teeth which look like strings of pearls. Ines was about 5’-10” (177cm) high, seven to eight centimeters smaller than Goran 6’-1” (185cm). He weighs 78 kg, she 64 kg, both ideal, perfect as a couple. Goran was 27 years, Ines 23.

After a formal talk, Adrian went to do something with his car and Julie went to the kitchen, starting to get ready for dinner. She was preparing a special French dish for a special guest that night. Their son Dorian left them earlier and he was in his room, either playing games on the computer or reading a book. His door was closed and light music was heard from the room. Goran and Ines were left alone together in the living room, which both of them liked the best.

It was a weekend holiday when they met for the first time in an exotic place. Night was approaching and the moon's delicate light had just turned to be silver-flame like. Ines had a perfect looking figure, which was stem-tin. That didn’t surprise Goran, as he was expecting to see somebody beautiful, native. Her crescent shaped eyebrows were slightly painted-up, as well as her eyelashes of velvet-black blinked slowly inviting Goran into her hug. Goran approached Ines, hugged her firmly, noticing her elegant ears and nose. He said:

“When I hugged her she nuzzled me with her nose, as Indian people do when they meet somebody for the first time. It was our love at first light”. Goran had also noticed that Ines had honey sweet lips and that they are lilac soft. When he touched her face he noticed that her skin was glossy. “Her lovely white teeth flashed and we kissed each other. Her hair was glorious, covering my face, and her eyes set at my heart. Her honey sweet lips stacked to mine, and her elegant personality all mesmerized me”. Ines and Goran had both more than each of them expected, and both concluded that they will continue going together after Goran moves to Montreal, possibly to the infinity. It was about seven o’clock when Julie invited everybody to join her at the dining room for dinner. Adrian offered a drink, and Ines switched on some classical music.

Dinner at Adrian and Julie’s lasted until relatively late evening, and they offered Goran to stay over the night at their home. He accepted it and slept in the guest's room. Next day, after everybody got up, Goran told them that: “Everybody in my family calls me Goran, and that is my real Serbian name”. He added: “My grandpa gave me a nick-name Gogy, which was accepted by all family members and relatives”. Adrian added that: “Goran is a nice name and easy to pronounce”, so he said: “If you don’t mind, we will call you Goran, as well”.

After breakfast mama Julie said to Ines: “Your classes are today afternoon, aren’t they”? “Yes”, she answered! “Then you can go with Goran to the university, when he finishes the administrative registry you both return for lunch”. Ines accepted it and they went by Goran’s car. On the way back home, Goran said to Ines: “If you want me I can take you to your school, and then I’ll continue to Ottawa”. Ines stretched her left hand over Goran’s shoulder and they kissed. “You are so sweet to me”, said Goran. “You are to me too”, replied Ines. They looked into each other's eyes and laughed. They both were happy, happy to discover each other. Then Ines added: “I'd better take my car, since I have to return from the school in the evening, so it’ll be safer”.

When they returned home mama Julie was getting lunch ready, and they had to wait a bit for Adrian to arrive, from the bank. Dorian was reading at home, his school year hadn't started yet. Adrian arrived about half-an-hour later, and after lunch they all waved Goran for a happy journey, after kissing both ladies and giving a firm hug to both men.

When Goran arrived home he phoned Ines and they spent half-an-hour on the phone, telling each other impressions and love. Goran’s mom Sandra realized that he found a girl that he loves. After visiting Montreal and introducing Ines, Goran was phoning her every day.

At the beginning of September 2038 year Goran moved to Montreal, rented an apartment, visited Adrian’s family, and started his research at the McGill University. The fall was exceptionally nice, warm, trees still with green leaves, which just started to get a bit yellow. In parks birds were active, chirruping and preparing their nests for winter. The whole nature looked active and alive. Goran used to take Ines out whenever she was free from her classes in school. They enjoyed holding each other’s hand, both happy. Ines' parents were satisfied with their relationship. They had realized that both young couples looked serious, mature in age, their time for marriage was approaching.

When Mama Julie asked Ines for her opinion about Goran, she answered that Goran is very much the type of boyfriend whom she likes, and she added: “Mama, I think that I love him already. He has expressed his opinion that he loves me too. Mama, we are in love, I’d like to marry him, if he asks me”. Mama Julie was satisfied, hugged Ines and kissed her. Their conversation had continued until Adrian arrived and realized that ladies were spiking about intimate subjects.

Goran’s experiments started well and his mentor, Professor Dr Pierre Bertrand was satisfied with his approach. Dr Bertrand had only to instruct Goran to the general way of fundamental research, according to the university rules, as used to be held for decades. Goran had a research experience during his Master degree, so they cooperated, as a team, very well.

Adrian’s house was in the Sainte-Rose area, on Boulevard Sainte-Rose, beside the River des Mille Iles. From their home one can see many small islands in the river. From their area runs Autoroute des Laurent ides to downtown. Goran had rented an apartment, bachelor size, in the Boul St-Laurent, near the small park Parc Jeanne-Mance, from where he used to walk to the McGill. Not far from his apartment were University de Quebec and University de Montreal, Place des Art and many other important places. On a walking distance was also River St. Lawrence, Center des science de Montréal, Habitat 67 and a number of restaurants. Among restaurants was Schwartz’s Deli in Goran’s street, and on the river bank Le Bremner, Maggie Oaks, Modavie, Stash Cafe and others. There are some small restaurants close to McGill University, as well as in all streets around. When Goran became familiar with his surroundings, he started to take Ines out to different small restaurants. He was nourishing himself most of the time through restaurants, anyway, and only from time to time prepared himself food that he liked the best. Since he was a chef, he was very well familiar with food preparation. Even when he brought Ines to his apartment he used to make food for two of them. One day, when he was visiting Ines parents he offered Julie to make lunch for the whole family. He was a genius in preparation of national specialties, such as Serbian, Italian, French, even some Siberian dishes.

It will be continued

Surroundings of McGill University, Montreal

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