Food Wars, My Dishes Don't Just Shine

　Although I don't understand it,

　But it looks amazing! They've chosen so many ingredients. Are they going to use all of them in the cooking? It sounds fantastic!

　"This is much better than the previous contestant who was just slacking off. This young man has his own ideas. I wonder what kind of dish he will serve up. I'm looking forward to it."

　On the big screen, Soma Yukihira walks back and forth in the market, looking left and right, occasionally picking up ingredients and examining them for a long time, as if he is thinking about something.

　The surrounding audience, observing his expression, couldn't help but start discussing it. Compared to Erina Nakiri, who seemed clueless about what to do, Soma Yukihira's performance was simply outstanding.

　"Brother Bai Yuan, what kind of dish do you think he's going to cook?"

　Unaware of Yukihira Soma's thoughts but curious, Nakiri Alice looked at Shirai and asked the question.

　"How could I possibly see that it's only at this stage? Don't try to mythologize me, you idiot."

　Bai Yuan glanced at Nakiri Alice speechlessly. This was nothing. How could he possibly tell the difference from the few ingredients Yukihira bought?

　"Hmm, can't you tell?"

　Alice Nakiri grunted, seemingly unconcerned, and immediately refocused her attention on the large screen.

　On the other side of Soma Yukihira.

　"It tastes great. The unique aroma of millet is brought out, and the combination with sunflower seeds and peanuts provides a unique flavor and texture."

　Looking at the small and delicate millet pastry in her hand, Erina Nakiri couldn't help but comment on it.

　Every bite reveals the distinct grainy texture of millet, delicate yet chewy, accompanied by a subtle caramel aroma.

　"Crispy and fragrant, millet..."

　Suddenly, Erina Nakiri felt as if she had been electrocuted; her hands stopped moving abruptly, and she seemed to freeze.

　National prosperity and people's well-being are not only reflected by national prosperity, but conversely, people's well-being can also demonstrate national prosperity! The two are inherently symbiotic!

　And the best way to show peace and security is through food!

　Only when the problem of food and clothing is solved can people live in peace and multiply, leading to various forms of entertainment, and only then can society truly achieve stability.

　This is what is meant by peace and security for the people.

　"Rice, wheat, corn, sweet potatoes, potatoes..."

　A bunch of easy-to-grow, high-yield whole grains quickly flashed through her mind. Nakiri Erina stared blankly, ignoring the uncle selling millet cakes, and strode towards the market.

　May the country be prosperous and the people at peace, and may the harvests be plentiful.

　With food, the people live in peace; with the people living in peace, the country prospers.

　Before long, Erina Nakiri arrived at the market. Vendors were calling out their wares, and pedestrians were coming and going. Everyone's face was filled with enthusiasm and anticipation for the future—a beautiful picture of peaceful and prosperous life...

　Okay, all of this is just Erina Nakiri's imagination.

　The truth is that there are hardly any people in the market at 1 p.m., just a few scattered people, and no one is there to greet them.

　As soon as Erina Nakiri arrived, she saw the stall owners gathered together, chatting idly.

　Her arrival roused the previously listless stall owners, who put down their sunflower seeds and peanuts and turned their attention to her.

　The reason was simple: Erina Nakiri was followed by a long line of cameras and microphones, with name tags that read "Fujian Youth Chef Competition," making her very eye-catching.

　This is a great opportunity to become famous!

　This thought crossed everyone's mind.

　Immediately afterwards, the stall owners who had been gathered together dispersed, returned to their respective positions, took a sip of water, and opened their throats to the maximum.

　"Hey—fresh Chinese cabbage! Just pulled from the ground, so juicy, you could squeeze water out of a single leaf!"

　Zhang Qiang's voice was like an incredibly sharp knife, slicing through the tranquil atmosphere.

　Old Wang, the fishmonger next door, heard his voice and wasn't about to be outdone. He yelled back, "A lively carp! Look at how energetically it's wagging its tail!"

　Old Zhang picked up a large cabbage and weighed it in his hand: "Look at the weight and the quality! Three yuan a pound, buy two pounds and get half a pound free!"

　His voice rose and fell, like he was singing an impromptu aria, which immediately caught Erina Nakiri's attention. She looked at the cabbage in his hand, which was indeed the best quality in the entire stall.

　Just then, Old Li, who was selling tomatoes across the street, chimed in: "Old Zhang, no matter how fresh your cabbages are, can they be as fresh as my tomatoes? They were just picked this morning, and they're as red as lanterns!" As he spoke, he picked up a tomato and waved it under the light. "Look at this bright red skin, this plumpness, it's so sweet it'll make your teeth ache if you eat it raw!"

　Seeing that Erina Nakiri's gaze had been drawn to him, Zhang Qiang immediately retorted, "Hey Lao Li, no matter how red your tomatoes are, can they be as pleasing to the eye as my spinach?"

　He grabbed a handful of vibrant green spinach. "Look at these leaves, how fresh and tender they are! They're great for replenishing iron and blood, perfect for young girls!"

　"Your methods won't work. Look at my carrots, they're crisp and sweet, perfect for stews and stir-fries!"

　Seeing how lively the scene was, Old Zhou, who was selling carrots nearby, also joined in the fray.

　He broke off a carrot and glanced at Erina Nakiri out of the corner of his eye. When she looked over, he quickly said, "Listen to that sound, how crisp it is!"

　This bustling scene was just a small part of the market; those further back, seeing her arrive and facing the cameras and microphones, all wanted to say a few words.

　Erina Nakiri's expression was subtle as she watched the stall owner suddenly become lively.

　The stall owners all wanted to present themselves as conspicuously as possible, standing upright and trying to...

　They would present themselves and their stall in front of the camera, reciting the same sales pitches they usually used to entice customers to spend money, thus attracting business for themselves.

　Erina Nakiri wandered through the market, ignoring those who greeted her, her hawk-like gaze sweeping over the various vegetable stalls.

　As a chef, she prefers to trust her own judgment rather than the boss's introduction.

　Soon, Erina Nakiri gathered all sorts of ingredients into her basket, each one of the highest quality, which was her basic requirement for selecting ingredients.

　"Corn, sweet potatoes, potatoes, pumpkin, edamame, and pork belly—what are we going to make?"

　At the competition, some spectators noticed the ingredients chosen by Erina Nakiri and couldn't help but mutter curiously.

　"Vegetable stew with meat? But what does that have to do with national peace and prosperity..."

　The audience watched the big screen and started discussing again, speculating about what kind of dish Erina Nakiri wanted to make, given the ingredients she had chosen.

　On the surface, some fruits and vegetables seem to have nothing to do with national prosperity and peace.

　"I see. Corn, sweet potatoes, potatoes, pumpkins, and edamame are all coarse grains, which are high-yield foods that people can use to fill their stomachs."

　This is a fairly conventional idea, using the characters "民安" (Min An) to correspond with the theme.

　On the judges' panel, Tan Guai stroked his chin and explained Nakiri Erina's strategy.

　"It's already quite impressive that you can think of these things. In ancient times, any emperor who could ensure that his people had enough to eat was already considered to have made a great achievement for generations to come."

　Beside him, Zhang Zhong watched the live stream and offered his comments.

　The contestant's approach was very much in line with the theme, and he even carefully chose whole grains to make the ingredients more accessible to ordinary people rather than to merchants or officials.

　After all, people who can't even afford to eat can't afford to eat refined grains; most of them can only eat coarse grains to fill their stomachs.

　During famine years, there was no coarse grain available, and people could only eat tree bark, grass roots, or even clay to fill their stomachs.

　"I'm really looking forward to it. I wonder what kind of dish she will bring us."

　Su Yan lightly touched her lips with her finger, her voice tinged with a hint of joy.

　The Young Chef Competition is essentially a fierce collision of ideas, and they won't be surprised no matter what kind of dish the chefs serve.

　"Speaking of which, the young man next to me seems to be planning to start with vegetables as well."

　Their gazes shifted and they saw Soma Yukihira picking out vegetables. His soft voice, though not loud, drew the attention of the others.

　"Indeed, Soma Yukihira chose spinach and pumpkin, as well as a range of ingredients suitable for making desserts, such as roses and white chocolate."

　It's clear he wants to make desserts, desserts related to the theme of national peace and prosperity? I've never heard of such things before, it's quite intriguing.

　Tan Guai's voice rang out again, tinged with surprise.

　"Desserts? Indeed, most of the ingredients chosen by Soma Yukihira are related to desserts. Filled pastries? Or shaped pastries? I'm really looking forward to it."

　Su Yan's tone was light and cheerful, with a hint of excitement in it.

　If Soma Yukihira were to make desserts, that would be exactly her area of ​​expertise, allowing her to offer many suggestions – wouldn't that be a perfect match for her major?!

　"Wait, are they planning to come back?"

　It's only been half an hour since it started, half of that time was spent on the road, and the actual time spent selecting ingredients was no more than fifteen minutes. Why was it so fast? Did they really not give it any thought at all?

　As if she had thought of something, Su Yan picked up her phone and was even more surprised when she saw the time displayed on it.

　"It should be, but why don't you check it? You seem quite confident in yourself."

　"Isn't that how a chef should be?"

　As the judges watched Erina Nakiri and Soma Yukihira rushing back on the big screen, they commented on their actions one after another.

　Because the two of them had only been gone for half an hour from the time they went out until their return.

　This is rare even in the history of the competition.

　Since it was a themed dish, the contestants were extremely careful in selecting ingredients, fearing that any omissions would affect the subsequent dishes.

　Looking at the two people in front of me, they were calm and composed. After buying the ingredients, they rushed back without stopping, as if someone was chasing them.

　"It seems that the total time for buying ingredients and cooking was three hours. They probably wanted to buy the ingredients as quickly as possible and come back to cook."

　Soon, followed by the camera crew, everyone watched the live video and saw Soma Yukihira and Erina Nakiri return to the arena within two minutes of each other.

　They exchanged a glance, said nothing, and went straight to their respective cooking stations to begin their dishes.

　"Wait, why did Nagi pull out his phone? Is he going to make a call?"

　"Is this a request for off-court assistance? Brilliant, there doesn't seem to be a rule against it."

　It was noticed that Erina Nakiri on the field was not in a hurry to cook, but leisurely took out her phone and made a call.

　"Ding ding ding."

　"Did they call me?"

　The phone rang, and a question mark appeared on Alice Nakiri's face in the audience. She didn't understand why Erina Nakiri was calling her at this time.

　"Just answer my call. If you're not forgetting me even at a time like this, it must be something important."

　Seeing the puzzled look on Alice Nakiri's face, Bai Yuan spoke up. This girl was stunned for a long time after hearing the ringtone; the phone was almost...

　We're going to run out of time.

　"it is good."

　Nodding, Alice Nakiri answered the phone, and then heard a voice on the other end: "Alice, can I borrow your molecular gastronomy machine for a moment?"