In the heart of Lekki Lagos, there existed a legendary Chinese restaurant known as Wokinn Chinese. This Chinese restaurant was perched at the edge of estate avenue and it is well renowned because of the master class cutlery skill of Dr. Vincent.
Dr. Vincent is a PhD holder in food and nutritional studies but his most specialised kind of dish are specifically Chinese and African delicacies.
Dr. Vincent was well known for his cutlery skills but was also renowned for his famous "Above The Robles" trail. This trail was an ancient tale that suggested a route that leads to an ancient valley. This valley is where all the beautiful ingredients for a master's cutlery are needed. The valley grew the rarest. He has a young Chef who he has been tutoring for more than 10 years. Chef Wissam didn't attend the highest heights of education like Dr. Vincent, however they have a close affinity in their cutlery skill so much so that so many people have regarded him as having more delicious cooked meals than his master. Infact, while Dr. Vincent focuses on only Chinese and African foods, Chef Wissam cooked more than just Chinese and African foods.
But one thing is still in perplexing state for Chef Wissam. The fact that no matter how hard he had tried, he hasn't ever been able to go on the trail that his master went through to earn so much prestige. Chef Wissam sincerely wanted to accomplish that as the Zenith of his cutlery skills unlike his master who only considered the Zenith of his career when he acquired his PhD.
Wissam has embarked countless times on this journey but ends up not reaching the end. He was lost in thought this blessed evening when he eventually slept off. Then he had a dream where a boy who looked exactly like him but Pretty much younger accosted him in his dreams.
"Never!! Never!!!! Never back down" the boy screamed and then turned into a turmeric leaf.
Chef Wissam jerked up from sleep, looked around and then discovered it was just a dream. Then he plotted for the next day.
"Tomorrow I am going to meet my master and ask graciously for advice on how to go through this great trial and also beg for his blessings" Chef Wissam soliloquised.
The next morning, he went straight to his master's house and the master was in the kitchen making breakfast for his family.
"Greetings Dr." Chef Wissam passed salutations
"A very good morning to you Wissam, how was your night?" Dr. Vincent answered and asked in return.
"Sir, my night brought me here this early," Chef Wissam replied.
That answer didn't sound like it was straight forward. It then sparked up Dr. Vincent's sense of humour. He laughed a contagious kind of laughter that made Chef Wissam join in to laugh.
"Sir, I will go straight to the point," Chef Wissam continued.
"I want to achieve the great trial to which you embarked on. I wanna get to the head of the beautiful city of cutlery ingredients, so I humbly came to seek your advice" Chef Wissam spoke with lots of seriousness and conviction.
"Oh finally, you have decided to heed to the ancient tale that what a child climbs the tallest iroko tree and couldn't see, an old man sitting down at the comfort of this compound can see beyond it" Dr. Vincent bragged in laughter once again.
They both laughed and then he proceeded to explain things to him.
*Going on the trial is commendable, however you have to understand that there is no specific place to which these ingredients are hidden. It's you who will determine where your journey will end. Go back to your house, lock yourself up for three days and don't come out. On the third day, wake up early in the morning, put on some shoes and walk through your backyard, get the craziest vegetables for your cooking, call the ceremony when day breaks and share to the people that you have embarked successfully on the same trial and the people will believe you" Dr. Vincent advised.
These things didn't make sense at first to Chef Wissam, but he obeyed and did exactly as the master had instructed. On the third day, he was crowned as the second best prestigious Chef in the city after Dr Vincent. People started to respect and celebrate him more. People gave him food items for free, people gave him money, and treated him like a treasure.
Chef Wissam got a communal benefit in less than three months of his reign. People would voluntarily offer to do things for him. He made more wealth in three months than he had made his entire life but something still didn't feel right within his conscience.
On the full moon of the third month after his coronation, he couldn't take it anymore with his conscience. He feels like he is living a lie. There he went to his master's house again on a cool mooney night.
"I am a troubled master," Chef Wissam complained.
"Why Wissam" Dr. Vincent enquired
"Because I feel like I am living a lie, I thought the reason why you are respected so much was because of the fact that you embarked on a journey which earned you the prestige. But you are, I know that I didn't embark on the same journey yet I am getting the same accolades as you, that has been eating me up all these while Dr." Chef Wissam lamented
"My boy!" Dr. Vincent exclaimed in a mild voice
"Sir" Chef Wissam answered
"The world is full of fluke. You can either choose to be respected by your own deeds and skill or choose to flex with people's brain and create a culture of respect that necessarily never existed" Dr Vincent paused and then continued "the great trial was nothing but a myth. I know this because I didn't go on that trial like everyone thinks. I did the same thing as you did!" Dr. Vincent laughed out loud
"Truth be told, so many things we think never to back down about are the things we should have let go. Sincerely speaking, sometimes backing down is an option because the effort that is put into something without proper knowledge would most likely be a waste" Dr Vincent advised.
"Never back down when you know what you are looking for, but when you don't have a comprehensive knowledge of what there is to look out for, backing down will save you a lot of stress. But of course, here you didn't back down and today you are respected, therefore you have made for yourself some name and reputation plus rewards for life. As long as you keep your what you know now to yourself "
They both looked at each other and burst into heavy laughter that took them minutes to finish. Chef Wissam wagged his head but Dr Vincent nodded his head in the opposite direction and they laughed once again.
