Jazz Age Wednesdays 3 — Recipe Hunter

Posted on by Teagan Riordain Geneviene

Wednesday, September 27, 2017

On Saturday, I was honored to be the guest of the enchanting Esmé — The Recipe Hunter.  I’m sharing that post today for Jazz Age Wednesdays.  I hope you’ll click over and say hello. Thanks again, Esmé!  That post is below.

Studebaker blue 1920s

***

It was a recipe for fun when I wrote Three Ingredients I — Murder at the Bijou.  Although, I’m afraid I was not all-together in my element at a cooking blog.  I used to think I was a pretty good cook, but that was years ago.  Now I don’t see myself that way. 

However, I thought I could cook up some fun! Recently, I launched my second “three things” pantser novel.  (Learn about them here.)

My readers drove the story by sending three things (or ingredients) that I included in the serial episodes.  Those random “things” drove every aspect of the stories.  Since the second serial was a culinary mystery, the things were ingredients.  People kept asking for the serials to be in book form.  Finally I’ve obliged… at least with the first two.

Since I’m not much of a cook any more, I’m brought the first chapter of Murder at the Bijou to share at Esmé’s blog instead of a cooking post.  As I said, it’s spontaneously told, and set in the Jazz Age.  Here goes!  

Murder at the Bijou — Three Ingredients I

A culinary mystery with “ingredients” sent from readers everywhere.

Chapter One — Geoduck, Cilantro, Red Wine

Union Station Savannah, GA
Union Station, Savannah, GA (public domain image)

Several cars were already parked in front of Binghamton’s Bijou Theatre for the big local premiere.  I spotted an empty parking space and hit the gas to pull my grandmother’s Model-T up to the curb.  The car was old as could be, but Granny babied it like a child.  It looked brand new, all the way to the brightly painted yellow spokes at the wheels.  As I got out I made sure the sign she tied to the car door was straight.  It read Granny Fanny’s Goodies. 

My grandmother had become insistent that I mend my flapper ways and at least learn to cook.  Pops wasn’t about to refuse her when she decided I should leave Florida and move up to Savannah, Georgia to live with her.  “Until you become a passable cook,” my father said, and it had sounded like a prison sentence.  However, Savannah was a bigger city than I realized, and “Jazz Age” business was flourishing.  I secretly liked the town, but it wouldn’t do to let Granny or Pops know that just yet.

As I carefully stacked containers of fortune cookies I heard someone with a faintly British accent call my name.  “Over here Pip!” Alastair Wong called and waved cheerfully.

Blue Lucille Ball Stage Door Trailer

The Wongs immigrated to the United States from England.  Neither he nor his parents had ever been to China, though they dreamed of visiting and faithfully passed down family recipes, like the one for the enormous clams, the geoducks.  Alastair had helped the filmmaker locate an ancient and huge one that had been used in the making of the movie.  Though I couldn’t imagine how they made it look so gigantic, the things were certainly ugly enough to star in a monster movie.

Alastair’s family owned the local Chinese restaurant, simply called Wong’s.  His slogan proclaimed “You’re always right with Wong’s.”  I hoped he was right to invest in so much advertising for this movie.  The chefs at the restaurant were so busy making geoduckdishes that he’d asked Granny to handle the fortune cookies.  I chuckled to myself when I thought about the “fortunes” she wrote for them.

I helped Alastair and his mother arrange the fortune cookies and the geoduck items.  It actually looked inviting the way they’d prepared it.  But I still couldn’t make myself take a bite…  Mrs. Wong giggled at the expression on my face.  At least she wasn’t offended.  Soon we had the food ready for the guests of the premiere of “Night of the Killer Clam.”

People gathered around the food tables as soon as we were ready.  As they chose hors d’oeuvres they joked about eating the movie’s monster villain.  Then they started opening their fortune cookies and reading the carefully printed messages inside.

“Neither a whistling woman nor a crowing hen ever come to a very good end.”  (Be yourself.)

“Every dog should have a few fleas.”  (No one is perfect.)

“You’ll be happy as a dead pig in the sunshine.”  (Don’t worry about what’s happening.)

I blushed when Alastair Wong looked askance at me.  All I could do was shrug helplessly.  Granny Fanny insisted on writing what she thought of as proper fortunes, though they weren’t exactly … traditionally Chinese.

Mrs. Wong, Arabella, laughed out loud, startling me.  She usually had a sweet girlish giggle.  Alastair rolled his eyes heavenward.  At least they had a sense of humor about it.

Arabella poured goblets of red wine for us and we toasted the movie and good food.  We would miss most of the film’s premiere, but Mr. Binghamton gave all of us several free passes each, so knew I could come back.

crab monsters 2Posters of swooning a woman in the embrace of a shocked but dashing man decorated the Bijou’s entrance.  A little girl looked quietly at a poster of the monster clam.  Then she suddenly shrieked, pulled away from the woman who held her hand, and ran.  “Flannery!  Come back!  Wait,” the woman called and ran after the child.

The music began inside the theatre and everyone cheered.  I heard muffled dialogue, but I couldn’t make out the words.  I started helping the Mrs. Wong and her son cleanup and gathered Granny’s empty cookie containers.  Then I jumped when I heard loud screaming emanate from the Bijou.

“Wow!  That must be some scary movie!” Alastair commented.  Then a woman and a man ran from the theatre.  The Wongs and I looked at one another, puzzled.

Something was clearly wrong.  As I walked toward the entrance, I saw the door to the ticket booth was open.  I noticed a flashlight and picked it up, as I hurried toward the commotion.  Inside the theatre the screen showed what appeared to be a fifty feet tall clam, with a hundred feet long…  Applesauce, I didn’t know what to call it!  Something like an elephant’s trunk was slowly attacking a building.

I switched on the flashlight.  A small group of people were clustered below the stage.  When I drew near I noticed a trail of green bits on the floor.  Between the people, I saw a pair of wingtips with the soles facing me.  The green bits were all over the bottoms of those shoes — and the feet that wore them weren’t moving.  I pushed my way into the circle.  The man stretched out on the floor didn’t seem to be breathing.  I took a mirror from my purse and held it under his nose.  There was no fog from his breath.  One of the people started calling for a doctor, but I was sure the man was already dead.

Soon a man with a medical bag, along with the theatre owner — Mr. Binghamton, 

and a policeman pushed me out of the way.  I stooped down and touched my fingers to the little green bits the dead man had tracked on his shoes.  I shone the light on it and sniffed.  Cilantro.

***

End Chapter 1

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NgNR-nAlWaw

I hope you enjoyed this peek into the world of my unflappable flapper, Paisley Idelle Peabody (aka Pip).  It was a pleasure for me to meet Esmé.  I’m sure you’ll enjoy a visit to The Recipe Hunter as well.  It’s pos-i-lutely fabulous.

I’ll be looking for you this weekend in Thistledown!  Hugs.

***

If you want to know more about this series, here is a review by Chris the Story Reading Ape of the first book. 

TSRA 3 Things Review

The Three Things Serial Story: A Little 1920s Story 

Novel-book-The Three Things Serial Story-Teagan Riordain Geneviene-The Writer Next Door-Vashti Q-spotlight-author

Murder at the Bijou — Three Ingredients I

Bijou front only 2

 Thanks so much for visiting.  You’re the berries!

 

 

Copyright © 2017

by Teagan Ríordáin Geneviene

No part of this book/text/blog may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or electronic form without permission.  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination, or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

 

70 thoughts on “Jazz Age Wednesdays 3 — Recipe Hunter”

  2. Pingback: Writing Links…10/2/17 – Where Genres Collide

    1. Andrea, you made me smile. Thank you for keeping the sunlight in my Monday morning. (That’s no easy feat.) I appreciate you taking time to visit. And I’m delighted that you enjoyed the “fortunes.” You’re the cat’s pajamas!

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

    1. Why thank you, Jennie! That is music to my ears.
      Even though these books are very whimsical, I researched everything.
      I think you, as a teacher, would especially like the first one (just a novella). While I couldn’t include all the links in the book version, The Three Things Serial Story gives “cameos” to many historic figures of that day.
      (While “Murder at the Bijou” is more driven by the food elements.)
      You’re the bee’s knees!

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

  14. Teagan you are a master chef, each chapter is a delicious meal. I am almost finished with Murder at the Bijou, and it is a 5 star Michelin rated feast. After I finish each chapter I declare it to be my favorite, so I guess they all are.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  15. Oh my, LOL. I couldn’t stop laughing. I love “You’re always right with Wong’s.” And Granny’s fortunes are fabulous. Ha ha ha. I think you have a real business idea here: Granny’s Down Home Fortune Cookies Fortunes. You’d make a “fortune!” Ha ha

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. Ha! Those were my favorite parts, Diana. Today, after a 2 1/2 hour staff meeting (scheduled through lunch!) I ordered Chinese. My Fortune cookie was empty… Second time thats happened. But I already know I have no fortune!
      Delighted you enjoyed this. Hugs!

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

    1. Haha! As the serial version went along, the person who sent those ingredients admitted that she meant to stump me. But instead it took me to Attack of the Killer Clam. LOL. I’m delighted you enjoyed this chapter, Jacquie. You’re the bee’s knees!

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply
  18. Pingback: Jazz Age Wednesdays 3 — Recipe Hunter — Teagan’s Books | ravenhawks' magazine

  20. I’m up early, so rightly or wongly, I skipped over to your post first thing. Since I use Duck Duck Go as my search engine, and CyberDuck as my FTP client, I think I need a GIS/mapping app named GeoDuck to add to my EtherDuck collection. Unfortunately, with rain in the extended forecast, I’ll have to be as “…happy as a dead pig in a mud wallow.” It was fun to start the day with killer clams, red wine and cilantro. Have a great Wednesday.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

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