Originally, Director Ma was afraid that Qin Zian and the staff of the Harbin Culture and Tourism Bureau would not be able to accept the unique and creative cuisine of Cangzhou, so he only dared to arrange hot pot chicken Manchu Han Imperial Feast.
But now that they are so accepting, Director Ma's anxiety has eased.
Director Ma was particularly delighted when he saw Qin Zi'an and his team from the Harbin Culture and Tourism Bureau showing great interest in these exotic delicacies.
Since Qin Zian and the others had all mentioned the strawberry tofu pudding from Cangzhou, Director Ma naturally wouldn't let them waste their trip and wanted these guests from afar to experience Cangzhou's food culture more deeply.
After greeting Qin Zi'an, Director Ma quickly stood up and walked firmly toward the kitchen.
Upon entering the kitchen, Director Ma was immediately drawn to the bustling scene of cooking.
The chefs were busy stir-frying various ingredients, the spatulas clashing against the woks creating a pleasant symphony.
When Chef Zhang saw Director Ma walk into the kitchen, a look of being flattered immediately appeared on his face.
He quickly handed the spatula to his apprentice, wiped the sweat from his brow, and greeted him with a beaming smile.
"Director Ma, why did you come to the kitchen in person? It's so smoky and hot here. If you have any instructions, just tell us." Old Zhang's tone was full of respect.
Director Ma smiled and waved his hand, then pretended to be angry and said, "Old Zhang, you're wrong about that. I serve the people, not some high and mighty parasite."
Old Zhang quickly waved his hand, a sheepish smile on his face: "Director Ma, you flatter me. I'm just bad with words. Please sit down, let me pour you a cup of tea."
Director Ma was unimpressed by Lao Zhang's eagerness and simply waved his hand to reject his offer.
Given the time constraints, Director Ma didn't argue with Lao Zhang any further and directly stated his purpose.
"Old Zhang, Director Qin and the staff from the Harbin Culture and Tourism Bureau are very interested in our Cangzhou strawberry tofu pudding. When can you serve this dish?"
Upon hearing this, Old Zhang quickly replied, "Right away, right away! I didn't expect Director Qin to order this dish, so I didn't prepare the ingredients in advance. But don't worry, I had someone fetch fresh strawberries as soon as possible, and the strawberry jam will be ready soon too. In about five or six minutes, our strawberry tofu pudding will be on the table."
Director Ma nodded in satisfaction at Lao Zhang's answer.
Then, Director Ma looked around and saw the chefs busily preparing various dishes...
Since everyone is doing their job, there's no need for me to stay in the kitchen any longer.
Director Ma was about to leave when he heard Old Zhang's slightly nervous question.
"Director Ma, what was Director Qin and the others' reaction to the hot pot chicken Manchu Han Imperial Feast that was just served? How well did they accept the dishes? Did they have any suggestions or opinions?"
Upon mentioning the dinner party, Director Ma's face immediately lit up with a bright smile.
"They thoroughly enjoyed their meal and were full of praise for your creative cuisine. In particular, the strawberry tofu pudding was mentioned by them many times, even though it hadn't been served yet. This shows how high Director Qin and the staff of the Harbin Culture and Tourism Bureau's expectations for the strawberry tofu pudding are. You mustn't let them down."
When the chefs in the kitchen heard the good news, their faces beamed with joy; they were overjoyed.
Chef Zhang, the head chef of this Cangzhou creative cuisine event, smiled even more broadly and seemed quite eager to try it out.
"Director Ma, please rest assured! We have very high standards for food and will definitely present the dishes to our distinguished guests in Harbin in the most perfect form."
Old Zhang paused for a moment, then tentatively asked, "Speaking of which, our team has recently developed a series of creative dishes that we'd like to invite the Cangzhou Culture and Tourism Bureau and the Bingcheng Culture and Tourism Bureau to taste. If you think it's suitable, Director Ma, then we'll start cooking right away and serve it to you in a bit."
When he first started making these creative dishes, Lao Zhang was also very apprehensive.
After all, creative cuisine is not easy to make, and it must have both unique flavors and distinctive ingredients.
For years, Lao Zhang has been unable to break through his plateau and create innovative dishes that satisfy him.
Until the year before last, when Lao Zhang saw Qin Zi'an's unique frozen pear blossom tea, he suddenly had an epiphany.
It was on the basis of frozen pear blossom tea that Lao Zhang created the hot pot chicken Manchu Han Imperial Feast, and continued to expand on this series.
Strawberry tofu pudding is a dish that evolved from this concept.
In Lao Zhang's view, his creation of creative cuisine is just like Qin Zi'an's development of cultural tourism projects—it's completely unconventional.
To become famous, you have to do something wicked, and it has to be the kind of wickedness that's actually righteous.
Over the past six months, Lao Zhang has felt that his efforts have been effective.
His creative dishes not only caught the attention of the Cangzhou Culture and Tourism Bureau, but Qin Zian even had the opportunity to taste them.
In such a once-in-a-century situation, Lao Zhang felt he should seize this opportunity.
Besides presenting his creative dishes to the public, Lao Zhang also wanted to have an in-depth discussion with his idol and muse, Qin Zi'an.
Therefore, Old Zhang nervously voiced his request, wanting Qin Zi'an to learn more about his creativity and unique features.
Compared to Lao Zhang's apprehensive attitude, Director Ma seemed much more carefree.
Today's dinner was to introduce Qin Zian and the staff of the Harbin Culture and Tourism Bureau to Cangzhou's creative cuisine and let them experience the charm of Cangzhou food.
If Lao Zhang can come up with more creative dishes, that would be a really great thing.
Therefore, Director Ma did not hesitate at all and said with a cheerful smile.
“Great, great! These creative dishes are all excellent, the more the merrier! We want Director Qin and the others to experience the warmth and hospitality of Cangzhou. Old Zhang, just go ahead and cook with confidence, I'm sure your dishes will satisfy them.”
With Director Ma's personal encouragement and support, head chef Zhang and the other chefs seemed to be injected with new vitality, their eyes sparkling with passion and anticipation for culinary creation.
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