txolops Chapter 67 The Arrogance of the So-Called "Craftsmen"
Chapter 67 The Arrogance of the So-Called "Craftsmen"
6:40 PM.
At the edge of the Yintai Building plaza, Lin Chen's stall was still bustling with activity.
The number of people in line did not decrease; on the contrary, the line grew longer due to the arrival of the evening rush hour.
The creation of the WeChat group gave everyone peace of mind, and the atmosphere while queuing was very harmonious, without the usual anxiety.
"Click".
Lin Chen pressed the gas stove knob with his left hand, and a dark blue flame instantly shot up, licking the bottom of the pot.
Heat the pan, then add cold oil.
Lin Chen picked up two eggs with one hand and gently tapped them on the edge of the pot.
The egg mixture slid into the hot oil and instantly expanded and bubbled.
He gripped the spatula in his right hand, making no unnecessary movements, quickly scrambling the eggs before pouring in the rice.
The iron wok flew up and down in Lin Chen's hands, and the rice grains and eggs mixed in mid-air, making a slight "sizzling" sound.
The dry, fragrant aroma of scallion and egg wafted into the noses of the white-collar workers queuing up, carried by the early summer evening breeze.
"Three portions to go, thank you boss."
A white-collar worker at the front of the line scanned the QR code to pay.
"Alright! Three servings!"
Lin Chen turned off the heat and took the food out of the pan. Wang Hai worked quickly, packing the three portions of fried rice into takeout containers in just a few seconds. He then turned around, scooped out three bowls of clear soup from a thermos, tightened the lids, and put them all into a plastic bag before handing them over.
"Uncle, here's your spoon."
Tangtang sat on a small stool next to her, and with her two little hands pulled out three disposable spoons from a plastic bag and handed them to the customer obediently.
"Thank you, Tangtang."
The office worker smiled as she took the bag, then turned and left, satisfied.
"Next!"
Wang Hai shouted loudly, then took advantage of a break to turn to Lin Chen and say, "Brother Chen, you're really efficient today. I see that although the line is long, we're also serving food quickly. We've prepared 150 portions of ingredients, and I estimate that we'll sell them all in another hour or so."
Lin Chen picked up a clean rag draped over the side and wiped the table surface.
"Just keep the heat steady and serve the food; there's no rush."
Lin Chen replied.
"Click".
The flames were rekindled, and Lin Chen's gaze returned to the iron pot in front of him, unaffected by any of the surrounding noise.
……
Meanwhile, in the kitchen of the Japanese restaurant, the atmosphere was extremely tense.
Watanabe stood in front of the kitchen counter, his face grim, his chest heaving violently.
Looking at the deserted hall and empty private rooms outside, he couldn't suppress the anger in his heart.
"Absurd! Utterly incomprehensible!"
Watanabe shouted in accented Chinese, his hands on the counter, his gaze sweeping over the apprentices and kitchen helpers standing ramrod straight in the back kitchen.
"Tell me, what exactly is going on?"
A group of high-net-worth executives, ignoring the opportunity to dine at a top-tier Japanese restaurant, opting instead for street food stalls?
Watanabe paced back and forth, his tone filled with arrogance and incomprehension.
The apprentices kept their heads down, none of them daring to offend the head chef at this moment.
"In our land of cherry blossoms, cuisine is an art that requires a lifetime to understand!"
Watanabe stopped and pointed to the expensive bluefin tuna on the cutting board. "Our sushi master spent a full ten years just learning how to wash rice!"
Ten years! This is the reverence we Japanese people have for rice and the respect we have for food!
Watanabe grew increasingly angry as he spoke, his eyes filled with disdain for Chinese street food.
"But what about street fried rice in China?"
What is that?
Watanabe sneered repeatedly, "That's low-quality food that people at the bottom of society come up with to fill their stomachs!"
They use leftover rice that has hardened overnight. To cover up the rice's spoilage and cheapness, they pour in large amounts of gutter oil and sprinkle on heavy salt and various inferior chemical seasonings!
The kitchen was so quiet you could hear a pin drop, with only Watanabe's angry voice echoing through the room.
"What else can you taste besides greasiness and MSG in those oily and salty junk foods?"
Can you taste the original flavor of rice in it?
Can you taste the soul of the ingredients?
Watanabe slammed his hand on the stainless steel countertop: "How dare they sell this garbage for ninety-nine dollars a serving?"
How could they possibly steal away our high-end customers from Songchuan?
This is an insult to cuisine!
This is a desecration of the entire high-end catering industry!
Watanabe couldn't swallow this insult.
As a chef from Japan who has "craftsmanship" ingrained in his very being, he absolutely cannot accept losing to a roadside tricycle stall that doesn't even have a storefront.
He had to expose this roadside stall's trick and let those deceived executives see clearly what kind of garbage they had bought for ninety-nine dollars.
Watanabe turned his head and his gaze fell on a young kitchen helper.
"Little Li."
Watanabe called out.
The apprentice, Xiao Li, was a young man in his early twenties who was mainly responsible for cutting and preparing ingredients and assisting others in the kitchen.
Upon hearing Watanabe call him, Xiao Li quickly took a step forward.
"Chef, you called me?"
Xiao Li said with his head down.
"You, take off your chef's uniform now."
Watanabe pointed at Xiao Li and said in a commanding tone.
Xiao Li was taken aback, wondering what Watanabe was up to: "Chef, it's business hours now..."
"Take it off when I tell you to!"
Watanabe interrupted him impatiently, "Go to the changing room and change into your usual casual clothes. Don't let anyone know you're Matsukawa's chef."
Xiao Li dared not disobey and quickly nodded: "Yes, head chef."
"After you change your clothes, go downstairs."
"Go to the tricycle stall in the square and queue up."
Buy one of their so-called 99 yuan fried rice dishes, and their so-called free clear soup.
Bring it back to the kitchen intact.
Xiao Li looked at Watanabe and swallowed hard. "Chef, you mean...?"
"I want to try it myself!"
Watanabe snorted coldly, his eyes flashing with contempt. "I'm going to dissect that fried rice right here, in front of all of you!"
I'll show you with your own eyes just how much inferior seasoning is used to mask the rottenness of the ingredients in those heavily oiled and salty junk foods!
Watanabe crossed his arms and raised his chin: "Once I expose that roadside stall's trick, I'll tell those executives the results of my analysis."
By then, they will understand that only the cuisine of our Sakura country is truly high-end.
They'll be ashamed of eating at roadside stalls!
"The head chef is brilliant."
Xiao Li didn't dare to contradict Watanabe, so he could only obediently agree.
"Go on, and hurry up."
Watanabe waved his hand and urged, "Don't attract the attention of that stall owner."
Bring it up immediately after you buy it.
"Understood, Chef."
Xiao Li turned around and strode towards the changing room in the back kitchen.
Three minutes later, Xiao Li took off his pristine white chef's uniform and changed into a plain gray T-shirt and jeans.
He walked out of the kitchen, through the deserted hall, pushed open the store door, and took the elevator directly down to the first floor.
Stepping out of the Yintai Building, Xiao Li took a deep breath of the early summer evening breeze and headed straight for the tricycle stall with a long queue at the edge of the square.