Food Wars, My Dishes Don't Just Shine

"Teacher Bai Yuan, may I try my cooking?"

As the saying goes, the squeaky wheel gets the grease. A girl with exquisite makeup knew this well. When she saw Bai Yuan passing by his stall, she immediately went around to grab him, her big eyes filled with longing.

"Sure, sure... but your makeup is way too heavy! We're here to cook, not to attract attention with our looks!"

Looking at the girl in front of him who was grabbing his arm and seemed to be acting coquettishly, Bai Yuan frowned slightly, then began to criticize her seriously.

It's understandable that girls wear light makeup to enhance their beauty when setting up a food stall, since girls love to look good.

But everything should be done in moderation. Dressing up like a rag doll when setting up a stall—is this an attempt to attract customers with the food, or just a way to rely on one's appearance?!

While this is not unacceptable in normal business competition, it was, after all, a field study in Totsuki. He naturally had to warn them against such opportunistic behavior to prevent them from going astray.

Of course, whether the other party is willing to listen is her business.

They simply waste a lot of time on things other than cooking, attracting customers with their good looks and getting them to pay for their appearance.

When youth fades, one will reap the bitter fruit.

Instead of that, it's better to focus on refining the cooking itself; having a skill to rely on is the best choice.

"..."

Bai Yuan's sudden scolding caused the girl to fall into a brief silence.

If it were anyone else, she would have stood up and yelled back, but the person speaking to her now was Shirobuchi, the strongest teacher in Totsuki Academy, someone she respected.

"What you should be doing right now is figuring out how to make the food taste better, rather than messing around with your appearance and makeup. You can do those things during your break."

It must be said that girls in Tokyo have excellent makeup skills.

In my memory, the girl in front of me was only of average to above-average looks, but after makeup, she became stunningly beautiful, making me want to come and spend money.

Not for any other reason than her beautiful face.

"However, if this is your choice, I will not stop you, because this pretty face can indeed achieve relatively outstanding results."

But is that really the result you initially wanted?

After saying this, Bai Yuan fell silent.

That's all I have to say. If the other person listens, great; if not, there's nothing I can do. After all, he's just a teacher, not a parent. He can't make the other person act the way he wants, and he wouldn't stoop to doing such a thing.

Moreover, even if the other party outwardly agrees with his idea, they will not be convinced in their heart, and it may even cause a backlash later.

Bai Yuan was too lazy to bother with something that only addressed the symptoms and not the root cause.

"..."

Silence fell; the girl kept her head down and didn't say a word.

Instead of receiving praise, she was criticized, which was undoubtedly unexpected.

The key point is that she actually agrees with Bai Yuan's criticism.

The main reason she wore such exquisite makeup was to attract customers.

Girls with superior looks are naturally more popular than girls with average looks; whether they want to admit it or not, this is a socially recognized reality.

With this in mind, she dressed herself up very carefully and put on a makeup look that would attract both men and women. When she saw Bai Yuan coming over, she subconsciously wanted to show it off, but she did not expect to be criticized by him so harshly that she was completely humiliated.

She's the first person to so eagerly seek out criticism.

"I was wrong, Teacher Bai Yuan."

I did have a wicked idea: I thought I could attract more attention with my beauty, and that these attentions would naturally turn into customers after I greeted them. Even if the food was expensive, they would consider it a fair service charge.

"Your idea is actually not wrong. If it were a regular school festival, I would praise you for being smart, since you don't make a living by cooking."

However, you are a student of Totsuki Culinary Academy, and you will make a living through cooking in the future. It's definitely not right to waste your time on useless things instead of honing your culinary skills.

Seeing that the other party admitted her mistake, Bai Yuan's voice softened. He then came to her stall and looked at the various condiments on display with a curious expression.

How much do you sell this for?

There's no need to start removing makeup here..."

As he spoke, Bai Yuan turned around and was surprised to find that the girl he had just lectured was removing her makeup, her eyes filled with an indescribable determination.

"It's okay. Now that I know it's wrong to do this, leaving this makeup on my face would just make it hard to distinguish between the main and secondary elements."

The girl shook her head slightly at this.

"That's fine. You let me try your food earlier, and now that I'm here, tell me about your stall."

Looking at the girl who was quick and efficient, with not a trace of reluctance in her eyes, Bai Yuan nodded inwardly.

It is a great virtue to admit one's mistakes and correct them, especially since this is not a matter of principle. The fact that the other person was able to remove their makeup so quickly proves that they have the determination to persevere.

"I sell mochi, a summer snack originating from the south."

The traditional method uses glutinous rice as the main ingredient, which is closely related to the rice-growing culture of southern China. Mine is made with glutinous rice.

Upon hearing Bai Yuan's question, the girl quickly returned to her stall and recounted the information she had researched the previous night.

The fact that it has survived for so long and spread widely in real life speaks volumes about the greatness of mochi!

“You’re right.

Traditional glutinous rice cakes are indeed a type of snack made from glutinous rice, mainly used by the Hakka people in southern China for sacrificial rites and festivals.

Its ingredients include high-quality glutinous rice, lard, sesame seeds, peanuts, rock sugar, etc.

Yours, with its combination of fruit and meat floss, must be an improved version made by vendors selling mochi in later generations to expand their market share as living conditions improved.

However, instead of providing so many toppings for customers to choose from, why not try combining them yourself? Use your culinary knowledge to create a more harmonious flavor combination between the fruit toppings and the glutinous rice balls.

Looking at the sign the girl had hung in front of her stall, it said basic mochi with toppings.

Customers can customize their own favorite mochi flavor. Her role is to prepare the ingredients and wrap the mochi, and the flavor is completely random.

There's nothing wrong with this process, but it's clearly only suitable for ordinary people who haven't systematically learned cooking.

For someone who has been at Totsuki Academy for countless years, setting up a stall like an ordinary person is clearly inappropriate; to put it simply, it's a disgrace to Totsuki.

"I feel that letting customers choose for themselves will lead to higher customer satisfaction..."

Hearing Bai Yuan's veiled expression, the girl's face turned exceptionally red.

She was clearly a little embarrassed.

"That's true. Let the guests choose for themselves. Whether it tastes good or not, they take responsibility for it themselves, so they won't have any negative comments about your food."

However, if you implement this model, customers won't have much of a positive impression of you.

In other words, your mochi business could achieve the same results even if someone else took over; it doesn't make much difference whether you're there or not.

Hearing the girl's words, Bai Yuan nodded slightly to show his understanding. However, the drawback was also obvious: it would not serve the purpose of an assessment at all.

It has to be said, this guy has really taken laziness to the extreme.

"Feel sorry..."

Upon hearing the man's sharp criticism, the girl bowed and apologized without hesitation. It was this act that made Bai Yuan realize that she was actually quite capable.

"Ahem, there's no need for that. Anyway, if you want to continue operating with what you're selling now, just do as I say and don't let customers choose for themselves."

Noticing that the girl's clothes were a bit loose, Bai Yuan coughed lightly twice and looked deeper into the area. After a long while, he finally looked back at the stall.

"Okay, that's about it. Good luck with your work. I'm going to inspect the next place now."

"Teacher, walk slowly."

As she spoke, the girl waved goodbye to Bai Yuan, letting out a long sigh of relief.

"Luckily, points are not counted on the first day, so there is no loss even if I start over. I was stupid to think of taking a shortcut and actually came up with such an unreliable method."

Thinking of this, the girl's determination grew even stronger. She then hung up a sign in front of the stall saying it was temporarily closed, put on clean gloves, and picked up the mochi to mix and match according to her own preferences.

First, make the product, and then improve upon it.

This was her most simple and unpretentious idea.

the other side.

Baiyuan is still moving forward.

Xingxiang Square covers a large area, with countless stalls set up by students of Yuanyue Academy standing in it from one end to the other, and the crowds coming and going make it extremely lively.

Good morning, Professor Bai Yuan.

"Good morning, teacher. I'd like a pan-fried bun."

"Teacher Bai Yuan, try my Egg Soul Beef Burger."

"teacher..."

As a star teacher at Totsuki Academy, Hakugen was extremely popular wherever he went. Feeling the admiring gazes of those around him, he greeted them casually, occasionally reaching out to accept the dishes they enthusiastically offered, and stopping to offer a few pointers.

Passing through the area where the Totsuki students were located, Hakuyu saw a clearly defined dividing line.

The reason it is described as clearly distinct is because the students on the Far Moon side are either wearing school uniforms or dressed neatly and cleanly.

On the other side of the boundary line lies a place where individual vendors and the world of culinary culinary abominations mingle.

Most of the people here wear strange clothes to show off their individuality. It seems that all sorts of people come from different walks of life, making it seem very chaotic.

However, despite its chaotic appearance, it still presents a sense of order within the chaos.

This makes one wonder if they secretly planned to adopt this style in order to attract customers.

"Chief, would you like a bowl of spicy soup?"

A crisp voice rang in Bai Yuan's ears. Looking down, he saw a petite girl.

The other person was wearing a baseball cap and seemed to be listening to music, but still noticed Bai Yuan walking towards them and immediately went up to greet him.

"Here, did you add meatballs?"

When faced with a girl who took the initiative, Bai Yuan did not refuse her; instead, he smiled and asked her questions.

"Yes, we've added it! Hot and sour soup can't be without meatballs, just like the West can't be without Jerusalem!"

In response to Bai Yuan's question, the short girl puffed out her flat chest and said with a touch of arrogance.

"And please be sure to try my special mousse cake as a dessert after your meal!"

"I'm making pan-fried dumplings here, the chive and pork filling is super fragrant, eat them as a side dish, Chief."