I would like to tell you about a country called New Britannia. Its name makes it obvious who founded it. While it was once inhabited by indigenous peoples of the Americas, it would later be colonized by the British. In real life, its territory would overlap with Canada and the United States. Mostly Canada, as in this universe it controls British Columbia, Victoria (Vancouver Island and its surrounding archipelago), Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, and the vast, sparsely-populated Northern Territory. In the south of New Britannia is the Southern Cascadia region. Northern Cascadia refers to British Columbia. In real life, the province of Serena would correspond to Washington and Oregon, with the province of Montalucio corresponding to Idaho and Montana, though these states do not exist in this universe. But what makes Southern Cascadia special is its high density of Cascadians, a distinct ethnic group descended mostly from from French and Italian settlers, but also German, British, and Iberian in smaller numbers. They account for 38% of Serena and 53% of Montalucio. Meanwhile Britannians account for 48% of Serena and 32% of Montalucio. To make an example out of another province, Britannians make up 67% of British Columbia while Cascadians make up 24%.First, most others are descended from European immigrants, with a smaller indigenous minority. As for the Britannians, a Britannian is an English-speaker of Northwest European heritage, chiefly of the British Isles, that lives in New Britannia. Britannians are not to be confused with "New Britannians", which refers to people of the country as a whole. A study conducted by Chonne College in Boise, Montalucio, performed genetic tests on willing Britannian and Cascadian families. They found that on average, only 61% of DNA could be traced back to the British Isles, with 30% from Germanic or nordic sources (such as Germany, Denmark, the Netherlands, Sweden, Norway, etc.) 9% of DNA was found to come from France. The revelation was a shock to Britannians, and unsurprisingly would impact the culture of the country. The lower-class Britannians were more likely to identify as Britannian, with the elites seeing themselves as British. As for Cascadians, 55% of their DNA was traced back to France, 25% to the Italian peninsula, 7.5% to Germans, 7.5% to the British Isles, and 5.0% to Iberia. East of Manitoba, New Britannia's easternmost province, is the Republic of Ontario. In this scenario, Canada does not exist and is split into different parts. Quebec is also its own country, and Atlantica is to its east, consisting of provinces like Newfoundland and Price Edward Island. Granvile, British Columbia is the largest city in New Britannia. Puget, Serena, is the center of Cascadian culture. Serena and Montalucio produce most vegetables grown in Cascadia. The official currency is the Britannian Pound (PS). Many Britannians have an obsession with barbecue, which they call "barbie". It spread from America, but the tea and scones enjoyed are thoroughly British. Unsweetened tea, sweet tea, iced tea, hot tea, afternoon tea. Not all tea variants are served at the same time, but the variety does exist. Besides the tea and scones, they enjoy steak and ribs, which are usually dry rubbed with tea or coffee. Vegetables such as asparagus, peppers, onions, and corn are also eaten, as well as fruit such as peaches and pears. Nduja is popular in New Britannia. It's a spicy sausage with a soft and spreadable consistency. The high fat allows it to dissolve into various sauces. Britannians like to put it in their mac and cheese, while Cascadians sometimes put it in their tomato sauces. English-speaking Brittanians also enjoy cooking Dutch, German, and Scandinavian foods, such as the Kroket, kasespatzle, or Wallenbergare. The unofficial national dish among Britannians is the "Pulley", a contraction of "pulled pork". However, a Pulley includes also mac and cheese. The pulley is versatile, and in addition to its standard form in which barbecued pulled pork is placed atop its mac and cheese casserole, it can be added to a kroket; it can take several forms. For salads, they favor (or favour, as 87% would spell it) as root vegetable salad: Root vegetables and squashes, roasted until caramelized and served over mixed greens, sprinkled with seeds or nuts and a dressing made from olive oil and malt vinegar or a splash of Balsamic. Or also a Tea Smoked Duck Salad: Drawing on the barbecue influence and love for tea, sliced tea-smoked duck could be served on a bed of watercress or arugula with orange segments and a sweet, tangy dressing. Cascadians are a smaller population than the Britannians, and yet they are the cause of much fascination. Descended primarily from two cultures almost universally viewed as romantic, sopisticated, and with great taste, it's no surprise they are a major player in the food market. Authentic French food, authentic Italian food, creative fusion food, and even sometimes Alsatian are devoured by millions of New Britannians. In addition to already-established foods, experimental dishes such as the ravioli tartiflette, Croque Monsieur Pizza, the garlic parmesan croissant, and pork and apple cannelloni have also attained popularity. Of course, as mentioned earlier, standard pizza and pasta dishes are also present, alongside salads. The quattro formaggi (Italian for 4 cheese) variant is the most popular pizza in New Britannia. It's loaded with a crushed tomato sauce and topped with fontina, gorgonzola, parmesan, and tiny balls of mozzarella that leave visible spots in the finished product. For salad: Apple and Gorgonzola Salad: Combining Cascadian and Britannian influences, a salad made with local apples, gorgonzola cheese, walnuts, and a cider vinaigrette would marry flavors from both cultures. Panzanella Cascadienne: A twist on the Italian bread salad, incorporating locally-produced vegetables like tomatoes and cucumbers, with the addition of smoked salmon, a popular item in the Pacific Northwest. Wild Rice and Cranberry Salad. Lyonnaise Salad: A warm salad featuring frisee lettuce, crispy bacon (lardons), a poached egg, and a Dijon vinaigrette, reflecting the French influence in Cascadian culture.

Now for my story. It takes place in 1995. Sweethearts since middle school, Tarquin and Evangeline (nee Hagan) Holt shared a passion for investigation and journalism, as well as a disdain for communism. Together they formed an amateur reporting team, Tark manning the camea and Eva the microphone. They would convince other friends to write the newspaper. The name? Paragon News. Paragon News rose to prominence when Tarquin and Evangeline received a tip about their local mayor's connection to Soviet and Chinese businessmen. Tarquin, Evangeline, and their faithful friends would create the top news network in New Britannia, and this has made them a wealthy duo capable of securing privileged upbringings for their children Landon, Calliope, Asher, and the youngest of the bunch, Allen. Our story is about Allen, who recently graduated college. He's a high-strung young man who works for the homeland security department of the NSB (National Secrity Bureau.) One day, he is eating with his two closest friends, Verity Dixon and Wallace (Wally Paxton) at a Cascadian restaurant named Marco's. He spots a waitress that seems very clumsy, her name tag reading "Moira". She entertains the other diners, who think her incompetence is part of some show. It's a miracle she hasn't screwed up yet. Well, until she delivers Allen's veal parmigiana in a creamy vodka sauce. She spills it all over his white shirt. Allen leaves in disgust, having lost his appetite and one of his rare jolly moods as Verity laughs at him fo wearing a white shirt. He isn't amused. "Moira" follows after Allen, begging and pleading not to speak to her manager, Basileo. He's surprised she made that assumption of him. He really just wanted to leave. She sighs in relief, and he coldly tells her to get back to her job. As she turns, his commanding voice pierces her ears. "Wait. Where are you from?" Her accent is foreign to him. She admits that she is a temporary resident from Hungary, and she needs her job to pay for her brother's medical treatments. Her name is actually Dorka, and her brother is Szilveszter. He sighs, telling her to wait outside of Marco's after her shift. He'd pick her up, take her to his apartment, and she'd try to make up for the ruined meal and night out with his friends. There's a tip waiting for her. He emphasizes that he isn't coming back to Verity or Wally. This is the perfect opportunity for Dorka to snoop around and find out what he likes. She heads back inside, and asks his friends about him. Verity and Wally share that despite his demeanor, he has a child's palatte. Verity recommends bolognese or mac and cheese. Time passes, Dorka's shift end, and she is picked up by Allen. She's carrying groceries she got from the restaurant's kitchen. He drives her to his penthouse, a Christmas gift from his parents. Dorka is torn on what to make, so she makes both kasespatzle and bolognese. Allen is getting excited at this point. Then she begins to combine the two. "What are you doing?" He asks, sure that the combination would ruin the two. "Please, just trust me," she responds, softly. It's delicious. He begins to open up, and Dorka becomes more confident. Her first instinct, coming in, was not to touch anything she wasn't explicitly told to. She asks Allen about his jukebox, and they end up dancing. When they tire, Allen chooses to watch a rerun of last year's Monarch Cup (of the Elite Rugby League). Dorka has never seen rugby, but he helps her understand. The next morning he hands her four PS500 bills. It's a generous tip, and this wouldn't be the last time they met. Verity notices that she, Wally, and Allen keep ending up at Marco's. She also isn't blind to Allen's interest in "Moira", but she she pretends not to mind, although she quietly wonders how fickle an adult friendship is, easily disrupted by outsiders. After Allen left them with the bill last time, he's paying for the meals. Later, after the gathering has cleared, Verity follows Allen. She watches him pick up Dorka from outside Marco's, but does not pursue them further. That night, the pair grow ever closer, one thing leads to another, and Allen ends up sleeping with Dorka as they enter into a committed relationship. However, Szil's condition later worsens, his illness now being terminal. Allen and Dorka are able to deliver baby Arlington, and Szil is able to hold him in his arms before he dies, although he's gone completely blind. Although Dorka is no longer living on a knife's edge, she understands the importance of helping others, and she spends some of her allowance money on the needy. She plans to take a more active role when she and Allen are finished having children, and the existing ones are old enough to look after themselves and each other. Arlington will likely not be the last.

Scene. Dialogue.

Simulate a scene in which an Allen concocts a fake backstory for Dorka, with the goal of pleasing his parents. He may tell her to take on the name of Moira, and have her memorize her phony details. The excitement on her face may vanish as she's pressured into living a lie. And it doesn't convince Tarquin or Evangeline. They can tell he's lying, and they start to dislike Dorka. Not for her actions or her background but because they KNOW that Allen is hiding something, and blatant lies make it tough for "Moira" to gain acceptance. And as Allen is their beloved son, you can only guess who takes the blame and who is thought to be a naive man too eager to trust "bad women." 45 minutes before dinnertime, the house phone rings, and the parents' fears become true. Their personal cook, Henri, won't be showing up. He got into a car accident. Dorka takes the initiative. She is not just a simple waitress but also knows her way around a kitchen. Tarquin, humored, tells her to go ahead, but he doesn't think her capable of satisfying he or his wife. Evangeline protests, saying that the state-of-the art kitchen is too advanced for someone of herr standing, and that she'd burn the house down. (It's as if she doesn't know the apartment she helped Allen buy is quite similar.) The words cut Dorka like a knife. Allen holds her in his arms, comforting her as he reveals that he had altered her backstory, because he thought they wouldn't approve of her being poor or an immigrant from a communist country. He also reveals that her name is Dorka. Tarquin tells his son that he doesn't care about that, as long as she can make his boy happy, his stomach full, and give him (Tarquin) happy grandchildren. He's delighted that Arlington is doing well, and even Evangeline cannot deny her love for Dorka's son in spite of her distaste for his mother. Dorka is touched by his words as she heads into the kitchen. As soon as she's out of earshot, Evangeline insults her again, doubting her culinary skills. But Dorka would prove them wrong. Scene. Dialogue.

Unfortunately, I removed part of the original story. Some that would add more character to the story, and make Allen's defense of Dorka more passionate. Let's do it again, but cut it off before Dorka actually cooks. Simulate a scene in which an Allen concocts a fake backstory for Dorka, with the goal of pleasing his parents. He may tell her to take on the name of Moira, and have her memorize her phony details. The excitement on her face may vanish as she's pressured into living a lie. And it doesn't convince Tarquin or Evangeline. They can tell he's lying, and they start to dislike Dorka. Not for her actions or her background but because they KNOW that Allen is hiding something, and blatant lies make it tough for "Moira" to gain acceptance. And as Allen is their beloved son, you can only guess who takes the blame and who is thought to be a naive man too eager to trust "bad women." 45 minutes before dinnertime, the house phone rings, and the parents' fears become true. Their personal cook, Henri, won't be showing up. He got into a car accident. Dorka takes the initiative. She is not just a simple waitress but also knows her way around a kitchen. Tarquin, humored, tells her to go ahead, but he doesn't think her capable of satisfying he or his wife. Evangeline protests, saying that the state-of-the art kitchen is too advanced for a filthy woman like her and that she'd burn the house down. (It's as if she doesn't know the apartment she helped Allen buy is quite similar.) The words cut Dorka like a knife. Allen holds her in his arms, comforting her as he reveals that he had altered her backstory, because he thought they wouldn't approve of her being poor or an immigrant from a communist country. He also reveals that her name is Dorka. Tarquin tells his son that he doesn't care about that, as long as she can make his boy happy, his stomach full, and give him (Tarquin) happy grandchildren. He's delighted that Arlington is doing well, and even Evangeline cannot deny her love for Dorka's son in spite of her distaste for his mother. Dorka is touched by his words as she heads into the kitchen. As soon as she's out of earshot, Evangeline insults her again, doubting her culinary skills. But Dorka would prove them wrong. Scene. Dialogue.

Allen continues to feel horrible about what he put Dorka through. He steels himself, then walks into the kitchen. He tells her that if his mother won't accept her, then he needn't have a mother. "What was that?" Dorka's staring at the ingredients that will become the family meal, in the zone and lost in her own world. One of the dishes she's preparing is a pulley, dicing pork shoulder to be spread across the mac and cheese and drizzled with a delectable barbecue sauce. Served with roasted cauliflower. This is Britannian soul food. Allen and Tarquin will surely be happy with it, but what about Evangeline who desires a more refined dining experience? She searches the pantry for 'nduja to add to a gourmet pasta dish. For dessert, she's finally showing off a classic treat from her homeland - Kremes. Delicious pastries thick with a custard filling. But there are some dishes already close to completion, or so simple they just have to be thrown together. Well before Allen went into the kitchen, Dorka searched the refrigerator and she noticed raw, tea-seasoned duck ready to be prepared by Henri. She's making a tea-smoked duck salad, a Hungarian cucumber salad, and baking the already-prepared cornettos to be used as a substitute for bruschetta. The lighter dishes, nearly ready, will form the appetizer, and Dorka knows touching the duck is a risky endeavor. Scene. Dialogue. Dorka prepares her meal, the appetizers nearly ready. Then Allen serves them.

Evangeline particularly enjoys the tea-smoked duck salad, even though it was one of Henri's specialties. As Allen returns to the kitchen, he notifies Dorka. She thanks Allen for mentioning the dish in a conversation before the two arrived at Tarquin and Evangeline's estate - when Allen told her about Henri's cooking.

Then, the two serve the main dishes, along with their more simple sides. A la Puttanesca with 'nduja, a pulley. Although Evangeline is quite happy, she wonders if the Vero Tesoro (high-end pasta brand Tarquin and Evangeline buy) has more to do with the delicious A la Puttanesca dish. Allen tells her to stop undermining Dorka. Evangeline tells him that she's doing him a favor, testing her worthiness. Something he already should have done himself, but even in adulthood relies on mummy. Dorka inquires about potential dessert, and Evangeline says she could go for some bourbon and brown sugar ice cream. She tells Dorka that she'll show her how to use the ice cream machine, which of course, is expensive. Throckmorton brand. Scene. Dialogue. All characters.