MAID OF HONOUR
Forenote: I have taken the liberty to add a few fictional events and fictional dishes to the mix to enhance the quality of the prose and make it more readable. One might be tempted to think that an ideal domestic maid is a paragon of punctuality, proficiency, and an embodiment of culinary excellence. In our household , we have Manda Tai, who, I dare say, is none of these things. She is, however, honest and hardworking, virtues we hold in high regard, though they do little to mitigate the daily domestic disasters that seem to follow in her wake. Manda Tai, a woman of formidable constitution and an even more formidable will, has been a fixture in our home for years. Her approach to her duties is characterized by a lackadaisical competence, a sort of endearing mediocrity. She reminds me, quite fittingly, of a well-meaning but inept governess from a Victorian novel, whose attempts at order and efficiency invariably result in mild chaos and unintended hilarity. Cooking is, without doubt, he