Food Wars: Starting with Equipping the Greedy Wolf Pot

"Dad, how about we try advertising our Yukihira Restaurant on TV?" Soma Yukihira suggested to Joichiro Yukihira with great enthusiasm.

Before experiencing the beating from Kojiro Shinomiya, Soma Yukihira's world was limited to Yukihira Restaurant.

Soma Yukihira's only thoughts every day are how to beat Joichiro Yukihira in cooking battles and how to turn Yukihira Restaurant into the best restaurant in the world.

As for anything else? Soma Yukihira hadn't even thought about it.

After hearing what Soma Yukihira said, Joichiro Yukihira became even more determined to send Soma Yukihira to Totsuki.

Even with himself there, the world of Yukihira Restaurant is still too small. Soma Yukihira needs to step out of Yukihira Restaurant and see just how vast the world of cuisine really is.

“Soma, a customer with such anticipation written all over their face can't be won over by any amount of advertising.” Joichiro Yukihira shook his head slightly.

Joichiro Yukihira is a wandering chef in the culinary world, having left his mark in restaurants all over the world.

From Europe to America, and even in the world of Chinese cuisine, they have left their mark.

Joichiro Yukihira knew all too well the difference in facial expressions between customers attracted by the taste of the food and those attracted by the restaurant's reputation.

"The customers queuing up now have probably all tried Xiang's Chinese Restaurant's blind box shumai. They were attracted by the taste of the shumai," Yukihira Joichiro explained with a smile.

"Eh, Dad, how did you figure that out?" Soma Yukihira opened his eyes wide and stared intently at the people in front of him in line.

"Hahaha, that's a secret."

"Tch, Dad, you're not lying to me again, are you? I can't tell," Soma Yukihira muttered indignantly.

"This means that there's still a lot you need to learn, Soma!" Joichiro Yukihira laughed and rubbed Soma Yukihira's head.

“Soma, how about I transfer you to a boarding school next year?” Joichiro Yukihira continued.

"Change schools? Why?"

"Are we going to close our restaurant?" Soma Yukihira exclaimed excitedly.

"Of course not. It's just that a friend of mine who owns a restaurant abroad asked me to go and help him out for a year next year, so I was thinking of changing you to a boarding school. Would that make things more convenient for you?"

"Dad, you said you'd help your friend's restaurant next year. What about our restaurant? Is it closing down?" Soma Yukihira had no doubts about Joichiro Yukihira.

Soma Yukihira is naturally a bit rough around the edges and doesn't get emotionally involved in anything other than cooking, Yukihira Restaurant, or defeating Joichiro Yukihira.

"I have no choice but to close down. After all, it's something I can't do. I've already told my friends to help me out."

"Wait, Dad."

"How can we just close our restaurant like that? Everyone in the shopping district loves eating at our Yukihira Restaurant!" Yukihira Soma exclaimed excitedly.

"Dad, since you're going to help your friends abroad, then I'll take care of the Xingping Restaurant."

"I will definitely run our family restaurant well and make it the best restaurant in the world!" Soma Yukihira shouted, patting his chest.

“That won’t do.” Joichiro Yukihira shook his head coolly.

"Eh, why?" Soma Yukihira said defiantly.

"Is that even a question? How could I possibly hand over our family restaurant to an unqualified chef? Soma, you've lost to me exactly four hundred times, and you've never won against me even once." Yukihira Joichiro's expression changed instantly.

"You damn old man, I didn't lose to you that many times! I only lost 389 times!"

"Isn't that almost four hundred times?"

"Aaaaah, you damn old man, don't get too cocky. I'll beat you soon, starting with this shumai!" Soma Yukihira yelled in frustration.

"Is that so? I'll be waiting for you, Soma. Don't let me down."

Seeing the smug expression on Joichiro Yukihira's face, Soma Yukihira became even angrier.

……

On the other side, at Xiang Ji's Chinese restaurant.

After more than half a month of hard work, the Polaris Dormitory has finally resumed its normal work process, and today's shift person is Megumi Tadokoro.

"Senior Xiang Ji, I have already prepared the ingredients that were delivered this morning," Tadokoro Megumi said to Xiang Ji.

"Thank you for your hard work, Xiao Hui."

"Then let's start cooking now. Xiaohui, is there any new combination you'd like to try today?" Xiang Ji smiled at Tadokoro Megumi.

"Senior Xiang Ji, I... I still can't think of a new combination," Tadokoro Megumi replied dejectedly.

Waaah, I'm so useless. I've been resting for so long and I still don't have any new ideas.

"Xiao Hui, I was just asking if you had any ideas you'd like to try." Xiang Ji looked at Tadokoro Hui with a bit of a headache.

A chef's inspiration for cooking is limited, just like many authors can only write four thousand words a day.

Except for the first day of Tadokoro Megumi and her friends' internship, Xiang Ji did not insist that Tadokoro Megumi and her friends come up with new ideas every time they made golden ratio shumai.

If they were to actually do that, Xiang Ji couldn't even imagine what kind of amazing ideas Tadokoro Megumi and the others would come up with.

For example, popular online creations such as cheese durian shumai, bubble tea shumai, and stinky tofu shumai.

If anyone dares to serve shumai like this in their shop, the old man guarantees he'll come all the way from the east coast of the Pacific Ocean to right the wrongs of his own family and eliminate those unfilial descendants who have disgraced the Xiang family.

Chapter 151 Yukihira Joichiro: My Foolish Son

A chef's inspiration is limited in a short period of time, or rather, it needs to be accumulated.

Except for the first few days after Xiang Ji's shop opened, the golden ratio shumai that Tadokoro Megumi and her friends made became basically fixed, and they no longer kept launching new flavors of golden ratio shumai.

Of course, to be more precise, Tadokoro and the others were constantly adjusting and optimizing the finished shumai, occasionally trying out a new tone.

Even a legendary figure like Liu Maoxing, aside from his food battles, constantly optimizes and adjusts his new dishes before finalizing them, such as Liu Maoxing's "The Unparalleled Hero".

Even Liu Maoxing needed to constantly adjust and try different things to finalize the recipe, let alone Tadokoro Megumi and the others.

But it is precisely because Tadokoro Megumi, Yoshino Yuuki and others have continuously optimized and improved their recipes that more and more customers are coming to visit them.

Of course, the most important reason why Xiang's Chinese Restaurant was able to spread its fame throughout Tokyo in such a short time was that Xiang Ji's hand injury had healed.

Yes, that's right.

After a week of rest, Xiang Ji's right hand, which was frostbitten while making the scallion pancakes, has fully recovered, and he has joined the production of the golden ratio shumai.

The Golden Ratio Shumai is the dish that Xiang Ji is preparing to use to participate in the autumn selection. Moreover, Xiang Ji is the owner and head chef of Xiang's Chinese Restaurant. There is no reason for him to lie around and not do any work.

……

"Here are your golden ratio shumai, please take them." Sachi skillfully handed two packaged golden ratio shumai to Yukihira Joichiro and his son.

"Golden Ratio Shumai? Wasn't it supposed to be blind box shumai?" Soma Yukihira muttered to himself after receiving the Golden Ratio Shumai after paying.

"Strange design?"

"Why does this shop make its shumai into such a strange shape?" Soma Yukihira reached out with his disposable chopsticks and gently picked up a golden ratio shumai.

"Soma, you try some first."

“The shumai at this shop isn’t as simple as it seems,” Yukihira Joichiro suddenly remarked.

While queuing at Xiang's Chinese Restaurant, Yukihira Joichiro had already realized that Sachi was no ordinary person, but a very powerful chef.

Sachi's slender yet powerful upper limbs, the thick calluses on his palms from holding knives, and his habit of withstanding high temperatures are characteristics that not everyone other than a chef can possess at the same time.

In addition, there is Joichiro Yukihira's intuition as a chef.

Even a chef of such skill can only serve customers at such a restaurant. Even if it looks like an ordinary little shop on the street, it can't be an ordinary little shop.

"Eh, Dad, is there anything special about this shop?" Soma Yukihira asked in surprise.

"Of course, if you can't even see that, it seems you still have a lot to learn, Soma." Yukihira Joichiro mocked Yukihira Soma with a smug grin.

"What's so great about that?" Soma Yukihira muttered unconvinced.

Soma Yukihira didn't care at all about Joichiro Yukihira's loud laughter and sarcasm; this was how the father and son had always interacted since they were young.

"Then let me see what's so special about this golden ratio shumai," Soma Yukihira said, putting a shumai into his mouth.

boom boom!

Suddenly, an indescribable, exquisite flavor, like a sweeping storm, tore Yukihira Soma's body apart.

How exactly is this flavor made?

This golden ratio shumai is on a completely different level from the dishes he used to make. In fact, even his father's cooking couldn't compare to this golden ratio shumai.

So there are such amazing chefs in Tokyo?

While Soma Yukihira was amazed by the taste of the golden ratio shumai, Joichiro Yukihira was also marveling at the taste of the golden ratio shumai.

"That's really amazing."

"How can someone who is still a student be able to make such delicious and refreshing dishes? Totsuki is really amazing these days."

"As expected, I should send Soma to Totsuki." Joichiro Yukihira had made a firm decision to send Soma Yukihira to Totsuki next spring.

"Hmm, it seems I should find some time to pay a proper visit to Granny Wenxu."

“No matter what, Yukihira will only be a third-year junior high school student next year. He’s still a kid at heart.” Yukihira Joichiro stroked his chin.

While Joichiro Yukihira was thinking about the appropriate time to visit Fumio Omiya that day, Soma Yukihira, like a wild horse that had broken free, turned around and prepared to run back to Xiang's Chinese Restaurant.

"Soma, what are you going to do?"

“Damn old man, is there even a question? Of course I’m going to meet the chef who made this shumai,” Soma Yukihira said frankly.

"You damn old man, just you wait."

"Once I learn how to make this shumai from the chef who made it, I will definitely beat you!" Soma Yukihira shouted confidently.

Yukihira Joichiro: "..."

"Let's not wait until next year. Let's send Soma Yukihira to Totsuki today." Joichiro Yukihira looked at Soma Yukihira with a headache.

“Soma, I’m asking you, why should the chef at Xiang’s Chinese Restaurant teach you his cooking?” Yukihira Joichiro asked helplessly.

In this world, you can't just walk into a restaurant, especially a Chinese restaurant that places great emphasis on tradition.

If Soma Yukihira were to rashly and directly approach them, the most likely outcome would be that he would be kicked out, or even be seen as a provocateur.

"Dad, I'll ask him for help properly." Soma Yukihira completely failed to understand Joichiro Yukihira's concerns and was confident that as long as he asked properly, the other party would teach him cooking skills.

“Soma, learning to cook isn’t as simple as you think.” Yukihira Joichiro sighed with a headache. How could he have raised such a stupid son? He was even more naive than Dojima.

“Dad, I understand. I will pay the tuition.” Soma Yukihira said confidently, as if he understood something.

"Chuangzhen..."

"Dad, are you worried that I'll lose to you after I learn the cooking skills of the chef at Xiang's Chinese Restaurant?" Soma Yukihira interrupted Yukihira before he could finish speaking.

"Don't worry, I won't let you lose to me, Dad, or make you look bad," Soma Yukihira continued.

Uh... are you worried about losing?

What on earth is my stupid son thinking? I've never really shown my true strength in our food battles.

However, this golden ratio shumai is truly amazing.

Just as Joichiro Yukihira was about to let Soma Yukihira crash into the south wall, a commotion arose from the Xiang's Chinese Restaurant in the distance.

Chapter 152 The Chef, Maid Skirt, and Chainsaw

"Hey, hey, hey, get your boss out here right now." Shinohara Yuto, followed by two burly men in suits, swaggered out in front of Xiang Ji's small shop.

"Damn it, don't cut in line, you get out of here..."

"Hey, you, get to the back of the line!" the customer who had been pushed aside by Shinohara Yuto shouted irritably at him.

But before they could finish speaking, they were pulled hard by the person next to them.

"Stop talking. Didn't you see he was wearing a uniform? He's a student at Totsuki Academy, and a student at Totsuki High School."

"What's wrong with Totsuki? Does being a Totsuki student mean you can cut in line? Besides, the grade badge he's wearing on his collar only shows him as a first-year student." The person who was pulled aside said indignantly, though his voice was noticeably softer.

Yuto Shinohara stood in front of the Xiang family restaurant, thoroughly enjoying the moment.

While Shinohara Yuto thought Sachi would obediently go and call the restaurant owner, Sachi didn't even bother to lift his eyelids.

He's just a student at Totsuki Academy, and a current student at that.

Saki is fearless, not only against current students but also against past graduates of Totsuki Academy.

“Go to the back of the line,” Sachi said coldly.