Food Wars, My Dishes Don't Just Shine

The skillful old woman's voice came from the city tower, announcing everyone's scores from high to low.

"Eight points? I only got eight points...?"

Looking at the score in front of him, Kakuzaki Taki swayed, like a deflated balloon, and almost fell over, but was fortunately caught by Shiro in time.

At this moment, her face was filled with resentment, but she didn't say much. She just looked at the other two people, wondering why her score was so low.

"Your dish uses innovative nut-based vegetarian beef and also incorporates soybean pulp to enhance the texture."

But you forgot the most important point: removing the beany smell from the soybean pulp. Only soybean pulp with the beany smell removed can be made into qualified vegetarian beef! Otherwise, it's just vegetarian meat that tastes like beans!

Noticing the questioning look from Kakuzaki Taki, Jin Lanyu explained that this dish was excellent in every aspect.

The only downside is the beany smell!

Although very faint, even overpowered by other spices in the dish, a subtle discord can still be felt upon closer tasting.

And that's why she gave it a low score!

If this slight beany smell can be removed, the vegetarian beef will taste perfect.

She could give this dish a score of six or higher, but as for a higher score... that's beyond what Kakuzaki Taki can achieve right now.

The basic skills and craftsmanship are still lacking.

"Beany smell?"

"That's right. You probably just boil the soy milk and then use the soy pulp directly. That won't work; it will leave a lot of beany taste."

Seeing the questioning look that Kakuzaki Taki gave him, Bai Yuan nodded slightly to indicate that Jin Lanyu was right.

"Actually, it's simple to remove this beany smell. Heat the soy milk containing soy pulp to a boil and keep it boiling for a while. This will deactivate the lipoxygenase and cause the beany smell components in the soy pulp to evaporate."

After boiling, skim off the foam using a fine-mesh sieve, then repeat the process several times by adding cold water and bringing it to a boil again to further remove the beany taste. Simply boiling it and using only the bean dregs will not remove the beany taste.

After a simple explanation, Bai Yuan was somewhat surprised.

After all, Kakuzaki Taki used soybean pulp to make vegetarian beef, so how could he forget the most basic step of removing the beany smell? It felt like a child who knows multiplication but doesn't know addition.

"I see. It seems I was careless."

Upon hearing Bai Yuan's explanation, Kakuzaki Taki suddenly realized what was happening, and a clear sense of disappointment appeared in his eyes.

She learned the technique of making vegetarian beef from soybean residue from Jin Lanyu, but because of the distance, she only learned the general idea and did not learn the method of removing the beany smell.

It seems that what is not hers will never be hers. After all, she doesn't have super vision, so it's impossible for her to grasp all of the other person's skills with just her eyes.

Thinking of this, Taki Kakuzaki felt much better.

She never had any ambition to achieve instant success; she just had some doubts. Now that those doubts have been resolved, she is completely at ease.

"My score was actually eleven points, which is about what I expected. In this master chef assessment, I was indeed not as good as you."

Looking at his score, Iron Arm Amu smiled bitterly as he looked in Jin Lanyu's direction, his eyes revealing a gloomy expression.

Without a doubt, he lost this time.

Although he really wanted to give Jin Lanyu a low score to make his own score stand out, he held back in the end.

Because he was unwilling to resort to such despicable means, he wouldn't be happy even if he won in the end, and it wasn't in line with his style!

Although he wanted to win the honor of being a master chef, he wanted to impress the taste buds of the judges and his competitors with his honest and skillful cooking!

"Your dish, while delicious and perfectly fitting the theme, is too ordinary and lacks creativity. The taste isn't so amazing that it makes people overlook this point."

Therefore, I can only give you a relatively average score, which is the fairest evaluation I can give you.

Hearing Amu's sentiments, Jin Lanyu couldn't help but explain that she gave scores based on reason and evidence, rather than giving them randomly.

"I understand. In terms of creativity, I probably can't even compare to that little girl."

This competition made me acutely aware of my lack of imagination. Next, I will travel, improve my skills, learn more techniques, and return in a year to participate in the top-level assessment here.

Iron-Armed Amu slung his luggage over his shoulder and faced his failure with composure. Thinking about it carefully, perhaps this was the reason why the skillful old lady had them score each other.

This will enable them to truly understand themselves.

"Well said. It seems you have indeed gained a lot from this top-level assessment. I hope you will continue to work hard, improve yourself, and come back next year."

The skillful old woman happened to come down from the city tower and then heard Amu's words. Seeing his calm acceptance of failure, she felt a little gratified.

Throughout history, countless people have been blinded by this master chef's obsession, unwilling to give up no matter what. They have even resorted to despicable means such as deliberately giving low scores or poisoning.

Thinking of some of the chefs who had come to the competition for the previous food contest, a complex expression appeared on the skillful old lady's face.

In comparison, a chef like Amu, who is willing to admit that he is not as good as another person, is truly invaluable!

As long as nothing unexpected happens, such a person will definitely become a master chef one day, because he has the qualifications.

"I will, then I will take my leave now."

Nodding to the skillful old woman, Amu left the competition arena through a side door with his luggage, without watching the awarding of the top chef title, as that would only add to his sadness.

Watching Amu's departing figure, the people present fell silent. However, because of Bai Yuan, they did not leave and remained silently in place.

At this moment, the sky was already beginning to lighten with the first hint of dawn.

"Chef Jin Lanyu, you have performed very well so far, so now I will give you two the final challenge."

The skillful old lady's voice rang out at the scene, attracting the attention of others. Putting everything else aside, it's always good to gain some experience by watching the process.

"The final question."

Jin Lanyu clenched her fists, her face filled with determination, and looked directly into the eyes of the skillful old woman without any hesitation, waiting for her to ask a question.

"I understand that you can rationally judge other people's work, so in the end, please give your own work a score."

The skillful old woman glanced back at them calmly and said this.

People are most likely to fail to see themselves clearly, and this is the most difficult question in the master chef assessment. If you answer it slightly wrong, all your previous efforts will be in vain!

The moment she finished speaking, several staff members placed a table and chairs, as well as the vegetarian beef-flavored grilled meat made by Jin Lanyu, in front of her.

Silence fell; the atmosphere in the room suddenly became quiet.

Jin Lanyu sat down, crossed her arms and closed her eyes slightly, but kept tapping her fingers on her arm, proving that her heart was also full of complex emotions.

Not only her, but the expressions of the people watching around her were also not so good.

"The final stage of the top-level assessment is actually about scoring yourself! This question is simply against human nature. How many points do you need to score to pass?!"

Kakuzaki Taki's face showed an ugly expression. He muttered to himself next to Shirai Ayumi, wondering what score he would give his own dish if he were in that position, and whether the score would be recognized by the Guangzhou Culinary Association.

If one doesn't receive recognition, does that mean they directly lose the qualification to become a master chef?

That's way too cruel!

"Okay, give me your answer."

"This time, you used soybeans to make a non-beef product, which was first fried, then braised, and then roasted. It perfectly simulated all the flavors of beef and boldly and successfully expressed the theme of beef that is not beef."

The mushrooms sandwiched between two slices of vegetarian beef added texture to the skewer, and the crispy fried potatoes were simply irresistible.

The skillful old woman walked up to Jin Lanyu, looking at the untouched dishes on her table with a hint of scrutiny in her eyes.

"Jin Lanyu".

"Yes."

"The maximum score is ten. How would you rate yourself?"

Seeing the hesitant and conflicted expression on Jin Lanyu's face, the skillful old woman did not slow down, but spoke with particular sternness.

My cooking deserves an 8 out of 10!

Jin Lanyu raised her hand in a gesture of respect to the skillful old woman and then gave her score for her cooking.

Why did you give your work an eight out of ten?

The skillful old woman then asked, her expression serious.

"This dish represents the limit of what I've learned and done to the best of my ability. It's also my best work, in my opinion. Normally, I would give it a perfect score because I have complete confidence in it!"

Jin Lanyu let out a long breath, her expression seemingly a little nervous, but she still continued speaking.

"However, this dish has a fatal flaw: the mushrooms, which are the core of the skewers, are not cooked through."

Giving this dish a perfect score of 10 would be shameless, so after much consideration, I've decided to award it a fair 8.

Jin Lanyu spoke each word without the slightest hesitation; these were indeed her entire thoughts.

Although I have done everything I can, the mistakes in the cooking are irreversible, and the best I can do with this dish is only 80%!

If you were to give yourself a perfect score in this situation, that would be truly shameless and would only leave people with an impression of arrogance and self-importance.

Watching the skillful old woman take a step back, seemingly discussing something with the staff, Jin Lanyu nervously clutched the hem of her clothes. This was the final step...

Once she steps over that step, she's a genuine top-tier chef!

Thirty years of unwavering dedication have culminated in this dish that embodies her passion. Will she be able to earn the title of Master Chef?

"I am now announcing the names of those who have passed the master chef test."

"Boom"

After the discussion, the skillful old woman walked up to Jin Lanyu. At the same time, the sound of gongs rang out, bringing the tense atmosphere to its peak.

The sky was already bright, and everyone was looking in Jin Lanyu's direction, including Bai Yuan. This part was a test of people's character.

"Chef Jin Lanyu, the special beef-flavored vegetarian skewers you made are excellent in both flavor and skill. Although the mushrooms were not fully cooked, the flaws do not detract from the overall excellence. They fully demonstrate the skills of a master chef."

Meanwhile, the last question, the self-assessment section, was designed to test whether you possess the self-esteem and pride expected of a chef. You performed exceptionally well, demonstrating the ability to rationally analyze your dish.

"Jin Lanyu, you've passed!"

When the skillful old woman said her last words, a smile finally appeared on her previously serious face, and she stepped forward to pat her on the shoulder.

At the same time, a ray of sunlight shone into the competition venue, dispelling the gloom and tension in Jin Lanyu's heart and bringing a smile to her face.

"Yes! Yes! Yes! I passed!"

Jin Lanyu clenched her fists and then relaxed them, shouting loudly as she jumped and hopped around, tears slowly streaming down her face. Her emotions were complicated.

"Congratulations, you have passed the top-level assessment."

Bai Yuan also stepped forward to congratulate her. After all, they had participated in the assessment together, and he was happy for her to pass. This meant that her ability as a chef and her hard work over the past thirty years had been officially recognized.

"That's really impressive. It seems I really underestimated Guangzhou's culinary assessment before."