avatarSmillew Rahcuef

Summary

Paul, who appears to be a meticulous and possibly psychopathic individual, is preparing a surprise Canadian ragout dinner for Emily, using unconventional methods and ingredients, while Emily is unknowingly excited about the surprise and the taste of her partner Paul's skin.

Abstract

The narrative unfolds with Paul, an individual with perfectionist tendencies, preparing a special dinner of Canadian ragout to surprise Emily on an important day for her. While Emily is busy with a work call, Paul takes pride in his culinary skills and the freshness of his meat selection, which he obtained after some negotiation and personal effort. He has been secretly working on the sauce for two days and is confident in his ability to execute the meal flawlessly. The story hints at a darker side to Paul's character, as he mentions past guests fainting or trying to run away, leading him to add straps to his dining chairs. As the evening progresses, it becomes clear that Paul has a twisted sense of surprise, and the ragout may contain unexpected ingredients. Emily, oblivious to the macabre preparations, is excited about the surprise and fondly recalls the taste of Paul's skin, hinting at a previous intimate moment.

Opinions

  • Paul takes great pride in his cooking and attention to detail, considering himself a perfectionist.
  • He has a rather dim view of society, believing people are becoming "dumber and dumber," yet he finds them "tastier."
  • The narrator, presumably Paul, has a twisted sense of humor and a macabre approach to hospitality, enjoying the idea of surprising Emily with a meal that may include human remains.
  • Paul's choice of Paul as a meat source is influenced by Emily's comment about the taste of Paul's skin and Paul's request for a birthday discount, which Paul finds amusing.
  • The narrator is critical of people asking for discounts based on occasions like "birthday month" and implies a willingness to finance studies on human behavior, despite it not being trendy.
  • The story suggests that the narrator, Paul, may be a psychopath, as he nonchalantly discusses the preparation of human flesh for consumption and the logistics of preventing guests from escaping his dinner parties.

Canadian Ragout

I might be biased, but I find it delicious

Photo by Eiliv-Sonas Aceron on Unsplash

“Honey! I’m home!” I shout in a happier version than my usual voice. It’s an important day for her. I don’t want to disappoint.

Emily answers from her office. “Paul! My call’s not finished. I need like an hour. Can you prepare dinner? I’m ravenous!”

“Of course, honey! I’m on it.” I knew about the call; that’s why I came home early. I want everything flawless for her big surprise. I’m a perfectionist, borderline manic, I must say.

The kitchen is so spacious. It’s always a pleasure to prepare dinner in these conditions. I planned a Canadian ragout for this evening. There’s one thing you shouldn’t skimp on for a Canadian ragout — it’s the freshness of the meat.

I took care of it a few hours ago. It was a bit of negotiation, but I finally got the pieces I wanted. You wouldn’t believe how stubborn some people can be. I had to take the knife and cut the meat myself! Bah! I don’t mind getting my hands dirty for Emily.

One hour is a smidgen too short for this ragout, but I’ve managed before; no reason I can’t do it again. The secret is to prepare the sauce beforehand. To keep the surprise, I didn’t tell Emily about it. I’ve been working discretely on the sauce for the last two days. The final part is only about execution, and I’m quite skilled when it comes to execution.

Emily interrupts my thoughts. “Paul! Still not finished. Sorry!! Give me fifteen more minutes, and I’ll be all yours.”

“Ok, honey! Dinner’s almost ready.”

Lucky me, just the extra time I needed to prepare the table and the chairs. As strange as it sounds, for a successful Canadian ragout experience, you can’t neglect the chairs. I had problems with guests before. They were so bewildered, they fainted and fell to the ground.

That’s the main reason I added straps to my regular setting. The other one is that some guests tried to run away. I can only guess they got overwhelmed by happy feelings.

Ah! I’m so excited! I love preparing surprises.

I wish Paul could see that, but eyeballs don’t go well in the Canadian ragout. They do much better in ceviche.

“All right, I’m done!” Emily shouts joyfully.

“Wonderful! Close your eyes and come here. I have a surprise for you!” Paul’s voice is easy to mimic; that’s not why I chose him, though. I can imitate any voice. I picked Paul because he asked for a discount at the shop today. He said it was his birthday month.

Birthday month? Seriously? Why not birthday year while we’re at it? I mean, I’m a psychopath, I might be biased, but people are getting dumber and dumber. Dumber and tastier. Not sure why. I would happily finance some studies on the topic, but it’s not trendy at the moment.

Anyway. If I want to be honest, I also chose Paul because of Emily. She said she loved the taste of his skin when she kissed him goodbye at the shop.

I can’t resist a good pun.

I didn’t want to leave Teresa with all the fun of killing some Pauls in their stories! Here’s my favorite so far:

Fiction
Flash Fiction
Horror
Horror Fiction
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