Food Wars, My Dishes Don't Just Shine

　At this moment, these little elves held emerald green feathers in their hands, flying around her in all directions, while gently brushing her body with the feathers, bringing a ticklish sensation and a faint, strange feeling.

　"This is really good! I didn't expect that even the street food in Fuzhou could be so delicious!"

　Erina Nakiri opened her eyes and exclaimed from the bottom of her heart.

　"No one buys anything that doesn't taste good, especially classic snacks like these. Most of the vendors are older chefs who have been in the business for over a decade or two and are highly skilled in their respective fields. How could they possibly make something that doesn't taste good?"

　Kawanoka finished the remaining oyster omelet.

　Guang scanned the entire street. Most of the vendors were chefs over thirty; there were very few young people.

　"Most teenagers and young adults in their twenties work as apprentices in restaurants. Even those who come from untrained backgrounds find no customers when they set up stalls. After a while, they naturally switch to other jobs because they're losing money."

　Bai Yuan's voice slowly rose as well. In this world that places great importance on food, being a chef has become the profession with the best employment prospects.

　This has led to a large influx of people into the culinary industry. Some rely on family backgrounds and rise rapidly with the help of their families; while others invest a lot of time and energy, but due to a lack of talent and connections, they end up achieving nothing and have no choice but to change careers.

　If one can become a first-class chef before the age of thirty, one can be called a genius; with extreme effort, one may become a master chef.

　Nowadays, most of the street vendors are former employees of major restaurants. They may not be highly skilled chefs, but they certainly have their own unique expertise, which is the foundation of their livelihood.

　"Is it possible to create dishes that far surpass the level of a chef by dedicating one's entire life to mastering only one dish?"

　Erina Nakiri seemed stunned, muttering to herself. She couldn't imagine what it would be like to cook only one dish for a lifetime—how boring would that be?

　"In fact, many people try to create innovative dishes after accumulating enough experience. However, due to the lack of mature technology, very few people succeed."

　See that shop over there? It's been open for decades. It used to serve Hong Kong-style roast meats, and the authentic flavor was highly praised.

　Later, when the old man who was in charge of the business passed away, his son took over as the new owner and insisted on changing the original recipe, resulting in the business plummeting.

　Don't be fooled by the fact that there are still quite a few customers; most of them come because of its reputation, and the original loyal customers are almost gone. This shop is only keeping going thanks to its founders' fame; it won't last more than a few years before it goes out of business.

　Kawanoka pointed to a shop not far away and said, "This is actually quite a sad thing. The legacy of the older generation is gradually fading away, and the younger generation is not keeping up. More and more famous old shops are closing down."

　"Yes, there is no such thing as an immortal legacy. If a rebellious person comes out after three or five generations, all the foundation built up by our ancestors will be destroyed."

　"We'll still need to establish a family line, with generations to come. Even if some descendants don't want to be chefs, there will be many more willing to take their place."

　After listening to Kawahira's story, Nakiri Erina spoke with some emotion. In that instant, she suddenly understood why her ancestors had founded the family.

　Even if the Nakiri family falls into poverty, they will still have top-tier chefs in the family, and as long as the root doesn't have any problems, they can continue to pass on their skills.

　“I totally agree.”

　As an heir to a large family, Kawahiko nodded in agreement, but Alice had vanished at that moment.

　Bai Yuan looked around for a while before realizing that she had actually run to the small roast meat shop that Chuan Linghua had pointed out earlier and bought a portion of roast meat from the shopkeeper.

　"Go and try it."

　Seeing that Alice Nakiri had already taken her seat, Bai Yuan and the others had no choice but to follow.

　However, he also became somewhat curious about how badly it had been modified for Kawahira to consider it a disgrace to the family and think that it would soon go out of business.

　"Are you going to eat here tonight?"

　Kawano Rinka paused for a moment, then reluctantly followed, ordered a roast goose at the counter, and sat down opposite Shirai Ayumi to wait.

　"Give it a try. Traditional Hong Kong-style roast meats are not only savory and rich, but also sweet and fresh."

　After being roasted at high temperatures, its outer skin forms a golden, crispy crust. You can even clearly hear a "crunch" when you bite into it, creating a striking contrast between the crispy exterior and the tender, juicy interior!

　Not long after Bai Yuan finished speaking, a waiter came over carrying several plates of different roast meats, including roast goose, roast duck, roast sausage, and char siu pork.

　"These are the meals you ordered, please check them."

　The waiter handed the menu to Bai Yuan, clearly recognizing him as the person in charge.

　"no problem."

　After a quick glance, Bai Yuan nodded to indicate that there was no problem. The waiter then put down the roast meat and served several bowls of rice as a complimentary dish.

　"Rose petals..."

　Looking at the rose petals scattered on the roast meat, Chuanlinghua couldn't help but murmur aloud.

　"Judging from its appearance alone, this dish looks quite interesting and could be considered an innovative dish. However, a definitive evaluation can only be made after tasting it..."

　Bai Yuan stroked his chin, carefully examining the dish in front of him. Judging from its appearance, it was indeed quite good, and the aroma was exceptionally rich, giving it a fresh feel.

　"Although it looks quite creative, the flaws are also obvious. The roses are treated quite cleanly, but they have lost their original vibrant color under high temperatures."

　Furthermore, the amount of rose petals used was excessive, resulting in an overly strong aroma that masked the natural saltiness and meatiness of the roast meat, leading to an unbalanced flavor.

　Bai Yuan leaned in to smell it, savoring its flavor, and then pointed out the dish's shortcomings in front of everyone.

　The innovative idea was certainly good, but the chef in charge of this dish was clearly not skilled enough to perfect it to the ideal state, resulting in a dish that was neither good nor bad.

　"The aroma of the petals is too strong, which may cause the floral fragrance to overpower the original flavor of the roast meat."

　Upon tasting, the first thing you notice is a strong rose aroma, which masks the salty and meaty flavors of the roast meat.

　It retains the flavor of traditional roasted meats.

　Erina Nakiri picked up a piece of char siu and put it in her mouth. The aroma of roses instantly exploded in her mouth, bringing an unprecedented and novel experience.

　However, as far as char siu is concerned, the aroma of roses is too strong, masking the original deliciousness of the char siu and making the dish no longer resemble char siu.

　"The taste is okay, but it definitely doesn't qualify as char siu, and it doesn't deserve the name char siu."

　Bai Yuan said in a cold tone.

　To be fair, this dish may have reached the standard of a first-class dish in terms of taste, but it has deviated from the essence of char siu.

　This explains why the shop, despite losing some old customers, can still attract new ones. Perhaps changing their sign from "Hong Kong Style Roast Meat" to "Rose Roast Pork" would be more appropriate.

　"Waiter, could you please bring me a piece of paper and a pen?"

　Bai Yuan waved to the waiter, then picked up another piece of roast duck and put it in his mouth.

　The next moment, he shook his head. He tasted a slightly burnt, bitter flavor in the roast duck, most likely from the rose petals charring during the roasting process.

　Not only was the recipe improvement less than ideal, but the chefs preparing the dishes weren't very dedicated either. No wonder its reputation among regular customers is getting worse and worse.

　"Here's some paper and a pen, guest."

　A few minutes later, the waiter came up with paper and pen and handed them to him very respectfully with both hands.

　"Okay, thank you."

　Bai Yuan nodded slightly in thanks and took the paper and pen from the waiter.

　The excellent service is the only standout feature of this restaurant. The proportion of young customers here is much higher than in other places, which is probably part of the reason.

　"That's fine..."

　Looking at the blank paper in front of him, and then at the remaining roast meat, Bai Yuan wrote two sentences clearly on the paper before stopping.

　If the restaurant owner is willing to listen to his suggestions and improve the dishes, these two sentences are enough to take the restaurant's business to the next level.

　If they are unwilling, then no matter how many suggestions he writes, it will be of no use.

　Just stop there.

　They tucked the note under the plate; the roast meat in front of them was finished. Luckily, they hadn't ordered much; this meal was just enough to fill their stomachs.

　After paying, the four of them left the shop...

Chapter 234 Prediction: Crab Season

　When the waiter came to clear the plate, he was surprised to find a note under the plate.

　She hesitated for a moment, unsure of what to do, then carefully picked up the note, quickly walked to the kitchen, and handed it to the busy owner—the restaurant's head chef.

　"Boss, a customer left a note after finishing their meal."

　At the kitchen door, a waiter hurriedly pushed open the door, holding up a note in his hand.

　"A note? Read it to me." The boss looked up, turned to look at the waiter, and frowned slightly.

　He was tall, about 1.85 meters, with well-defined muscles on his arms, and was currently busy processing the ingredients in his hands.

　"A note? A restaurant review? It's not going to be another one criticizing our food for not being right, is it?"

　"That's possible. I've received two such cases this month already, both from the same old customers. I didn't expect to still have regular customers..."

　The conversation between the two caught the attention of the other chefs in the kitchen. They didn't stop what they were doing, but glanced at the note in the waiter's hand out of the corner of their eyes, waiting curiously.

　"Your roast meat has an overpowering rose fragrance, the petals turn black after roasting, and it has a bitter aftertaste. This is not what good roast meat should be like."

　I suggest you preserve the rose petals in sugar to make rose syrup, which can be used instead of sugar in roasted meats, or mix it with the marinade to allow the aroma to permeate evenly.

　Add rose petals during the final stage of baking to prevent them from burning at high temperatures, which would make the dish bitter or cause it to lose its aroma and unique flavor.

　The waiter read the contents of the note aloud, and the previously noisy scene instantly fell silent. Everyone looked at the restaurant owner with strange eyes, waiting for his answer.

　This rose-flavored roast meat is the owner's masterpiece. Regardless of whether the customers are satisfied or not, he is at least quite satisfied with it. Now, to receive such a comment and even receive a note asking him to improve, is undoubtedly a provocation!

　"These are indeed very constructive suggestions, and they are nine-tenths similar to what I thought of last week but haven't had time to put into practice yet."

　This is a rare opportunity, give it a try now!

　The boss smiled, ignoring the provocation hidden in the note, and took out sugar from under the counter, preparing to improve upon Bai Yuan's method.

　He was indeed somewhat concerned about saving face, and originally wanted to give them a piece of his mind after hearing their suggestions. However, after hearing their proposed improvement, he changed his mind and simply insisted that he had also thought of this solution before.

　Nowadays, the restaurant's business is getting worse and worse. Although it did a wave of online promotion and attracted a lot of traffic, it also attracted a lot of abuse.

　Everyone's saying that the roast meats in his restaurant don't taste right. Even if they barely reach the level of first-class cuisine, they're still substandard roast meats.

　With this in mind, the boss's eyes hardened. He took a deep breath and began to try out the new recipe step by step, following the advice on the note.

　Perhaps this note is the turning point he has been longing for.

　After leaving the roast meat shop, Bai Yuan went to eat seven-star fish balls and satay noodles under the guidance of Chuan Linghua.

　The shop is located at the end of a secluded alley, if not for

　With Kawanobi leading the way, Bai Yuan and the others could never find it.

　Surprisingly, despite being located in a secluded alley, the shop was quite popular with customers.

　The owner is an elderly man in his seventies who is always busy in the kitchen, where the aroma is constantly filling the air. Customers have to queue up to get their food, and each person is limited to one serving.

　I queued for about half an hour.

　Bai Yuan finally got to eat satay noodles and seven-star fish balls, and was surprised to find that the seemingly ordinary dishes actually reached the level of a special grade four star.