Chapter 97 097 Buffet [Second Update]
At the kindergarten.
After visiting the kindergarten's activity area, toy room, and nap room, the parents participated in some parent-child activities.
We've finally arrived at the last stop of today's event.
In the backyard of the kindergarten is a fenced-off grassy area. Nebula Kindergarten emphasizes holistic development, so they keep a miniature pony and other small animals there. These animals are managed by dedicated staff who occasionally bring children to interact with them.
Today, the animals gave up the space, and many white tables and chairs were set up on the wide expanse of grass. Xie Qingxi even had balloons made for decoration. If it weren't for the large characters "Kindergarten Activity Day" written in the middle, some people might have thought it was a lawn wedding.
In the middle of the table and chairs, various insulated buffet stoves in a buffet style were placed on a white tablecloth. The buffet stoves were still empty. Teachers from each class arranged for parents and children to be seated, and Xie Qingxi picked up the microphone to thank the parents for their participation.
"For our Xingyun Kindergarten, parents' trust is our driving force, and the healthy growth of children is our core philosophy..."
Xie Qingxi's speech was short, followed by a short break while waiting for her meal.
This period is also a time for parents to socialize.
Wang Zihao's mother devoted some of her attention to her son, while also exchanging pleasantries with the other parents at the table. Meanwhile, Wang Zihao's father had already spotted a few familiar faces and soon joined them, chatting and handing out business cards.
This is the scene most of the time today; many people claim to be there for their children's kindergarten activities, but their pockets are actually full of business cards...
Wang Zihao's mother drank half a glass of juice when she heard her mother, who was wearing exquisite makeup, complain that today's juice was too meager.
“We never use drugstore brands at home. Besides, these packaged juices are all made with artificial flavorings, which are very unhealthy. To be honest, this kindergarten is not doing a good job. I’ll talk to the principal about it later. The children are so young; they should at least have freshly squeezed juice.”
Wang Zihao's mother looked at the juice in her hand. The ingredient list was clean, and it wasn't cheap compared to similar products. She often bought this brand at home and didn't think there was anything wrong with it.
The mother across from me was still nagging, complaining about the drinks and then about the food at the kindergarten.
"My child loves bluefin tuna the most, but unfortunately the kindergarten doesn't offer enough seafood. I think seafood isn't expensive, so we should cook more of it regularly. My child is tired of eating shrimp all the time."
"I'm tired of drinking bird's nest at home. Sigh, I wish I had a daughter. If I had a daughter, she could help me with the burden."
"Our food expenses are okay, only about 100,000 a month, but the kids don't eat much."
"I'm on a diet right now. I don't eat anything except salads made with deep-sea fish and air-freighted vegetables."
...
The mother next to Wang Zihao coughed twice and apologized, saying, "I'm not feeling well. I'll wear a mask so I don't infect the children."
As she spoke, the mother wearing gold-rimmed glasses took out a mask from her pocket and put it on: "Mrs. Gu Peilan, please continue."
Wang Zihao's mother: ...I think I just heard someone mutter "idiot" in a whisper while wearing a mask, right?
The mother next to me, who was wearing gold-rimmed glasses, stopped talking after putting on a mask, leaving only her eyes visible. You couldn't tell at all that she had been secretly cursing earlier.
Gu Peilan's mother didn't think much of it and kept talking about what she ate and used, while also taking the opportunity to belittle the kindergarten. It made everyone at the table's ears hurt.
Upon seeing the server pushing the food cart, Wang Zihao's mother quickly said, "The food is here. My child refused to eat breakfast this morning, so he must be hungry by now."
Most of the other mothers' eyes lit up as well, and they all said that their children did too.
"These kinds of buffets are probably not very tasty, so just eat a little to fill your stomach."
“I think it’s a good idea. My child is a picky eater and is very picky about food at home. A buffet saves me the trouble.”
"Let's go, let's call the children first... Gu Peilan's mother probably won't eat, right?"
Gu Peilan's mother had just finished criticizing this and that, so if she went to eat with them now, wouldn't she be contradicting herself? She raised her head, indicating that she would just drink some water.
"My sense of taste is very sensitive. If the ingredients and oil are not good, I can't eat it at all..."
Before she could finish speaking, the other parents turned and left.
The mother with the gold-rimmed glasses added, "Then I'll find another seat later, so I don't bother Gu Peilan's mother with the smell."
Wang Zihao's mother almost burst out laughing, and even from a distance, Gu Peilan's mother's somewhat dark expression could be seen.
She covered her mouth and laughed for a while. Wang Zihao, who was holding her hand, was like a little bull. He had been running around all morning and was extremely excited, clamoring for food.
Wang Zihao's mother then took him to choose a meal.
Wang Zihao's mother initially thought the kindergarten's buffet wouldn't be very extensive, but once all the dishes were served, she realized she was wrong.
Xie Qingxi divided the meal into six parts, which were placed on different long tables.
Cold dishes, stir-fries, soups, staple foods, fruits, and snacks—every table was overflowing with a dazzling array of choices.
Because there were many children, staff members were arranged behind each table to help with getting the food.
Wang Zihao's father finally found his wife and son, only to see his chubby son standing in front of other people's seats, pointing at this and that.
"...What are you doing?"
Wang Zihao turned around and called out, "Dad."
He stepped forward and took a closer look.
The table was filled with cold dishes, and the wife and son's plates were already overflowing.
"Be careful not to get an upset stomach from eating so much cold food."
That's what he said, but as soon as he got closer, he smelled a rich, spicy aroma of chili oil, which made him stop and try to identify the dish.
On the table was a plate of sliced meat covered in chili oil and sprinkled with sesame seeds. The white slices of meat were as thin as cicada wings and piled up in the plate like a small mountain. The aroma of chili oil was irresistible, attracting several children to look at it.
The staff member behind the table smiled and said, "Would you like some cold pork belly salad?"
Wang Zihao's father stopped unconsciously, and as if possessed, took a plate of meat. Then his wife's dangerous gaze fell upon him.
"...I'll give you what you asked for."
Wang Zihao's mother snorted, "That's perfect, I'll ask you for some too."
Wang Zihao's father's gaze fell upon the obvious vegetarian dishes on his wife's plate.
They wanted to say something but didn't dare. The family of three didn't look for their original seats anymore and just randomly picked an empty seat to sit down.
Wang Zihao's mother ate the meat with great gusto. The slices of pork belly in chili oil were very thin, and the cool, smooth slices of meat were soaked in chili oil. It wasn't spicy but it was fragrant, and there were plenty of sesame seeds. With just one bite, the chili oil and pork belly, even as a cold dish, whetted her appetite.
Although Wang Zihao's father was envious, he still happily ate the vegetables from his own plate.
Cold braised shrimp, plain tofu, half a cucumber wrapped in a straw raincoat, and cold mixed shredded vegetables.
Not a single one of them was not delicious.
Looking at little Wang Zihao, he was also eating with great enthusiasm. His plate didn't have a large meat dish like cold sliced pork, but rather half a plate of Qianlong cabbage.
The name "Qianlong Cabbage" sounds luxurious, but anyone expecting a dish of extravagance will likely be disappointed when it arrives. The sticky sauce, infused with the rich aroma of sesame and peanut oil, clings tightly to the cabbage leaves, while the black sesame seeds on top add a touch of rustic charm.
The simple Qianlong cabbage was eaten by little Wang Zihao, who got it all over his face. After finishing it, he kept asking to get more.
Finally, he was coaxed away by his parents who told him there was more delicious food ahead.
There were even more stir-fried dishes, and the family only then realized that there were more people around them.
The parents around seemed to have noticed that today's meal was delicious, and they all brought their children to choose dishes.
The stir-fry table was laden with dozens of dishes, including braised pork belly, stewed beef brisket, stir-fried chicken gizzards with pickled green beans, and boiled sliced meat. Besides these, there were even some Western dishes, such as red wine braised beef short ribs, curry beef, and butter chicken.
Wang Zihao's father immediately took a liking to the braised pork that was still steaming hot, but his wife was watching closely, so he only ordered one piece in the end, and then ordered a lotus root and peanut stewed pork ribs.
The lotus root is stewed until it turns a deep red, and the pork rib soup is thick and white. Half a spoonful of peanuts is scooped up, reflecting in the soup, making it hard to look away. A small bowl is served, with soup and vegetables included. The lotus root stretches into long strands, and the peanuts are stewed until they melt in your mouth.
Wang Zihao ordered a double combo of salted egg yolk baked chicken wings and sweet and sour pork.
The chicken wings were fried until crispy, and the salted egg yolk coating was so delicious it made you lick your fingers. The sweet and sour pork was bright red, and the sweet and sour sauce was especially appealing to children. Not only Wang Zihao, but almost every child around had one.
Wang Zihao's mother also took a bite. She thought that the cooking methods for children's dishes were all similar and the taste would be just so-so.
But when you taste it, you realize it's not pineapple at all. The sweet and sour sauce has some osmanthus flowers in it, giving it a subtle fruity flavor. It's not pineapple; it tastes more like apple.
After searching carefully, I found a piece of apple inside the pork tenderloin.
The apple has a sugary shell that remains hard even after being stir-fried. Once you bite into it, the apple's tart flavor mixes with the steam and comes out, much like eating candied apples. The hard sugary shell neutralizes the apple's natural tartness.
The fact that one dish could be eaten in two ways surprised Wang Zihao's mother.
After finishing his meal, Wang Zihao pulled his mother to continue watching.
There are many kinds of stews and soups, but the kids' favorite is definitely the snacks.
Wen Fan has brought all the experience from the store with him this time, one of which is frying food.
There's no need to prepare this in advance; just gather the ingredients and fry it on the spot.
Yao Qingqin was surrounded by parents and children eating and waiting, and a child was asking her in a childish voice if she could hurry up.
"Auntie, I'll be full soon!"
There are so many delicious foods that even children know their stomachs need to be filled.
Despite his protruding belly, Wang Zihao insisted on waiting there for the fried shrimp balls.
Wang Zihao's mother had no choice but to leave the child with her husband and go see what staple food was available.
Wen Fan didn't make much of the main dish, but rice was a given, and many parents actually took quite a bit of the side dishes to eat.
Noodles were also available, but clearly few people patronized them.
The two things are the most outstanding in this position.
One is fried rice, fragrant rice stir-fried with various side dishes. Almost no one stops after just one bowl. They often eat one bowl and then another, marveling at how delicious the fried rice is.
Compared to this, Jin Yu Lou's fried rice is much inferior!
Aside from fried rice, there are also some steamed buns and other snacks.
Each steamed bun was glistening with oil, and the aroma alone was enough to make one's mouth water. At this moment, one didn't care about manners, and instead of using chopsticks, one picked them up and ate them with one's hands. The oily, fluffy buns were so delicious that they made one feel dizzy.
The steamed buns contain a filling of nuts and seeds wrapped in wheat starch. The filling consists of crushed melon seeds, peanuts, sesame seeds, cashews, and hazelnuts, mixed with white sugar and lard. When you take a bite, the honey-like juice flows down your throat, and the rich, sweet aroma of the nuts is clearly visible through the wheat starch skin.
...
At first, most people didn't take the buffet seriously, but once they tasted the food, the atmosphere became surprisingly lively.
Wang Zihao's mother and the mother with gold-rimmed glasses met in front of the main course, and the mother with gold-rimmed glasses secretly gave her a wink.
"Look."
Gu Peilan's mother, who was sitting in that seat, finally couldn't sit still any longer.
The husband and son were eating heartily, and the other mothers around them stopped going back home; everyone was eating.
She didn't want to eat it at first, but the aroma was irresistible.
Finally, he cautiously approached, initially acting as if he was just going to have a casual taste, but after a couple of bites of fried rice, he went completely crazy.
Wang Zihao's mother was dumbfounded as she watched her finish the fried rice, then the steamed buns, and then get more rice. Everyone else used one plate, but she took two, with the food on the plates almost falling off. She ate a bite of rice and a bite of vegetables, and didn't forget to wait for the fried food in between...
Forget deep-sea fish and air-freighted vegetables. If anyone mentions those things now, she'll probably insist they misheard. She just loves home-cooked meals!
Parents frequently came over to greet Xie Qingxi. One commented on how delicious the food was, asking if the kindergarten's new chef deserved a raise. Another remarked that more events like this would be beneficial, praising the buffet format as a great way for everyone to sample a little bit of everything, and asking when the next one would be.
Xie Qingxi struggled for a while before finally asking the deputy director to take over, while she went to the kitchen to tell Wen Fan the good news.
It was a huge success!
Just hearing the praise from these parents, Xie Qingxi knew that today's dinner party was well worth it!
After a busy day in the kitchen, Xie Qingxi carefully considered her words. This time, she not only wanted to give the Wen family an extra red envelope, but also to reward the logistics staff with bonuses. Wen Fan was indeed skilled, but Old Li's ability to prepare the dishes well this time showed that he was a genuine person! He didn't engage in any superficial things, so he really deserved a raise.
Thinking this, I entered the kitchen expecting to see a group of exhausted people, but instead I only saw a group of people gathered around the stove.
What are you doing?
Xiao Peng, who had been eating with his head down, chimed in, "Director, we're eating our staff meal."
Xie Qingxi: ...I know you're eating staff meals, but can someone tell me why each person gets a big soup bowl?
Xiao Peng licked his lips, still savoring the taste: "Isn't this... because I stewed too much soup?"
Chef Wen's stews are absolutely delicious, especially the crab roe tofu soup, which is perfect with rice!
As a result, no one wanted to eat anything else, so they ate rice mixed with soup in the kitchen.
Crab roe tofu soup, minced pork and taro soup, abalone in golden broth...
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