Food Intelligence King

Chapter 167 The True Meaning of Cooking (Part 2)
On Saturday, I was able to stay home and refresh the news, which was a rare treat.

So, the living room is still the same as always, with just the person and the cat.

Because of her good lifestyle habits, Chen Taotao goes to bed early and wakes up early. She has already come to snuggle up to her elderly father.

Since Chen Zhou opened her shop, she hasn't woken up yet every day when she leaves.

The little girl found it very interesting to see her father at home in the morning.

Ms. Lin was still preparing a healthy salad in the kitchen.

It was made specifically for Chen Zhou.

She and Chen Taotao received an invitation from Tian Tian and Tian Tian's mother to go to the children's playground today.

We're leaving soon. The two children made plans to have breakfast together.

Therefore, only one portion is prepared for the husband.

At 7:30, the intelligence was updated on time.

This time, Chen Zhou didn't use any targeted strategies either. His points were indeed almost depleted, and considering the usefulness of upgrading his skills, Chen Zhou held back today.

Let the system play randomly.

Article 1—

[Food News]: Carrots are the enlarged rootstock of plants in the Apiaceae family, and are not the same species as other common radishes such as white radishes and green radishes.

This is a little bit of popular science about food ingredients.

Article Two —

[Diner Update (Rare)]: Chen Taotao is having a lucky day. She went to the children's amusement park to try her luck at the claw machine, but one of the machines was adjusting its code. She's been winning every time she tries to play the claw machine there today.

Lucky Peach is back online.

Chen Zhou estimated that the adults and children would have a lot of fun today.

Chen Zhou had a prior knowledge of this joy from the intelligence.

The last one—

[Market News]: Tony, the hairdresser who lives next to the community canteen, recently spent nearly 30,000 yuan on renovations.

Tony disappeared for a while because he was busy with renovations.

When Chen Zhou later went to his shop for a haircut, he felt that the act was quite good.

But I didn't expect it would cost 30,000 yuan.

-

In short, there was nothing in this randomly refreshed intelligence that Chen Zhou needed to pay extra attention to.

Now I can enjoy a relaxing weekend.

So Chen Zhou said to Ms. Lin, who was preparing to leave:

"When you two go out with Tian Tian's mom and the others today, take another car."

"Mm." Lin Yifan nodded.

This wasn't a big deal for her. Driving herself or following another car made no difference.

Chen Zhou thought to himself: The main concern is that Chen Taotao might get into a good rhythm and grab a bunch of plush toys, which might not fit in one car. And then it would be difficult to carry them upstairs.

It would definitely be more convenient to drive your own car there.

Chen Taotao dressed neatly, took her mother's hand, and then said goodbye to Chen Zhou.

Goodbye, Dad~

"Goodbye."

The family is splitting up today.

Tian Tian's parents are quite particular; although they received an invitation from Chen Tao Tao beforehand,
But the other mother said that the children's amusement park tickets she had were about to expire.

So, it was Tian Tian who invited Chen Tao Tao out to play first.

The other party was accompanied by her mother, so Chen Zhou naturally didn't go to join in the fun. He asked Ms. Lin to accompany him instead.

As for himself, Grandpa Yu came to see him in the afternoon with an iron pot.

Autumn afternoon,

The sun was shining brightly today, and the community canteen, which faces south, was bathed in sunlight.

Chen Zhou sat lazily in the outermost chair, basking in the sun.

With eyes slightly squinted, the world beneath them appeared crimson due to the intense sunlight.

He was home alone today and had a good rest.

While the mother and son ate out for lunch, Chen Zhou found Lao Meng from the tobacco and liquor store next door and Tony, the hairdresser, and the group had a simple meal at the store.

After dinner, Chen Zhou didn't go upstairs.

He waited for Grandpa Yu in his shop.

Just then, the shop door creaked open.

Yu Shaochun walked in carrying a blackened iron pot.

His sunglasses were perched on the collar of his floral shirt, and there was still a bit of dust on his cuffs.

"You're here, Uncle Yu!"

Chen Zhou greeted him.

"Little Chen, let me show you something!" Yu Shaochun handed over the iron pot:

“I’ve taken care of Xiao Wang’s debt. I figured you’re interested in this thing, so I’ll take a look at it for you while I’m at it.”

Chen Zhou picked up the iron pot, smiled, and said, "Thank you for going to all this trouble."

"Hey, it's no big deal." Yu Shaochun waved his hand. "Do you have anything to drink? I'm thirsty."

Chen Zhou had prepared tea, but Grandpa Yu looked genuinely thirsty, so the small teacup wouldn't be enough.

Chen Zhou quickly grabbed another bottle of tea from the beverage cabinet.

Grandpa Yu gulped it down.

Chen Zhou then examined the iron pot.

The wok in front of me is black and shows obvious signs of use, indicating that it had been with Senior Wang Shen for a long time.

At the back of the pot is a long handle made of jujube wood. It has been worn black by time, but you can still feel its smoothness when you hold it.

It's estimated that although Xiao Wang didn't cherish his second grandfather's belongings much, he didn't neglect anything that could be sold for money.

Grandpa Yu's thirst problem has been solved.

He first explained to Chen Zhou why Wang Shen used such an iron pot:

"Before the founding of the People's Republic of China, there was no industrial base. Kitchen knives and pots were all made by hand."

"Later, with the development of state-owned factories, iron pots were also produced in a unified manner. What you see now is something from that era."

Chen Zhou laughed and said, "Using a pot for thirty years, that must be what happened around this time."

He also has a Vandefu kitchen knife. It's really durable.

Grandpa Yu nodded.

"Actually, Wang Shen used aluminum pots for a while in the 1980s or 1990s. At that time, aluminum pots were a rare thing because they were lighter and conducted heat faster."

It used to be very fashionable.

When Grandpa Yu mentioned the aluminum pot, Chen Zhou actually remembered it.

Chen Zhou said, "We used to use aluminum lunch boxes. I remember my family had them when I was a kid."

Grandpa Yu grinned.

He has finally connected with the memories of young people.

He continued, "But as you know, people gradually discovered that aluminum pots and aluminum lunch boxes posed health risks, so Wang Shen switched back to his original wok, which is the one he uses now."

Chen Zhou recently studied the issue of tableware.

The aluminum pots and lunchboxes that Grandpa Yu mentioned relate to research conducted by the World Health Organization and updates to national standards in the 1990s. It's a matter of historical context.

Chen Zhou then spoke about current events:

"After aluminum lunch boxes and aluminum pots, everyone switched to stainless steel. Now there are even imitation ceramic melamine products, all sorts of things."

"But old things have their reliability," Grandpa Yu said, commenting on the black pot in front of him, while also referring to himself.

Chen Zhou expressed his full agreement, saying, "That makes perfect sense."

Out of politeness, Chen Zhou refrained from saying the words "old thing".

The two looked at each other and smiled.

The way a chef uses kitchen utensils can also reflect the times.

Chen Zhou did not experience what happened thirty years ago.

But he suddenly understood why Grandpa Yu liked collecting these things.

But the pot that Senior Wang Shen had in front of him was really just an ordinary iron pot.

There's nothing special about it.

Grandpa Yu sipped his tea.

Chen Zhou continued to study the text above.

Viewed from the side, the pot was covered in black oil and dust, and the raised and recessed engravings could be barely discerned.

He didn't dare to scrub hard with a steel wool pad.

Chen Zhou was afraid of erasing the words.

I just carefully wiped it with a tissue.

Gradually, I can make the text on it clearer.

"The term 'fire control' originates from Taoist alchemy. Fire is the energy source, and 'fire control' refers to degree and time. The concepts of 'gentle fire' and 'vigorous fire' are also used in cooking and alchemy, sharing a set of philosophical theories. It involves coordinating the mind and intention with the rhythm of breathing."

Grandpa Yu watched Chen Zhou's actions, and then glanced at the contents of the document.

He reminded me: "In those days, there was another problem: the qigong craze. I won't go into details."

"I'll just take a quick look." Chen Zhou nodded with a smile.

When your fingers trace the engravings, the rough texture instantly triggers the system's sensors.

[The True Meaning of Cooking - Part 2: Activating Resonance]

You have received the blessing of master-level wok hei (wok aroma) techniques.

Unlike the previous part, this second part has a truly mysterious feel to it.

It's a "sense of qi" that transcends the five senses and is unique to the art of cooking.

It's somewhat subtle and hard to describe. If the first part represents the level that can be achieved through years of practice, then this second part is Wang Shen's masterful insight into wok hei (the smoky aroma imparted by a wok).

Chen Zhou had a vague feeling:

It seems he's succeeded.
On the other side, Grandpa Yu noticed some writings about qigong on the pot, but didn't look at it much.

He was drinking tea there the whole time.

After quenching his thirst with the drink, he poured himself the tea that Teacher Wei had given to Chen Zhou.

Drinking too much tea will make you hungry.

Grandpa Yu readily agreed again:

"Xiao Chen, I'm a little hungry. Do you have anything to eat?"

Chen Zhou put down the iron pot: "We're not open today, so I can only make you something fresh. What would you like to eat? Wait here at my shop."

Grandpa Yu waved his hand and said, "Don't go to so much trouble. Whatever you have in your shop, I'll just have a bite."

Chen Zhou replied, "We have pickled cucumbers and some leftover rice from lunch."

As he spoke, he chuckled to himself, "We're being too sloppy. Let's go to the restaurant next door; it's pretty good."

Grandpa Yu thought for a moment about the leftover rice and said, "Then make me some soy sauce fried rice. Just rice with a little soy sauce. I love soy sauce."

"no problem."

Grandpa Yu was always very hospitable. Chen Zhou got up and went to the kitchen.

Soy sauce fried rice is pretty much what Grandpa Yu said; it's very easy to make.

Now that Chen Zhou has the added advantage of mastering the art of wok hei (the smoky aroma imparted by a hot wok), making a superb soy sauce fried rice is a piece of cake.

The first step is to heat the oil in a wok.

(End of this chapter)