The story of a cook

Chapter 44
The provincial capital began to heat up in May. Girls on the street put on half-sleeves, and their white arms caught people's eyes.

The days of the hotel are calm, the business is very good, every day is busy, and there is an endless stream of guests.

The eldest brother and the fourth child are in love. Every night after get off work, the second child and the two of us are in the dormitory, each holding a novel and reading it. When we get sleepy, we go to bed. We don’t know what time the eldest child and the fourth child will come back.

Sometimes when I want to drink, I go out to a kebab stall on the street and pay ten yuan for kebabs and drink two bottles of beer.The one who has the same interest as me is Zhou Lan. When we met her, we sat and drank together.

Sun Mei didn't stay in the hotel more and more. She dressed herself like a lady every day, shuttled among the leaders in the factory, and her girlfriends also changed. Now these women are all beautiful and single. There is a leader who is the iron man, and lives a very nourishing life.

Brother Feng is in charge of the hotel, but he is very aggrieved. When he is free, he drinks with the boss, and the boss can only say a few words of comfort. After all, it is a housework, so it is not easy to say much.Sometimes the boss is impatient and persuades Feng Ge to go out to be cool, and even leads him to play outside himself.

On Saturday, there were few customers. After finishing the work, the boss took me to the hotel of Brother Feng's friend Boss Zou.

The eldest brother is the director of the street, and he has been friends with Boss Zou for many years.When Brother Feng asked Boss Zou to find a chef, Boss Zou thought of Boss. He planned to ask Boss to cook in his restaurant. Brother Feng.

Boss Zou's restaurant is called "Rose Hotel". On Taishan Road, the house belongs to the Provincial Teachers College.

The Teachers College is very large, located at the intersection of Taishan Road and Huanghe Street.To the east is the moat of Beiling Park, to the south is the Provincial Department of Communications, to the west is Jinglong Hotel of the Petroleum Company, and to the north is the Provincial City Reception Hotel and Phoenix Building.

The circle around the college is full of market houses. The "Rose Hotel" is at the north gate of the college, opposite to "Quanjude" and "Taishan Hotel", and one mile to the east is Beiling Park, which belongs to the bustling area.It is bigger than Shengmei, with ten private rooms, a banquet hall that can accommodate weddings, and several spare houses.There is a small door at the back of the hotel. Open the small door and you can directly enter the Teachers College.

Boss Zou has found a new chef to test dishes today, so he called the boss and asked him to check it out.

He and the eldest came to the private room, where the eldest and second brother, Boss Zou, a very charming woman and a man were sitting in it.The woman is tall, 1.7 meters, and looks beautiful.The man is a bit bookish, with his hair parted.

The eldest brother and the eldest brother look very similar, and at first glance they are two brothers. He is in his 40s, about 1.8 meters tall, with his head back, very serious, with a strong aura, like his old man.

Judging by the appearance and the boss, but judging by the temperament, the boss is full of gangsters, and his second brother is full of righteousness, with the authority of a superior.

The woman's surname is Wang, and she is the deputy of the eldest brother, and the man's surname is Ge, who is the head of a department of the Teachers College.

When everyone is ready, the dishes start to be served. The first dish is "cucumber ear shreds", and the second dish is "old vinegar sting head".After the cold dishes were served, hot dishes were served, which were "spinach in oil", "wok-wrapped meat", "steamed sea bass", "stir-fried double pickle", "wheat fries" and "hot and sour soup".

"Third brother, try it, the newly hired chef, let's see how the cooking is and check it out." Boss Zou said politely to the boss.

The boss looked at the dishes on the table and said: "It's very good. The chef of this dish should be in his thirties." After speaking, he began to taste.

"Yes, just thirty." Boss Zou said.

"The stir-fried dishes are pretty good, the saltiness is good, the color is quite bright, and some dishes are not too hot." The boss nodded, and then said: "Thirty, not bad, that's how I stir-fried vegetables when I was thirty. "

"Which dish is worse?" Boss Zou asked.

The boss looked around for a while, and then said carelessly: "What are you talking about? The food will get cold in a while, let's talk about it after a sip of wine."

Everyone looked at each other and smiled

"Just drink and be active." The eldest and second brother said to Lao Dao, just like the eldest, in a loud voice, "I asked you to taste food, not to drink."

"You don't drink? You are more greedy than anyone else." The boss replied unceremoniously, without looking at his second brother, and continued: "You have to have wine when you taste food. What can you taste without wine?"

The waiter came in and poured the wine, Boss Zou took a sip nervously.

Putting down the wine glass, the boss began to comment: "The pot-packed meat did not achieve the effect of crispy outside and inside, and the sweet and sour taste was not accurate, but the color was quite good. This is the fault of young chefs. They seek color, not taste, and think It’s fine as long as it looks good. No matter how beautiful the dish is, it’s for eating, and the taste is the last word.”

I listened and nodded, and followed suit.

Then the boss pointed to "Stir-Fried Shuangcui" and said: "This is a dish of green vegetables. Stir-fried vegetables need to be crispy and tender, and the heat is the most important thing. Green vegetables and soup dishes are the most difficult to make in stir-fried dishes. I don't know if you have any It feels not too brittle, and the orchid is a bit soft. When the orchid was given water, the water was put into the pot before it was boiled, and it came out like this."

After the boss said that his second brother didn't believe it, he took a bite of Jiaduo Lanhua, savored it carefully, nodded and said, "It's a little soft." Then he said to Boss Zou, "Call your chef and ask if the water is not boiled. I don’t believe that I can taste the pot without boiling water.”

The boss pouted and said, "Don't believe me, what if it's true?"

"You're right," said the eldest and second brother.

"That won't work, we have to gamble or something." The boss looked at his second brother confidently, and bet if he didn't agree with that.

Sister Wang, who was sitting next to the eldest brother and second brother, chuckled lightly, and said with a smile: "What are you two brothers doing? When you get together, you will pinch each other. How old are you?" A comfortable feeling.

"If the pot of real water is not boiled, I will punish myself with a cup." The eldest and second brother challenged.

"That won't work. Your self-punishment is like a reward." The boss put his right elbow on the table, touched his chin with his hand and said playfully, "Let's do it, you're a gambler."

These guys are very interesting.

"Okay." The eldest and second brother readily agreed, and then looked at everyone and said, "You are all listening, a cigarette. Show me something when the time comes, and don't tell him to play tricks."

It seems that the boss used to cheat his second brother a lot.

"Hmph! I've been cheating on you a few times, but I'm always cheating." The boss looked a little dismissively.

"It's still missing?" The eldest and second brother immediately raised his voice, raised his eyes and turned to Lao Dao: "You are not missing!"

After a while the chef came in, looking a little nervous.

Boss Zou pointed to the stir-fried Shuangcui and asked, "Master Li, did the water boil when the broccoli flew into the water?"

Master Li thought for a while, then smiled embarrassedly and said, "Don't worry, I'll cook the water before it boils."

As soon as the voice fell, the boss said loudly: "Did you look, did you look, the water is not boiling." Then he said to his second brother in a victorious posture: "How are you, do you accept it? Cigarettes, one!"

He stretched out a finger and waved it in front of his second brother's eyes, which made everyone laugh.

"I know, I can't miss you." The eldest brother was a little frustrated, and reluctantly agreed.

It is estimated that the boss and his second brother have been betting like this since they were young, and they are still in their 40s and [-]s. From the side, it can be seen that the two brothers have a good relationship.

Seeing this scene, Master Li stood there a little dazed.

Boss Zou said: "Master Li, sit down too, let me introduce you." Then he pointed to the boss and said, "This is Master Xing, the old master, very famous. Just now, Master Xing tasted the stir-fried Shuangcui. , said that you put the orchid in the pot before the water boiled, and everyone didn’t believe it, so I called you over to ask.”

Master Li nodded after listening, and couldn't help admiring the boss, bowed and said, "Master Xing, please guide me more."

"It's not a guide, they are all buddies, even if they cook a few years more than you, it's the same." The old man said.

"Oh, you are the master." Master Li said modestly.

The boss waved his hand smartly and said, "Master, you are all cooking."

Boss Zou said to Master Li: "Brother Xing just said that some dishes were not ready for cooking. Listen to Brother Xing and let's steal some art."

"Must, I can't even find such an opportunity." Master Li said.

The boss looked a little embarrassed, waved his hands and said, "I'm just talking nonsense, nonsense."

"If you say you're usually nonsense, I'll believe it, but what you said today makes sense." The eldest brother praised the eldest brother, and then hit him again: "I thought you couldn't cook before."

"You don't know how to cook yet?" The boss gave his second brother a blank look, and said angrily, "You eat less of my stir-fried vegetables? You eat more than anyone else. The vegetable soup is soaked in rice, and there is no juice left." The boss directly exposed his second brother's background.

"Did you watch it?"

"I didn't look at it?"

They were really two brothers, staring at each other with big eyes and small eyes, with exactly the same expression, which made everyone laugh.

"The most difficult thing for a cook to cook is soup dishes." The boss tasted the hot and sour soup, and then asked Master Li: "Master Li, when making hot and sour soup, do you fry the red peppers first, and then remove the red peppers?" Hot and sour taste after going out?"

"Yes, isn't it?" Master Li asked.

"Hot and sour soup, hot and sour soup, it sounds like a soup dish. The most taboo thing to make soup is oil, and if there is oil, five points will be deducted." The boss said seriously: "The acidity of hot and sour soup can be obtained from vinegar. , it can also be taken from sauces with added acidity, such as wild pepper juice, which is sour and spicy, and can be used appropriately.”

"Wait for the spiciness, you can choose more, it can be fresh chili, red dried pepper, or pepper. There is no fixed one, each cook has his own taste, as long as you find it well. Don't just learn how to cook. , It depends on what other people put in when cooking, then you will learn to die, and only by being flexible can you have your own dishes."

"Hot and sour soup is an old dish, and most people can't make it well. The main reason is that the hot and sour taste can't be mastered. You need to make it a few times. When you make it, try it more to find the feeling. Only when you find it. Remember to eat it before serving. Be sure to try it, don’t serve it if it’s not tasty, if you don’t like it, the customer will eat it after eating it? It’s normal to return the food.”

After the boss finished speaking, he said to everyone: "Don't just listen to my vernacular, you should try it too, take a sip, the soup tastes good when it's hot."

Everyone picked up the spoon and drank the soup.

"Hot and sour soup is ready, whether you drink it hot or cold, it is refreshing and appetizing." The boss said to Master Li: "Your soup still has a little taste when you drink it now, but after a while, you will have to vent, and it will lose its taste."

Master Li took a sip, lowered his mouth and asked, "Master Xing, I'm a little vented now, what's going on?"

The boss looked at Master Li, and then at everyone, and everyone also looked at the boss, waiting for the boss to continue.

"When the soup cools down, it's the same as putting food into the pot before the water boils." The boss said to Master Li: "When you thicken the soup, the soup is boiled, and the temperature of the soup will also go down after the soup goes down. , when the pot is opened again, you start to lay the egg liquid, then break up the egg liquid, and then it comes out of the pot, right?"

"Understood, Master Xing, the temperature of the egg liquid soup has dropped again, so we have to bring it to a boil before cooking it, so that we won't let it out." Master Li said happily.

The boss smiled and nodded.

Master Li stood up holding the wine glass and respectfully said to the boss: "Master Xing, I offer you a toast. I learned a lot today, thank you!"

The boss was not hypocritical, and had a big drink with Master Li.

"I didn't expect you to be able to speak vernacular quite well." The eldest and second brother said to the eldest.

"There are so many things you didn't expect." The boss looked calm and calm, and looked like an outsider.

At the wine table, Sister Wang didn't drink much, Boss Zou made a lot of wine but seldom drank, and Director Ge drank a lot, and had two drinks with Lao Dalian.I drank two drinks with the eldest and second brother. I was a little confused about what happened to him.

Everyone chatted while drinking, and somehow they talked about giving red envelopes during the Chinese New Year.

"Red envelope?" The boss shook his head and said, "No, there's no fart at all, that's all."

"Old Feng is also quite embarrassing. One day we meet him and have to talk about it. It's so uninteresting." Hearing that the boss didn't get the red envelope, Boss Zou was a little angry and felt that he was very embarrassed because he introduced the boss.He respects the boss very much. After all, the boss used to be a character. Although he is no longer in the society, the shadow of his famous tree is still there.

The boss smiled indifferently and said: "We are just a part-time worker. The boss gives it out of love, but not in his duty. I don't pick those. Besides, I don't take them seriously at all. That's good. Who cares? I don’t owe anyone anything, and there’s no need to be embarrassed if we break up someday.”

The eldest and second brother said: "Actually, I planned to let you come here. Boss Zou said that his friend's place lacked a cook, so he asked him to find one for him, so he let you go. I don't know that Boss Feng very well. People won't let you go."

"I don't care about that, just be happy wherever you are," said the boss.

Boss Zou said: "Old Feng is afraid that his wife will not be able to be a family."

"His wife—" the eldest and second brother asked Boss Zou, "Is that the one you mentioned last time?"

"That's right, that's the woman that Factory Manager Wang went to work with you last time." Boss Zou said.

"I have a little impression, I thought it was the secretary of the factory director."

Sister Wang said to the eldest and second brother: "Didn't we meet Director Wang when we went to Gexian for dinner last week? That woman is also there, and she even said hello."

The eldest brother and the second brother said: "I didn't pay attention to that, so I drank with the director." Then he said to the boss: "If you are not happy, don't do it. We are not short of that little money, and you are not short of money."

"Why am I not short of money? I am not short of anything now, just short of money!" the old man said.

"Tell you, I didn't bring any money today." The eldest and second brother immediately became nervous.

"I didn't ask you either." The boss looked at his second brother with disdain, then changed his smile, raised his glass and said maliciously, "Let's have a drink?"

"Sister Wang, go to the trunk and get a cigarette and give it to him quickly." The eldest brother and the second brother said directly to Sister Wang without looking at the boss.

Everyone laughed.

The boss didn't let his second brother go, and took two more cigarettes from the trunk when he left.

His second brother scolded a few times symbolically, and told the boss that he would come to Boss Zou if he didn't want to work with Brother Feng, and Boss Zou also expressed his welcome at any time.

(End of this chapter)