Who gave this heretical practitioner permission to cook?

Chapter 198 Inconsistent Judging Standards: Is Xia Ming Getting Taken Advantage Of Again? (4K Second Update)
"My dish combines local specialties, blending 'Kawakava' with roasted wild boar meat for a wild and unrestrained flavor!"

I named it "Pepper Kava Wild Boar Smoked Skewers".

Unlike "One Meal to Fame", in "Wild West Kitchen", each person has about 20 seconds to describe the idea and characteristics of the dish when it is presented.

Of course, this is not to please the judges, but simply to take care of the netizens watching the live stream off-camera.

As she introduced the dishes, netizens also saw what she presented.

[IP Hua: This dish looks incredibly wild!!]

[IP Eagle: Does this taste like homemade kebabs I grill in my backyard?]

[IP Eagle: Wild boar meat looks very tough; it must be hard to chew!]

[IP Hua: My God, grilling wild boar over charcoal? Are you kidding me? That stuff smells so strong, who could possibly eat it!]

[IP Bear: This is how we've always eaten it here! A little sauce, and it's incredibly delicious!]

[IP Hua: As a hunter who has eaten castrated wild boar, wild boar, and domestic pigs in my younger days, I think wild boar does have flavor, but that gamey smell is really something else. Even soaking it in cooking wine for two days won't get rid of it!]

The comments were actually correct; the gamey smell of wild boar meat is difficult to remove, and the meat is not suitable for grilling.

But Maka also had her own ideas.

The Lakotas are a representative indigenous group of the Northern Eagles. They used to live by fishing, hunting, and small-scale farming around Lake Superior.

However, for various reasons, they were later forced to migrate westward and eventually became a nomadic hunting civilization.

Maca has spent her life in the plains and mountains since birth.

Therefore, various kinds of wild animal meat were her daily food.

"Bison jerky patties", "Wild boar jerky patties", "Berry corn pudding", "Meat stew".
Because of the barrenness, the Maka tribe has relied on supplies provided by their superiors since childhood.

It contains many fatty and high-sugar foods.
As a result, she, who has a great talent for cooking, learned to use natural oils and sugars to process meat from a very young age.

Previously, her tribe also had a practice of using honey to tenderize wild boar meat.

She felt that although the people of Maochi preferred salt and pepper, they should also be able to accept honey.

Therefore, soaking the wild boar meat in honey water to remove its pungent taste and break down the proteins to make the meat more tender is a perfectly reasonable approach.

After all, the incredibly tough texture of wild boar meat was something she felt it was difficult to remove simply by roasting it in a pit.

But the judges clearly didn't think so.

The food made with maca seemed far too rudimentary to the judges from the six countries.

The "Tan Zhifeng (Huaxia)" had a distinctly fishy and pungent smell, and there were still some parts inside that were not fully cooked. The "Mina (Yazhong)" was even more difficult to swallow, especially considering its outer shell.

Grant (the eagle) symbolically ate a piece and discovered that Maca's cooking skills were not excellent; he was able to pass the previous levels purely because of his excellent ability to obtain ingredients.

The same is true of Yamamoto Kawaiji (Japan).

He felt that Maca was an excellent warrior, a very good gourmet hunter, but definitely not a chef.

However, "Wallen (India)" had a good opinion of it. He felt that maca's cuisine was very unique, and the way honey was used to tenderize wild boar meat was also uncommon in his mind.

Upon hearing this, the remaining five judges fell silent.
The situation surrounding "Tan Zhifeng (Huaxia)" has become even more chaotic.

The method of using honey to tenderize meat dates back to the late Shang Dynasty in ancient China.

Let's not even talk about the fact that Chinese history predates Rome, the vast territory of Africa, the North Pacific, the Mediterranean, and Central Asia.
There's nowhere you can't find it.
In your mouth, "Valen (Indian)," it becomes something uncommon, right?
"No wonder chefs around the world don't think much of you; you Borneo people are really disappointing."

Although he was a little helpless, Tan Zhifeng had a good attitude. He had been a judge for a long time and had seen people even dumber than "Wallen (India)".

Previously, when I was a judge in mainland China alongside a Hong Kong celebrity female chef with the same surname.
The person even directly revealed two famous internet memes during the show.

I think your presentation of the sauerkraut fish was poor; it shows a lack of understanding of Chinese cuisine.

When I eat this fish and see the bones sticking out, I feel like the fish has been wasted.

Compared to the guy who started spouting nonsense after getting a Michelin chef's certificate, "Valen (India)" is at most a bit ignorant.

In fact, if you consider him as a comedic chef who comes in as an amateur to liven up the atmosphere, he is actually quite dedicated.

Maka's grilled meat didn't receive a standout performance from the multinational chefs, and it also got unanimous negative reviews from the locals.

The honey did remove some of the wild boar flavor, but not completely, so the local judges were in a Schrödinger's cat-like state when they tasted it.

The meat didn't taste like the wild boar meat they usually eat, and the flavor wasn't what they were used to. Most importantly, the inside wasn't cooked through.

In the local area, eating undercooked meat carries extremely high risks.

Before the production crew arrived, there was no mention of quarantine. Locals, fearing the spread of infectious diseases or other issues after hunting, would always ensure the game was fully cooked.

This can at least prevent most dangerous situations.
As for the meat being a little dry, they've gotten used to it.
But that doesn't mean they don't like to eat good, tender meat.

Locally, there is a breed of pig called "Kunekune," which means "round and fat pig." This is a small, plump domestic pig that is very rare and was once almost extinct.

In the eyes of the Maoli tribe, this pig is the ultimate symbol of "nature and deliciousness". Although it cannot be obtained by hunting because it is protected, it is a representative of cultural heritage.

Every year, the authorities provide the tribe with two ecologically raised "Kunekune" animals for their grandest ceremonies.

Because the amount of meat was limited, even the tribal chief couldn't eat it whenever he wanted.

So even when the production crew came, the tribe didn't bring out the "Kunekune" pig to entertain everyone, but instead chose "wild boar meat" to represent "courage".

This only reflects the environment; it doesn't mean they are barbarians who don't understand food and can't tell the difference between good and bad pork.
As for why honey isn't used to soften the pork beforehand, it's due to traditional methods.

Even if it's softened, if you bury it in a pit and let it simmer for too long, it will become tough and dry, and it will just leave other ingredients with the taste of honey.

So maca's cooking is really not their type.

Unlike many programs in China, this competition has 11 judges, so the production team has set a 9-point system.

That is, the judges give scores from 0 to 9, with the lowest score being 0 and the highest being 99.

Perhaps this is also because, given the national boundaries of food flavors, there is no absolute perfect score.
Therefore, under such scoring criteria...

The first to take the stage, Maka, won first place with her "Pepper Cava Wild Boar Smoked Skewers".
【43 minutes】

If we judge it by China's passing score of 60 points, then it's definitely a failing grade!
Fortunately, the first round of "New Zealand Blue" was an introductory round with no elimination mechanism, mainly to let the invited players get a feel for the atmosphere.

Otherwise, with this score, he could pack up and go home right now.

After Maca's test, the other contestants seemed to sense some hidden rules from the judges.

Xia Ming kept track of the time while summarizing in his mind.

"Among the judges from multiple countries, there is one judge for Chinese cuisine and five judges for Western cuisine, so it seems that Western cuisine has the advantage."

"But in fact, their judging criteria do not come from the international itself, but from the taste and technique."

"Leaving aside that comical Brahman man."

"Chef Tan represents the complexity of Chinese culinary techniques and the inclusiveness of ingredients."

"The 'Grant' represents Michelin's consistent arrogance towards taste."

"Tommaier represents a pursuit of aesthetic beauty in both art and food."

"Yamamoto Kawaiji represents the meticulousness and dedication to craftsmanship in cooking." "Mina represents the combination of cuisine and pharmacy."

Xia Ming knew that everyone has their own preferences, and it was a bit of a stretch to expect to conquer the stomachs of different regions of the world with a single, prescribed dish.

Therefore, the majority of the points actually come from the locals.

For the indigenous people who have always eaten these foods, "innovation and tradition" are the things they perceive most quickly.

"Therefore, the core of scoring in this variety show is not to please everyone, but to satisfy the requirements of the judges in front as much as possible while ensuring the flavor and tradition of the five local judges."

In Xia Ming's view, Maka's mistakes cannot be called arrogance, but rather a subjective conjecture that imposes his will on others.

It is often shortened to "self-righteous".

Xia Ming has an unparalleled advantage in this regard, because in his eyes, all cuisines from around the world are treated equally.

For Xia Ming, who was born in the Nine Provinces, the so-called Western food, Chinese food, and French food are just different habits and techniques.

Of course, he also acknowledged that Chinese cuisine, due to its historical development, is more profound than other cuisines in many aspects.

But this doesn't mean he won't learn from the techniques and flavors of other countries.
After confirming the judges' performance, Xia Ming took one last look at the two scalding hot pits in front of him.

"As for the answers to the other questions, I'll probably have to ask you to."

On the judges' panel, following Maca, four or five more contestants served their dishes.

However, the situation was not very good. Even though they received scores from some individual judges from multiple countries, the evaluations from the local judges were still not high.

Sama sighed and gave a "teriyaki eel" dish a score of 6. In her opinion, these chefs from out of town were sometimes just too full of ideas.

"They don't fully understand our local specialties, yet they insist on innovating."

Sama didn't know if the outside world liked to eat such strange fusion dishes, but here, many of the added flavors were completely unnecessary.

"Is there no one who can do something excellent based on our traditional cuisine?"

Just as she was muttering to herself, a familiar "Hmm" aroma suddenly wafted from the direction of the "kitchen".

The flavor wasn't complicated, but it was incredibly fragrant, and the local judges all looked up at it after smelling it.

They discovered that Xia Ming was using a wooden stick to retrieve the roll from the pit.

Sama smiled when he saw the meat roll hanging from a stick.

"It may seem a bit spicy, but that's the taste!"

The soldier standing nearby smiled.

"This fragrance is a bit too strong for me; it would probably be too overpowering for my grandma!"

"It's already excellent. Although the taste is not quite the same, the other parts are basically the same."

Just as the local judges were smiling and waiting for Xia Ming to serve the dishes he had prepared,

Xia Ming smoothly removed a portion of the meat from the inside, cut it into small pieces following the shape of the previous knife cuts, and then squeezed a little lemon juice onto a few pieces.

Upon seeing his action, Grant (the Eagle) on the judges' panel nodded slightly.

Yamamoto Kawaiji (Japanese) frowned slightly.

Xia Ming glanced at the judges' table a few times, then reached out and stuffed the pieces of meat into his mouth.

"???"

The local judges were a bit bewildered by what they saw.

"No, what is he doing?"

Sama blinked, then smiled and spoke.

"They're probably doing a taste test. After all, it's their first time making 'Hengyi,' so they definitely need to taste it to see if it's cooked through and if the texture is right."

The soldier was a little confused.

"But 'Hmph' is made in one pot, so even if he tastes it and finds a problem, there's probably no way to put the meat back!"

"But putting everything else aside, the aroma of potatoes, combined with the smell of wild boar meat, is indeed invigorating."

The priestess sitting to the side pursed her lips slightly.

"I hope you don't add too much lemon juice after 'Hum' is done; I don't like the added fruit acidity."

"It should be optional."

Sama replied uncertainly.

Just as she finished speaking, Xia Ming took another small piece of meat, quickly sliced ​​it into thin slices, and then used the slices to make a small flower.

Seeing the exquisite technique, Sama's eyes lit up; she liked the shape of the flower.
I prefer the thickness
She had never eaten wild boar meat sliced ​​so thinly before.

The soldier standing nearby was also surprised. The last time he had seen meat sliced ​​so thinly was at a grand celebration, when the chief distributed ham slices.

Although it was a bit salty, he thought it was really delicious.

Next to the local judges, "Mina (Yazhong)" smiled and chatted with Tan Zhifeng next to her.

"This chef seems to have excellent knife skills; I remember you thought highly of him!"

Tan Zhifeng smiled and nodded.

"Yes, he's very good. His cooking is delicious, and you'll be able to taste it soon."

Mina (Yazhong) nodded.

"Yes, I like his floral designs; they make the dishes look better."

As the two were talking, "Tang Maiye" on the other side of Tan Zhifeng also joined the conversation.

“I would think it would be very elegant to use such flowers to decorate dishes, just like you, Mina.”

Hearing what "Tang Maier" said, Tan Zhifeng's expression remained unchanged, but he almost couldn't hold back his emotions.

To be honest, he hadn't met many Gauls who could speak corny pickup lines without any restraint.

Just as he was drawn to the two of them, the local judges noticed something was amiss.

After Xia Ming finished cutting the flowers, he tried dipping the wild boar meat in salt and coating it with oil. He kept doing some strange little things.

I don't know what he was doing, but every time he finished, he would put the wild boar meat in his mouth and eat it.

Judging from her expression, she showed no intention of sharing with the judges.
Other viewers in the live stream were also a bit confused by his move and were speculating about his intentions.

Only those who watched his live streams during the "New Chef Competition" period managed to glean a clue.

No, not at this time.

[Xia Ming, even while overseas, probably didn't forget about his work meals, right?]

(End of this chapter)