Nowadays, banquets are no longer as elaborate as they used to be, with nine large bowls and nine small bowls, a certain number of vegetarian dishes and a certain number of meat dishes. Instead, they have been adjusted to suit modern tastes.
For example, steamed whole chicken or steamed whole duck.
Most young people don't like to eat whole animals; they often eat leftovers from banquets.
Grandpa Huo would substitute with spicy chicken, stir-fried chicken giblets, beer-braised duck, or braised duck with konjac.
Most people prefer meat dishes when eating at banquets, but if it's all meat, it's not only too greasy, but the business owner will also lose money.
Dishes like candied yam, candied sweet potato, dry-fried green beans, ants climbing a tree (a dish of minced pork and vermicelli), Mapo tofu, and garlic pea shoots, which are relatively inexpensive and not poorly made, have become acceptable to both customers and businesses.
Braised chicken wings, boiled pork intestines, stir-fried pork intestines, spicy shrimp, steamed crab, spicy fish, sweet and sour crispy fish, sweet and sour pork ribs, braised pork with chestnuts, and twice-cooked pork combine the tastes of people from both the north and south, and are widely recommended by various restaurants.
The remaining dishes, such as steamed beef with rice flour in small steamers, steamed pork knuckle, stuffed pork belly, salted braised pork belly, braised beef in lantern shadow, boiled chicken in pot, braised pork belly, stir-fried pork slices, and braised pork with bamboo shoots, have a strong Sichuan cuisine flavor, including both the old-fashioned "Nine Bowls" and later improved dishes.
After the 33 dishes were served, two more dishes, fermented rice soup and alfalfa soup, were served to cleanse the palate.
The final dish, a steamed bowl containing nine kinds of preserved meats, is of utmost importance.
Cured pork, sausage, spare ribs, pork tongue, pig ears, pig trotters, chicken, duck, and fish are considered a dish.
A banquet without steamed bowls of preserved meat is not a proper banquet for people from Shuzhou.
Nine medium-sized steaming bowls were crowded around a large plate, glistening with oil and translucent, their excellent presentation making Zuo Ling's mouth water.
A total of 36 dishes were served, and that completed Old Master Huo's banquet.
Zuo Ling had stockpiled over ten tons of preserved meat in his space, but still felt it wasn't enough, so naturally he wouldn't tell Old Master Huo that there was no need to steam the preserved meat in the bowl.
Pick up a piece of cured pork trotter... the smoky flavor and saltiness are just right, take a bite and your mouth will be filled with oil.
Mmm~~, it's so delicious!
The waterfall shone brightly as the rabbit's beak swelled with food, its little belly bulging.
The Huo family was curious: were the rabbits really okay eating so much oil and salt?
Zuo Ling didn't know if there was a problem. Every time after eating, she would give it some space water to drink.
The little one's tastes are becoming more and more like hers; whatever she eats, the little one gets to eat too.
When Grandpa Huo stepped onto the stove, he exuded the air of a master chef, wielding the spatula with a commanding gaze, his words carrying absolute authority.
After stepping down from the stove and taking off his apron, he waited for the verdict, looking as awkward as a primary school student.
Zuo Ling wiped her mouth and said, "Grandpa Huo's cooking skills are superb; everything he makes is delicious."
The praise made Old Master Huo's wrinkled face relax, but the next question left him dumbfounded.
"80 tables, how many dishes per table?"
The Huo family members looked at each other, wondering if the guests were complaining about the limited variety of dishes.
"There are 36 dishes in total. If you think that's not enough, we can discuss it further."
After the incident, when customers finally came to visit, Old Master Huo would rather earn less than let them leave.
Zuo Ling wanted to slap herself. She had been too narrow-minded. For 4,000 yuan, she was paying for quality.
Old Master Huo not only provided quality, but also quantity.
"That's enough, that's enough, that's it."
Changing the subject, Zuo Ling's expression darkened slightly: "I believe in the old man's skills, and I also believe in his character."
He then glanced around at the rest of the Huo family:
"The Huo family is full of people, and it's inevitable that some of them will turn out to be of mixed character or harbor malicious intentions. I hope the old man will be more careful and not let this incident of eating dead people happen again. I enjoy delicious food, but I don't like poison."
This left the Huo family in an awkward situation.
Old Master Huo's expression was also unpleasant, and he solemnly said:
"Don't worry, young lady. If you give me a chance, I, Huo, am not ungrateful. If something like that happens again, I'll give you my head to sit on."
Zuo Ling waved her hand: "I don't need a chair, Grandpa can take care of it."
Then, pointing to the unfinished dishes on the table, he said, "Do you have any packaging boxes? I want to take them to go."
It's 10,000 yuan, and we barely ate any food. It would be a loss not to take it with us.
Grandpa Huo quickly asked his daughter and daughter-in-law to help pack the boxes.
He pulled out 200,000 yuan in cash that he had prepared beforehand: "This is a deposit, to be settled daily."
The implication is that if I don't do a good job in one day, I will cancel the order.
Seeing the real gold and silver, the Huo family finally breathed a sigh of relief.
"I'll send the location to your phone tomorrow. We can start the day after tomorrow, is that enough time?"
After resting for more than half a month, there's not much stock left at home, and time is a bit tight, but we have to keep going even if it's stressful.
Old Master Huo gritted his teeth:
"There's still time, there's still time. I'll arrange for people to buy the supplies. But, young lady, we can't leave the town."
A perfectly good banquet turned into a murder case. When talking about this, Old Master Huo's spirits returned to what they were when they first met.
"Don't worry, it won't leave the town."
After thinking for a moment, Zuo Ling said again:
"Eight sets of tables are enough. I'll take all the bowls and plates. I'll pay an extra dollar for them."
Eighty tables are needed, but only eight sets of tables are provided. Is that enough? Is it going to be a continuous banquet?
For those who organize such banquets, as long as there is a water source nearby, there is no need to prepare tables, chairs, cups, bowls, or spoons; the employers can simply bring their own food.
The banquet costs 4,000 yuan and includes a certain amount of alcohol, such as soft drinks, soda, and Erguotou. If you want better quality drinks, the host can bring their own.
Fearing there might not be enough to drink, the host will usually prepare extra.
Then Zuo Ling added another sentence.
"Eight sets of tables, enough bowls and plates for 80 meals."
The Huo family members were completely baffled.
Looking back, nothing is missing.
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