Everyday Life Starting with Food Wars

The big screen showed a close-up of Chen Yuxing's dish, specifically the stew pot.

Everyone fell silent upon seeing the image displayed above.

A few seconds later, a roar even louder than that of Terunori Kuga erupted from the audience, but this time it was all doubt and ridicule directed at Chen Yuxing.

"This looks too ordinary."

"It looks so unappetizing, it's so bland."

"What kind of dish is this? Can this really compare to Kuga-senpai's Mapo Tofu?"

Hisagi Terunori was stunned as he looked at the dishes in the stew pot.

The broth was clear and free of any oil, with a cabbage heart placed in the center, and nothing else.

"So you're giving up the competition and want to join my ranks directly?" Kuga Terunori said, somewhat amused and exasperated. "So this is all the dish you've come up with in the end?"

"This is also Sichuan cuisine, you know. Senior Kuga has studied Sichuan cuisine for so long, how come you don't recognize it?"

Ignoring the skepticism from the audience, Chen Yuxing introduced the dish to the three judges: "One of the top ten classic Sichuan dishes, Boiled Cabbage in Clear Broth."

Please enjoy.

Chapter 58 Victory and Defeat

"Please enjoy the boiled cabbage in clear broth."

As soon as Chen Yuxing finished speaking, the audience in the stands erupted in excitement.

"This is too plain. Compared to Kuga-senpai's Mapo Tofu, can it really capture the flavor?"

"Kuga-senpai's tofu was so spicy that even the judges couldn't resist it. I feel like even boiled cabbage couldn't outdo the spiciness of Mapo tofu."

"Even if it's meant to be a dish to relieve the spiciness, isn't this a bit too perfunctory? Or is there something unique about this dish?"

"I don't know, but the shape of this cabbage is really quite nice."

The members of the Chinese Cuisine Research Society shouted even louder when they saw this, and the flags in their hands were practically flying.

Compared to the Mapo Tofu that Kuga Terunori had made the three judges eat non-stop, this boiled cabbage in clear broth was far too simple. It seemed like a sure win.

On the judging panel, the expressions of the three judges changed after the lid was opened.

Erina Nakiri's face still had an abnormal flush. The spiciness from Terunori Kuga's Mapo Tofu was like a flame dancing around in her mouth, and even taking a breath made her mouth feel numb.

She frowned as she looked at the stew pot in front of her. The cabbage inside was indeed very beautifully presented, but the broth was too clear. Could such a dish really suppress the strong spicy and numbing taste in her mouth?

Erina was a hundred percent incredulous. If the clear soup couldn't relieve the spiciness, it would only double the pain due to the temperature.

However, as the holder of the 'God Tongue', she also has an almost instinctive desire to explore this unknown cuisine.

Meanwhile, Professor Chappelle and Professor Shiomi Jun, who were standing nearby, seemed to have discovered something, and both of them gently stirred the surface of the soup with their spoons at the same time.

The moment Tang's calm surface was shattered.

"boom--"

An indescribable, rich, and savory aroma burst forth from the stew pot, as if a seal had been completely broken.

"Hmm! This scent is..."

Erina's pupils suddenly contracted, and her brows, which had been furrowed because of Yu La, instantly relaxed.

She subconsciously took a deep breath. There was no pungent smell of chili peppers, nor any excessive aroma of spices. This was the purest aroma of meat, with the fragrance of old hen, ribs, ham, and other ingredients all perfectly blended together.

Just smelling this aroma soothed the spiciness in Erina's mouth.

She could no longer resist. She picked up a spoon, scooped up a spoonful of the crystal-clear soup, and put it in her mouth along with a translucent cabbage leaf.

The moment the soup touched my tongue, it didn't taste bland like it did on the outside, nor did it have the intense stinging sensation I expected when drinking hot water after eating spicy food.

On the contrary, an extremely strong and delicious flavor surged into her mouth like a giant wave.

My tongue, which had become numb and burning from Terunori Kuga's super spicy Mapo Tofu, was revitalized the moment I touched this clear broth, just like parched fields receiving the first spring rain.

The cabbage makes a crisp 'crunch' sound when you bite into it. Having absorbed all the essence of the broth, the cabbage has lost all its raw taste and retains only its original sweetness.

"what……"

Erina closed her eyes, an unnatural flush returning to her face, and she couldn't help but let out a gasp.

When she opened her eyes, she found herself no longer in the moonlit sky.

Not long ago, she was still feeling hot and irritated in the crater of the volcano, which was spewing out red oil and peppercorns. Now, the lava in the volcano has suddenly subsided, and she has started to fly up uncontrollably, with the scenery around her constantly changing.

Finally, she found herself in a heavenly kingdom shrouded in mist. Pushing open the door, she found herself in a vegetable garden filled with cabbages, and above her head was an ocean of soup made from various ingredients.

Suddenly, the huge ocean of soup above burst open and turned into golden droplets that fell down, drenching Erina and the cabbages in the vegetable garden.

She strolled through the vegetable garden, the golden broth dripping onto her skin. The warm, moisturizing sensation swept away all her fatigue, and the comfort made her tremble involuntarily.

"Such a warm...such a pure feeling..."

Erina hugged her arms tightly, her clothes becoming increasingly transparent as they soaked in the golden broth, eventually turning into a wisp of mist and disappearing completely into the air. She felt no shame; instead, she completely relaxed and immersed herself in this paradise.

"What an amazing broth..."

Shiomi Jun, standing to the side, held the stew pot with both hands and, without caring about her image, picked it up and ate all the soup and cabbage, leaving nothing behind.

"No complicated spices were used! It relies entirely on the flavor of the ingredients themselves, which react with each other during long cooking to create this umami flavor..." Shiomi Jun's face was full of shock and disbelief. "It looks incredibly bland, but it has a strong umami flavor when you drink it. My stomach, which was irritated by the chili earlier, was completely soothed and felt warm and cozy."

In Shiomi Jun's illusion, she became a little girl lost in a red spice desert, enveloped in various spices and about to lose her way completely.

Suddenly, a drop of sweet dew fell from the sky onto her head, and instantly, the originally dry desert was suddenly hit by a torrential downpour. Under the irrigation of the sapling rain, countless cabbages suddenly sprouted in the desert, turning it into a field of white and green cabbages.

Meanwhile, on the other side, Teacher Chappelle had finished eating and put down the stew pot.

The professor, who was known for his strictness at Totsuki Academy and was called the 'Never-Smiling Chef', actually laughed at this moment, and seemed to be enjoying it very much.

"I see... I understand now."

Teacher Chappelle looked at Chen Yuxing and said, "Using a process similar to that of making Consommé, after simmering ingredients such as old hen, ham, and dried scallops to make a thick broth, minced meat is used to absorb impurities and oil."

"That's why the rich broth that was originally easy to spot has become as clear as plain water."

"At the same time, the aroma of the broth is even richer and more delicious, it's really amazing..."

Upon hearing Professor Chappell's evaluation, the students who had been engaged in a heated discussion on stage fell silent, all staring wide-eyed at the scene below.

"Professor Chappelle actually gave such a high evaluation..."

"I knew that wasn't your average boiled cabbage."

Chen Yuxing stood on the judging panel and looked at the three judges. "This can't really be considered a complete boiled cabbage dish."

“A real boiled cabbage soup requires at least four hours of simmering for just this pot of broth, and then the broth is skimmed three times with minced meat, which is a technique similar to that of French consommé.”

"The essence of this dish is its broth, but unfortunately, I was short on time this time, so I made some slight modifications."

The three judges on the judging panel have all tasted all the dishes.

"Alright! Now that both contestants have finished tasting their dishes!" Kawashima Rei shouted into the microphone, "Then it's time for the final voting!"

Everyone in the room slowed their breathing at that moment, staring intently at the scoreboard on the screen.

"drop--"

The first vote was cast, and a red light came on.

"Kuga Terunori! One vote!" Kawashima Rei reported loudly.

It was Professor Shiomi Jun. Facing so many eyes, she lowered her head somewhat shyly and explained softly, "Um... Kuga's spice blend is truly perfect, and the use of different years' worth of fermented soybean paste is also very valuable for spice research..."

"It's not that Chen's cooking is bad, it's just that I personally prefer the flavor of spices a bit more..."

Just as the members of the Chinese Cuisine Research Society in the audience were about to cheer, two more "beep" sounds rang out in succession.

Two blue lights on the screen lit up simultaneously, completely overshadowing the red light.

"Professor Roland Chappell, please vote for Chen Yuxing!"

"Ms. Erina Nakiri also chooses to vote for Chen Yuxing!"

"So! Two votes to one! The ultimate winner of this food battle is—"

"The dark horse transfer student in first grade! Chen Yuxing!!!"

As Kawashima Rei made her announcement, the crowd in the Moonlight Pavilion fell into a brief silence, followed by a burst of gasps and uproar loud enough to lift the roof off.

"He won? He actually beat the Elite Ten!"

"My God! It's only been a short time since the start of the school year! And a first-year student has already defeated one of the Elite Ten!"

"This is so insane! Is it my bad luck or my good luck to be in the same year as someone like this...?"

The Polar Star Dormitory members in the stands also started cheering wildly.

Yoshino Yuuki hugged Tadokoro Megumi and Sakaki Ryoko tightly, exclaiming, "Ahhh! Megumi! Ryoko! Did you see that?! Hoshi won! He really beat Kuga-senpai!"

Even Tadokoro Megumi, who trusted Chen Yuxing a lot, covered her mouth and just kept nodding. Sakaki Ryoko gently stroked Yuuki and Megumi's hair.

Aoki Daigo and Sato Shoji excitedly grabbed each other by the neck and shook each other wildly.

"Stop, stop, stop! It hurts, you idiot! Let go of me!"

"I'm so excited! Ah Xing won! Does that mean our Polar Star Dormitory is about to have a new Top Ten Heroes?! Woohoo!"

Soma Yukihira stood at the front, gripping the railing tightly. He looked at the black-haired youth below, his eyes blazing with unparalleled fighting spirit: "Shinichi, you've gotten ahead of me again. Damn it, I'll definitely find a chance to have a match with Shinichi!"

Meanwhile, in the private rooms on the second floor, the reactions of the Ten Heroes varied.

Eizan Etsuya's face was somewhat gloomy. The strength displayed by this transfer student made him feel an unprecedented sense of crisis, not to mention that he was with Yukihira Soma.

Rindou Kobayashi, while eating potato chips, looked down at Terunori Kuga and said, "Wow, Kuga actually messed up. But it can be considered a good thing for him. It's not good to only focus on one direction."

Isshiki Satoshi still had that same smiling face, and he looked at Chen Yuxing below the stage, muttering something to himself.

Si Yingshi had somehow walked to the window and was looking at Chen Yuxing with great interest.

On the stage between the moon and the sky, Terunori Kuga stared blankly at the score frozen on the screen.

He lost. The eighth seat of the Elite Ten of Totsuki Academy lost in the field he was most proud of.

Hisagi Terunori gritted his teeth and suddenly turned around to walk towards Chen Yuxing.

"Chen Yuxing, could you make me a serving of your boiled cabbage in clear broth?" Kuga Terunori said with a hint of reluctance. "I'd also like to try Sichuan cuisine without the numbing and spicy flavors."

Chen Yuxing stopped what he was doing, looked at Kuga Terunori in front of him, nodded, and didn't say anything more.

He restarted the fire and reheated the remaining broth, then blanched and cooled the cabbage, pierced it with a silver needle, and finally placed it in a small bowl and poured the heated broth over it.

"Alright." Chen Yuxing placed the bowl in front of Kuga Terunori.

Terunori Kuga picked up the spoon next to him, scooped up a mouthful, and stuffed it into his mouth.

The strong, spicy taste of his Mapo Tofu still lingered in his mouth; he had originally thought this taste would diminish his appetite for other foods.

But when he tasted the broth, he froze on the spot.

"This...this is..."

His hand holding the spoon fell limply to his side, all his resentment shattered by the rich and delicious clear soup.

"In the past, many people belittled Sichuan cuisine, saying that it was only about numbing and spicy, and that it was vulgar, unsophisticated, and not worthy of being considered refined."

"There was a chef who racked his brains for a long time to dispel this rumor and vindicate Sichuan cuisine. After hundreds and thousands of attempts, he finally broke new ground and successfully created the dish 'Boiled Cabbage in Clear Broth'."

"By bringing the ultimate in complexity and simplicity, this dish has also cleared away the grievances that Sichuan cuisine has suffered for a century, and told the world that Sichuan cuisine is not just about making people sweat profusely from its numbing spiciness, but can also produce a light and elegant flavor that surpasses all other dishes."

"Now this dish has been popularized and has become a famous dish served at state banquets."

Chen Yuxing looked at Kuga Terunori in front of him: "Senior Kuga, Chinese cuisine is profound and extensive. Just Sichuan cuisine alone has the saying 'one dish, one style; a hundred dishes, a hundred flavors'."

"If you limit yourself to just spicy food, you'll find there's no other way to go."

"But if you try to learn and integrate different cuisines of Chinese cuisine, such as the fish-fragrant and soy-sauce-fragrant flavors of Sichuan cuisine, or Cantonese and Zhejiang cuisines."

"You will definitely gain a lot."

After hearing Chen Yuxing's words, Hisagi Terunori lowered his head and remained silent for a while.

When he looked up again, the feeling of resentment and confusion had completely disappeared, replaced by relief and new motivation to move forward.

“You’re a monster.” He looked at Chen Yuxing seriously and said, “Since I lost, then according to the agreement, starting today, the eighth seat of the Elite Ten will be yours. Tomorrow I will go to the Commander-in-Chief to submit the seat transfer application.”