The Northern Stories of Chef Lao Tan

Chapter 330
The rain stopped in the afternoon.

The air after the rain is fresh, the ground is moist, the sun that has not been seen for a long time is bright and soft, and the freshly cleaned mountains and forests are more green, and the birds are chirping cheerfully inside.

The cobblestone road on the street was glowing with a watery blue light, and a row of small shops, small shops, tobacco shops, and restaurants next to the guest house all pushed aside the gloom and began to open their doors for business.

The man in the bamboo hat rolled his trousers and carried the fish basket in his hand, followed by the frolicking children, and went to the river bend in front of the town to catch fish.The mother-in-law who had just finished cleaning the house after lunch walked out of the courtyard and chatted with the neighbor's mother-in-law, talking about the rain and things in the rain——
Several five- and six-year-old children caught frogs that hadn't escaped in time on the side of the stone road, yelling, perfecting a carefree childhood.

The proprietress stood at the door and shouted to the owner of the butcher shop across the street, "Cut five catties of plum meat and three catties of pork ribs."

"Okay, I'll send it over later." The butcher shop owner replied and turned around and entered the shop.

Xiaohui and Xiaolong held the child's little hand and played on the bluestone board. The child's "giggle" laughter was particularly clear.

The proprietress said to Lao Tan and Wang Shulan who were standing at the door: "It's cleared up, it's raining a lot, and it's been raining for a whole day." Then she looked up at the sky and said, "Don't worry, it will be open to traffic tomorrow."

Lao Tan and Wang Shulan nodded with a smile.

"Stew pork ribs at night, fry them under the oil residue, and eat them in the yard." After the proprietress finished speaking, she turned and entered the house. Lao Tan and Wang Shulan walked along the stone road, enjoying the comfort and warmth of the countryside after the rain.

"The countryside is better, the air is so fresh and there is no pollution at all." Wang Shulan said.

"Working at sunrise and resting at sunset, following the laws of nature and conforming to the heaven and earth, this is the life of human beings." Old Tan said.

"Sometimes I think about it. I'm so busy working every day to make money, but I'm not as comfortable as rural people." Wang Shulan said.

"It's just a way of life. The countryside envies the people in the city, and the city envies the people in the countryside. To put it bluntly, it means that the conditions are good, and you start to feel emotional after eating and drinking enough. If you don't believe me, try it. If you don't eat the last meal, you don't feel emotional. , what I think about is money.” Lao Tan said.

"That's true——I found that you don't seem to care about money." Wang Shulan looked at Lao Tan and said.

"Why don't I care? There is no one who doesn't care about money, and so do I." Old Tan said.

"It doesn't look like it. To be honest, if you open a restaurant and become the owner, you will definitely be able to make money."

Old Tan said nothing, and lit a cigarette.

"Ah Qiao was made by you, I'm a little puzzled, why didn't you think about doing it yourself?" Wang Shulan asked puzzled.

"Do it yourself?" Lao Tan smiled and said, "Not everyone can be a boss. Some people are suitable for some people and others are not. I was born to be Zhuge Liang's life.

A boss needs to have a structure. I think I have a good structure, know management, and be a shrewd person, but I can't be a boss.Compared with Yanhua, she can't do it calmly, she can calmly do not care, and her eyes are beyond the interests, I can't, I can't be calm, and I don't have her mentality.

In addition, as the old saying goes, kindness does not lead soldiers and righteousness does not raise money.I have the way to lead soldiers to be able to use them, but the soldiers who lead soldiers value loyalty and it is difficult to raise money.If I were to be the boss, hehe, even though I would make money, I would probably lose all my money and never come back. "

"You're not greedy." Wang Shulan said with a smile.

"It's not that I'm not greedy, it's that I know how much money I have, some money is mine, I will take it; some money is not, so I don't move.

Having been in the catering business for 22 years, from apprenticeship to now, Wu Wu understands a truth about money: earning money is ability, and money is omnipotent, but it does not represent wealth.Money is money, wealth is wealth, they cannot be confused. "

"It's a bit esoteric." Wang Shulan said.

Old Tan smiled noncommittally.

The two walked to the center of the town, and there were some people chatting at the gate of the town government. Everyone was smoking, and the smoke they emitted was particularly conspicuous in the air after the rain.

"What are they chewing on?" Wang Shulan asked.

Those people were smoking, their mouths were moving, and they were chewing.

"Betel nut." Old Tan said.

"Betel nut?"

"Well, people in this place love to chew betel nuts. When I came back to Yiyang, I didn't know what they were chewing. I only found out it was betel nuts when I asked."

"Oh. Didn't you try it?"

"Taste it, but I'm not used to it, and I can't enjoy the taste. Besides, chewing betel nut for a long time is not good for teeth."

"I'd like to try it."

The two walked back, and when they passed a small shop, Lao Tan went in and bought a bag of betel nuts. Wang Shulan took out one, looked at it, and asked, "Can this be chewed?"

"Han will soften after a while." Old Tan said.

Wang Shulan was dubious and asked, "You don't want to eat?"

Old Tan shook his head.

Wang Shulan put the betel nut into her mouth, bared her teeth and spat it out three minutes later, saying, "I can't stand it, I can't stand the taste."

In the evening, in the small courtyard of the guest house, Lao Tan and the others were still sitting at the table near the west last night.

There are four dishes on the table, chopped pepper ribs, fried oil residue, steamed cured meat, and stewed water fish.

"Uncle, this fried oil residue is similar to the small chili fried pork in our shop." Xiaolong said to Lao Tan.

"Well, our small chili fried pork is evolved from this fried oil residue." Lao Tan said: "We use pork belly, they use plum meat, the method is the same, but the pepper is different.

Our peppers are not as good as those in this place, and the green garlic is not as fresh as it is, so it doesn't taste like it when fried.Eating this oil residue is a fresh, spicy taste, with a strong soy sauce taste, and it is an appetizer for dinner.

Stir-fried pork with small chili is also fragrant, and it is best eaten with rice, but the spiciness is not up to the mark, two flavors. "

"Although it is a rural area, this dish is well cooked and delicious." Wang Shulan said.

"The main reason is that the raw materials are good, pure natural, and original." Old Tan said.

"Otherwise, Hunan cuisine is also delicious." Wang Shulan said.

Lao Tan said: "I really like Hunan cuisine. It's spicy and refreshing, and has a long taste. Fish head with chopped peppers, stir-fried yellow beef, steamed cured meat, Mao's braised pork, and Xiangxi grandma dishes are more famous in Hunan cuisine."

"It's a pity that I haven't eaten it. I am a counterfeit from Hunan." Xiaohui said with some frustration.

"It's normal that you haven't been here since you were a child." Old Tan said.

Wang Shulan spat out the pork ribs sticks in her mouth on the table, smacked her lips unsatisfied, and asked Lao Tan, "Do you have any plans to enter Hunan?"

Lao Tan said: "Hunan is not easy to enter, and the diet is too different. In addition, Hunan people have not accepted foreign cultures very much since ancient times, especially in terms of diet.

Let’s take Cantonese cuisine as an example. It can be eaten well in the north and Beijing, and it can also be eaten in the southeast coast, but it is not so good in Hunan.Changsha is not a big city, the capital city, there are not many Cantonese restaurants, and all the local dishes are used. "

"Really?" Wang Shulan asked.

Lao Tan nodded and said, "Yes. Our home-cooked Northeast dumplings are now developing well in Guangzhou and Shenzhen, and they can be found on every street. You can also go to Chengdu and Chongqing, and Northeast restaurants can be found everywhere. Needless to say in the west, Hushi , Baotou, Lanzhou, and farther away in Urumqi, Northeast cuisine accounts for almost half of the food.

If you go to Changsha, there are not many pure Northeast restaurants, and there are not many dumpling restaurants. It is difficult to enter. "

"Really? Is that so?" Wang Shulan was dubious.

"We'll stay in Changsha for two days, and you'll believe it when the time comes," Lao Tan said.

"I have to investigate this. If it's true, didn't you find it a business opportunity?" Wang Shulan said.

"I've thought about it, but I've been hesitant." Old Tan said.

"Don't hesitate, let's stay in Changsha for a few more days and investigate carefully. I have confidence in our Aqiao." Wang Shulan said.

(End of this chapter)