Chapter 552 I’m Afraid You’ll Suffer
It is easy to prepare a meal for one person, but cooking for a hundred people at the same time, even if each person only needs to taste a few bites, places high demands on the chef.
The amount of seasoning added, the control of the heat, the speed, the time management, etc., even the way the ingredients are processed, the knife skills, etc. also have a certain impact. It can be said that if any of these factors is not taken care of, the color, aroma and taste of the food will be greatly reduced.
Xia Hua's real cuisine has almost stringent requirements for these. An Zhiqiu once underwent devilish training for each of them. Nine years of hard work and unremitting pursuit have made him one of the top chefs in the country.
The man, who looked much more mature and steady, was wearing a white cross-collared buttoned suit embroidered with golden dragons and hemmed in black. On the apron of the same color was embroidered a fiery red map of Xiahua. The five dazzling golden stars were as eye-catching as their owner.
One hundred tall hostesses wearing red embroidered cheongsams came forward with plates, served the food and delivered it to the randomly selected public judges area.
The judges had already put on their napkins and were waiting.
The braised pork is shiny in color, and it will tremble shyly when touched lightly with chopsticks or the back of a spoon.
The cold noodles are rolled into balls with a fork and layered with various ingredients, just like the bustling scene on the snow-capped mountains; and the oranges are peeled with cicada-wing-like skin, the flesh is distinct and juicy, like the light feathers of a peacock, tempting the gluttons in diners' stomachs.
The longer the eight-treasure porridge is cooked, the more glutinous and fragrant it tastes. However, time did not permit, so An Zhiqiu used a secret method similar to a pressure cooker to shorten the cooking time without affecting the taste at all.
Some judges frowned as they looked at the fat-and-lean braised pork, feeling subconsciously repulsed. Who says diners can't pay attention to health preservation?
However, they maintained their sense of responsibility towards the International Chefs Conference, gritted their teeth, picked up a piece of meat, put it in their mouths and chewed it.
"Huh?" Many judges couldn't help but make a sound.
The meat is not greasy at all and melts in your mouth. The rich aroma wraps around the tip of your tongue and slides over your teeth. It is definitely the chocolate of food, which makes your scalp numb and your whole body tremble.
The diners ate with tears in their eyes, tasting the food with an almost pious attitude. After eating one piece, they were reluctant to eat the remaining two pieces, as they were afraid that the temperature would dissipate and affect the taste.
They took a sip of the water on the table, calmed down a little, and continued to taste it.
Their tongues had experienced a strong and delicious impact, but they still couldn't help squinting their eyes at the second bite, revealing a happy expression of enjoyment, while their stomachs began to clamor for hunger.
After eating the third piece of braised pork, they sighed slightly, wondering when they would have the chance to taste it again.
After drinking some water to dilute the aroma of the meat, they didn't have much expectation for the plain white cold noodles, and just took a sip of the porridge. The consistency of the porridge was just right, and the glutinous bean paste was wrapped with the unique sweetness of dates and raisins, which made people finish it without any struggle.
The judges had no other choice but to mix the cold noodles with cutlery and put one-third of it in their mouths.
The cold noodles are chewy and smooth, and the salty aroma of peanuts, sesame sauce and various seasonings is like the bright fireworks in the night sky, which makes people feel overwhelmed. The gluten absorbs the soup perfectly, which perfectly interprets what vegetarian meat is, and the crispy cucumber balances the strong aroma.
Delicious. Besides delicious, their minds were still immersed in the aftertaste of the meal and they couldn’t think of a more appropriate and straightforward adjective.
No one could give a low score against their conscience. In order to live up to their status as high-end diners, they had to adopt a professional attitude, cast aside their prejudices against Xia Huaguo, and gave him a promotion card.
An Zhixia narrowed her eyes and smiled. She leaned close to Fang Yuan's ear and said proudly, "I knew that my brother was the best. He has undoubtedly won the first place!"
Fang Yuan laughed softly, relying on the cover of the tablecloth, and touched her ten fingers with his big hand, clasping them tightly, "You trained her well. I still remember when Zhiqiu first started cooking, she mistook salt for sugar and accidentally knocked over the salt shaker, causing Hang Xianglei and Yichang to choke on water and run to the toilet all the time in the middle of winter."
An Zhixia also recalled the stupid things her brother did when he first entered the industry. She pursed her lips to hold back a smile, her eyes sparkling with tears. She couldn't help but glare at him, "In such a serious occasion, Mr. Fang, can you please stop making me laugh all the time?"
"I just like the way you endure but are helpless," Fang Yuan rubbed her wrist and said in a hoarse voice, "Sometimes I really want to be your brother, to enjoy the feeling of being thought of and cherished by you all the time, but I'm also afraid that another jerk will snatch you away."
An Zhixia couldn't help but raise the corners of her lips: "How can you describe yourself like that?"
"I have too little time to spend with you and your son," he said with a frown and a sigh, "but all the work and things keep pushing us forward, and we can't stop even if we want to. In fact, over the years, I have heard about you more from newspapers, magazines, radio, and television than I have seen you during the day.
I am very scared because no one knows which will come first, the accident or tomorrow.
With each passing day, the time we have for each other becomes shorter.”
"What's wrong with you?" She shook his arm slightly with some concern, "Why are you so pessimistic all of a sudden? You've done very well. In such a busy job, you still take one day a week to spend time with us, and try to go home every day to eat and sleep.
The current situation of our country is like this. If we don’t work hard to boost the economy as soon as possible, can you guarantee that you won’t have regrets in the future?”
Fang Yuan pursed his lips and muttered like a big boy: "But now I regret it too."
An Zhixia chuckled and said disdainfully, "Alright, alright, don't you just think that I care about my brother more than you, so you have to throw a tantrum and act pitiful to win favor?
You are my man and the father of my child. As long as you behave yourself, you will be able to hold this position forever. No one will snatch it from you.
My brother is jealous and envious of you."
Fang Yuan glanced at her and said, "Can't I just speak from the bottom of my heart?
Why are you still scheming? Am I the kind of petty person? "
"Tsk tsk tsk, someone told me to report my whereabouts to you 24 hours a day. If I talked to a member of the opposite sex for a few more words, wouldn't you ask me indirectly about it at night?" An Zhixia raised her eyebrows.
"I'm just worried that you'll suffer a loss, I don't mean any other thing," Fang Yuan coughed softly, "We are an old married couple, I know you know how to act, I trust you very much!"
An Zhixia tilted her head, grabbed his arm, pointed at a chef on the stage with a little excitement, and whispered, "Brother Yuan, do you think he is handsome? Thick eyebrows, narrow eyes, long legs..."
"Ouch," before she could finish her words, someone hit her on the head.
(End of this chapter)
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