The Rise and Fall of the Last Imperial Cook

35. Where Does the Taste Belong to?

Translator: Xie Jiawei

Proofread by Peter Gong

Huang Hecheng becomes worried. He comes here to find trouble with a view to suppressing the rising momentum of the restaurant. However, he is afraid that he has got nothing but offered his rival an opportunity to suppress his own fame as well as Renhe Hall’s.

“On purpose? What can be done on purpose? ” Huang Hecheng asks. Although he feels something wrong, he would never admit his defeat. This is just the first round.

“To see if you can tell the difference between the two dishes.” Xu Zhiwei speaks out his original intention directly.

“Not great difference. Both of them are based on the sauce flavor, supplemented by sweet taste with the difference between light taste and heavy taste. ” Huang Hecheng says confidently.

“Not accurately. Different proportions of sauce mixed with appropriate sugar can lead to different tastes. For example, sweet fragrance of rose, of melon, of heavy soy sauce and so on. I rely on strong soy sauce flavor in this spareribs, otherwise the flavor in the middle of the meat will be light. However, the fragrance of rose is the major taste in the gluten bubble, and the gluten bubble has strong absorption ability so thick taste is not required. With the sweet fragrance of rose and winter bamboo shoots as well as carrots, it can be more refreshing. ”

Huang Hecheng looks gloomy. He really does not notice this. The combination of sauce and sugar will certainly lead to differences in taste, but he does not heed the details. And his master didn’t talk about it, and he hasn’t heard about it in other places since he took up cooking. But he knows clearly that Xu Zhiwei is absolutely right.

“Then again, you bow down to see the color and smell the fragrance, using tea to clean the mouth slowly, and washing chopsticks used to pick up food. Only gourmet can do it so well, so if you are not a professional in cooking, you are a gourmet expert. But there are still two differences in the process, and they are all related to the use of chopsticks. ”

Xu Zhiwei stops when he says this. Huang Hecheng frowns and his eyebrows tremble. He couldn’t think of another two differences.

“First, when you eat spareribs, your chopsticks should be reversed. When the sauce ribs are put into the plate, the sauce on the front side will be retained, but the sauce on the back side will be lost or squeezed by other ribs and the bottom of the plate. Therefore, when the chopsticks are turned from the reverse side to the other side, the sauce on the front can flow and wrap the whole spareribs evenly. So, when you sample the ribs, they are not in the best condition. The second thing is that you don’t clean your chopsticks after eating the first dish, which confuses the different sauce tastes of the dishes before and after. Maybe, this happens because you are too confident. After seeing and smelling, you have already determined the similarity of the two dishes. You don’t think it is necessary to distinguish the differences between them. In the first place, there are mistakes in detail, and in the second place, mistakes in carelessness.” Xu Zhiwei says that in the end, actually giving Huang Hecheng a step down.

“The sauce will change, but the sweetness won’t change, and the aftertaste won’t change.” Huang Hecheng’s voice becomes heavy. He could not find any other reason to refute. This is his last means planned before.

“Yes, sweetness doesn’t change, but it’s my intention.” Xu Zhiwei answers calmly. He has already predicted that the opponent will figure out this defect. “It’s said that it’s difficult to cater to everyone’s taste. I use this sweetness to make it adjustable. Sweetness is innate and the first thing we taste shortly after birth is sweet. It is acceptable for everyone to have sweetness in the dishes and have a sweet aftertaste. So I’m going to cook dishes acceptable to everyone’s taste in the world.”

“But sweetness doesn’t promote strength. People have to eat salty dishes to have strength.” Obviously, Huang Hecheng has nothing to say. His red face looks embarrassed.

“The saying that sweetness does not promote strength should depend on constitutions and habits. Taihu Lake was originally connected with the sea, and the water quality was bitter because of it. So people living around Taihu Lake are used to adding sugar in their diet, otherwise they feel dry and their limbs are weak. This is why people in Suzhou and Wuxi like sweet, but people there are still of strength.” Xu Zhiwei once again refutes Huang Hecheng’s argument. Since Huang Hecheng doesn’t go down the step Xu gives, he has to be forced directly down the step.

But at this moment, Huang Hecheng’s embarrassed face suddenly lights up, just like withered grass revives after a heavy rain.

“You are from Wuxi!” Huang is excited as if he had a great discovery. In fact, almost all the people nearby have already known that the chef of Shengxin restaurant is from Wuxi. People often talk about his saving steamed buns and changing noodles. Indeed, Zhu Shengpeng and Cai Renxin deliberately spread this, which can be regarded as a way of publicity and marketing. However, they haven’t said that Xu Zhiwei used to be a royal chef because it sounds like bragging too much, and others might feel disgusted at it.

“I do come from Wuxi.” Xu Zhiwei is at a loss. He doesn’t know why this can make Huang so excited.

“You’re cooking Wuxi food!”

“Almost.”

“By the way, you’re cooking Wuxi food, not Shanghai food, and not food for everyone. Your so-called ‘Dishes Acceptable to all’ are merely the ones from Wuxi. The sweetness of these two dishes shows this point. The sweet and greasy taste conceals the flavor essence of the food material itself, and the unique tastes of different food materials can not be revealed, but simply covered by the combination of sauce and sugar. You don’t know the taste of Shanghai, not to mention the taste of the world. You are not even as good as me. I also know the flavor of Jiangsu and Zhejiang. You are only limited to Wuxi cuisine. ”

Xu Zhiwei can’t refute or deny that. Although his dishes are created by himself, they are based on Wuxi cuisine, and the final taste is similar to Wuxi cuisine. But there is no solution for this, just like people cannot conceal their local accents no matter where they go. Huang Hecheng says that he is confined to Wuxi cuisine, which he would never admit. His cooking skills and dishes involve almost all the cuisines in the world during his years of study tour and the three years he spent in the imperial kitchen. However, he does not know the flavor of Shanghai food. He has been in Shanghai for such a long time, but he does not find any kind of food and flavor that could really represent the flavor of Shanghai.

A thrilling defense is over, but only the experts can realize the intensity of the defense. Xu Zhiwei and Huang Hecheng only had a polite chat in Jiang’s opinion. Even the dishes they served are tasted a little. Moreover, what Xu has done is nothing special from the perspectives of others. Even the way of taking the dishes into the private room still impresses some people that he is a little clumsy, far less skilled than a waiter. But who knows that it is a state of concentration, the unity of man and God, requiring nearly all his physical and mental efforts.

In terms of the process of defensing, in fact, it ends in a draw, and Xu Zhiwei still has an advantage over Huang; but in terms of the result, Huang Hecheng wins. Although he doesn’t win because he fails to assess the dishes accurately and find the flaws, he does beat Xu Zhiwei with the concept of a regional cuisine.

Shengxin restaurant is located in Shanghai, but Xu Zhiwei makes Wuxi food. In terms of customers, his dishes are only suitable for a small number of people from Wuxi; in terms of adaptability, his dishes can attract people from Shanghai and other places, but it will not last long. His dishes are all right if tasted several times, but they can’t meet the long-term needs of the people around. In terms of cuisine, Shengxin restaurant doesn’t indicate that it’s a restaurant of Wuxi cuisine, nor does it carry any other cuisine logo, so he should cook dishes of Shanghai cuisine, or as Xu Zhiwei said, he cooks dishes for everyone, but this is not the case now.

Huang Hecheng knows that he would never come to Shengxin restaurant again to find flaws. He almost ruins his reputation this time, and he wins because he takes advantage of Xu’s misconception of cuisine. He is aware that it is ignoble. But it is very strange that Xu does not refute it again, and acquiesces to his statement. Other cooks would not make a compromise like this. If Xu does want to refute, Huang’s statement is hardly reasonable. Their Renhe restaurant cooks dishes based on Jiangsu and Zhejiang cuisines, and other restaurants also do the dishes of cuisines from other places without indicating the origin of the cuisines. There is no systematic cuisine in Shanghai at first. It is unreasonable to ask people to cook dishes based on standard Shanghai cuisine.

In addition, Huang Hecheng also knows Xu Zhiwei’s skills. Although he doesn’t know where this person comes from, he knows clearly that Xu’s cooking skill is better. In fact, he is so confident that he has looked on down Xu. However, he doesn’t expect there is such an excellent chef in such an unworthy shop. Now that he has won by chance, he should make a big deal of it, hoping to drive Shengxin restaurant out of business because there should be no such opportunity in the future.

“Shengxin restaurant is dominated by Wuxi cuisine, which is too sweet and greasy. It can only be eaten as sugar occasionally.”

“The dishes at Shengxin restaurant are all with sugar and fresh flavor is covered by sweetness.”

“Too sweet dishes consume energy easily.”

“The dishes at Shengxin restaurant do not reveal their original flavors, so they’ve ruined all the good ingredients.”

“The Chef Huang of Renhe restaurant wins completely over Shengxin restaurant, and the cuisine of Jiangsu and Zhejiang is superior to the small one of Wuxi.”

Zhu Shengpeng and Cai Renxin know that these words are spread by Renhe resautant, but they can do nothing about it. Xu Zhiwei is just thinking about something in silence and does not deny the rumors. In just two days, the business of Shengxin restaurant has plummeted. The takeout and eat-in business declines, too, less than half of the past.

Although Renhe restaurant’s moves are insidious, Shengxin restaurant still has come up with solutions. At this time, as long as the taste of the dishes is adjusted in time, and some publicity and preferential treatment methods are carried out, they can still have advantages. And with Xu Zhiwei’s excellent cooking skills, it is not difficult to adjust the taste of dishes.

However, beyond their expectation, Xu Zhiwei does not immediately change the taste of dishes. What Huang Hecheng said that day has touched him a lot. There is no local cuisine in Shanghai. What is the real flavor of Shanghai? Then, Mr. Weng’s words that he could create a cuisine and become a master of his generation flashes into his mind. But it is only a fancy because this is the key time to support the Shengxin restaurant and any other extravagant ideas are too unrealistic.

When Shengxin restaurant fails to change the taste of dishes in time, a more powerful impact arises. Yes, after the defense, all kinds of rumors on the street serve only as a trigger. However, the fatal attack comes from another important opponent, Taihe restaurant.

Taihe’s business is better than Renhe’s. After the opening of Shengxin, the business of Taihe is less affected than that of Renhe. This is because the food price of Taihe restaurant is slightly lower than that of Renhe restaurant, and its marketing methods are more diversified than the latter’s. There are special takeout windows, and the restaurant’s layout is not inferior to Renhe’s. After the opening of Shengxin, those who come to taste fresh dishes are mostly gourmets and rich people. Only these guests are particular about food, so most of the customers in Renhe have been attracted away. A large number of the diners at Taihe are middle-level diners who come purely for the sake of three meals. Although some of them have been attracted away, many of them still choose to eat at Taihe restaurant because they are used to Taihe’s taste.

However, when the people of Renhe went to Shengxin restaurant to find the defects of dishes, and released a devastating rumor, Boss Feng of Taihe feels that this is a good opportunity. He could take advantage of the momentum to attack Shengxin severely, and he must crush Shengxin to the point where it could not flourish again, or simply beat it out of business. Otherwise, as time goes on, Shengxin will stand firm on this street, which is bound to become a long-term threat to Taihe. Maybe, one day, it will surpass Taihe, which will make Taihe no longer have room to turn around. Since ancient times, things in business are just like the days of June. It’s hard to predict when things will change. So you should take your clothes back home as soon as possible. It will be late when it rains.

As a result, Mr. Feng makes a quick decision and offers a great discount on all dishes at Taihe restaurant. They not only paste a large red paper list at the door, but also let their staff distribute Red Posts (T/N: a red paper flyer) everywhere.

The news spreads very quickly, and only half a day, every household in several streets around knows about it, and it also spreads to the area of Shiliupu. That area is the gathering place of companies, warehouses and chambers of commerce. There is a large group of people with more than average income. These people often go to restaurants to spend money to earn admiration of others, but after all, they work for others and make money very hard. Therefore, the preferential news of Taihe is very attractive to them, which can help them show off and save money.

Among the discount dishes, the most attractive ones are several popular dishes such as ” Noodles with Pig’s Intestine “, “Tofu with Salty Meat”, “Fried Fish Skin” and “Fried Meat Shutters”, which are all rewarded with large discounts. Some of the dishes are sold at half price at the takeout window, and residents around them queue up to buy them every day.

In fact, Shengxin restaurant also has such dishes because they are popular dishes, which are often ordered by customers. Almost all restaurants can cook them. When chalking out the menu of Shengxin, Xu Zhiwei discusses with the assistant chef and the second chef. All these dishes were proposed by them. Although Xu Zhiwei is not familiar with these dishes, he agrees to cook and sell them because the cost of these dishes is not high, and they are delicious if cooked carefully. These dishes are very popular, so they can be served as basic dishes for customers. Moreover, many chefs can cook these popular dishes. When the business is busy, anyone can start to cook these dishes.

However, because Shengxin also uses these dishes as basic ones, it is more affected by Taihe’s discount campaign. Moreover, the cooking methods of popular dishes are very uniform. Meanwhile, Xu Zhiwei also respects the assistant cook and other chefs, and does not care too much about the cooking methods of these dishes, therefore, they so far have no advantages with these popular dishes, let alone resorting to unique cooking methods to attract customers.

The campaign at Taihe is not what Shengxin can compete with. However, if they also adopt the way of giving up profits to launch a competition with Thaihe, they will definitely go bankrupt, leading them into a blind alley because they have little capital, and they were short of money when they started business. Although the business was good in some days, most of the income was paid to the craftsmen who renovated the kitchen and simply decorated it. Some suppliers who buy goods on credit have to settle their accounts quickly, otherwise the cooperation will not be so smooth in the future. But in this way, there is little growth in income.

And then they need to pay the rent, the cooks and the waiters. Judging from the current situation, with the daily income, they can not pay such two large expenses when the time is due. Therefore, if Shengxin also reduces the price to attract guests at this time, it would be equivalent to asking for a quick death.

However, if they don’t compete by certain means, all business will be attracted away by Taihe. At most, it will last for a few more days. Once the rent, salaries and other problems fail to be solved, Shengxin will struggle hard for survival, and this situation is equivalent to waiting for a slow death.

On this street, there are three restaurants with similar tastes, and they are Taihe, Renhe and Shengxin. Although Renhe, opposite Taihe, does not significantly reduce the price after Taihe’s discount campaign, its business is better than that of the previous days because many diners who rush to Taihe restaurant and can’t find the table available will come to Renhe restaurant instead. Renhe restaurant earns money from these customers. Therefore, the situation is that Taihe restaurant attracts a group of customers, and Renhe restaurant has attracted most of the remaining diners, and very few diners are willing to visit Shengxin restaurant located on the other end of the street. If this situation continues, even if Shengxin can find a way to cope with the rent and salaries or other expenses, it will surely go broke after a few days’ delay.