Grilled Meat

Coming from Seringale, the centre of Serin, a melting pot of diverse cultures, Grell is a third generation citizen of Seringale. His grandfather started a restaurant that was famous for the best grilled meats in town back in the day. Grell's father was not much of a cook but he was one hell of a butcher! Capable of dissecting a whole cow within seconds beautifully and his butchery was well-known amongst all the non vegetarian households in all of Seringale. Then there is Grell. Grell could not cook like his grandfather, nor could he cut meats like his father. Instead, Grell was very proficient at eating meat! If it took his father seconds to carve a whole cow, Grell could de-meat a whole cow within the same amount of time leaving clean white bones. Grell used to spent much time on the streets getting into trouble and brawling. The decadent life went on for years while Grell wasted away his youth until one day his father succumbed to disease At his deathbed, he told Grell that their family's fate will always be tied with meat and hence their family name. Grell's father also told him that he'd named him Grell in hopes that Grell would become a master of the grill like his grandfather was. Shedding tears of lava, Grell remembered fondly the taste of his grandfather's grilled meat when he was just a young little giantling. Then, he started drooling lava uncontrollably making a huge mess. Unable to bear the sight of his stupid son, Grell's father, Karf, closed his eyes and breathed his last breathe. Deciding to honor his father's wish, Grell tattooed a spit and a slab of meat on his arm to remind himself of his goal in case he ever forgot about it and took up his father's heirloom cleaver to set out to become the greatest barbeque chef ever.

Food Fiasco

Despite valiant efforts to get it right, Grell could never seem to get it right. Trying to carve a carcass, Grell would end up with a pile of minced meat and bones. Trying to grill a slab of meat, he would end up making a bonfire. For a while, Grell was very depressed that he was not getting near his quest. One day, while eating an arm of a farmer he had slain, Grell suddenly realised that he hadn't made minced meat out of the farmer! Grell decided that he will refine his culinary skills through a warrior's training - learning to cut meats properly with bladed weapons, tenderize meat with maces and skewering with spears! Feeling inspired, Grell started training day and night perfecting his skills as a warrior in hopes that they can be applied to the kitchen where he hopes to become a master chef.

Racial Discrimination

Being a civilised fire giant was not easy at all. Grell faced not only challenges when cooking but also almost everywhere he went. Grell remembered not so fondly, once when he stepped into Valour after being sent there by Illuvim on an errand. Citizens and Knights alike jeered at him, spit at him and taunted him. Even Lorial, who he was supposed to deliver an orange to, declined it when Grell delivered the one which he lovingly hand picked for her! Needless to say, Grell hurried out of there and ran as fast as he could back to his safe haven, Seringale. For a citizen of Seringale that has practically never stepped out of it before, Grell finally understood how wonderful the law was and started to regret resenting it in the past. It was a matter of time before he would be attacked just because of his race. One day, Grell was travelling with another fire and stone giant in Solace when a Squire waltzed in and zapped the life out of the two fire giants without giving them a single chance to speak! Seeking redress from the Executor of Valour only brought him a reluctant apology and many threats regarding 'if you don't swear the oath blah blah blah'. Wanting no more trouble than he already has on his culinary journey, Grell insisted that the Executor himself escorted him safely to take the oath and then out of that accursed city of discrimination. After that incident, Grell became more aware of the troubles that his racial identity brought him beyond the safe walls of Seringale where everyone was treated equally. That did not stop him from approaching a beautiful Storm giantess whom he happened to brush shoulders with when he was feeling really down after being treated like dirt by the Knights. Though cold and guarded towards Grell at first, Tored slowly warmed up to him and they spent much time sharing with each other their own stories, dreams. Through their interactions, Grell felt a sense of hope for his race and his quest. Perhaps one day, he will stop burning the meat and even campaign against racial discrimination.

Herbs

Having made much progress with his skills using tools, Grell travelled far and wide to taste cuisine from all over Serin in order to refine his palette. Casually shopping in Darkhaven which seemed safer than Valour, Grell was attracted to the familiar aroma in a plant shop. Walking in, he was greeted by a florist who immediately complimented Grell by saying, "You look like you will make good plant food!" Grell did not truly understand what the florist meant but decided to take it as a casual compliment and simply smiled back before inspecting the plants carefully to see which plant was giving out that smell that pulled him into the shop. Finally, he found it! In a corner of the shop was a huge mass of vines with many different types of leaves, flowers and fruits on it. That was the plant that grandpa used to have in the kitchen! Grandpa would use pluck different kinds of leaves, flowers or even the fruits on his plant and rub them on the meat before grilling them. Immediately, Grell asked the florist how much that plant was. However, to his disappointment, he could not afford 90, 000 gold since he was just scrapping by as an aspiring chef. The florist sensing Grell's poverty, offered Grell a sickly sapling of that plant that he wanted. It was yellow and dying but it was all Grell could afford at a cost of just 6, 000 gold with some discount after haggling bringing it down to only slightly more than 5, 000 gold! Happy with his herb sapling, Grell took it out promising to nuture it to its full grown glory while the florist was happy to have drived a cheapskate fool out of his shop with a dying plant while earning some good gold at the same time!

A Breakthrough! Finally a Decent Steak!

Having burnt more meat on the grill than the average amount that one eats in one's lifetime, Grell kept forging ahead despite how the odds are stacked against him. Preparing his 95347th piece of meat, his body glistening with sweat, Grell plucked a couple of leaves from Herb's quivering, almost bare vine and rubbed it on the meat tenderly. "This time, I will make it!" He thought to himself for the 50748th time as he sprinkled some magic dust on the meat to season it. He put his hand above the crackling flame to see if the temperature was right. "This should be the right temperature..." He thought to himself for the 7788th time. The meat sizzled a little as it came into contact with the grill. With it, a wonderous aroma of a blend of herbs and meat filled the kitchen. This time around, Grell made sure to flip the steak at exactly 5 minutes 55 seconds and only once. He had only one single chance to make it right. The town clock tolls once as the evening begins. "The time is now!" With extreme finesse, Grell flipped the steak using his spatula at the exact right timing! As the raw side of the steak hit the grill once again, some of the meat's juices dripped onto the cooking fire and released an unimaginable aroma that caused Grell to start drooling. As the steak seared nicely on the outside, grell counted every single second until he reached the 5th minute's 55 second. With a quick hand, Grell served the steak onto an empty dish that he'd prepared to use since his first try. This steak was different from the rest - it smelled faintly like grandpa's, it looked a little like grandpa's... Grell took a bite of this steak and tears flowed from his eyes as the taste of grandpa's steak exploded in his mouth! He had finally done it! Years of training and travelling alone had paid off. With his first success, Grell could finally call himself a chef but he did not stop there. Grell continued his hard work and kept on improving his steaks day after day in hopes of being able to serve grilled meat like his grandfather did.