Siheyuan: Pretend to be a Pig and Eat the Tiger

Chapter 121 Learning Arts at Changguan Tower

He Yuzhu was assigned as the third kitchen manager, and his salary increased accordingly to 380,000, more than three times what he had expected. This made He Yuzhu very happy!
"Wang Wenchao and Li Lin's performances are also very good. How about this, we raise their wages to 21 yuan as a reward for them!
We at Fengze Garden have always adhered to the principle of clear rewards and punishments. The two of them have made significant improvements in their skills, so naturally they will be rewarded! Manager Gao, let’s start implementing this from this month!”

"Yes, boss!"

The third brother Wang Wenchao and the fourth brother Li Lin were equally excited. He Yuzhu understood them. No one is immune to promotion and salary increase. Even if they appear serious on the surface, they may be very happy in their hearts!
"Master Wang, I would not come to you today without a request. I have something to ask of you!"

"Boss Lou, give your orders!"

"I don't deserve it, I don't deserve it. An important foreign guest is coming to inspect the steel mill, and I'm short of a cook. Please don't refuse!"

"Old Lou, this is your fault. I was wondering why you called me here so early in the morning. It turns out you wanted to take advantage of the chef at Fengze Garden!

I tell you, don't even think about it. Don't forget, you also have shares in Fengze Garden!"

The boss was furious. Lou Zhenhua, you shameless man, actually wanted to break the "stabilizing force" of Fengze Garden? Don't even think about it!
"Haha, don't worry, I didn't explain it clearly, the cook at the steel mill is also old!

I want to find a young man to study in Changguan Building, and then second him from Fengze Garden when the steel mill needs him. What do you think, old friend?"

"Changguan Tower? Old Lou, you have so much power!"

"I have some connections. This time, the friends are very important. I only have half a month to study. There is no suitable candidate at the steel mill. I have no choice but to ask for help from Fengzeyuan!"

"Lao Wang, you have always been in charge of the kitchen, what do you think?"

"Boss, let Zhuzi go! Zhuzi's qualifications are top-notch, and learning some 'bancai' won't be a problem!!"

Lou Zhenhua frowned slightly. He originally wanted Wang Dana to go there in person, even if it cost some price. He didn't expect to get such an answer!

He did not deny that He Yuzhu's Kung Pao Chicken was indeed quite good, but could such a young man really learn something? His business could not be delayed!
"Boss Lou, don't underestimate Zhuzi's young age. His cooking skills and aptitude are definitely not bad. Not to mention his family background, the key is that he is hardworking and diligent. He has been learning cooking since he was seven years old, which is a long time!"

"Oh? You haven't asked yet?"

"Zhu Zi's father is He Daqing. I'm sure Mr. Lou is familiar with him, right?"

"Haha, it turns out he's He Daqing's son. I heard from Old He that he had a son, but I didn't expect that he was learning cooking at Fengze Garden! Okay, let Zhuzi go!"

"Zhu Zi, what's your opinion?"

"I have no objection, Master!"

"Ok!"

"Zhu Zi, the time may be in the next few days, just wait for my notification when the time comes!"

"Okay, Mr. Lou!"

He Yuzhu did not reject the idea of ​​studying in Changguan Tower. On the contrary, he was eager to try it!

In the future, for a long period of time, Western food will bring him a lot of convenience. Perhaps his chance to enter the steel rolling mill depends on this trip to Changguan Tower!

Changguanlou, located in a quiet place in Beijing, is a famous western restaurant in Beijing. This building is full of European style!
The earthy red walls, the gray brick base, and the unique architectural style all give people a different kind of charm.
He Yuzhu came to the door of Changguan Tower, took a deep breath and walked in!

As soon as he entered the door, he was attracted by the elegant environment and exquisite decoration inside. The waiters in neat uniforms were busy shuttling back and forth, making him feel like he was in a foreign country!
He Yuzhu found the manager and explained his purpose. The manager obviously knew about this and handed him over to the Western chef, an experienced and elegant Gallic chef!

The chef looked at the energetic young man in front of him and smiled slightly. Chinese cuisine is profound and extensive. Now there are actually Chinese guys coming to learn Western cuisine. This is the happiest thing for him!

He is a pure chef who likes to communicate with people who are good at cooking. There are only two things he likes most: gaining recognition from his peers and getting praise from diners!

"Oh! Young man, welcome to exchange cooking skills. From today on, you will spend a wonderful fifteen days here. I promise it will become a wonderful memory for you!"

"Thank you, Mr. Chef. Please give me your guidance in the next fifteen days!"

"Oh, young man, you are too modest. I don't deserve your advice. Let's learn from each other!"

He Yuzhu smiled slightly. It seemed that the experience was pretty good so far. The chef spoke Chinese very well, which offset any possible language barriers!

On the first day of training, the head chef introduced the history and culture of Western cuisine to He Yuzhu. He Yuzhu listened with great interest. He learned that Western cuisine has a long history and rich connotations!
Different countries and regions have different characteristics of Western cuisine. This gave him a preliminary understanding of Western cuisine and also stimulated his interest in learning!

He will not look down on other cuisines just because Chinese cuisine is profound and extensive. As an ideal chef, he wants to combine the strengths of all cuisines and learn as much as possible!

As the saying goes, "more skills are better than less", and in the future, polar bear experts will appear in every corner of China!

Next, the chef began to teach He Yuzhu the basic etiquette of Western dining, from how to use tableware to the order of dining, every detail was explained very clearly!
He Yuzhu listened carefully and took notes from time to time. He knew that these etiquettes were not only a part of Western dining culture, but also something that must be paid attention to when receiving foreign friends!
After mastering Western dining etiquette, He Yuzhu began to learn how to recognize and prepare Western food ingredients. Western food ingredients are very different from Chinese food ingredients, and he had seen many of the ingredients for the first time!
The chef took him to visit the kitchen of Changguan Building and introduced him to the characteristics and uses of various ingredients. He Yuzhu looked at the fresh ingredients with curiosity in his heart. It was winter now, how did so many seasonal vegetables appear here!

He carefully learned how to select fresh ingredients and how to properly cut and process various meats, vegetables and fruits!

Not only that, some special ingredients in Western cuisine also troubled He Yuzhu, such as cheese, olive oil, etc. He had never come into contact with them before and didn't know how to use them correctly!
Once, when he was making a salad, he accidentally put too much olive oil, which made the salad too greasy and the taste was greatly reduced! In his previous life, he had only eaten a few Western dishes, which were made by Chinese people themselves. He felt that cooking was simple. Now that he has learned it, he didn't expect that there are so many things to pay attention to from selecting ingredients to plating!
As his studies progressed, He Yuzhu began to learn Western cooking techniques. Western cooking methods are very different from Chinese cooking methods, and require precise control of heat and seasoning techniques. The chef personally demonstrated how to make classic Western dishes such as steak, pasta, and salad!
He Yuzhu watched attentively, afraid of missing any details. He found that the cooking process of Western food pays great attention to details and techniques, and every step has strict requirements!

For example, when frying steak, you need to control the temperature well, ensuring that the steak is crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, but not overcooked.

The pasta needs to be cooked for just the right amount of time, not too soft or too hard;

The salad seasoning should be light and refreshing, not too greasy!
There will always be various problems when preparing Western food, and the methods of dealing with them are completely different!
However, he did not get discouraged, but actively consulted the head chef and other chefs and constantly improved his cooking methods!

In addition to learning how to cook Western food, He Yuzhu also used his spare time to learn about the history and culture of Changguan Tower. He learned that Changguan Tower was once a royal palace in the suburbs and witnessed the historical changes of the capital!

He visited every corner of Changguan Tower, admired the ancient buildings and decorations, and felt the historical heritage and cultural charm of this building!

If Lou Zhenhua hadn't arranged this place, he really wouldn't have been able to get in. This was not a place that a low-level loser like him could ever set foot in. How could he miss this opportunity to browse!
"Amazing oriental boy, your progress amazes me. I didn't expect you to master the essence of our western food culture so quickly!"

"Mr. Chef, this depends on your careful guidance!"

He Yuzhu maintained an oriental humility. At first he thought it was quite difficult to process western food, but in the end he found out that it was not that difficult!
Western cuisine is like an assembly line. Once he understood the chef’s movements and the professor’s precautions, he mastered it immediately!

After more than ten days of study, He Yuzhu felt that the cooking methods of China and the West were completely different. He finally understood the meaning of why Chinese cuisine is unique in the world!
In He Yuzhu's opinion, the cooking process of Chinese cuisine and Western cuisine is very different. It is difficult for Chinese chefs to enter the industry, and even more difficult to master it!
Compared to Chinese cuisine, Western cuisine has no threshold. As long as you have their tutorials and follow the methods, you will master it after making it a few times!
Chinese cooking methods are rich and varied, including stir-frying, frying, cooking, deep-frying, steaming, boiling, stewing, roasting, braising, stewing, and sautéing, more than twenty kinds of cooking methods. Each method can create a different taste and flavor!

The cutting process of ingredients is very particular, and there are many shapes such as shredding, slicing, dicing, and cutting. Different knife skills can affect the cooking time and taste of the ingredients!
Use a variety of seasonings for seasoning, such as soy sauce, vinegar, cooking wine, onion, ginger, garlic, star anise, cinnamon, etc. By combining different seasonings, you can create ever-changing flavors!
Western food is relatively simpler. The common cooking methods include frying, baking, deep-frying, boiling, braising, etc., and the application of each method is relatively fixed, unlike Chinese cooking which is flexible and changeable!

Pay attention to the matching of ingredients, and create rich taste and layers through the combination of different ingredients!
The types of seasonings used are even fewer, mainly salt, pepper, olive oil, butter, ketchup, mustard, etc. Seasoning is generally done before or after cooking, which is relatively simple and direct!
Chinese cuisine has extremely high requirements for the control of heat (I won’t go into details here!), while Western cuisine has relatively fixed requirements for heat, which are generally divided into several levels: high temperature, medium temperature, and low temperature!

Different cooking methods correspond to different heat ranges, and the chef only needs to follow the standard heat!
Many cooking techniques in Western cuisine require the assistance of special cooking utensils, unlike Chinese home-cooked meals which have no special requirements for cooking utensils, except for some extremely special dishes!
Western cuisine has strict control over cooking time, and usually specifies specific cooking time based on different dishes and ingredients!
In comparison, the entry threshold for Western chefs is low. As long as the chef is willing to teach, it is easy to become a chef. I can’t say I can become a top chef, but it is still easy to become an ordinary chef!
Chinese food is not that simple. Just look at Wang Dana’s apprentices and you will know. They all followed him for several years. This is when Wang Dana did not hide anything. If the master kept anything back, the time it would take to become an apprentice would be infinitely longer!
"He, are you leaving now?"

"Yes, Mr. Chef, it's time to study. I should go back now. Thank you for your teaching!"

"Oh, don't say that, He. I also know a lot about Chinese food legends. You are very eloquent. I will never forget you, He!"

"Mr. Martin, I will always remember you. When you have time, come to Fengze Garden and I will cook for you personally so that you can taste Chinese cuisine!"

"Oh, really?"

"Of course!"

"I will definitely go there, Fengze Garden, I'll remember it!"

He Yuzhu left this place. During this period of closed-door study, He Yushui was naturally sent to his master's house. Now it's time to see his silly sister!

"Brother...I'm angry because you haven't come to see your lovely sister for such a long time!"

He Yushui saw He Yuzhu running towards her immediately, and then she seemed to have thought of something, and she crossed her hands over her chest, looking very angry!

"Haha, little sister, I'm leaving now!"

"Wow, Master's Wife, my brother is bullying me!"

Well, He Yuzhu just teased him and he turned the table over and complained. His temper has been getting worse recently!

"Zhu Zi, I haven't seen you for half a month. You have become more popular now. How dare you bully Xiao Yu Shui? I will not forgive you!"

"Hey, Master's Wife, what are you talking about? How could I possibly bully Yu Shui? She is angry because I haven't been here for half a month, right, Yu Shui?"

"Humph, I'm still angry!"

"When will the rain stop?"

"It will take at least a day, no, an hour!"

"Ha ha..."

He Yuzhu was amused by his sister's cute look. He Yushui became more and more lively. He was happy from the bottom of his heart, as she was walking out of the shadow of He Daqing!

If it was a few months ago, I wouldn’t have lost my temper at all, my little eyes would probably have been swollen from crying!
"Thank you, Master's Wife!"

"Kid, what are you saying thank you for? Since you call me 'Master's Wife', then I am half your mother!"

The master's wife's eyes were moist. She knew why He Yuzhu said thank you. These two children had such a hard life!

"Master's wife, please don't cry!"

"Yes, Master's wife, don't cry. Has Yu Shui calmed down?"

The master's wife was very happy with Xiao Yushui's nervousness. This girl's dependence on her was getting stronger and stronger. She was such a caring girl!
(End of this chapter)