So-So in Cooking, bad at everything else

It has already been three days since Elwür started work in your house, and there are some valuable facts you learn about him.

For one, he's damn good with a kitchen knife. No, scratch that, he was damn stylish with it.

His deft hands had a masterful and elegant feel in their movements, smoothly cutting and chopping various ingredients without fail after just one demonstration. Of course, he did have difficulty using a gas stove at first, but he was likewise quick to master heat control.

"So, what are you confident in cooking with, Elwür?" You asked.

"A wood fire," He said, "And a wood-fired stove."

"Right..." You said, "So not that much?"

"No," He said.

"Okay, and your knife skills?" You asked.

"Butchering wild game I hunted," He said.

"Wow, no wonder," You said, "You sure you don't buy your meat or something?"

"Only dried jerky," He said.

An awkward silence stretched between you two.

_This is really hard... _You thought, I've never had to talk to anyone this anti-social.

"Right, so after we rub the seasoning on the meat in a ziplock bag, we leave it in the fridge for at least six hours or overnight," You said, "Use the pan to saute the veggies with some soy sauce, salt and pepper, and a little mirin, then serve on a plate."

*beep beep*

"And it seems the rice is done," You said, "Let's see..."

Opening the rice cooker revealed a full pot of fluffy white rice. Not mushy, not gloopy, and certainly not too sticky.

"Mm. Looks good," You commented, "Good job."

Elwür simply nodded.

"Now then, let's see how it tastes," You said.

You took a slow bite of the food, anticipating its taste and hoping to God he didn't screw up.

The good news was, he cooked everything well, and it did not taste horrible.

The bad news was...

"It's... surprisingly average," You said, "Rather, I think it's a little too plain for my liking."

"So not enough seasoning," Said Elwür.

"I admit I'm very average, but you do need improvement," You said, "But it does take time to get good at cooking. I remember I nearly burnt down the kitchen when I first started."

Memories of trying to make fried rice flashed through your mind, of how you turned the rice charcoal black and sent plumes of smoke flowing through the house, triggering the fire alarm as fire consumed half the kitchen. Though there was no significant damage, you caused quite the mess, with broken dishes and burnt pots and pans scattered all over the place.

And you recall how mad your mom was, giving you the lecture of your life.

__I'm just glad he's capable of a half-decent job at cooking... You thought.

Housekeeping, on the other hand, was a mess.

"Nononono! You don't mix the colours!" You shouted, "Don't mix colours when washing clothes, or they'll lose their original colour!"

His first mistake: putting both bright and dark coloured clothes in the washing machine.

"Take off the broom attachment if you're vacuuming the furniture!"

His second mistake: Using the broom attachment - which touched the floor and innumerable contaminants - to touch furniture like the couch and chairs.

"No, don't leave those things there! They'll pose an electrical hazard!"

His third mistake: Leaving electrical appliances near the sink, be it in the bathroom or the kitchen.

"God help me, this is so much more difficult than studying..." You muttered.

Alas, Elwür faced a steep learning curve in housekeeping by virtue of unfamiliarity with both the processes and the technology involved. Yet he was nothing but diligent and focused, and when given a job to do, he always strove to finish it properly.

"Though it'll be a while yet before he gets used to it," You muttered.