Everyday Life Starting with Food Wars

By the end of their conversation, they had finished their rice koji juice. Isshiki Satoshi stood up and patted his knees. "Alright, go to sleep early. You have class tomorrow, and if you're late, it's not impossible that you'll be expelled."

Chen Yuxing stood up and walked towards the stairs.

I looked back when I was halfway there.

The nights at Jixingliao are not quiet. The old wooden buildings creak in the wind, the chirping of insects in late autumn seeps in from outside the windows, and occasionally you can hear the sound of sharpening knives coming from some unknown room.

But this old house, hidden behind the trees, inexplicably gave people a sense of security.

He returned to 301, and the moment he closed the door, the notification sound from "The Book of Gourmet" echoed in his mind.

[Interim Test: The host has officially integrated into the Polaris Dormitory.]

[Unlock new achievement - Original Belonging, reward with new recipe - Dragon Beard Noodles.]

[New Mission Triggered: In the upcoming French cuisine class, use Chinese techniques to improve at least one dish and achieve an A grade or higher. Mission Reward: Unlock recipe – Crystal Shrimp Dumplings.]

Chen Yuxing stood behind the door and read those lines of text over and over again.

A French cooking class, modified using Chinese techniques, requires an A grade or higher.

He turned his gaze to the window.

As night fell, the outline of Totsuki Academy was faintly visible in the moonlight.

Tomorrow is likely to be another tough day.

Chapter 6 French Cuisine

The next morning, Chen Yuxing was woken up by the sound of banging on the door.

"Chen Yuxing! Get up! You're going to be late!"

Tadokoro Megumi's voice came from outside the door, sounding urgent and tense, as if Chen Yuxing would die inside if she knocked too slowly.

Chen Yuxing struggled to get out of bed. He had drunk too much rice gluten juice and kelp tea rice last night, and his stomach felt like a lump of fermenting dough was churning inside him. He rubbed his eyes and walked barefoot to open the door.

As soon as the door opened, Tadokoro Megumi almost hit him in the face.

She paused for a moment, then quickly withdrew her hand, her face flushing red. "I'm so sorry! Mrs. Wenxu said everyone should have breakfast in the cafeteria at 7:30, and it's 7:20 now. I was worried you weren't up yet..."

"Thank you." Chen Yuxing yawned, his hair sticking up like it had been electrocuted. "I'll wash my face and then go downstairs."

Tadokoro Megumi nodded, quickly turned around and walked towards the stairwell, almost tripping over herself after taking two steps.

Chen Yuxing leaned against the door frame for two seconds, then closed the door and went to wash up.

After washing his face, he felt much more refreshed. He patted his hair in front of the mirror, changed into his school uniform, picked up his schoolbag, and went downstairs.

The dining hall of Polar Star Dormitory is on the first floor. It is actually a large room next to the public kitchen. In the middle of the room is a long wooden table that can seat more than a dozen people. The table is already full of breakfast. Mrs. Fumio, wearing an apron, is carrying plates back and forth between the stove and the table. Her movements are so nimble that she doesn't look like someone in her fifties.

Almost everyone else had arrived. Daigo Aoki and Shoji Sato were fighting over the last fried egg. Yuuki Yoshino was secretly feeding breadcrumbs to a chick that had somehow sneaked in. Ryoko Sakaki was pouring rice koji juice for everyone. Shun Ibuzaki was leaning against the wall, quietly drinking miso soup.

Isshiki Satoshi sat at the head of the long table, wearing an apron that looked far too short, with a plate of seemingly normal sandwiches in front of him.

Good morning, Ah Xing.

Isshiki Satoshi waved at him, "Did you sleep well last night?"

"Not too good."

Chen Yuxing sat down, picked up a piece of bread, and said, "My stomach is upset."

"Huh? Why?" Yoshino Yuuki asked curiously.

"Tea-soaked rice".

The table fell silent for a moment. Marui Zenji adjusted his glasses and said, "Eating rice soaked in tea at midnight is indeed not good for the stomach. The polyphenols in the tea will stimulate the secretion of gastric acid. In addition, the rice grains are not chewed properly after being soaked, which will increase the digestive burden."

"Do you have any digestive pills?" Ryoko Sakaki asked with concern.

Chen Yuxing shook his head.

"Wait a minute." Daigo Aoki put down his chopsticks, looking incredulous. "You mean your stomach felt uncomfortable after eating ochazuke last night? That's not normal, is it?"

"Is something wrong?"

“We’re all fine!” Daigo Aoki pointed around and said, “Ask around, who had an upset stomach last night?”

Everyone shook their heads.

Chen Yuxing was stunned for a moment, then realized that while the cuisine in this world was highly developed, the corresponding digestive care and taste protection methods were also much more advanced than in his previous life. Moreover, these guys probably always carried digestive tablets and tongue care solutions in their bags, just like he naturally carried Band-Aids with him in his previous life.

I'll get you two boxes of digestive tablets later.

Isshiki Satoshi said with a smile, "You've seen the dining style at Polar Star Dormitory. Your stomach might not be able to handle it without some supplements."

Thank you.

Halfway through breakfast, the cafeteria door was suddenly pushed open.

Soma Yukihira stood at the door, the white cloth strip tied around his forehead. His mental state was more excited than everyone else present combined. He strode to the dining table, placed his hands on the tabletop, and stared straight at Satoshi Isshiki.

"Isshiki-senpai!"

Isshiki Satoshi took a bite of his sandwich: "What is it?"

"Let's stake our seventh seat among the Ten Heroes and settle this once again!"

The entire cafeteria fell silent for about three seconds.

Then Yoshino Yuuki continued feeding her chicks, Sakaki Ryoko continued pouring rice koji, and Aoki Daigo and Sato Shoji had finished breakfast and were dozing off.

Everyone chose to ignore it.

"Hey! Give me some feedback!" Soma Yukihira was getting impatient.

Chen Yuxing poured himself another glass of water: "Soma, did you listen to Isshiki-senpai explain the rules of Food Wars last night?"

"I've heard that! It's just a cooking competition!"

"Three conditions are required for the establishment of a food battle."

Marui Zenji put down his chopsticks, adjusted his glasses, and said in a completely authoritative tone, "First, a notary with the qualifications to notarize food battles must be present. Second, the judging panel must consist of an odd number of authoritative judges. Third, and most importantly, both parties must agree on the stakes."

He paused, looking at Soma Yukihira: "What stakes do you want to use to bet on Isshiki-senpai's spot in the Elite Ten?"

"I—" Soma Yukihira stammered.

“The seats of the Ten Outstanding Individuals are not like points in a game.”

Chen Yuxing continued, "The Council of the Elite Ten of Totsuki Academy is the highest authority in this academy. The Elite Ten have the power to decide any matter in the academy, including dismissing the headmaster. Do you want to use the stakes of an ordinary student to gamble on one-tenth of Totsuki Academy?"

Mrs. Wenxu poked her head out from the kitchen: "Trying to exchange worthless chips for a seat in the Top Ten is simply not allowed according to the rules, that's common sense, kid."

Soma Yukihira opened his mouth, then slowly sat down, his whole body slumping: "Oh, so that's what happened..."

"But it's a good thing that you're so motivated so early in the morning."

Satoshi Isshiki stuffed the last bite of his sandwich into his mouth, stood up, clapped his hands, and said, "Let's go, it's about time to go to class. Being late for class is no joke."

The morning session consists of theory classes.

There were about forty people in the classroom. Chen Yuxing and Tadokoro Megumi sat next to each other, and Yukihira Soma sat in the row in front of him. The lecturer was an old professor with gray hair. He was talking about food nutrition and taste physiology in front of the blackboard. He spoke slowly and his voice had a very hypnotic effect.

Ten minutes later, Soma Yukihira lay down on the table, but not to sleep. Instead, he was sketching recipes in his notebook, and as he drew, he was practically drooling. He was probably imagining some new dish.

Chen Yuxing was listening attentively; some of the things the old professor was saying were new to him.

The science of food science in this world is much more systematic than in the previous world, especially the classification of umami substances and fermentation strains, which is described in textbooks in much more detail than the academic materials of the previous world.

Tadokoro Megumi was also taking notes diligently beside him, her handwriting neat and tidy, and she marked important concepts with different colored pens. Chen Yuxing glanced at her notebook out of the corner of his eye and couldn't help but raise an eyebrow.

"Your notes are so detailed."

Tadokoro Megumi paused, her pen still slightly twitching, and said in a low voice, "These things will all be on the exam... and a weak foundation will affect your later practical classes..."

"I see."

Chen Yuxing didn't say anything more.

When the bell rang, Chen Yuxing was about to get up when Tadokoro Megumi gently tugged at his sleeve.

"Um... Chen Yuxing."

"Just call me Ah Xing."

Tadokoro Megumi hesitated for a moment, then lowered her voice further: "Ah-Hoshi... classmate. This afternoon's French cooking practice class is still taught by Chef Chappelle, and the theme this time seems to be egg dishes. Can we... continue with one group?"

"Okay," Chen Yuxing said decisively.

Tadokoro Megumi breathed a sigh of relief, her shoulders relaxing completely, and then quickly added, "I won't hold you back! I'll definitely do better today than yesterday!"

"I believe you."

Tadokoro Megumi blushed again, but this time she didn't lower her head. Instead, she pursed her lips earnestly, as if trying to encourage herself.

Two o'clock in the afternoon.

French cooking class.

Chappell stood on the podium, still with that frozen expression. Today he was wearing an even whiter chef's uniform, so white it reflected light, making him look like a marble sculpture on the podium.

"Today's topic."

He glanced at all the students present. "French omelet."

Someone below breathed a sigh of relief. Egg rolls, who doesn't know how to make them? Beat the eggs with salt, put butter in a frying pan, pour in the egg mixture, roll it up—it couldn't be simpler.

Chappell's lips twitched, and the curve could probably be interpreted as a sneer.

"The judging criteria for this French omelet are based on only two aspects—external shape and internal texture. The external requirements are a smooth surface, no burnt color, and an intact oval shape without any damage. The internal requirements are a soft and juicy texture, with the egg liquid in the center just set but not completely set, and the cross-section showing a gradient color after being cut open, with a balanced gradient from fully cooked on the outside to semi-cooked in the center."

The atmosphere in the classroom changed instantly; those who had just breathed a sigh of relief now had stiff faces.

"The groups will still be assigned according to yesterday's student ID numbers. Students will pick up their own ingredients and have a 40-minute time limit. I will personally judge them after they are done, and the same rules apply as yesterday—groups that do not meet the A-level standard will be disqualified."

Chen Yuxing picked up the knife case, stood up, and glanced back at Tadokoro Megumi. She was also looking at him, with the same look as a substitute player waiting for the coach to call her onto the field.

"Let's go," Chen Yuxing said.

The two walked to the ingredients area, where there were plenty of eggs. Next to them were butter, cream, scallions, salt, and pepper. Chen Yuxing picked up an egg and held it up to the light. The yolk was perfectly round, and the egg white was clear. The quality was impeccable.

He placed the eggs on the tray that Tadokoro Megumi was holding. "Take ten eggs first, and also a piece of unsalted butter. A few scallions will suffice."

Tadokoro Megumi nodded, picked out the ingredients as he instructed, and also took two clean towels.

Back at the workbench, Chen Yu put on an apron, rolled up his sleeves, and washed his hands. After doing this, he was already getting into the zone.

“Ah Xing… no, Chen Yuxing, I’ll chop the scallions this time,” Tadokoro Megumi offered.

"Okay, just chop it into small pieces."

Tadokoro Megumi picked up the knife and took a deep breath.

She closed her fingers, knuckles against the blade, and chopped slowly but evenly, producing fine, bright green scallion pieces without squeezing out any water.

“Very good,” Chen Yuxing said.

Tadokoro Megumi's lips curved slightly, but her hands didn't stop.

Chen Yuxing cracked ten eggs into a large bowl and quickly whisked them with chopsticks. He added salt and white pepper, and his whisking technique remained the same—his wrist moved in a figure-eight motion, stirring the egg mixture into fine foam, changing its color from bright yellow to a pale goose-yellow.

After beating the eggs, he set the bowl aside and turned to Megumi Tadokoro, saying, "The next step is crucial. The usual way to make French omelets is to roll them up with a spatula immediately after pouring the egg mixture into the pan. This makes the omelets fully cooked inside, not semi-cooked. We need to try a different method."

"How to do it?"

“Use a strainer.” Chen Yuxing pulled a fine-mesh strainer out of the cabinet. “Filter the egg mixture to remove egg strands and air bubbles. The filtered egg mixture will solidify more evenly in the pot, allowing for precise control of the heat.”

Megumi Tadokoro took the strainer and carefully filtered the egg mixture into another bowl. The strainer caught some white egg strands and tiny clumps of foam, making the egg mixture in the bowl even more delicate and smooth, like a bowl of flowing, pale yellow silk.

"Then there are Chinese techniques."

Chen Yuxing took a non-stick frying pan and placed it on the stove, turning on medium heat. "The standard way to make French egg rolls is to roll them slowly over medium-low heat, and the surface should not be burnt when they come out of the pan. But what we need to do is to make the outer layer of the egg roll form an extremely thin crispy crust while keeping the surface free of burnt color, thus increasing the layers of texture."

"An extremely thin... crispy crust?"

Megumi Tadokoro frowned. This sounded a bit contradictory. The crust needed to be heated at high temperatures, but high temperatures would inevitably produce a burnt color.

"Therefore, it is necessary to control the degree of heat."

Chen Yuxing put a small piece of butter in the pot. After the butter melted, he didn't rush to pour in the egg mixture. Instead, he lifted the pot off the heat source and used a spoon to scoop out the excess butter, leaving only a thin layer of oil film on the bottom of the pot.

"The pan needs to be hot enough to make the pastry crispy, but the egg mixture must be removed from the heat as soon as it touches the bottom of the pan to cool down, and the residual heat of the pan is used to complete the coagulation. This is the application of the 'sliding pan' technique of Chinese wok to French omelets."

He poured the filtered egg mixture into the hot pan.