The Pentium Era - South to North

"Okay, let me talk about the hotel first. It looks very lively here. There are dozens of restaurants. But after I took a look, it can only be regarded as one, because every store has the same environment, tableware, and even charges. , for example, this pot, no matter how many people there are, it’s always 58 yuan, right?”

Zhang Xiangbei asked, Lao Qi nodded and said yes.

"The advantage of doing this is that there will be no high prices to rip off customers, but the disadvantage is that it actually eliminates competition. There is nothing to compete with here. They are all processing shops. Whether the business is good or bad, the dishes that are not made in this shop are not How delicious it is, I guess the difference is not big, it just depends on your geographical location and how capable the little girl sent to solicit customers is.

"For a hotel, if your dishes want to be delicious, the choice of ingredients is very important, and it is very particular about how much seasoning you need to put in. I think the beef you marinated, Mr. Qi, will definitely be It will be more delicious than any of their restaurants here. Why, because you are an expert, starting from the meat, what you choose is different from others.

"The taste of each part of the same cow is different. Japanese Wagyu and Matsusaka beef are divided into plum, bamboo, chrysanthemum and rattan. When we sell pork, the pork is also divided into different sizes. , I don’t know if there is such a way to divide beef. How do ordinary consumers understand this? The restaurant should help them control this.

"Right now, restaurants are passive. No matter what kind of meat you buy, if you want it fried, I'll fry it for you. If you want hot pot, I'll give you hot pot. How does it taste? Is this meat suitable for hot pot or hot pot?" Frying, they don't care about it at all. I can guarantee that among the dozen or so tables of customers in this store, the meat tastes different when grilled because the meat they buy is different.

"Anyway, we are in the processing business, and the processing fees are the same for everyone. If the boss wants to make more money, he should consider cost savings. Which part has the highest cost? It must be the labor cost. I took a look, and the chefs and Most of the people who cook are people who have learned cooking skills for a few days or even not at all. As long as you can cut meat, it's fine.

"We don't even need the most basic junior technicians. There are dozens here now, and even if there are hundreds in the future, there won't be a decent chef, because there is no need. An apprentice can do it, so why bother spending more money?" Pay for a chef.

"So I said, no matter how many restaurants there are, they are actually just one. The owners of these restaurants may make more and more money, but the restaurants themselves will not improve, nor will the chef's cooking skills improve, because he does not need to If he improves his salary, it will still be fifty-eight per pot, and the boss will not give him a salary increase."

"Mr. Zhang, you are right." Lao Qi said, "Hainan, whether it is making seafood or our Xiangou beef, adopts this processing model. In this way, the hotel itself does not need much working capital. In addition, the restaurant itself does not need much working capital. There is no waste of ingredients. Anyway, it is wasted because the customers bought too much.

"Many people think this model is good and it is a kind of protection for tourists, but some people, like Mr. Zhang said, think it is an extensive model. Take seafood for example. There are so many types of fish in the South China Sea, and tourists How could they possibly know what to do if they couldn't even identify it? Beef was even worse. They couldn't tell which part of the cow that piece of meat was.

"The hotel doesn't purchase its own ingredients. You're right. There's no way to guarantee the quality of the dishes. I'm a chef myself, so I know."

"The biggest problem with this is that it eliminates competition. Without competition, there will be no progress. Not only will there be no progress in the hotel, but there will also be no progress in the employees." Zhang Xiangbei said.

There is one thing Zhang Xiangbei has not said, that is, in such an environment, it is impossible for a chef like Master Fu to appear, and it is impossible for a century-old beef restaurant like Wada Jin to appear.

"Mr. Zhang, tell me, what else is there?" Lao Qi urged.

Zhang Xiangbei said: "As for the other side, as I said before, the quality of the meat of each part of each cow is different. The quality of the meat of cattle from different feedlots is also different. Even in the same feedlot, the quality of the meat is different. Every cow that comes out will be different. Now here, everyone is treated equally, and everyone sells for 61 pounds. Isn't this eliminating competition again?

“It’s not that I admire foreigners, I just think that a grading system like Japan’s will promote the cattle industry. Whether it’s Kobe Wagyu or Matsusaka beef, they are all calves born in Tajima, but not all Tajima cattle. , you can call yourself Kobe Wagyu. As long as it has not been rated and recognized, you can only call yourself Tajima beef, not Kobe Wagyu.

“Once it is rated as Kobe Wagyu, the price is dozens of times that of ordinary Tajima cattle, which stimulates all ranches to think of ways to raise cattle that can reach the level of Kobe Wagyu.

"All species, whether cattle or pigs, including the vegetables we grow, are the same. Good quality must first be good varieties, and good varieties must be continuously improved. To get it, like our vegetables, we not only need to improve the seeds, but also improve the land.

"As an aside, in Hainan, we have the same pineapples. Why do the Golden Diamond pineapples grown by Taiwanese taste better than the original pineapples in Hainan? The Golden Diamond pineapple is a variety improved by the Taiwanese.

"Any improvement is not as simple as frying a plate of vegetables or making a table. It requires repeated trials and errors before you can find the right way. The improvement of Kobe Wagyu beef is the introduction of large quantities of foreign products. The successful improvement on the basis of species, the current Japanese Wagyu cattle, benefited from the Leitian Simmental bulls from the Swiss Alps.

“After the improvement is successful, a complete set of breeding standards and pedigree system will be established to ensure that the improved breed will not be out of shape.

"What we eat now, whether it is rice, pigs, cattle, sheep, and poultry, has all been improved. By the way, it is like hybrid rice. If Yuan Longping had not discovered wild rice species in Hainan, he would not have succeeded, and for How many years did he stay in Hainan to find this wild rice seed?

"What I mean by this is that all improvements require investment and cost. If the breed I improved after all the hard work comes here, it will be sold for sixty-one pounds like other cattle. Who will There is still motivation for improvement, but who is willing to improve? Not only is there no desire to improve the breed, but there is also no desire to improve breeding methods and increase investment.

"Anyway, everyone sells at the same price. As for others, I just close my eyes and follow how to raise it. But, in fact, species will retreat if they don't advance. If you don't constantly improve, you can't even keep the original state." The quality is impossible, species will degenerate, it is impossible to say that if I plant a row of leeks, I will harvest them for ten years. There is no such good thing.

"The same is true for Xiangou beef. If no efforts are made in quality control, breeding of breeding cattle, and bloodline management, and a set of scientific feeding methods are not formed, it will also degrade. At the same time, in terms of meat quality control of finished cattle, Without establishing a rigorous rating system, bad coins will eventually drive out good coins.

"This danger may not have come yet, because the sales volume of Xiangou beef has not yet reached the point where the supply exceeds the demand. Once it reaches the point where the supply exceeds the demand, the tragedy of the black pig bone soup you mentioned, President Qi, will definitely happen again, and a lot of other Local beef will flood the market here, and it will be sold under the brand of Xiangou Beef.”

"This is really going to be like this!" Lao Qi sighed sadly, "We have thought of some truths, but without you, Mr. Zhang, you have thought so deeply. We have also said some things, but it is a pity that people are so soft-spoken. Mr. Zhang, why don't you County magistrate, it would be great if you were the magistrate of our Ding'an County!"

The others laughed.

Zhang Xiangbei understood that his words were both uttered out of emotion and out of his mind. Lao Qi was right. Thinking of this, there must be people here who have mentioned this, but many times, no one will listen. , I said these things, but others still took them seriously. It was just because I had run a successful business and had a little fame, which gave my words a little more weight.

Lao Qi said: "Whether it's useful or not, I have to write down what you said, Mr. Zhang, and hand it over, and make some suggestions to those who have the power to make decisions. Mr. Zhang, thank you!"

Zhang Xiangbei smiled and said: "Thank you, it's good that you didn't think I was talking nonsense."

"No, no, every word is true, nothing is false."

Lao Qi stood up as he spoke. There was almost enough marinated meat in the refrigerator, and there were also quick-frozen beef brains that were ready to be cut.

The first thing that came up were two plates of unmarinated beef, which are used for hot pot. The dipping sauce remains the same for thousands of years. In Hainan, I eat seafood on the side stove, mutton hot pot, coconut chicken, and braised chicken with ground gallbladder. They are all the same. Various dipping sauces, assorted sauce, minced garlic, peanut butter, coriander and green onion, Haitian soy sauce, Hainan chili sauce or millet pepper rings. There will be no vinegar. A bowl of small green oranges will replace the vinegar.

Everyone starts cooking. The beef Lao Qi picked is very tender. Lao Qi said that it is ready to eat until the meat changes color. Don’t cook it for too long. It will become too old and hard to bite.

Next came two plates of roasted beef, two plates of beef liver, and two plates of beef brains. The brains had been cut into pieces and were not marinated. They were just sprinkled with orange juice and a little black pepper. .

Lao Qi told everyone that no matter whether it is beef, beef liver or brains, do not grill it repeatedly. Just grill it on the front and grill it on the back again. This can lock in the flavor. Medium rare is the best.

Everyone started to spread the meat piece by piece on the baking paper. The ingredients made a sizzling sound on the baking paper, and the aroma was fragrant.

Zhang Xiangbei was responsible for roasting for two people, while Xiang Nan was only responsible for eating. Zhang Xiangbei also tasted beef, liver, and brain. Although beef brain is rare, it tasted good, soft and melted in your mouth. It's a lot like tofu, but also like cheese, and the acidity and black pepper go well together.

In comparison, Zhang Xiangbei prefers beef liver, which is very tender and has watery blood juice. It is slightly fishy, ​​but the fishy taste is very exciting. It feels like he is licking the bleeding gums.

Lao Qi asked Zhang Xiangbei how it was. Zhang Xiangbei kept nodding and said it was delicious. The beef was indeed good.

Zhang Xiangbei has always believed that commenting on the food while eating is not only unreasonable, but also very frustrating. It not only ruins his own happiness, but also ruins the happiness of others. What is there to say that cannot be said after eating?

Zhang Xiangbei met those who liked to point their chopsticks at each dish and comment on them when eating, and wanted to kick them.

Although Zhang Xiangbei just said it was delicious, he was actually comparing it in his heart. He felt that to be fair, the beef here tasted better than the beef he had eaten in China, but it had to compare with Kobe Wagyu and Matsusaka beef. , even compared to the Tajima beef he ate in Kinosaki, the taste was worse and not as fresh.

There is still a difference whether there is frost or not, whether it is hot pot or grilled.

Zhang Xiangbei suddenly thought that the best choice for small yellow beef like this is not roasting or shabu-shabu. Stir-frying will only make it great. But stir-frying shows the skill of the chef. This is probably why there is no stir-fry here. The reason for yellow beef.

Then a cassette stove came up, lit it, and sat on a casserole. The casserole was opened, and there was a pot of braised beef offal. Zhang Xiangbei tasted it and felt that it was just for this. The pot of braised beef offal is worth the trip from Sanya. The tripe, intestines, lungs and tongue are all braised thoroughly, and it is very delicious when you eat it.

When the two plates of fried steak arrived, the color made one's mouth water. The beef ribs were chopped into small pieces and fried until they were golden and attractive in color. Zhang Xiangbei picked up a piece and put it in his mouth. That feeling can only be described as amazing, or so satisfying.

The beef ribs are very chewy. Every time you take a bite, the crunchy, crispy and fragrant flavors burst together, filling your mouth. It is not that the fragrance lingers on your lips and teeth, but your lips and teeth are soaked in this fragrance.

Everyone at the table said that the pork ribs were so delicious, but it was a pity that they didn't buy enough in front of them.

Zhang Xiangbei felt that this also confirmed his judgment that if this Xiangou small scalper could be fried and eaten, it would be the best choice.

If only Aunt Huijuan or Gu Gong had the skills, this stir-fried yellow beef might not look like much from the name, but when you eat it, it will definitely kill a lot of people's taste buds.

Next came black tofu and sweet potatoes. The black tofu was cut into strips and the sweet potatoes were cut into slices. Both were grilled and eaten. After everyone had a full meal of meat, these two dishes can be said to be suitable. At the right time, especially the roasted sweet potatoes, the selenium-rich sweet potatoes from Chengmai Qiaotou are used. When roasted, the aroma brings people into long-lasting memories, and when they eat it again, they have mixed feelings.

The last dish that came was cabbage rice, a large bowl of fried rice containing leeks, green vegetables, sausages, squid, dried shrimps, green beans, sauerkraut, wild rice, carrots, etc. There was also a plastic basket of lettuce leaves on the side. Lao Qi and Zhang Xiangbei and Xiangnan said, "Try this."

The two people quickly said that they really couldn't eat anymore and their stomachs were too full.

"No matter how full you are, you should try it. This vegetable stuffed rice is the real Ding'an specialty."

As he spoke, Lao Qi started to demonstrate. He put a few lettuce leaves on the plate in front of him, smeared them with assorted sauce, spooned the fried rice onto the leaves, and then wrapped the rice with the leaves. Holding the bag in his hand, he said to Zhang Xiangbei and Xiangnan:

"Did you see it? This is it. There is a saying. This is called the 'Green Treasure Bowl'. When you hold it with both hands and eat it, it's called 'holding the family wealth together without losing it.' Come on, have a taste. After you taste it, I will tell you about it." Vegetables and rice, Xiaoxiaoshi.”

Thank you Brokeback Mountain for the reward of two fishes! Thanks to On the Road - Tiantian, the administrator on the third floor of the library, Xiao Sheng Nian Fang 48, Dong Longdong, Nalan 18, and Book Friends 090624111512009 for their monthly votes! Thanks for all the votes and reading! I wish you all good health!