The best ingredient

We used to have a television always set in the same cooking channel, which was located in the reception of the bakery shop. There used to be another one in the right corner of the opened kitchen, where customers could see the process of baking bread, cakes and all pastry. That sunny day, the old baker decided to turn the t.v. on another channel. - Look at the television ! That is the ad that i was talking to you about. - The contest? - and my boss stopped whipping the cream , to take a deep look at the screen. A close up of a huge wedding cake with three floors, goldenpearl’s of sugar sprinkled all over the cake, fruit-like chocolate on top of it . My boss could not take his eyes off the cake, astonished, beat by the beauty of it. - It is absolutely gorgeous ¡ - he exclaimed – trying to read the disposable message of the ad. I looked at him, trying to find any subtle hint of his eagerness to take part in that contest. - - So, boss, what do you think about the contest? - - Contest ¿ what contest ¿ - Are you telling me that you haven’t seen the message of the contest ¿ - Well…I could read some little things, something like “ cake contest" … - All of us did it. As a matter of fact, the name of the contest was “ the best cake contest" – defying, and even trying him, the chubby and mighty boss completely list because of an ad ¡ - Sure! Yes, I think it was, as I was a bit busy with the cream. On talking about it, could you bring some more sugar please? - You have already put it - I did ¿ oh ¡ yes! Yes ¡ forget about it - he asked, closing his eyes and moving his white hands covered in flour. - You did ¿ - and this time he stopped measuring the cups of milk for some pudding he was asked to do. - I was just trying your ability to pay attention…. But, on talking about the contest again…. - Sure. We are going to take part of it, as we have more than ten years of experience in this field. Besides, we can not loose the won reputation for winning g many prizes. This is goi g to be another one - You think so? - Of course! - We have to make the biggest cookie ever. - Piece of cake. - Cookie, not cake. - Whatever. And so it was. The very early next morning, the boss took his phone and asked with some urgency for ingredients that were missing: - Extra high quality flour and margarine, first class eggs, fresh yeast, raisins, nuts . Don’t forget cloves and extra higher quality chocolate chips. - Don’t you think the best ingredient is .missing? - Yes?, I think so. You get in charge of it – knowing that there should be some nutmeg or vanilla extract to be bought. - Thank you! – I answered to him, knowing, by my side, that there was something a lit more important to be considered in that specific receipe. So, being one of the bakers, sincerely smiled , showing his inner satisfaction about the boss decision. And chose a renaissance classic music to share with all the bakers and collaborators through their earphones connected by the internet, The four seasons , by Vivaldi, where every single note in the partiture seemed to float in the air, together with the elegance of each musical instrument and strict design of each flavour in every single chord. They all were glad, receiving the ingredients, adding them, mixing, baking. Time was an obnoxious concept, and all four bakers, smiled. Peacefully. Deep breathing. Shining eyes. Receiving more ingredients, mixing adding , baking, smiling. Baking. Smiling. Baking. Smiling. At the end of the day, they had baked more than ten times each one, together with their smiles. And they created a really big cookie, of about the area of a block ., or maybe less., but sti a cookie 9 Something so big that could feed more than one thousand people for a week. - Good job! – the boss congratulated all the staff with a long and vibrating applause – great job ¡ - he repeated. The group.of five bakers snd the auxiliary and administrative personnel, including the cleaning service, they were all gathered, together , afterword. - Well – the boss said – in a really moved type of voice - it is obviously not a wedding cake – a d everyone laughed – and it us probably not the winner of any contest. - But, remember that this giant cookie, this one that is displayed outside the shop, Where all the people could see it, and admire it not only because of its size, but specially because of the quality of its refined details. , but because it was perfumed, and seemed to have a message written on it. Something like - Happiness issomething you can eat “ That was it : something little, but so powerful f that could be easily applied to the ordinary life lived by the ordinary people that would eat it – a soft and sweet detail the baker, using a little inspiration -like, for instance , that gorgeous inspiring classic mus. All the customers and the people in general,, took pictures, commented and liked it in social media In total, a million likes . Then, the baker called the judge if the contest, so he could try it and finally send the likes and pictures for appreciation, together with a piece of the cookie for each member of the jury could try it. - Fine – the jury said. But we have to wait for the end of the contest, so we decide which is the best. So, we did waited up to the end of the contest, more three painful waiting days, as we know that waiting is always impossible, because of the anxiety it creates. - I am not gonna stand it – the boss concluded its reflection, biting the nails of every finger of his both hands. - Do you want that hard to win? – asked the baker, looking at the desperation of his tense face - Well, I would say that we invested time, ingredients , effort in it. So we deserve the victory- he said, seriously believing in it. - This is not about winning a contest – the baker said, tapping his shoulder twice – it is about love. On having chewed , degluted and finally absorbed the whole idea through understanding the astonishment that it caused in the perception involved in the entire process, I saw the wrinkle on his forehead vanish, one by one. And I saw the modified behaviour of my dear boss , as he started to smile and even hug all the colleagues, in a real demonstration of his way of being affectionate. So, the contest , the most important one, has been won.