"Jia Yu, Xiao Liu and Da Feng have teamed up inside and want to kick you out first." Aunt Fat said quickly.
Sister Fen continued, "Yes, you three are competing in cooking skills, but the ingredients are limited. The two of them will compete first, and when it's your turn, the remaining dishes may not be very good, so you have to be mentally prepared."
After entering the kitchen, Song Jiayu met the people in the kitchen, including two middle-aged people, a man and a woman. The man was introduced as the manager of the only state-owned restaurant in Songshan County, and the woman was introduced as the head of the hotel's purchasing department. Compared to the manager's friendly expression towards Song Jiayu, the purchasing head looked much more disgusted.
"This is Comrade Xiao Song, young and pretty, recommended by Chef Xu~"
Section Chief Zhou seemed to be praising, but he was actually mocking that the person recommended by Chef Xu was good-looking but useless.
Song Jiayu seemed to not understand what was being said. She smiled sweetly and said, "Section Chief Zhou, I also think I am young and fresh. My cooking skills are not bad either. I will definitely try the dishes I cook later."
He was given a soft rejection. Section Chief Zhou knew that if Comrade Song was really good at cooking, the store manager would definitely give face to Chef Xu. It was because the store manager had invited Chef Xu to the state-owned restaurant in the first place just for a bite of food he made for him.
When the internal competition was about to begin, the two helpers, Xiao Liu and Dafeng, began to sing in unison.
Xiao Liu: "I think Xiao Song, the culinary expert recommended by Chef Xu, must be a good cook." Humph! What a surprise!
Dafeng: "Yes, we two brothers want Comrade Xiao Song to stay and cook the dishes last, so that everyone can taste Comrade Xiao Song's dishes together, and we two brothers can admit defeat with a clear conscience." Look, we two brothers will roast the person first.
Xiao Song: "No, no, although Chef Xu recommended me here, I don't know that you two have been following Chef Xu in the kitchen for many years." If your cooking is not as delicious as hers after so many years, the manager must think you are useless.
The three of them each had their own thoughts and went through a round of preliminary competitions.
Xiao Liu: "Oh, I don't have the talent to become Chef Xu's apprentice. I think you are a great cook who can be recognized by Chef Xu. My cooking skills are not very good, so I will be the first to compete with you to show you guys."
(Damn it, I'm going to use up all the good ingredients and leave you with some crappy ones!)
Dafeng: "Yes, yes, my cooking skills are not very good. I am not favored by Chef Xu and I am always called a fool. So I will be second. Comrade Xiao Song, you are very good, so you can be the last one."
(Hey, I accepted a bottle of wine from Xiao Liu, but Xiao Liu also promised to leave him a few good dishes. As for Xiao Song, forget about the good dishes.)
Xiao Song: "Really? No, I am a bit strong, but in front of the store manager, we have to be fair. The competition will be based on a draw. Who comes first and who comes second depends entirely on luck. Only in this way can we be convinced, right?"
(Playing tricks on me, engaging in workplace intrigues, you two guys are still a little behind.)
Sure enough, the store manager spoke the next second.
"Comrade Xiao Song is very aware. He's worthy of being recommended by Chef Xu. The three of you draw lots. Write one, two, and three on three slips of paper. Whoever gets the number will cook the dishes in the order they appear on the slips."
No one dared to listen to the store manager's words. While Xiao Liu and Dafeng had bitter faces, Song Jiayu still had a smile on her face. Sister Fen took the initiative to ask to write a note, and Aunt Pang chatted with Section Chief Zhou to show the hospitality of the kitchen staff.
What is Chef Xu doing?
Uh, he is being "harassed" by the store manager.
"Old Xu, I know you're cooking at noon today. I can smell the aroma. We've been friends for so many years, so give me a portion, not half."
"Pull it away. If you don't give it to me, it's my dad's thing."
"Then let the old royal chef come out and I'll get some good ingredients. Come to my house for a meal and a drink?"
"...I can only ask you this one question. I don't care whether the old stubborn man agrees or not."
"Okay, give me a suggestion."
The cheerful store manager achieved his goal temporarily, but within three seconds, he started to ask for Chef Xu's special meal again. He was most craving for a bite of food. Originally, he was craving for Chef Xu's father's cooking skills. The old imperial chef didn't really work in the palace, but there was a restaurant in Beilin City, which was said to have the cooking skills of the imperial chefs of the palace, and Chef Xu's father was one of the chefs there.
After the restaurant was closed down, Chef Xu and his family returned to Songshan County.
This allowed the food-loving store manager to take advantage of the opportunity.
The draw results for the three people came out.
Dafeng is first, Song Jiayu is second, and Xiao Liu is third.
Now someone's defense is broken.
Xiao Liu: Why? I gave benefits to Dafeng and discussed countermeasures with him. I did so much, but I am the last one. God is so unfair!
Dafeng: Hahaha, God blesses me! God blesses me! God blesses me the most!
Song Jiayu: Sorry, I’m not the one who has to use the worst ingredients.
In the kitchen, on a large wooden table used for food, were the leftovers from lunch.
White and tender tofu, slightly wilted radishes, fresh cabbage, and several long strips of pork belly, etc.
"I'll go first."
Dafeng stepped forward and selected fresh cabbage and dried chilies, preparing to make stir-fried cabbage. It would taste better if some fat could be cut to render the oil.
But... he didn't dare.
Although the section chief looked at Comrade Xiao Song with disgust, he would be scolded if he used the pork belly that Section Chief Zhou had procured with great difficulty.
After Dafeng washed a cabbage, he put it on the chopping board and held a knife in his right hand. The sound of "chopping, chopping, chopping" rang out in the kitchen. The long and thin cabbage strips looked very pleasing to the eye.
Song Jiayu's knife skills are no match. She has only learned for a few weeks. How can she compare with someone who has been cutting vegetables for years?
But she believed that Dafeng could not compare with her in cooking and controlling the heat.
A plate of stir-fried cabbage and a plate of fried tofu were quickly prepared by Dafeng. The store manager took Chef Xu and Section Chief Zhou to taste the dishes. After eating, Section Chief Zhou nodded, and his eyes said, "I didn't expect you to be so good at this." This made Dafeng feel a little better.
What is more important is the tasting by Chef Xu and the store manager. As for Comrade Xiao Song and Xiao Liu who also took a bite, don't worry about them.
After Chef Xu took two bites of the dish, he frowned and said nothing.
The store manager smiled and stopped eating after taking a bite. He just nodded and signaled Song Jiayu with his eyes to start.
The store manager thought to himself: Oh, what is this? It didn’t even reach Chef Xu’s midnight score.
Song Jiayu selected the last piece of tender tofu, along with some garlic, two scallions, and some broth from the pot. The first dish she was going to make was Yipindoufu.
This famous dish from Shandong cuisine has a deluxe version and naturally there is also a regular version.
At this point, all we have to do is the normal version.
One update today.
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