Food Wars: Starting with Equipping the Greedy Wolf Pot

Kobayashi Ryudou and the others were so engrossed in enjoying the dishes that Sakaki Ryoko and the others' appetites were burning even more intensely.

I really want to eat it!

I really want to eat it!

I really want to eat it, even just a bite!

Even though Marui Zenji and the others had such intense gazes, they were completely absorbed in the grilled fish head dish and couldn't sense anything happening around them.

……

Thump~thump thump~

The moment the chopsticks landed on the plate with a crisp clinking sound, Kobayashi Ryudou's expression changed instantly—and he was gone!

What happened? The fish head in the braised fish head dish is gone, the seasonal water celery is gone, and the stewed tofu is gone too...

Gone, gone, all gone!

Ahhhhh!

Who was the bastard who stole all my food?! Kobayashi Ryudou's expression instantly turned furious, looking like a clouded leopard whose food had been stolen.

Alice Nakiri's current situation is not much better than Ryudou Kobayashi's.

Of the three, only Oomido Fumio's situation is slightly better.

Ōmiya Fumio has served as the dormitory manager of Polaris Dormitory for many years, and that wasn't for nothing. He still keeps in touch with Dojima Gin and other members of the Totsuki Ten who came from Polaris Dormitory.

"Huhuhu~"

"Is this the recipe left behind by a master chef of China? Even dishes created hundreds of years ago have such an amazing taste!"

"The Dragon Chef of China truly deserves to be a legendary figure in the culinary world."

"I really can't imagine what kind of cuisine they would have created if they were born in our current era," Fumio Oomido exclaimed with a sigh.

"But what I didn't expect was that you, little brat, could actually recreate the dishes left behind by Chef Long?" Oomido Fumio looked at Xiang Ji with a very complicated expression.

"To recreate Chef Long's dishes?"

"Grandma Wenxu, my dish is far inferior to that of a true master chef."

"If I really have to say it."

“My so-called braised fish head is nothing more than a poor imitation,” Xiang Ji said calmly.

A shoddy imitation?

What is it?

Xiang Ji's words immediately silenced Omiya Fumio.

It wasn't just Oomido Fumio who fell silent; Nakiri Alice and Kobayashi Ryudou also showed shocked expressions, staring at Xiang Ji with incredulous eyes.

Chapter 55 There is no strongest recipe, only the strongest chef.

Are recipes important to chefs?

Of course it's important!

If we consider the world of Food Wars! as a martial arts world, then recipes are like secret manuals for chefs.

In particular, the recipes created by top chefs are all closely guarded secrets, unlike basic recipes like scrambled eggs with tomatoes that can be easily learned online.

And it is precisely because of this that the recipes left behind by the legendary dragon chefs in China have become something that chefs all over the world pursue.

If cultivating immortality relies on archaeology, and science can also rely on archaeology, then it's normal for cooking to rely on archaeology, right?

But is the importance of recipes to chefs beyond measure?

Actually, no.

For chefs, a recipe is like a basic framework. Anyone who has cooked even a little bit should be familiar with terms like "a little" and "appropriate amount".

It's not just Chinese cuisine; unless it's a special recipe that a few chefs are proficient in, like molecular gastronomy, most chefs around the world don't actually use recipes that are precise down to every single word.

Because the conditions are different each time a chef cooks.

Just as no two leaves are the same, no two ingredients taste exactly alike.

Even if the ingredients are exactly the same type, and even if the place of origin, time, and planting method are the same, the flavors that accumulate in the end will be different.

Even the world's top laboratories cannot guarantee that all conditions, such as soil, sunlight, and water, are exactly the same for ingredients during their growth process.

The subtle differences in ingredients during the cooking process need to be controlled by the chef.

And it is precisely because of this that a saying is widely circulated in the world of cuisine.

A chef's skill determines the lower limit of a dish, while the upper limit is determined by the recipe.

Similar ingredients.

Fixed steps.

As long as the difference in culinary skills between chefs is not drastic, the final dishes will not be too disparate.

For example, how delicious can a creamy macaroni dumpling be?

The reason why Alice Nakiri and Ryudou Kobayashi were so shocked after hearing Xiang Ji's words was because Xiang Ji had been too dismissive of his dish, the braised fish head.

A low-quality imitation?

Although Chef Long from the Chinese region is the most powerful figure in the history of the culinary world, Xiang Ji wouldn't say that his cooking is subpar, would he?

The braised fish head from Xiangji is the most delicious dish they have ever tasted.

Of course it's second-rate!

The original Raine's Stir-fried Fish Head was a luminous dish, but Xiang Ji's version didn't even have a faint glow. Isn't that a clumsy imitation?

It must be said that this is simply a difference in cognition between Xiang Ji and Kobayashi Rintai.

Glowing dish!

In the eyes of Ōmiya Fumio, Nakiri Alice, and even 99.99% of chefs and gourmets in the culinary world, this term is simply an exaggerated description of Chef Ryu's culinary skills.

This is like the legend of Liu Maoxing's ascension to heaven that circulates in the Chinese culinary world.

Can chefs ascend to heaven?

Of course not!

Therefore, it can only mean how delicious Liu Maoxing's cooking is; similarly, Chef Long's cooking could not possibly shine.

As for why delicious food makes the beautiful girl meow and even causes her clothes to burst off, that's another story.

Isn't this common sense?

This is how the world's cuisine has always been!

In Xiang Ji's understanding, the glowing dishes inside are real. The ultimate dishes are not just about making pretty girls squeal or having their clothes ripped off!

……

"Senior Xiang Ji~"

"Were you serious just now? This dish isn't finished yet?" Alice Nakiri couldn't help but ask immediately.

"It's not unfinished."

“It’s completely incomparable to the original dish! It’s far inferior.” Xiang Ji shook his head calmly.

We lost completely!

Even if his lovely and charming ancestor's chef wasn't his best in terms of seasoning and cooking, he still couldn't match the skill he possessed now.

Is it too far off?

Was Xiang Ji referring to the ingredients used in the cooking?

Suddenly, a look of realization dawned on Alice Nakiri's ruby-like eyes, and her delicate face showed an expression as if she had seen through everything.

That's right! It's definitely the ingredients.

The real sea bream used by the senior Xiang Ji in his cooking was leftover from the previous food battle, and the side dishes such as water celery were not the best either.

What else could it be but food ingredients?

Could it be that what Senior Xiang Ji just said was that his cooking skills were far inferior to Chef Long's?

"Senior Xiang Ji".

“If it’s a problem with the ingredients, I can help!” Alice Nakiri patted her chest and said confidently to Xiang Ji.

Xiang Ji: ? ? ?

What ingredients?

What on earth is Alice Nakiri saying right now?

……

"Senior Xiang Ji".

"Senior Xiang Ji, I can also help you."

"Senior Xiang Ji!"

"Senior, what ingredients do you need for braised fish head? It should include sea bream, tofu, water celery... right? We'll go buy those ingredients for you now."

"Daigo, Shoji."

"Now you should hurry to the supermarket to buy ingredients. Do you still want to eat your senior's cooking later?"

"Senior Xiang Ji".

“We’ll buy it right away, please make sure to make this dish.”

"Xiang Ji Jun".

"I'd like to try your cooking, is that alright?"

……

Alice Nakiri's words were like a lit fuse.

In the blink of an eye.

Yoshino Yuuki and the others, who had been craving it for ages, had their desire for the grilled fish head explode like gunpowder.

Before Xiang Ji could even speak, Yoshino Yuuki had already instructed Aoki Daigo and the others to go and buy ingredients separately.

Even Tsukasa Eishi couldn't help but ask.

No!

When did you say it was a problem with the ingredients?

It's cooking! Cooking!

Xiang Ji actually scoffed at the idea circulating in the Food Wars! world that recipes determine the upper limit of a dish, while chefs determine the lower limit.

The reason is quite simple.

This statement wouldn't be a problem if placed in the pure world of Food Wars!, which, while not entirely scientific, is still quite accurate!

But this world hides the backstory of MasterChef!

Does the recipe determine the upper limit of a dish?

Shit!

Recipes are worthless in the world of MasterChef! There are no best recipes, only best chefs!

No need to say anything else.

Liu Maoxing was even able to make something as bizarre as creamy macaroni dumplings so delicious that even the god of food, Pangu, praised them!

Let's try someone else.

Let's see what happens when Pangu, the god of food, sees something like a creamy macaroni dumpling. Will he eat it all first, even praising how delicious it is, before slapping it to death, or will he just slap it to death without even looking at it?

Chapter 56 Alice Nakiri: Hmm, so it turns out that commoners wear aprons at the end of their parties?