Food Wars, My Dishes Don't Just Shine

“I haven’t said anything yet, Lady Erina.”

Seeing Erina Nakiri's flustered demeanor, Hisako Shinoto shrugged helplessly.

However, the young man's appearance was indeed outstanding; even she took a few extra glances at him, so it's normal for Lady Erina to be attracted as well.

"Class is about to start, hurry up!"

I heard a new teacher came to teach Chinese cuisine recently. Today should be his first class. I wonder which class he'll be assigned to randomly.

Just then, a commotion came from not far away. Erina Nakiri and Hisako Shinoto turned around and saw two girls running wildly down the corridor.

A spirited girl with chestnut-yellow hair and a bun ran and shouted. When she saw the blue-haired girl with double braids next to her stop because she was tired, she immediately stepped back and grabbed her arm.

"Yu...Yuhime, slow down, I...I can't run anymore!"

The blue-haired girl with twin braids was panting heavily, her face looking rather pale; clearly, the long run had left her exhausted.

"You need to keep exercising, Xiaohui!"

Looking at the blue-haired girl with twin braids who was already exhausted, Yoshino Yuuki couldn't help but complain.

"The resistance is different."

After glancing at Yoshino Yuuki's barren land and then at her own, Tadokoro Megumi turned her head away and muttered a complaint under her breath.

"what?"

"Nothing, let's keep going."

Realizing that her voice was a bit loud, Tadokoro Megumi's face suddenly turned a little red. She then reached out and nudged Yoshino Yuuki, urging her to move forward.

"How vulgar! A girl running wildly down the corridor, what kind of behavior is that!"

Watching the two run off into the distance, Erina Nakiri couldn't help but complain, "Running in public like this is just too indecent."

"Lady Erina, we've already wasted a lot of time. If we don't hurry, we'll be late!"

Looking down at her watch, Hisako Shinoto's face showed anxiety.

"what?"

When Erina Nakiri and Hisako Shinomiya arrived at the classroom, panting, it was already a minute into class.

Bai Yuan sized up the girl running with the ball, marveling at her.

Although he already knew that Erina Nakiri was the voluptuous woman in this work, he didn't expect her to be so spectacular when she runs, which was a real treat for his eyes.

"I'm...sorry, teacher, we're late."

With a voice full of apology, Erina Nakiri raised her head wearily and was surprised to find that the person in front of her was actually the young man she had blocked in the corridor earlier!

"It's alright, come in first. I'll forgive you this time since it's your first offense. But don't be late again next time, or I'll have my own way of punishing you."

Not wanting to make things difficult for anyone over such a trivial matter, Bai Yuan smiled and let Nakiri Erina in, while stepping onto the podium.

"Let me introduce myself. My name is Bai Yuan, Bai as in Bai Yuan, and Yuan as in Bai Yuan. I will be your Chinese cuisine teacher from now on."

Bai Yuan spoke fluent Japanese while writing his name on the blackboard, and the room fell silent as soon as he spoke.

Everyone looked at him with subtle expressions.

"Chinese food? Why did the school suddenly schedule this kind of course?"

"Is it the kind of cooking where you constantly stir-fry food in a wok, making yourself sweat profusely in front of the stove? Is it really necessary to learn that...?"

"It feels like a waste of time. I'd rather take another French cuisine class than learn this. Only elegant and noble French cuisine is worthy of us!"

"Even if it's not French cuisine, Italian food, Norwegian food, or even some smaller cuisines, aren't those better than Chinese cooking classes?!"

"Chinese food is incredibly difficult to learn, and the taste is often mediocre at best. There's absolutely no point in learning it!"

After a moment of silence came the loudest murmur, as the students in the room began to stir. This was partly because Totsuki Culinary Academy had never offered Chinese cuisine classes, and partly because they preferred French cuisine, which they felt was much easier to master.

Of course, there's another reason...

That means they've never studied this course before, and if they've never studied it before, how can they expect to get a low score on their first cooking assessment? Even if they manage to pass the first time, they're not guaranteed to get a high score on subsequent assessments. You have to understand that Chinese cuisine is one of the most difficult cuisines in the world!

For Totsuki Academy, which uses academic performance as a key criterion for eliminating students, such a newly opened and extremely difficult Chinese cuisine course is naturally unpopular with everyone.

"quiet."

Looking at the students making a ruckus below the stage, Bai Yuan frowned slightly, exuding a terrifying aura that gradually calmed the commotion.

Although I knew there would be some resistance, I didn't expect it to be this strong.

No wonder Totsuki Academy doesn't offer Chinese cuisine classes.

Ordinary teachers simply can't control these erratic students, while skilled Chinese chefs disdain coming to this small, remote place.

Master chefs all have their own pride. Since they can do well anywhere, why would they go all the way to Japan to teach a thankless subject?

Since Totsuki Academy has never offered Chinese cuisine classes before, the resistance it will face if it wants to add them on short notice will certainly be enormous.

Of course, none of this mattered to him.

"I know you have some opinions about Totsuki Culinary Academy opening Chinese cuisine classes. You think Chinese food is no good? Or that it's too troublesome to make and doesn't taste as good as other countries' cuisines? Haha, that's hilarious! You bunch of self-righteous fools! You look down on this and that, yet your own skills are shockingly weak! If you ask me, you're all useless trash, destined to never break through to the level of a master chef in your entire lives!"

Looking at the crowd in front of him, who were intimidated by his aura, Bai Yuan felt a little bored. He had been talking for so long, and not a single person had refuted him.

He suddenly realized that he had to clarify his goals before formally starting classes, otherwise no matter how much he taught, it would be useless.

"How arrogant..."

Looking at the young man on the podium exuding an imposing aura, Erina Nakiri couldn't help but think to herself, "Is this something you can say in front of so many people?"

These people before me... while most are recruited as stepping stones to cultivate stronger individuals, they are currently unaware of this, and each possesses their own pride. To utter such words without absolute strength could easily provoke a backlash!

As for her, Erina Nakiri, she is more skilled in French cuisine. However, due to her exceptional talent, she has learned a little about all types of cooking and knows the strengths of Chinese cuisine. Therefore, she has no intention of belittling Chinese cuisine or praising Western cuisine.

Moreover, from the perspective of cuisine, the probability of Chinese cuisine producing high-star chefs is indeed much higher than that of other cuisines, and by a significant margin!

"What did you say?!"

"You bastard! Don't think you can talk nonsense just because you're a teacher. We're not weak!"

"I won't allow you to belittle me like that..."

…………

"very scary..."

Looking at the chaotic scene below the stage, Tadokoro Megumi huddled in a corner of the classroom, trembling with fear, not understanding how the situation had suddenly turned out this way.

"Is a fight about to break out? This is going to be interesting. It seems this new teacher is no pushover either. This lesson is going to be interesting!"

Yoshino Yuuki stood next to Tadokoro Megumi, her face full of excitement.

She wasn't actually interested in which culinary style was superior; for her, she would just learn whatever the academy taught, since she was good at learning new things anyway.

The key is your own cooking.

The only true thing is to make what you learn your own; everything else is meaningless.

"It seems you're quite dissatisfied?"

Sure, I brought three ingredients today: pork tenderloin, wood ear mushrooms, and winter bamboo shoots. I'm making the usual shredded pork with garlic sauce.

I won't restrict what ingredients you use—abalone, sea cucumber, lobster, any high-end ingredients are fine. There's no time limit either; you can even hire outside help. If you can surpass me, I'll apologize for what I just said.

Despite the noisy atmosphere, Bai Yuan wasn't angry. Instead, he slowly took out the items from the food basket next to him.

Only when the noise below gradually subsided did he raise his head and speak to them with ease.

After finishing his sentence, Bai Yuan ignored them and laid out the prepared ingredients in a row.

"Fish-fragrant shredded pork, I remember that this is a very simple Chinese Sichuan dish to make, but it is quite famous. The taste should be acceptable."

Looking at Bai Yuan standing in front of the kitchen counter, slowly preparing the food.

Erina Nakiri searched her memory; with her knowledge, she naturally knew the origin of this dish and also had some understanding of how it was made.

Cut pork tenderloin, bamboo shoots, and wood ear mushrooms into shreds, then stir-fry them in a wok. Add a simple seasoning of fish-fragrant sauce and it's ready to serve.

These three ingredients are the classic ingredients for making Yu Xiang Rou Si (shredded pork with garlic sauce). However, in this season, winter bamboo shoots should not be available, but humans have vegetable greenhouses.

Therefore, dishes that used to only appear in season can now be eaten anytime, which shows that technological progress has brought great convenience to people.

"Hmph, let's see what tricks you can pull!"

"How can a dish that has only been simply stir-fried possibly be as delicious as one that has undergone a complicated process and continuous processing to become truly delicious!"

"Moving so slowly, you probably don't cook often, do you? Thinking you can live off being Totsuki-sensei? In your next life!"

Seeing Bai Yuan's calm and collected actions, the group who had just been thoroughly scolded couldn't help but mock him.

He was just bragging about how amazing he was, belittling them to nothing, but now he's so hesitant when it comes to actually cooking. He doesn't seem like a skilled chef at all. He's given himself away!

However, Bai Yuan ignored their shouts. At this moment, he was completely absorbed in the task at hand, and then he raised the kitchen knife in his hand.

The next moment, the audience saw a flash of silver light on the horizon, and the whole piece of pork tenderloin instantly turned into shreds, which were neatly arranged on a plate.

Next came winter bamboo shoots and wood ear mushrooms. Apart from the sound of a sharp knife being cut, Bai Yuan had prepared the side dishes in just a few blinks of an eye.

This situation left the students, who were staring intently at him, dumbfounded, their mouths agape, unable to utter a single word for a long time.

"What's going on? Were those side dishes in front of him already prepared?"

"I don't know, but I don't think I saw them just now. How did they suddenly appear neatly on the plate in the blink of an eye?"

At this moment, no one shouted anymore, and even their eyes became clearer. They exchanged glances, realizing they had kicked a hornet's nest.

Bai Yuan isn't just here to coast; he's got real skills! But why would such a talented chef come to Totsuki?

"What a quick knife!"

Looking at the quickly prepared shredded meat, bamboo shoots, and wood ear mushrooms, Erina Nakiri swallowed hard. She could barely make out Bai Yuan's movements.

The pork tenderloin is sliced ​​from top to bottom, then the slices are stacked together and cut into strips with a vertical knife.

In addition, the shredded winter bamboo shoots and shredded wood ear mushrooms were all cut into thin strips the same size as the shredded meat.

The most exaggerated part is the shredded winter bamboo shoots. After being cut and placed on a plate, they look exactly the same as before. Only by careful observation can you tell that they have been cut and processed.

"The characteristic of Sichuan cuisine is that it uses a lot of scallions, ginger and garlic. When you make this dish in the future, the first thing you need to do is to be generous with the ingredients."

Seeing that the scene was stunned by him, Bai Yuan slowed down his movements, chopping a large amount of scallions, ginger and garlic while speaking to them.

"Don't be fooled by the fact that Chinese food is just a simple stir-fry. The real skill lies in the preparation beforehand. For example, marinating the meat helps to preserve the original flavor of the ingredients and also ensures better and more even heating."