Everyday Life Starting with Food Wars

"Um... Chen Yuxing, could you please taste the saltiness for me?"

Chen Yuxing took the spoon and scooped up a small spoonful.

The mashed potatoes were very smooth and creamy, with the rich butter and sweet milk blending perfectly, but—

"You could add a little more salt. Also, did you add black pepper?"

No...no.

"You can add a little. Not much, just enough to simply enhance the flavor."

Tadokoro Megumi did as she was told, adding black pepper and stirring it again. She then had Chen Yuxing taste it once more.

“This time the layers are richer than before,” Chen Yuxing said. “The flavors are much more pronounced now.”

Megumi Tadokoro's eyes lit up, as if she had received some great praise.

"in addition."

Chen Yuxing poked the surface of the mashed potatoes with a spoon. "You used a spoon when you mashed the potatoes. Next time you can try using a strainer. The texture will be smoother."

"Filter?"

"Yes, press the cooked potato chunks through a strainer with a wooden spoon. They will expand a bit after being squeezed out, making them lighter and smoother. This is a trick for making French mashed potatoes. You can try it next time."

Megumi Tadokoro made this into her mind.

Just as she was about to plate the mashed potatoes, a rich aroma wafted over from the other end of the kitchen.

The aroma of grilled fish.

It's not just about grilled fish; the aroma carries the scent of spring—a fresh, earthy, and grassy vegetable fragrance mixed with the rich, oily flavor of the fish, layered together.

Chen Yuxing turned around.

Isshiki Satoshi stood in front of the stove, wearing an apron that looked rather short, and was using tongs to turn the fish in the frying pan.

His movements looked incredibly casual, just as relaxed as his usual playful self, but Chen Yuxing noticed that the timing of his flipping the fish, the angle at which he tilted the pot, and the force with which he poured the oil were all perfectly timed.

It was so precise it gave me goosebumps.

"Sichuan peppercorn grilled fish with spring vegetable puree." Isshiki Satoshi put the prepared dish into two plates and placed them in front of Chen Yuxing and Tadokoro Megumi. "Try it."

Chen Yuxing first brought his nose close.

The aroma of Sichuan peppercorns first fills the nostrils, followed by the charred fragrance of the fish skin after roasting, and finally, the subtle freshness of the white fish meat itself.

The moment you use chopsticks to pry open the fish skin, you hear a soft "snap".

The fish meat was so tender it was slightly translucent, and it gleamed with a moist sheen under the light.

Put it in your mouth.

The juices of the fish burst in your mouth, and the freshness, sweetness, and aroma all rush up at once. The numbing sensation of the Sichuan peppercorns is very mild, only lingering on the surface of your lips, and does not numb you to the point of affecting your taste.

The vegetable puree next to it is made primarily from cabbage, with a cool and smooth texture, carrying the scent of a spring field. Paired with the oil from the grilled fish, it's like a flower suddenly blooming in a freshly turned vegetable patch.

Chen Yuxing swallowed the fish and stared at the empty plate in front of him for a long time.

"Eight points." He silently gave himself that assessment.

This dish was made "casually" by Isshiki Satoshi's standards—like someone casually writing two characters, but you can see his skill in the strokes.

This is the strength of the Ten Heroes.

"How is it?" Isshiki Satoshi asked.

"It has the smell of spring."

Chen Yuxing said, "The cabbage was picked today. After being soaked in salt water, it lost its wilting and softness from being left out for a day. Instead, it absorbed the crisp flavor of the sea salt, which perfectly balances the oil from the grilled fish."

Isshiki Satoshi's eyes narrowed into slits: "You can tell from that?"

"What about Sichuan peppercorns?" he pressed.

"Green Sichuan peppercorns, not dried ones. You used fresh ones, so the numbing flavor stays on the surface and doesn't penetrate the fish. Also..."

Chen Yuxing picked up another bite of vegetable puree, chewed it carefully, and then said, "Besides cabbage, there's a tiny bit of celery root in the vegetable puree. It's very little, probably chopped up and mixed in. Most people wouldn't be able to tell. Its purpose is to support the sweetness and make it less bland."

Isshiki Satoshi was silent for a moment, then suddenly burst into laughter.

"It seems the welcome party tonight was worthwhile."

He patted Chen Yuxing on the shoulder, "Erina would go crazy if she saw your tongue."

"why?"

"Because in all her life, she has never encountered an equally matched opponent."

Isshiki Satoshi cleared the plate away. "But let's stop here for today. If we keep talking, I'm afraid you'll figure out all my tricks."

Soma Yukihira was already sharpening his knives nearby.

He had been watching from the sidelines, his hand sweating as he gripped the knife. Only after Isshiki Keiten finished cooking did he go over and take out the other half of the fish from the refrigerator.

"It's my turn."

Isshiki Satoshi raised an eyebrow.

Soma Yukihira didn't say anything. He stood in front of the stove, his expression one of extreme focus.

With a swift stroke, the fish was sliced ​​into neat, thick pieces. His technique for handling fish differed from Isshiki Satoshi's; it lacked the fluidity of a flowing knife, but each cut carried a powerful force, as if he were channeling all his strength into the blade.

Then he took out a small pot and started brewing tea.

No, it's not tea.

Chen Yuxing took a sniff—it was seaweed.

Soma Yukihira put the kelp into cold water and slowly heated it. When the water was about to boil, he took the kelp out. At this point, the water had turned a light amber color and had a unique salty and fresh taste of the sea.

"Seaweed tea rice?" Chen Yuxing said softly.

Soma Yukihira heard this and grinned, "This isn't your average ochazuke (rice with tea). Just you wait and see."

Instead of frying the fish, he laid it flat on a frying pan with only a thin layer of oil at the bottom.

After putting the fish pieces into the pot, he used tongs to press down on the surface of the fish meat so that it was completely in contact with the bottom of the pot.

"Pan-fried buns," Chen Yuxing said from the side.

“Yes.” Isshiki Satoshi stood to the side with his arms crossed, watching with great interest. “The basic technique of French cooking for handling fish is to press the fish meat with tongs to make it heat evenly, while constantly using a spoon to scoop up the oil that seeps out of the pan and pour it back onto the surface of the fish meat. The fish prepared this way will have an extreme contrast between the crispness of the skin and the tenderness of the meat.”

Soma Yukihira remained silent while frying the fish; only the oil sizzled in the pan.

After the fish was fried, he cut the fish meat into small pieces and stuffed them into the rice balls he had just made by hand.

The rice balls weren't perfectly shaped, but each one was warm, with a thin layer of moisture on the surface of the rice.

Finally, he arranged the rice balls in the bowl and poured hot seaweed tea over them.

The tea was poured over two-thirds of the rice ball, and then the top of the rice ball revealed pieces of fish that had been fried to a golden brown.

"Yukihira kelp tea rice." He placed the bowls in front of Isshiki Satoshi and Chen Yuxing. "Try it."

Chen Yuxing picked up the bowl and took a sip of tea.

The salty and savory flavor of the kelp slid down his tongue, warm and not bland, just enough to awaken his taste buds. Then he picked up a piece of rice ball and put it in his mouth.

The rice absorbs the umami flavor of the seaweed tea, each grain plump and soft. Only after biting into the rice ball does the fish meat inside begin to shine. The fish skin is fried until crispy, while the fish meat itself is surprisingly tender. The crispness and tenderness switch back and forth in the mouth, and finally, it is enveloped by the warmth of the seaweed tea. After swallowing, a faint sweet aftertaste remains in the throat.

"good to eat."

Chen Yuxing put down his bowl. "It's a whole level better than the bluefish burger meat we had tonight."

Upon hearing the second half of the sentence, Soma Yukihira's face immediately scrunched up: "I accept the first half, but can I return the second half to you?"

"To tell the truth."

Isshiki Satoshi also finished his portion, put down his chopsticks, and stared at Yukihira Soma for a long while.

"How is it?" Soma Yukihira pulled down the sleeve of his arm and stared at him as he asked.

“Interesting,” Isshiki Satoshi said with a smile. “It is indeed very interesting. To be able to achieve this level on the first day of school, no wonder he dared to say those things at the opening ceremony.”

Soma Yukihira scratched the back of his head, then suddenly turned to look at Chen Yuxing: "But I'm still not as good as him, right?"

Isshiki Satoshi did not answer.

But he did not deny it.

Chen Yuxing was already eating his second bowl. He noticed that this tea-soaked rice had a unique characteristic—the more he ate, the more he wanted to eat, because the saltiness of the seaweed tea was perfectly balanced and not cloying.

"Where did you get the inspiration for this ochazuke (rice with tea)?" he asked Soma Yukihira.

“My dad,” Soma Yukihira said, leaning against the counter. “After our family restaurant closed, the old man would use the leftover fish scraps and rice balls to make ochazuke (rice with tea) as a late-night snack. He liked to use seaweed tea instead of green tea, saying it was more suitable to go with fish.”

"Your old man is pretty amazing."

“Of course,” Soma Yukihira said, then suddenly lowered his voice, “but he won’t let me tell anyone where he is.”

"Ok?"

"He said that if people found out where he owns a shop, a whole bunch of troublesome people would come and bother him."

Chen Yuxing glanced at him but didn't press the matter further.

The kitchen gradually emptied out. Aoki Daigo and Sato Shoji's fried food duel ended in a draw. The two stuffed each other's mouths with fried pork cutlets and tempura, their cheeks puffed out like hamsters. Yoshino Yuuki's chicken stew was bubbling away in the pot, and she dozed off by the stove. Sakaki Ryoko's koji bread was in the oven, and the whole kitchen was filled with the sweet aroma of fermentation.

Tadokoro Megumi's mashed potatoes were all shared and eaten up. Although it was far inferior to Isshiki Satoshi's grilled fish, Yoshino Yuuki ate a bowl and came over to praise her improved cooking skills. Tadokoro Megumi blushed like a boiled shrimp and lowered her head, repeatedly saying that it was still far from good enough.

Chen Yuxing helped her tidy up the workbench by the sink, rinsing and hanging up the filter she had forgotten in the sink.

"Um... thank you so much for helping me tonight."

Tadokoro Megumi walked over to him, her voice still a little weak, but at least she didn't stutter.

"It's nothing. Remember to use a strainer next time you make mashed potatoes; it will greatly improve the texture."

Tadokoro lowered her gaze and remained quiet for a short while.

"Chen Yuxing, were you really not angry before? It was... that... bathroom..."

Well, it turns out it's not over yet.

Chen Yuxing wrung out the rag in his hand and draped it over the faucet: "What do I have to be angry about? Besides, you're the victim here."

Upon hearing this, Tadokoro Megumi blushed all the way to the roots of her neck.

"That...that word is too..."

"alright."

Chen Yuxing interrupted her embarrassment, "Anyway, let's not mention this again. We'll be seeing each other all the time in Polaris Dormitory, and your nervousness will make me feel awkward too."

Tadokoro Megumi paused for a moment, then nodded vigorously, her braids swaying back and forth.

"Okay...but I still want to thank Chen Yuxing."

When she said that last sentence, her voice finally calmed down.

By the time everyone finished cleaning up the kitchen, it was already past midnight. Marui Zenji was snoring in the corner of the room, his glasses perched on his nose. Aoki Daigo and Sato Shoji were fast asleep on the blankets, leaning against each other. Yoshino Yuuki was curled up in the corner, drooling, hugging a chick that had somehow wandered into the kitchen.

Ryoko Sakaki covered the baked bread with a cloth to save for tomorrow's breakfast. Jun Ibuzaki had left sometime earlier; a faint light shone through the crack in the door to his room 208, probably because he was staying up late researching a new smoke recipe.

Chen Yuxing pulled Isshiki Satoshi to sit on the ground, and the two chatted for a long time.

They talked about all sorts of random things—the Totsuki Academy's curriculum, the Elite Ten's sphere of influence, the rules of the Food Wars, and the history of the Polaris Dormitory.

Isshiki Satoshi said that the Polar Star Dormitory used to be full. At its peak, seven of the Ten Heroes were tenants of the Polar Star Dormitory. Although there are fewer people now, none of those who remain are easy to deal with.

“That Tadokoro Megumi,” Chen Yuxing asked, “she has a good foundation, so why does she always look like she’s about to be expelled?”

Isshiki Satoshi remained silent for a while.

“She almost got expelled last month.”

Chen Yuxing didn't say anything.

"The question on that test was French congee, and she overcooked it because she was nervous."

Isshiki Satoshi's voice was a little lower than usual. "The examiner announced on the spot that she failed. Later, I helped her get a chance to retake the exam, and she barely passed. But since then, she has become less and less confident in cooking."

“What she needs is a successful experience,” Chen Yuxing said, “even just once, to let her know that she can do it.”

“Perhaps you can give her that chance.” Isshiki Satoshi glanced at him.

Chen Yuxing didn't respond to that.