Food Wars, My Dishes Don't Just Shine

"It's getting late, let's head out. Today's stall activity counts towards our points, and if we go too late, we'll fall far behind the others."

Seeing the resolute expression on Mito Ikumi's face, Shiro straightened his disheveled clothes and stood up from his seat.

"Okay, I'll come right away."

As she spoke, Mito Ikumi jogged back to her room, and when she came out again, she was wearing a New York-style coat on her shoulders.

Upon seeing Bai Yuan waiting for her at the door, she immediately went up to him affectionately, hugged his arm, and gently rubbed her face against it.

This is her favorite action since we started dating.

"Once the points were officially calculated, everyone's morale soared."

Looking at the young men and women who came to set up their stalls early in the morning, just to earn more points so that they wouldn't be eliminated, Bai Yuan couldn't help but nod in his heart, and then decided to add some more pressure to them.

but.

Until then...

Seeing Fujino waiting for him at Xingxiang Square early in the morning, Bai Yuan stepped forward and greeted him.

"Good morning, Fujino."

"Teacher, you are here."

Upon hearing the voice, Fujino respectfully lowered his head, displaying great humility and adopting the demeanor of a student, showing considerable respect to Shirayuki.

This is also how the older generation conducts themselves.

"Okay, I need a batch of pork next. Take me to the farm."

"This way, please. We'll take a car there."

Upon hearing Bai Yuan's words, Fujino finally raised his head, then went to a parked car on the side of the road, opened the door, and gestured for him to enter.

"it is good."

Seeing this, Bai Yuan didn't stand on ceremony and got into the car directly.

Soon, the vehicle started and headed towards the farm.

"The person who runs the pig farm is my nephew. I usually go over to help in the mornings. He slaughters one pig a day, which basically supplies the residents of this area..."

After getting into the car, looking at Bai Yuan beside him, Fujino began to talk non-stop.

He had experienced countless days like this, and killing pigs had long become muscle memory for him.

If he hadn't met a top genius like Bai Yuan, he would never have admitted that he was inferior to anyone. Unfortunately, there are geniuses in this world who do things that he could hardly even imagine.

"Is this the breeding farm? It really is full of life."

During the conversation, the car continued to move forward and soon stopped in front of a farm. Through the car window, Bai Yuan smelled a strong, pungent odor unique to livestock wafting out.

This is the unique scent of a habitat for living organisms.

"That's right, this is the third largest pig farm in Tokyo, mainly raising pigs and similar animals. There are regular meat pigs, black pigs with relatively better taste, and wild boars that roam freely in the mountains, which are sold to different customers according to their needs."

Seeing Bai Yuan open the car door and get out, Fujino hurriedly followed, explaining to him as they walked that this was also their family business.

Otherwise, a pig butcher like him, who finishes slaughtering one pig a day and then goes home, would have been fired from the farm long ago. How could he have been doing this job for over twenty years?

"It's noticeable that your farm is built against the mountain, with a large forest behind it where the wild boars can run around, providing them with exercise and making their meat firmer."

Upon hearing Fujino's words, Shiroyuki nodded slightly in agreement. It was not difficult to see from the layout of the farm that the pork here was supplied to three different social classes.

Ordinary pork is transported to the market, medium-grade pork is sent to restaurants, and top-quality wild boar ends up in the kitchens of wealthy people.

"That's right, this is also one of our cultivation manuals. Only with a rich variety of products can we attract different types of customers."

Seeing that Bai Yuan was knowledgeable, Fujino's expression became even more excited. He pulled Bai Yuan inside while talking, preparing to give him a proper introduction.

Bai Yuan listened patiently, nodding occasionally to show that he was listening, but in reality, his eyes were already drawn to the pigs inside.

Chapter 346 The Breeding Farm, Bai Yuan's Past

"I am truly honored by Chef Bai's presence here. Please forgive me for not greeting you properly."

While Bai Yuan was talking with the old man Fujino, a deep voice came from not far away. Looking up, he was surprised to find a kind-looking middle-aged man.

When the other person saw him appear at the door, they immediately stepped forward excitedly and shook his hand.

"Nice to meet you."

Seeing the man's enthusiastic manner, Bai Yuan simply replied coldly, then subtly withdrew his hand.

"Please follow me this way. I heard you're interested in our farm. Since I have some time today, I'll act as your guide and show you around."

The farm owner simply clapped his hands, seemingly unconcerned, and then smiled as he led Bai Yuan and Fujino into the farm.

Yesterday, my uncle told me that a great chef was coming to visit, so he started preparing overnight and instructed his staff to do a thorough cleaning from start to finish.

I got up early to greet them, hoping to leave a good impression.

As for why a farm owner like him would personally come to greet Bai Yuan.

The main problem is that the old man Fujino exaggerated Hakubuchi's reputation to an extreme degree. Secondly, chefs have a high social status and need to be respected by others.

Especially for someone like him who runs a farm, the benefits of hiring a top-notch chef as a spokesperson would be countless.

"This is where we raise pigs. Our main customers are the local residents, and the prices are relatively affordable."

As he spoke, the farm owner pointed to the pigsty in front of him, where pigs were grunting and munching on their food, showing a strong desire for it.

"The pigs here are generally fed coarse grains, such as corn cobs left over from corn harvesting by farmers, as well as soybean residue, potatoes and a series of other miscellaneous foods."

These are their favorite foods; they're basically fearless in the face of any challenge, and their growth rate is quite good.

Looking at the piglets eating, the farm manager began to give a familiar introduction.

Despite being the factory manager, he always acts as an introducer whenever buyers come to visit, doing his best to promote his products.

"Pigs are omnivorous animals and have very low food requirements."

Basically, they only need food to survive; of course, depending on what they eat, the taste of the meat will vary.

Hearing the farm owner's introduction and watching the lively piglets rolling around and frolicking in the cement partition, Bai Yuan nodded slightly.

"Chef Bai is an expert."

You seem to know so much about pigs' lives; did you have prior experience raising them?

Seeing Bai Yuan speaking so eloquently about the pigs in the farm, the farm owner couldn't help but sigh in admiration.

To be honest, chefs are all-around geniuses; they can be a little bit about anything related to cooking.

"I used to work as a zookeeper for a while, so I know quite a bit about animals like pigs, chickens, and ducks, including their living conditions and what they like to eat."

After all, understanding the characteristics of ingredients is crucial for creating delicious dishes, and the best way to understand these characteristics is to grow them yourself and observe their growth process.

When questioned, Bai Yuan answered with a calm and composed demeanor, behaving very appropriately.

Back when he was in the dark cuisine world, he wasn't always Chef Lin.

In the early stages, he was just like any other member, needing to do odd jobs to earn a living, which is how his life improved.

The power structure of the "dark cuisine" world is pyramidal.

At the top level are the Five Tiger Stars, followed by the Qilin Chef, then the Reserve Chefs, and finally the lowest-ranking Dark Slaves.

These slaves did the lowest jobs in Liangshan Marsh, were summoned and dismissed at will, and could even be whipped and killed if they were displeased.

Most of these people are good-for-nothings with no culinary talent, or those who lost in the battles of the dark cooking world and were branded with unpalatable marks.

There are also some chefs who have made serious mistakes in the world of dark cuisine, but who are very skilled. They need to be trained for a period of time to ensure that they can continue to serve the world of dark cuisine before they can be freed from slavery.

As for escaping Liangshan Marsh? That's almost impossible. Only those with great martial arts skills and exceptional culinary abilities have a chance of survival.

Bai Yuan had never been a slave. As soon as he entered the world of dark cuisine, he displayed extraordinary talent and became a trainee chef.

The Dark Cuisine world thoughtfully assigned him a servant to take care of his daily needs, as well as a small, detached house.

To ensure a better life, he raised a lot of chickens and ducks in his yard, and also a few pigs, which he then sold at a market specially organized by the dark cuisine industry after they grew up.

There, you can buy anything from the outside world, as long as you have enough money. And to use money, you first need to have great power.

"I see. The pigs raised in this area are all grain-fed and mainly sold to supermarkets and mid-range restaurants. The target consumer group is white-collar workers."

While chatting and laughing, the two arrived at the grain-fed pig area, which was quite far from the ordinary pig farm.

"Grain feed can promote the even deposition of fat in pigs, forming a delicate marbling pattern, making the meat more tender and juicy, and with a better taste."

Looking at the plump, broad-backed, and noticeably sagging grain-fed pigs in front of him, Bai Yuan described their characteristics.

Compared to pigs that are fed whole grains, pigs that are fed grains are fatter and have a richer flavor and texture.

This is because grain-fed pigs are fed high-carbohydrate feed, which promotes rapid fat deposition.

"You're right, these are all characteristics of grain-fed pigs. These are kebabs made from grain-fed pigs, please be sure to try them."

As they walked and chatted, a man in gray clothes carrying a plate approached from a distance. The farm owner greeted Bai Yuan warmly and placed the grilled pork skewers from the plate in front of him.

"The carbohydrates in grain feed are converted into glycogen in the pig's body, which makes the meat taste slightly sweet."

When grilled over high temperatures over charcoal, the sugars and proteins undergo a Maillard reaction, producing a rich, caramelized aroma and umami flavor, similar to the layered texture of grilled steak.

The even distribution of fat allows the surface of the meat skewers to caramelize quickly during high-temperature grilling, while the inside remains juicy and tender, creating a burst of flavor when you bite into it.

After taking the kebab from the farm owner, Bai Yuan glanced at it, took a bite, savored the taste, and couldn't help but comment.

The biggest difference between grain-fed and mixed-grain-fed diets is fat content.

Grain-fed food has a much higher fat content than grass-fed food, and it tastes and feels excellent. It's delicious even when simply roasted.

"Another point is that grain-fed pigs have relatively finer muscle fibers, so they don't have the coarse and tough feel that you get from chewing regular lean meat skewers."

Even though this time the skewers are made with leg meat or even tenderloin, the final texture won't be dry; they'll still be tender and chewy.

Pick up the skewers of grilled meat that you haven't eaten yet from the plate in front of you. You can even see the texture of the meat clearly under the light. The fat and lean meat are intertwined, and they give off a rich and delicious aroma that makes you want to swallow your saliva.

"I prefer to kill grain-fed pigs because they have more fat, making it easier to cut them. In comparison, mixed-grain pigs are much harder to kill."

As Bai Yuan showed an appreciative expression, Fujino, who hadn't spoken until now, finally spoke up.

Grain-fed pigs are relatively easy to slaughter because their fat is evenly distributed, requiring less effort.

"Then let's use your favorite grain-fed pig as the lesson plan for today's class. Give me a pig-slaughtering knife."

As he spoke, Bai Yuan looked at Fujino, extended his hand to him, and said.