The Rise and Fall of the Last Imperial Cook

5. Addicted to the Dish

Translator: Wang Mengmei

Proofread by Peter Gong

Inspired by Mr. Weng, Xu Zhiwei polishes up this dish and impresses the eaters with its aroma. He blanches the ribs with the soup boiled by the marrowbone, which makes the ribs smell better and taste richer and tenderer. Then he fries it by hot fire so that not only the flavor in the oil but the sauce will permeate into the ribs. All of these steps are taken to highlight the last step as it will be finished in front of the door to the Pass-through Room rather than in the Imperial Kitchen.

Only in this way can the scent of the ribs waft up through the room by virtue of the hot sauce. The hot ribs can also help the sweet and tart aroma of the sauce waft as far as possible. When the two kinds of flavor mix, they can spread so far that the emperor can smell it in the Pass-through Room. Xu has figured out this scent will immediately attract the attention of the emperor.

Mr. Weng hurries to the kitchen as soon as the evening class is over since he hears that the emperor ordered a delicious dish called Neon Covering Golden Beams. He knows that it must have something to do with Xu Zhiwei, but he does not know whether it’s cooked by Xu Zhiwei himself or he presented the dish in the name of other cooks to avoid trouble, if there is any.

When Mr. Weng steps into the door, Xu Zhiwei is just pouring a spoonful of thick juice into the dish. Then a sweet smell mixed with the aroma of sugar and fried ribs fills the air. But unlike that of the ribs they had last time, it is a more intense smell, which is just like a delicious taste sucked from the marrow.

Noticing Mr. Weng come in, Xu Zhiwei puts down a pair of chopsticks beside the dish and then goes back to fry the ribs. Mr. Weng is not interested in what Xu Zhiwei is doing. He just puts a sweet and delicious rib into his mouth. After enjoying the rib, he smacks his lips and frowns. Then he eats another piece before he puts down the chopsticks.

“Doesn’t it taste good?” asks Xu Zhiwei.

“Different from the same dish yesterday, it’s sweeter and more fragrant, but it seems a bit over the top——much too sweet and rich. ”

“Exactly. I blanched the ribs with the broth, and then added more sugar to it. Only in this way can the fried ribs have a fragrant and sweet flavor when the sauce is poured directly over them.”

“You know the emperor will not notice this dish, so you want to attract his attention outside the Pass-through Room by virtue of the intense aroma of it. And then he will order this dish, right?” Mr. Weng figures out Xu Zhiwei’s intention and technique immediately.

“As a typical northerner, the Emperor prefers rich and greasy food. And as a child, he likes eating sweet things. Considering his preference, I am sure this dish will cater to his taste not only by its aroma but also by its good flavor.” Xu Zhiwei says and walks to the table, bringing another plate of ribs to Mr. Weng.

Mr. Weng does not ask him more and just picks up a rib and sent it into his mouth. This time he does not put down his chopsticks, but eats several pieces. He swallows the ribs quickly and wipes his mouth with a towel before saying, “It seems different from the same dish yesterday. There is a mild aftertaste of cloves in the ribs, which makes it taste better.”

“It’s because I use fruit vinegar this time. Teaching the kids is so toilsome that you will easily get angry and bored. Vinegar can stimulate your appetite, so when you enjoy this dish that has a smell of vinegar and fruits, you will feel refreshed. That’s why you find it so delicious.”

The key to success in cooking lies in adjustment. That’s to say, the chef should have an understanding of the eaters, such as their constitutions, spirits and moods. Besides, he should also have a deep understanding of all kinds of ingredients as different ingredients are fit for different eaters. And he should be able to cook different dishes with the same ingredients to suit the tastes of various eaters.”

Mr. Weng pats the table gently with his palm and can’t help exclaiming, “The development of all walks of life has no bound. But I do think that you have reached the top as you know how to cook the dish according to different tastes and preferences of different eaters.”

“No, there is no perfect cook in the world. The key is to cater to the eaters’ tastes.  It’s a basic skill to cook according to one’s taste since it is difficult to cater to all tastes. But if you can make all the eaters satisfied with your dishes, you will reach a new height. However, there is no single dish that can suit all tastes. So you should take into consideration the characters of different people when cooking the dish. It is seemingly conflicting, but in fact, it is a kind of circulation. And then you will know much more.”

“Behind an able man are always other abler men. It’s hard to say who is the best, but everyone is unique. How hard it is to be the best!” Hearing this, Mr. Weng is overwhelmed by all sorts of feelings. Reflecting on the meaning of Xu’s words, he forgets that he is coming to remind Xu Zhiwei again to pay attention to something important.

Xu Zhiwei ranks top by virtue of the dish ordered by the emperor, and then he is bound to have a meteoric rise. After going through all sorts of ordeals, he finds a place for himself in this palace finally. In future he will be held responsible for the dinner of the emperor, and will be treated favorably and get considerable rewards. Even the rewards that the empress dowager promises him will help him become a rich and influential person in the palace.

But misfortune may be a blessing in disguise. You never know what will happen tomorrow especially in the palace, and the drastic turn is all in the blink of an eye. Just as Mr. Weng has said before, although the “Feast to Emperor’s Taste” is an opportunity to him, it’s hard to say whether it will bring luck or misfortune in the end.

Early the next morning the General Director Fu saunters up to the Imperial Kitchen and asks in a squeaky voice before entering the door, “Who is Xu Zhiwei? He has done a really great job! The ribs he cooked whet the emperor’s appetite. The two empress dowagers are also very happy and have ordered the Imperial Household Department to grant him the post of Supervisor with a Rank of Band Five in the Imperial Kitchen. This lad is so damn lucky! I shall call him Master Xu in future.”

De Gonggong and the head chef Wang Fengding hurry off to greet him, but Xu Zhiwei still stands in front of the chopping board, not knowing what to do.

“Who is Xu Zhiwei? Why does he put on airs and not show himself even I have called him so many times? ” General Director Fu says, glancing at De Gonggong and the head chef Wang Fengding with his mouth twitching.

“Ah! He is timid and inexperienced, so he doesn’t understand the rules in this palace, please forgive him.” De Gonggong is a sophisticated person, and soon changes his attitude when he knows the emperor has ordered the dish cooked by Xu Zhiwei. He is aware that Xu Zhiwei will be on an equal footing with him if Xu is rewarded. And when Xu becomes the supervisor, he will be in charge of supervising the Imperial Kitchen. Besides, Xu Zhiwei must be on good terms with the emperor and the express dowager since the dish cooked by him has satisfied their appetite. In such a case, De Gonggong may have to turn to him for help in future.

“Come here, hurry! Xu Zhiwei, come over to pay respect to General Director Fu.” De Gonggong urges Xu Zhiwei to go over. Hearing this, Xu no longer feels at a loss, hurries there and bows to General Director Fu.

“That’s all right. It is normal if you don’t know how to behave in the palace as you work in the kitchen all day long. But I believe you will understand the rules as long as you learn them.” Much as General Director Fu puts on airs, he stops being arrogant at once and changes into a generous and easy-going manner. He must be better at handling personal relationships in the palace so that he can be promoted to the position he holds today. He knows the consequence servants can get when the emperor is happy is a far cry from that when the latter is angry. Xu Zhiwei has satisfied the tastes of the emperor and the two empress dowagers with just a dish, so maybe the man will have a meteoric rise in the palace. If it really happens, he will turn to Xu Zhiwei for backing someday.

“Congratulations, Chef Xu! Oh, maybe I should call you Master Xu. The empress dowager has ordered the Imperial Household Department to issue an official document to grant you the post of Supervisor in the Imperial Kitchen. ”

“You deserve the credit, General Director Fu.” Not knowing how to reply, Xu Zhiwei says nothing but repeats this sentence.

“Aha, it’s you and the emperor rather than me that deserve the credit for it,” says he, laughing like a dove. “I come here not only to bring the good news for you, but to pass the word of the emperor. His Majesty repeats that he wants to eat the ribs you cook since he gets up, and orders you to cook this dish for breakfast. Can you make it?”

The emperor orders the dish as he wakes up, which indicates how he enjoys it. As a result, Xu Zhiwei’s importance cannot be underestimated now. Otherwise, even if Xu is granted a post with a rank of Band Five, Fu Gonggong will only give him a contemptuous look.

“Of course. I’ll cook it now.”

“Ok.” General Director Fu says no more, and he just nods and leaves.

Xu Zhiwei cooks Neon Covering Golden Beams three times that day. The emperor only has two meals a day. Although there is no meal during the day, an unlimited supply of snacks, desserts and fruits are available. Moreover, some dishes can be served if needed. The emperor has ordered the Neon Covering Golden Beams three times that day. That’s to say, the emperor has eaten the dish not only as meals in the morning and evening, but also as a snack during the daytime. In order to ensure the unique taste, Xu Zhiwei adds some rose petals to the sweet and tart sauce when making the temporary order as this dish is ordered after the noon when people feel depressed and upset. The scent of the roses can bring freshness to the mouth and heart of the eaters so that it will taste more delicious.

But Xu Zhiwei begins to be haunted by a sense of unease when the evening meal is served as he is asked to cook the dish twice. He specifically asks if the empress dowager or some other person will have the meal with the emperor. But he is told that it’s the emperor himself that wants to enjoy double portion of the dishes.

One cannot eat too much no matter how delicious the food is, not to mention that the Neon Covering Golden Beams is not ambrosia, but an ordinary dish. All dishes can only be enjoyed from time to time rather than being eaten as staple food, which is bound to make one sick. Especially when enjoying those greasy dishes made of meat, one should be very cautious in case he or she should have diarrhea. If the emperor has diarrhea after eating this dish, Xu Zhiwei will lose his life instead of being rewarded. But he can by no means disobey the order when the emperor has ordered double portion of the dish. The only solution is to figure out some other ways to prevent things from going wrong. So Xu Zhiwei runs outside and fetches some rice papers. When frying the ribs, he uses the rice paper to absorb the oil of them before pouring sweet sauce. In doing so, the oil in this dish can be reduced as much as possible.

Xu Zhiwei spends the whole night on pins and needles. Fortunately, there is nothing wrong with the emperor. But he soon realizes something is going terribly wrong when he sees the menu of the breakfast, on which the Neon Covering Golden Beams is in the first place.

“De Gonggong, please tell the emperor not to overeat this dish on end, or there will be something wrong.” Xu Zhiwei thinks that it’s De Gonggong’s duty to report to the emperor.

De Gonggong has been in charge of the Imperial Kitchen for a long time, and he is also proficient in cooking, so he understands what Xu Zhiwei is talking about. At the moment, however, he guesses that it may be a blessing because Xu Zhiwei will be sacked if something goes wrong with the emperor’s body after he eats the dish. In this way, Xu Zhiwei will disappear from his sight and never be in the same position with him, let alone becoming his superior.

“Chef Xu, oh, sorry, Master Xu, who dares to go against the emperor’s will?” De Gonggong calls him “Master Xu”, meaning that he is ready to gloat over Xu Zhiwei’s misfortune. “Go on cooking the dish, otherwise you will disobey the order of the emperor. You not only refuse to cook it, but also prevent the emperor from eating it, and you are actually cheating the emperor and disobeying his order. Nobody can afford such blame. ”

Xu Zhiwei freezes there. It’s at this moment that he fully realizes the implication of Mr. Weng’s words. The drastic turn is all in the blink of an eye in this palace, and nobody can reverse it no matter how hard he works. Just as De Gonggong says, he can do nothing but cook the dish. And the only thing he can do is to pray that there will be nothing wrong with the emperor and he will get cloyed with this dish.

But it is useless to pray for good luck. The emperor still shows a special preference for the Neon Covering Golden Beams because he has ordered this dish in the morning and before noon. The delight of winning the first place has totally disappeared, and Xu is too perturbed to dream about having a meteoric rise in this palace. The emperor has eaten the dish six times, among which he even has had a double portion at a time. It’s often said that you will never get bored with having a really delicious meal. But it can be a bad thing sometimes. The dish is so greasy and rich with thick sauce, so even if a healthy adult eats this dish without break, there will be something wrong with his or her body, not to mention the emperor with a poor appetite and weak digestion.