OBS Chapter 35 Quickly, go and invite the experts over.
Chapter 35 Quickly, go and invite the experts over.
Cheng Zheng appeared in the cafeteria, and Gao Tingting found a corner to hide in.
"They're here! Master Liu and the others are out!"
Someone in the crowd shouted, and all eyes in the cafeteria hall instantly turned to the kitchen exit.
Liu Dazhu led the way, followed by Zhang San and Li Si, and finally Lin Shuyao, each carrying a freshly prepared appetizer.
Logistics Director Wang led two Soviets forward and said, "Comrade Ivanov's translator and assistant have arrived. They are also Soviet citizens. Please put the dishes down and let them judge."
Not seeing Ivanov, Lin Shuyao looked up and searched for Gao Tingting in the crowd. Gao Tingting waved to her from the corner and gave her an OK sign. Lin Shuyao smiled and knew what was going on.
The note has been given to Ivanov. If he is truly a person with high standards for food, he will definitely come after seeing the recipe she wrote.
Lin Shuyao composed herself and placed the plate she was holding on the dining table covered with a checkered tablecloth.
Liu Dazhu and his apprentice had already placed the plates in the center of the table, leaving Lin Shuyao's plates to be placed further back.
The translator and assistant walked to the dining table one after the other, both with indifferent expressions.
Ivanov had no hope for the Chinese cooks and refused to come himself, so he sent out the two of them to deal with the situation.
The two had eaten quite a few Western meals in China, including some cooked by Soviet chefs, but the quality was just so-so, not as good as the chefs in their high-end local Soviet restaurants.
"Please try my salad first!" Liu Dazhu bowed and scraped to the translator and assistant, eagerly handing them two silver forks.
The two took the plate, forked some salad greens from it, and chewed them.
"How are things, you two?"
The translator nodded, a hint of surprise in his eyes, and said in Chinese with a foreign accent, "Not bad!"
The assistant raised an eyebrow in surprise, exchanging a glance with the translator: "It tastes a lot like Andrei's!"
Then the two nodded in unison.
Liu Dazhu's face instantly broke into a smile, his mouth almost stretching to his ears.
It's a sure thing, he's definitely got this one!
The onlookers shared the same thought.
"Old ginger is spicier! Our Master Liu's skills completely won over the Russians!"
"No wonder he studied under Andrei for four months; he's mastered those Western cooking techniques from the Russians!"
"There's no need to compete anymore; I think this reward is already in Master Liu's pocket."
"Wait a minute, let's see how Master Liu's two apprentices are doing."
Zhang San handed the soup spoon to the translator and assistant: "Please, both of you."
The assistant tasted a sip of the thick soup, nodded, and said it was neither surprising nor bad.
The translator took a bite and clicked his tongue, "Not bad, just lacking a little bit of complexity. But for a Chinese person to do this well is already fantastic."
Although Zhang San's evaluation was not as high as Liu Dazhu's, it was only natural that Zhang San, as an apprentice, was not as good as his master. Therefore, Zhang San was not discouraged at all. On the contrary, he felt that he had performed very well.
Next up is Li Si's ham and cheese. This is a pre-made dish that doesn't require any special skills. The ham and cheese are readily available; you just need to combine them.
The translator and assistant both had a lukewarm response.
Compared to his previous evaluations of Liu Dazhu and Zhang San, this reaction made Li Si somewhat embarrassed, and a hint of awkwardness flashed across his face.
However, the thought that there was someone else at the bottom of his class meant he wasn't so bad after all, and he became smug again.
The translator and assistant turned their attention to the dishes Lin Shuyao had prepared.
On a huge white plate was a slice of bread several times larger than a fingernail, with various ingredients stacked on top of it.
Liu Dazhu and his two apprentices exchanged glances, chuckled simultaneously, and then, in unison, crossed their arms, smugly shook their legs, and waited to see what would happen.
They saw Lin Shuyao cooking earlier; those ingredients piled up like they were playing house—what could possibly taste good? They'd be lucky to escape the Russians' disdain!
The onlookers shared similar thoughts.
They couldn't understand what Lin Shuyao had made at all; it was incredibly tiny, though it looked colorful and gaudy.
Anyway, it's no wonder the Russians would never like this thing!
Lin Shuyao paid no attention to the stares around her. She gestured to her translator and assistant, who were wearing disposable rubber gloves, to proceed.
The translator first picked up a small piece with his hand and put it in his mouth. After eating it, he raised his eyebrows, then frowned, and then fell into a long silence without saying anything.
The assistant also picked one up, and after eating it, his expression was exactly the same as the translator's.
"Oh no, oh no, I hope the Russian doesn't smash all the plates in a minute. Judging from his expression, it doesn't taste good. It's so bad he can't even speak."
"I knew it. Comrade Shen's dishes looked fancy, like a hodgepodge. How could they possibly taste good? They even silenced the Russians."
"Comrade Shen is going to lose face in front of international friends this time!"
Chef Liu's apprentice was even more smug, his legs shaking so much that they were just a blur.
Just as everyone was discussing, the translator and assistant's furrowed brows relaxed, and then their eyebrows shot up sharply as they exclaimed in exaggerated surprise!
"What are you saying? I don't understand. Are you insulting Comrade Shen?"
"That doesn't seem right, his expression doesn't look like he's cursing!"
Hearing the surrounding chatter, the translator realized he had just written a sentence in Russian, which the people couldn't understand. He immediately switched to Chinese and exclaimed, "Oh my God! This dish is delicious! It's amazing!"
"Ma'am, what's the name of this dish? I've never had it before!"
The translator looked at Lin Shuyao excitedly, and the assistant stared at her with burning eyes.
Lin Shuyao smiled and introduced, "This dish is called salmon tapas. An old priest from the Soviet Union taught me how to make it."
"The base is made of dark bread, the middle layer is spread with a mousse made of ripe avocado, lime juice and a little yogurt, topped with salmon petal-shaped decorations, and sprinkled with a little vanilla. The texture and flavor are very rich."
In fact, this is a very common appetizer in Michelin-starred restaurants in later generations, a salmon tartare crisp tartare that combines Spanish and French cuisine.
"That's so creative!"
"You're a culinary genius!"
The translator and assistant were lavish in their praise of Lin Shuyao.
Lin Shuyao smiled modestly.
Director Wang said, "Comrades, please select the winner of this round of selection."
The translator immediately raised Lin Shuyao's hand: "I choose her! This lady is the winner!"
The assistant held up Lin Shuyao's other hand: "Mine is mine!"
What?
Liu Dazhu and his apprentice abruptly stopped shaking their legs, their faces filled with shock and disbelief!
Do not!impossible!
Those two Russians were just praising their cooking, weren't they?
Weren't you amazed by them?
Why did they choose Shen Qing?!
The onlookers were dumbfounded. What was wrong with this Russian? Was Comrade Shen's cooking really that delicious? They couldn't even understand it; it was so tiny it looked like a toy. How could the Russian possibly taste anything?
"Everyone says that foreigners and Chinese people have different aesthetic tastes, and today I've truly witnessed it."
"Exactly! I at least recognize the dishes that Chef Liu and the others make—salads, soups, ham and cheese—but what does Comrade Shen make? Something like 'tower climbing to death'! I've never even heard of it!"
"Quiet down, quiet down. Now we're moving on to the second round of selection, the main course," Director Wang announced.
Lin Shuyao returned to the kitchen, and Chef Liu Dazhu retorted indignantly.
Once inside the kitchen, Zhang San stepped forward and said disdainfully, "Shen Qing, don't be so smug. Your victory in the first round was purely by chance, a fluke! We're not convinced!"
Li Si chimed in, "Exactly! Even pigs wouldn't eat the stuff you made. The Russians only praised you because they've never seen anything like it. The main course is where our true skill will shine. Let's see how we crush you!"
Liu Dazhu let out a snort and rolled his eyes at Lin Shuyao as if they were about to explode.
Lin Shuyao smiled at the three of them, then lightly tapped her cheek with her fingertip, saying casually, "Then I'll be waiting for you to slap me in the face in the second round!"
"you!"
The three men were so taken aback by his nonchalant attitude that their eyes widened, their faces contorted, and the veins on their foreheads bulged out, making them look like three fighting roosters whose tails had been stepped on.
"Shen Qing, don't be so arrogant! Your fancy moves are nothing compared to the real deal!"
"I'll definitely give it my all in the second round, so get ready to lose!"
"You little brat, you'll see when you cry in front of your grandpa!"