Who gave this heretical practitioner permission to cook?

Chapter 177 No destruction, no construction; if he wants to turn the tide, he needs to take drastic measures! (3K First Update)
[No way, this is too fast!!! How can they make a Michelin-starred restaurant at this speed?!]

[Ahem, who are you trying to smear upstairs? Actually, some Michelin-starred dishes are served quite quickly. Besides, this is French cuisine, right?]

I just want to know what kind of soup it is, and whether it was prepared from the beginning, otherwise it doesn't make sense!

[There was a skirt hem in the footage just now; it must be skirt hem soup.]

No, the sea salt flavor is very subtle, sometimes you can't even taste it without adding salt. This kind of thing usually needs to be cooked with seaweed to bring out its flavor.

[Could it be that the original plan was to make a very light soup?]

As netizens guessed correctly, Xia Ming defined the second soup as a "mouth-cleansing soup".

"After the judges have tasted the first round of appetizers, the flavors in their mouths can actually be predicted."

"This is because Han Tianyan lacks an exceptional sense of smell and the ability to modify recipes on the spot, which led to the final result."

Xia Ming guessed that Han Tianyan had probably been thinking about one thing all night.

The goal is to obtain as many "traditional French" recipes as possible, and then, after serving the appetizers, proceed with the rest in a normal, step-by-step manner.

That is, taking advantage of his ignorance of French cuisine.
Actually, setting that aside, he overlooked the difference between French and Chinese cuisine exams for judges; from a purely conceptual standpoint, the plan wasn't wrong.

But now, Xia Ming has not only interrupted his spellcasting.

They've already subtly seized his lifeline; it's just unknown whether Han Tianyan has realized the gap in talent between him and Xia Ming.
"Damn it, I know what he's up to."

Although Han Tianyan jokingly blurted out "semi-solid seasoning for flavored chicken soup," he knew in his heart that Xia Ming would never use such a thing.

So he went through everything that had happened in his mind.

Finally, he found another detail that he had previously overlooked.

That is.
[Diner's Sensory Experience]

Unlike Xia Ming, he was aware of the problem, but he couldn't see the whole picture.

Frowning deeply, Han Tianyan realized that he seemed to be being led by the nose.

"According to multiple sources, Xia Ming's sense of smell is extraordinary. I also observed him closely when I went to film and interview him before, and it should be more sensitive than that of ordinary people."

"But I have no idea how perceptive I am."

“There were some jokes online before, saying that Xia Ming’s nose could play a role when choosing ingredients. I thought it was a bit far-fetched before, but now that I think about it, it may not be an exaggeration.”

"If that's the case, then the dishes are essentially meaningless, and 'revealing the cards in advance' becomes an unavoidable issue."

By working backward from the time of the soup, Han Tianyan organized the information in his mind.

I finally realized that the biggest difference between myself and Xia Ming was in our sense of smell.

"All of Xia Ming's preemptive moves were based on his knowledge base and understanding of the battle situation."

"Often, when his opponent gets certain ingredients, he can make a mental judgment about the cards his opponent will play based on the combination of the ingredients he gets."

Thinking of this, Han Tianyan gasped.

If that's the case, then Xia Ming could be considered a born "top chef" because he has a cheat code!

It's like in an FPS game, the opposing player is already a professional-level player, but they also have "wallhacks".

He finally understood that Xia Ming's targeting of people's habits was essentially due to "information asymmetry".

"In other words, no matter what unexpected situation arises, he can react quickly and find a solution."

"If you think about it a little deeper, he might be able to replicate most dishes just by his sense of smell."

"In other words, when I received the foie gras and apples and started cooking, he could tell the type of dish I was going to make just by the smells from my food."

"Even if I can't tell the details of what kind of dish it is, the basic flavor of my ingredients will not be drastically changed."

"Therefore, in this situation, my most vulnerable point should be..."

Thinking of this, Han Tianyan forced himself to calm down.

He felt that if he wanted to turn the tide in this game, he had to truly understand Xia Ming.

Since Xia Ming's soup has already been served, instead of being surprised, we should try to see things from his perspective.

"If I had a skill similar to the 'God's Nose' from comics, and I smelled 'seared foie gras with apple,' what should I do right now?"

With his mind racing, Han Tianyan quickly found the answer.

“I will disrupt the overall flavor of the dish, using the richness of the foie gras and the sweetness of the apple to create a targeted reaction.”

"It's very possible that Xia Ming fed the judges something particularly sour."

"No matter how it's hidden, the core flavor is definitely sour."

At this moment, Han Tianyan felt like he was solving a puzzle.

Standing face to face with Xia Ming, he discovered that Xia Ming was several times more terrifying than he had appeared in the previous videos.

In his opinion, Xia Ming had brought out every advantage of himself to the fullest, which is why he was able to dominate the "New Chef Competition".

Otherwise, no matter how good his cooking skills are, he would still be affected by some unexpected factors.

Originally, Han Tianyan felt he knew Xia Ming well enough last night.

But to his surprise, once he stood on the field, he realized how naive his previous thoughts had been.

Taking a deep breath, Han Tianyan reorganized the existing information and re-examined the sequence of events.

"So, right now, the judges are probably fed up with the sweetness of my apples and the richness of the foie gras." "If I were Xia Ming right now, the most important thing about this soup wouldn't be to present the flavors of the dish, but rather to act as a 'mouthwash'."

"If this can alleviate the judges' predicament, then this appetizer will be a good soup!!!"

Even if his taste is extremely bland, the taste in the judges' mouths will make up for it.

"Even if he were to be judged by a heavy dose of salt water, his score would still be good."

At this moment, after deducing the moves, Han Tianyan finally stepped out of the chessboard and took the position of a chess player.

Upon closer examination, aside from being a bit shameless, Han Tianyan's self-formulated strategy was actually sound.

His mistake was that he underestimated Xia Ming's strength.

Even though he seemed to have the advantage in choosing the topic, upon closer examination, it turned out that his cleverness backfired.

"I chose 'French banquet cuisine,' which lowered the judges' opinion of me; this is the price I paid."

"I chose 'pan-fried foie gras with apple,' but Xia Ming detected it beforehand and countered with a dish. This was due to my own intelligence lapse."

"Because of my intelligence failures, I've consistently been 'information-lagging' compared to Xia Ming."

"At first I didn't understand why the judges were spitting out my dish, but now I understand, but it's too late."

"If Xia Ming were to hand out this bowl of soup now, the response would definitely be positive. Judging from the competition format, I'm at least three steps behind."

Taking a deep breath, Han Tianyan took off his glasses and rubbed his face. He finally understood how Fang Xu had been tricked.

But now it seems a bit too late.

"Judges' Favorability", "Appetizer Competition", "Preparation of the First Soup"
He was three steps behind; if the slight advantage he gained from the theme earlier could be considered one step, he was now two steps behind.

"No, it's two and a half positions, because I only speculate that the soup is more refreshing, but I can't be sure whether he tampered with it."

"This is such a hassle. Just how smart is this guy? Competing against him is exhausting!"

Han Tianyan felt like he was playing chess; one wrong move led to a series of wrong moves.
As the game rapidly approached the middle stage, he finally realized that the game was on the verge of collapse. If he didn't find a way to respond, he would be helplessly crushed by Xia Ming's offensive.

Once he calmed down, Han Tianyan became extremely serious.

"On the bright side, even if I die now, I'll at least know the truth!"

"Compared to those guys who lost the game for no apparent reason, they're much better now."

"It's only a two-and-a-half-step difference; I'm sure I can make up for it."

"Now let me summarize the problems I actually faced."

The appetizers have already collapsed, and Han Tianyan can't change what's past, but he feels that after thinking everything through, he can still salvage the situation.

Of course, this is when considering how to catch up with those two and a half steps.

Han Tianyan felt he needed to put himself in Xia Ming's shoes and go through everything that followed.

"If I were Xia Ming, I would definitely press my advantage after gaining such a strong lead."

"End the game quickly before your opponent even takes out their soup or main course."

"I might even plant a trap in the dessert that's served last, causing the other person to mess up the rest of the cooking process."

“In this situation, once it starts rolling, there won’t be a single gap.”

Taking a deep breath, Han Tianyan deduced the situation from a different angle.

"But the above is from my perspective. Xia Ming's vision is clearly higher than mine, so I need to jump higher and farther to see this game."

"While winning the game in one fell swoop may provide an advantage, it can also lead to unpredictable situations with subsequent opponents."

"If the opponent were not me, but someone with the same culinary skill level as Xia Ming, he would most likely make a different choice."

"After all, he can use his 'sense of smell' to achieve a kind of precognitive effect, so standing on the stage makes it much easier for him to control the situation than going offstage."

"So, thinking about it more deeply, is Xia Ming's 'refreshing soup' a trap?"

"It was to make me realize that he wanted to end the game quickly, and then force me to choose the soup with a shorter serving time."

"A shorter cooking time usually means less flavor, which in turn means it's easier to target."

"The judges' senses may now be adjusted to a more comfortable state."

“In this situation, he can even wait quietly for me to finish making the soup, and then prepare the corresponding main dish based on the flavor of the soup.”

"The groundwork I've laid will become his."

Han Tianyan unconsciously gritted his teeth when he thought of this.

He's now stuck in a rut, unable to think straight.

Choosing to leave it alone and continue to prepare the food according to the "traditional French cuisine" process may result in a situation where Xia Ming speeds up the process.

However, if the time is compressed and the soup is served after Xia Ming's soup but before the main course, then Xia Ming's main course might find a weakness in the soup.

"It's too difficult, too troublesome."

"If I don't shut down Xia Ming's sense of smell, I'll always be at a disadvantage!"

With this in mind, Han Tianyan steeled his resolve.
He felt that to turn the tide of the battle, he had to resort to drastic measures!

(End of this chapter)