I became a son-in-law in the United States

Chapter 13 Dinner Time

By 6 p.m., the Kennedy family's kitchen was fully operational.

The Greek chef has taken a backseat, and today's chef is a French master chef.

His name was Jacques, he was in his early forties, somewhat balding, and had a neatly trimmed beard. He was especially serious when cooking.

In fact, in 1927 America, French cuisine was still politically correct in high society, and no respectable family dared to say they did not hire a French chef.

At this moment, Jacques was followed by two kitchen helpers, one chopping onions and the other preparing lobsters. Four copper pots on the stove were steaming, and the kitchen was filled with the aroma of butter and herbs.

After about three or four hours of preparation, dinner was finally ready.

The appetizer was escargot gratin, served with garlic and buttered herbs.

For the soup, we prepared royal clear broth, which is made by stewing beef, chicken and vegetables together, and has a rich aroma.

The main course was fish, and this time the chef prepared Dieppe halibut, a fish from the English Channel, served with a white wine sauce, which tasted very good.

As for the meat, the main dish was roasted lamb chops, served with rosemary and garlic, and accompanied by Provençal stew.

In addition to all of the above, the chef also prepared a special mouthwash.

Of course, the "frost" here doesn't refer to literal frost, but rather to something else, such as lemon vodka.

Next came the salad, cheese, and dessert, most of which were homemade by the chef, with a rich aroma that you definitely couldn't buy outside.

Luther glanced at the menu and was quite surprised. If he ate like this every night, it would be strange if he didn't get diabetes.

However, people in this era don't care about all that; for them, dinner is the most important meal.

Soon, everyone changed their clothes and entered the restaurant.

Daniel dressed up a bit, Gia and Catherine changed into dresses, and even young Kennedy changed into simple shorts and a shirt.

Soon Mrs. Rose walked in, dressed to the nines, unlike her children.

She wore a dark green velvet evening gown with long sleeves, a deep V-neck, a fitted waist, and a skirt that reached her ankles.

Most strikingly, she wore a pearl necklace around her neck, which gleamed warmly under the soft light. It was a birthday gift from old Joseph, reportedly purchased from an old European nobleman at a considerable cost.

Although Mrs. Rose was in her forties, thanks to her excellent maintenance, she didn't actually look that old and still had a certain charm.

After coming out, she first glanced at the children, then fixed her gaze on Luther and nodded in satisfaction.

"Luther," she said with a smile as she walked up to him, "please don't be shy, don't make yourself at home here. This is your home, and from now on, we're family."

Mrs. Rose came from a prominent family and was accustomed to various social salons from a young age, knowing what to say in what situation.

Luther gave a slight bow, a perfectly measured smile on his face: "Thank you, madam."

However, despite his words, Luther knew very well that these words should not be taken seriously, at least not entirely.

Joseph's career is at a critical juncture, and he urgently needs to improve his nouveau riche image; otherwise, he wouldn't have resorted to such a tactic.

As for the effects of the marriage, that's a matter of opinion.

However, one thing is certain: after Luther entered the Kennedy household, everything seemed to go quite smoothly.

Just then, the atmosphere at the restaurant entrance suddenly tensed up, and everyone turned to look, only to see old Joseph making his appearance.

As the head of the Kennedy family, old Joseph enjoyed absolute authority in the household. Whenever he appeared, everyone, whether servants or children, had to stand up to show respect.

It must be said that after several generations of accumulation, the Kennedy family has now fully integrated into the life of the wealthy and is no longer the poor family they once were.

Old Joseph wore a traditional three-piece suit: a shirt, a waistcoat, and a suit jacket, all buttoned up neatly, with his tie perfectly tied.

His gaze swept across everyone's face without any expression, but even just that one look sent a chill down Luther's spine.

Soon, old Joseph sat down in the chair, glanced at the butler Benson, and then nodded.

Benson understood, turned around and gestured, and the servants began to work, and the first dish was then served.

Old Joseph glanced at it, but still felt something was amiss, so he said again, "Benson, bring some wine."

"OK."

Upon hearing this, Mrs. Ross frowned slightly, but did not object.

It's currently the time of Prohibition, and the government has already issued a ban on all forms of alcohol, but for wealthy families, this is not a problem.

Old Joseph's cellar was full of fine wines and champagnes, some smuggled from England, others from France and Italy.

In the Kennedy family's vast business empire, alcohol is one of the businesses, though he doesn't directly participate in it.

Of course, all of this must be done in secret, just like with other families, and must never be known to anyone.

The wine was served quickly. The dark green bottle had no label, but anyone in the know would recognize it as a 1920 vintage from Château Latour, which was quite expensive on the black market at the time.

Soon the appetizer snails were placed on the table. Six snails were embedded in a special ceramic baking dish, each covered with a layer of golden garlic butter, sizzling and bubbling.

The servants placed a pair of snail pliers and a two-pronged fork in front of each person.

Old Joseph picked up his fork, skillfully picked out a snail, put it in his mouth, chewed it a couple of times, and nodded.

After that, the appetizers were removed, clear soup was served, followed by halibut, and then lemon sorbet for rinsing the mouth.

Everything proceeded smoothly and according to the procedures of a French meal.

While eating the fish, old Joseph put down his knife and fork, wiped his mouth with a napkin, and began to speak.

Like Mrs. Rose, he was the first to express his goodwill to Luther.

"Mr. Luther," he paused, as if organizing his thoughts, "you know, although our family—please allow me to call you that—and although our family comes from Ireland, things are not what they used to be."

His tone was calm, and he began to speak fluently.

"My father started working as a laborer at the docks when he was 14. Back then, the port of Boston was full of Irish people, and whoever had the strength could find work. He carried sacks for a year, saved up some money, and opened a small pub. Prohibition hadn't come yet, and the pub did very well. Later, he started running a bank, acquired a bankrupt trust company, and that's how he made his fortune."

"And my grandfather," he continued, his gaze drifting out the window where the sky was beginning to darken.

"He came during the Irish Famine, you know, millions of people starved to death in Ireland that year. He traveled on a coffin ship, enduring more than a month in the stench of the cabin before finally reaching Boston."

"He did everything to survive," old Joseph's voice lowered. "He dug ditches, repaired roads, cleaned cesspools, carried corpses—he did everything to stay alive."

While eating, old Joseph recounted his family history, somewhat in a way that reflected on the hardships of the past.

The children quieted down and listened attentively.

But the next moment, old Joseph changed the subject and continued:

"But in my generation, I have to admit that our Kennedy family has its own business, its own territory and network, and even its own family. We have become true Americans."

"Even so, this is still not enough for me and my family. I think we should live with more dignity."

Luther smiled and said, "Mr. Joseph, don't you think you're not respectable enough right now?"

Old Joseph shook his head: "It's far from enough. We must become the masters of this country."

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