Who gave this heretical practitioner permission to cook?

Chapter 189 Preliminary Rounds, Front of the Board, Xia Ming Sets Off for New Zealand (5K First Update)
[Dear viewers, welcome to the final round of the "Extreme Wilderness Kitchen: Season of the Four Seas" qualifiers.]

Humanity is constantly challenging nature, striving to conquer it and obtain the treasures buried within it.

Today, a group of outstanding chefs from around the world embark on another journey of conquest!

[Leave the state-of-the-art kitchen, venture into the wilderness, travel the world, and explore local cultures and culinary delights.]

[Traditional cooking techniques, combined with personal style, ultimately lead to the pinnacle of wilderness, leaving behind a culinary legend!]

Today's venue is: Yunnan Province, Diqing Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture.

This area is where three rivers flow in parallel, with an altitude ranging from 800 to 6800 meters and diverse landforms.

[Now we bring you the first-person perspective of the leading chef "Miao Zeyang"]

"Hui Ge's General Store in Sichuan and Chongqing"

Xia Ming checked the change of clothes he needed to bring on his day off.

While watching the live broadcast of the program on the tablet.

Unlike the official competition Xia Ming participated in, the preliminary rounds were massive in scale, with participants from all over the country. The preliminary rounds lasted for more than 20 days and are finally coming to an end today.

The remaining 47 contestants will have to spend 8 hours finding a type of meat in extreme terrain.

They then used the resources they obtained to exchange for seasonings related to the "theme" with the production team on site, and incorporated them into their dishes.

Unlike the official competition, they did not witness the cooking process; they only ate it a day in advance.

After tasting the food, the preliminary contestants received a corresponding recipe.

【Nixi Black Clay Pot Chicken】

This is a classic dish from Diqing District, Nixi Subdistrict.

The main method involves using local free-range Tibetan chickens raised on the plateau, combining them with earthenware pottery, mountain delicacies, and finally stewing them together, adding local specialties of chili peppers, and finally making the dish.

Of course, the program only provides one flavor profile. The chefs will ultimately extend this dish by adding the ingredients they have collected, and the final flavor will depend on their own efforts.

With five hours left in the competition, Miao Zeyang has already secured his prey in front of the camera.

They are currently collecting more mountain delicacies to exchange for the right to use a special earthenware pot.

Looking at the "Yang Blade" in Miao Zeyang's hand, which reflected a slightly yellow hue, Xia Ming curled the corners of his mouth.

"Unexpectedly, this kid had a problem during the New Chef Competition, but this time he's made it to the Extreme Wilderness Kitchen."

"Judging from this, they have a very good chance of advancing."

As they were talking, the half-closed roller shutter door was opened.

Qiao Ruoning, wearing a cute orange T-shirt, walked in from outside.

"Alright, it's resolved. This girl named Fang Xiao shouldn't be coming to see you anymore."

"As for the supply issue for his father, I have contacted the supermarkets here. For small quantities, the goods will be delivered directly to them."

Xia Ming didn't turn around; he simply stuffed the clothes into the package.

"Ah That's good."

Qiao Ruoning nodded and then continued speaking.

"By the way, I've already arranged for someone to list your shop in that alley on a real estate platform. The price isn't high, and it should be rented out soon."

"By the way, you've cleaned this place up very well. Are you not planning to come back and live here permanently?"

Hearing Qiao Ruoning's words, Xia Ming turned around and smiled.

From the moment Xia Ming discovered that Xia Minhui was Xia Yitian, he knew that this place was no longer of any significance.

He estimated that Xia Yitian's original idea was to give him an opportunity to open a shop after confirming his culinary talent.

But he had already explicitly rejected that idea some time ago.

His schedule will be quite packed afterward, making it difficult for him to return to Sichuan and Chongqing in a short period of time.

For Xia Yitian, this choice should have no impact.

After all, he was wandering around overseas and there was no sign of him returning.

Xia Ming had no intention of opening a shop, so there was no need for him to stay in one place. As a result, the shop and the general store were left idle.

As we all know, what do you do with items that are not in use?
Well, he couldn't get his business listed on "Zhuanzhuan" (a Chinese online marketplace), so he asked Qiao Ruoning to put it up for him. No matter how much rent he could get, at least it would bring some customers to the shop and prevent it from going to waste.

As for Fang Xiao, upon seeing Qiao Ruoning accompanying Xia Ming, he didn't choose to turn around and leave.
I chose to confess my feelings via green letter!
To be honest, Xia Ming was silent for a moment when he saw it.

Unlike many young men who verbally reject confessions but secretly feel smug, he is different.

Xia Ming knew that he and Fang Xiao were from two different worlds in the future.
Moreover, he really doesn't like the desserts Fang Xiao makes. She hasn't improved at all!
So he clearly expressed his refusal and then deleted the green message.

But Fang Xiao was still unwilling to give up and wanted to find Xia Ming, so Qiao Ruoning made a move.
With a smile, Xia Ming answered Qiao Ruoning's earlier question.

"Yes, he won't be back for a long time. Even if he doesn't have any variety show appearances, he'll probably be traveling around."

"Yeah, you're really hardworking~ But it's okay, I can find a place to stay anywhere."

Qiao Ruoning nodded, then walked over and looked at the tablet.

“Miao Zeyang grew up in Wumeng Town and has a deep understanding of the wild, so he should be qualified.”

"Of course, his limited knowledge is still a bit naive compared to yours."

Qiao Ruoning's words were not meant to be polite. Last time, she and Tan Zhifeng witnessed the entire "wilderness test" of Xia Ming.

When they saw Xia Ming throw a stone into the complex terrain and accurately hit the released pheasant, they were amazed.

Tan Zhifeng has completely given up on the idea of ​​protecting him.
"Xia Ming is so comfortable going back to the mountains, it's like he's coming home. The other contestants are under a lot of pressure!"

Although Wild Kitchen is not a "survival in the wild" program in the absolute sense, its difficulty is much lower in comparison.

But having more skills is never a bad thing. In extreme situations, someone like Xia Ming would definitely have an advantage.

That's how Xia Ming obtained the "special invitation" without much effort.

Of course, due to the fluctuating intentions of contestants from different regions, Xia Ming only knows for sure today that there are four "specially invited contestants" who will definitely come.

I won't go into too much detail about "Maddy Coleman" (West 7) ​​and "Carly Monne" (West 6).

To learn more about these two Western chefs, Xia Ming even watched all of their previous variety shows.

In comparison, "Carly Monn" has a better survival ability, while "Maddy Coleman" is more creative in cooking.

Then there's "Li Yuan," whom Xia Ming had met a few times recently.

He ultimately won fifth place in the "New Chef Competition" and is now a "Level 3 Chinese" chef.

Because he had worked as a "wandering chef (food hunter)," he had a wealth of wilderness survival experience.

According to the information collected by Qiao Ruoning, his best achievement was surviving for 8 days in the mountains with only a knife.

And finally, after obtaining the rare ingredients, they made a safe and sound escape.

This is enough to prove his outdoor skills. Of course, if we only talk about cooking skills, there is still a big gap between him and Xia Ming.

The last one is a bit special.

Her name is Aretha, and she is a well-known female wilderness survival instructor in the United States.

On the show "Wild and Wild Food," Aretha's mountain rat dish received high praise from several Michelin chefs.

She took this opportunity to enter the culinary world, and after three years of exams, she is now at the "West Level 4" level.

This achievement is not outstanding among Western cuisine chefs, but under the separate category of "wilderness chefs," she has already ranked among the top female chefs.

Moreover, she is very beautiful, conforming to both Eastern and Western aesthetic standards.

Including Xia Ming, there are a total of 5 specially invited guests who are confirmed to be coming.

Of course, that was before.
As the preliminary rounds drew to a close, Qiao Ruoning also obtained more information from various channels.

At that moment, she took Xia Ming's suitcase and put it in the trunk of the car.

Then, after watching Xia Ming lock the roller shutter door, I sent him a document.

"This is a further investigation list of 35 invited contestants. 28 of them are now confirmed, while the others are still undecided."

Xia Ming nodded, then sat in the passenger seat and opened the document.

After browsing for a while, Xia Ming quickly noticed several interesting chefs.

First up is "Mori no Mi", a chef from "Sunrise Island".

Before becoming a "wilderness chef," she acted in adult films, and because of her good figure and looks, her sales were quite good.

Later, she got married and retired from the entertainment industry. When I saw her again, she was already participating in wilderness-themed variety shows as an idol.

It was only then that everyone realized she had earned the title of "Front-of-the-Board Leader" during her disappearance. What exactly is "Front-of-the-Board Leader"?
Just like Chinese and Western chefs, the "Sunrise Island" has its own set of rating standards.

The titles are calculated from lowest to highest as follows:
"Shimo"→"Taiban"→"Itamae Buzou"→"Cooking Buzou"→"Itamae"→"Cooking Master"→"Famous Restaurant"→"Famous Restaurant"→"Cooking God"

Like China, it also has nine ranks.

Of course, the actual situation of its evaluation criteria is very different from that of China.

Before the first four titles (that is, before "Ikebukuro"), chefs cannot prepare Japanese dishes on their own.

In Chinese parlance, the first four levels are all menial jobs.

It's just a matter of washing dishes or cutting flowers. Neither of them is suitable for a formal meal.

Only when they reach the "front of the counter" can the chefs complete the cooking independently.

Therefore, when comparing chefs at Sunrise Island with those in Chinese cuisine, the standard for judging chefs is generally based on their performance at the counter.

The general criterion is...
"Front of the board" corresponds to "Levels 1-4" in the Chinese Language Proficiency Test.

"Culinary Master" corresponds to "Level 5 (Chinese)".

"名庖" corresponds to "Level 6 in Chinese".

"Zongjia Mingpao" corresponds to "Chinese Language Level 7 to 8".

"God of Cooking" corresponds to "Level 9 (God of Cooking)".

Unlike Chinese chefs, who become more well-rounded as they climb the ranks, Chinese chefs are more versatile.

The higher a chef climbs on the "Island of the Sunrise," the more they will abandon distractions and specialize in one particular path.

Their exams are also different from those in China.

The Huaxia "Hua 7 Level" exam covers all the essentials of culinary skills and is extremely difficult.

The "Son's Master Chef" exam at "Sunrise Island" is a detailed category-based exam.

For example, the "Tempura Soke Meibo" exam only tests tempura skills, and ultimately selects five outstanding individuals to inherit the title of "Sōke Meibo".

That's right, it's inheriting the title, not acquiring a level.
The number of each "title" is regulated by the "Sunrise Island Culinary Association".

For example, there are 22 people in the entire "Sunrise Island" who hold the title of "Master Tempura Chef".

The competition is held every three years, and the bottom 5 lose their titles and are demoted to "Master Chefs," with new people taking their place.

Based on the "title inheritance system," a special chef culture has developed in the history of the "Island of the Rising Sun."

It is called "Food Wars", which is also the original prototype of "Food Wars" in a classic urban work.

After years of development, "Cooking Battle" has also been divided into three modes in "Sunrise Island": "Honor Battle", "Title Battle" and "Deathmatch".

"Battle for Honor" means that a chef stakes his honor in a battle against other chefs.

Generally speaking, the duels are between the "Sun Stars".

This is essentially "Sunrise Island's" professional rating of the kitchen; the more stars, the better the chef or their team.

In recent years, new chefs have appeared on the market selling "Star of the Day," so the "Honor Battle" challenge mode has become practically dead.

Whether internally or overseas, recognition of "Sun Star" has greatly declined.

They just try to scam foreign tourists who don't understand their culture, and then try to rip off as much as they can.

The "title battle" is very formal and requires a fair hearing by the Food Association.

Generally, it is only extremely talented "front-of-the-board" geniuses who choose this battle mode in order to quickly rise to the top.

Challengers challenge either the "famous chef" or the "head chef of the main family" (but cannot directly challenge the god of cooking), using their own "Itamoto-mae" title as a wager.

If the challenge is successful, the challenger takes over the title of "Master Chef" or "Head Chef of the Family," while the challenged chef is demoted to "Kitchen Head Chef."

If the challenge fails, the challenger will lose the title of "front-of-house chef" and be banned from taking cooking exams for two years. After two years, they will have to start taking exams from the "outer worker" position.

In other words, if a challenger fails in a "title battle" once, they will have worked for free for at least 5 years.

At first glance, this "title battle" seems like a trap, but considering the actual situation of "Sunrise Island", it is actually the most reasonable approach.

Because the "Master Chef of the Clan" is an elimination system, only a few people can be eliminated each year, making it a highly competitive process.

The remaining "master chefs of the main family" may have the title, but they are prone to regressing or stagnating after obtaining it.

They blocked the way for others to come up, effectively shutting down the promotion path for chefs in the central part of "Sunrise Island".

Many chefs hate them so much they want to kick them out and replace them.

At worst, if I fail, I can switch from Japanese cuisine to Western cuisine. Anyway, I still have the skills, and it's much easier to pass the exams for Western cuisine.

Of course, all this introduction isn't for the sake of "Morikami Mi".

She's just a "front-line fighter," and her strength is at most "Level 4 in China." Apart from her rather bizarre personal experiences, she's not worth Xia Ming's too much attention.

Xia Ming was more interested in the name below "Mori Shangmei".

"Kiyozo Koyama"

According to the information, he is the "master chef of the family" of "sea fish".

She is also the most watched contestant from "Sunrise Island" in this variety show competition.

At the age of 25, he successfully challenged the former "Master Chef of the Main Family," causing a sensation on the island of sunrise.

Over seven years, he fought a total of 34 "title battles," sending 34 geniuses back to start over.

It has firmly established its status as a "master chef of seafood" and is now ranked 36th on the "Chef's Ranking," a unique ranking system in the "Island of the Rising Sun."

It is even more highly regarded than the "Rice Ball Immortal" (the god of cooking).

His purpose in participating in this variety show was not for the prize money for first place.

Rather, it was to challenge "Tan Zhifeng".

Qiao Ruoning spoke as she drove.

"Back then, Tan Zhifeng utterly crushed Koyama Seizo with his saury at the 'Sunrise Island Comprehensive Competition,' and that guy held a grudge for four whole years."

"During this period, he repeatedly challenged Tan Zhifeng to a 'death match,' betting the reputations of chefs from both countries in another duel."

"Tan Zhifeng, as the one being challenged, did not want to gamble with the nation's honor by undertaking a personal culinary challenge, so he kept putting it off."

"Until this time, the first place prize had a note that allowed the winner to choose one of the fixed judges to challenge."

"That's why Seizo Koyama participated as the 'Head Chef of the Main Family'."

"According to the information, he is very skilled with a sword and has studied Japanese Iaijutsu. With a suitable weapon, he is a formidable fighter."

At this point, Qiao Ruoning skillfully drove around a corner.

"According to the rules set for this program, contestants can only bring one 'kitchen knife' and one 'competition knife,' and then they have to choose two 'essential items.'"

"Firestone, small pot, bottled water, etc."

"Once a choice is made, it cannot be changed."

"It is highly likely that Seizo Koyama will choose a Japanese sword or a machete to deal with any unexpected situation."

"The show's rules do not completely prohibit chefs from fighting each other."

"So Xia Ming, no matter what, it's best to stay away from Gu Shanqing. He's too dangerous."

Hearing Qiao Ruoning's words, Xia Ming smiled.

He wasn't interested in the feud between this guy and Tan Zhifeng. As long as it didn't interfere with his goals, he wouldn't take the initiative to clash with him.

But what if he's blind and takes the initiative to approach Xia Ming?

Well, that's hard to say!
Just as the two were chatting, a gasp came from the tablet in Xia Ming's hand.

"Oh my god, 'Miao Zeyang' has been overtaken in progress."

"The 'Lakota' contestant, 25-year-old 'Maka Aya,' redeemed the 'Black Clay Pot' before him."

"As expected of the champion of the Wilderness Hunter recipe competition, what surprises will this genius girl bring us this time?"

Just as Xia Ming looked at the dark brown skin of "Maka Aya" in front of him and raised his eyebrows.

Qiao Ruoning also stopped the car.

"Let's go to the waiting area first. The preliminary rounds will be held domestically, but that's where we'll be recording our first round of the main episodes."

"But it started with 'New Zealand'."

(End of this chapter)