Chapter 485 Something is wrong

"Okay, our contestants and judges are all here. I believe that after two days of competition, everyone must be looking forward to the outcome of their first collaboration, right?" After the two judges sat down at the judges' table, He Xi stood in the center of the stage with a passionate tone.

"In just two days, our contestants went from initial awkwardness, trial and error, to tacit understanding, harmony, and win-win cooperation. They experienced the ups and downs of preparing the banquet together. I believe they have already become familiar with each other. They are no longer just opponents, but have become both teachers and friends, old friends who respect each other but also have strong rivalries."

"Of course, being rivals doesn't affect our friendship; developing a tacit understanding and building friendship doesn't mean we lose our rivalry. We are open and honest when we are rivals, and sincere when we are friends."

"You little bastard, you're still keeping us in suspense." He Xi was giving his opening remarks on the stage with great emotion, and the fat man beside him muttered.

Zhao Xiaojing tilted her head slightly, thinking that the fat man was talking about He Xi, but when she looked again, she found that he was secretly using his mobile phone to send messages.

Since the opening remarks were meaningless anyway, Zhao Xiaojing followed the fat man's lead and lowered her body, taking a closer look at his hand. "Are you texting Wen Xinyuan?"

"Well, I asked them how they were doing, and he replied, 'Guess what?' I guess he's the boss!"

The fat man complained and quickly typed curses on his phone.

"You two really never stop when you have free time." Zhao Xiaojing smiled. Seeing that He Xi's official opening remarks would take some time, she secretly took out her cell phone.

"Sister Xia, what time did you come back last night? I fell asleep and didn't even know."

After hearing what the fat man said just now, Zhao Xiaojing also felt that Guan Yingxia's expression seemed to be wrong. She wanted to show her concern for her, but she didn't know where to start, so she could only start with some nonsense chatting.

After waiting for a long time, Guan Yingxia didn't reply. Zhao Xiaojing sat up straight and looked at the front row. It turned out that Guan Yingxia was sitting right under the judges' noses. At this moment, she was staring at the host in front of her with a look of a model student studying hard.

It seemed that there was no hope of her replying. Zhao Xiaojing took a look at the fat man's chat box. The two of them were cursing at each other, which was meaningless and even a bit irritating.

Fortunately, after the emotional speech, He thanked the sponsor for several minutes and finally got back to the point.

"Well, now let me reveal the results of each team in the first round of the national 'Fresh Chef Competition', the top 10 team competition, as well as the scores given by the public judges."

"Here are the results of our first group, led by contestant Yu Yiyuan!"

As He Xi took a step back to the left, a table appeared on the big screen, being torn apart by the guests' chopsticks of all sizes. A few plates were almost empty, but the exquisite banquet video could still be seen. The guests in the video were eating very happily, but the whole picture could not be seen clearly.

Just as I was trying to figure it out, the screen split into two. The left half was still the banquet scene, while the right half began to show close-ups of the dishes on the table one by one.

From main courses to hot dishes, from soups to cold dishes.

Zhao Xiaojing finally realized that the main dish she hadn't seen was the empty plate that had been removed. This Huaiyang dish is made by deboning the duck and then stuffing it with eight ingredients: dried shrimp, gorgon fruit, Jinhua ham, shiitake mushrooms, dried bamboo shoots, scallops, lotus seeds, and green beans. Then, it's slowly simmered and shaped into a gourd.

As for other secondary dishes, side dishes and soups, there are braised pork with water chestnuts, pork ribs with preserved mustard greens, boiled dried bean curd strips, caviar and bean curd tartare, black truffle, cabbage and abalone, braised lion's head and so on. The dishes are presented very delicately, but the portions are quite small. Each person can finish it in one bite. The dishes are high-end, refined, exquisite and classy.

"This should be the business banquet, right?" Zhao Xiaojing turned to the fat man and whispered.

Wedding banquets and birthday banquets are family banquets, graduation banquets are for inviting relatives and friends, and teacher appreciation banquets are for inviting one's own teachers. Although they are also formal, they are all warmer, and the plating and atmosphere are relatively different. However, this banquet table pays more attention to style and distance in its temperament. Even the bouquets on the table are arranged formally and politely.

"Well, Huaiyang cuisine is mostly used in high-end banquets, but this table is mostly Huaiyang dishes, and it looks like they are all made by Yu Yiyuan? Something's wrong..."

"Perhaps his cooking skills are more suitable for this business dinner?"

Zhao Xiaojing understood what the fat man meant when he said something was wrong. As a team of ten chefs, even though Yu Yiyuan was voted as the team leader and his cooking skills were recognized as the best, most of the dishes at the banquet would not generally be prepared by him alone.

First, when one person cooks, the other chefs naturally have to fully cooperate and play supporting roles. However, while they are a team, they are also competitors. Entrusting the same person with the dish means that the other chefs not only have to give up the opportunity to showcase their culinary skills, but also give it to their competitors. Furthermore, the points awarded will certainly be different depending on the amount of effort put in. Otherwise, it would be unrealistic to expect one person to cook and the others to share the points equally, while the others only help out.

Secondly, even if the captain is the best cook elected by everyone, it does not mean that all the dishes he cooks are good and can surpass other chefs. Other chefs also have their own strengths. It is easy for them to make one or two signature dishes. It is not like they are being crushed. There is no reason to let only one person do it.

"That's not the case. Look at the structure. The main course, the side course, the soup are all his. Several cold dishes are also his. It seems that the others are just there for show." The fat man shook his head.

As the two were talking, the scene of the business banquet on the screen ended, and then the second banquet table appeared.

The fat man narrowed his eyes in confusion.

How can I describe this banquet? It’s completely different from the style just now, and it feels like a sudden change of style.

If I were to describe it, the table just now was elegant and beautiful, like aristocratic ladies who didn't talk much but whose every gesture revealed a life of luxury.

This table is filled with rugged, tough, sweaty, sturdy men carrying bags with gritted teeth and bent backs. The moment you see him, you can feel his hard work and dedication.

This table was almost a seafood feast. The main dish was king crab with scallion oil, the second main dish was spicy steamed Boston lobster, as well as salt-baked conch, tricolor grouper, blanched sea hare, and even the cold dish was geoduck sashimi. The rest of the non-seafood dishes were almost all meat dishes, such as braised pork elbow, steamed pork with rice flour, braised beef chops, etc.

The characteristic of this table is that it gives people a sense of extravagance at first glance. Not only are there piles of seafood and meat, but each one is also served on the largest plate. You can tell at a glance that the portions are substantial, giving the feeling that they are trying their best to make sure you eat and drink well.