The story of a cook

Chapter 388
I contacted two jobs, one is in Tiexi, it is a 30-square-meter shop, the business is not very good, the boss is a man in his [-]s, he looks like a mixed society, when we talked, he said to me The monthly salary, I didn't agree as soon as I heard it, so I didn't talk about it.

The second job is in Shenhe, which is a two-storey shop with an area of ​​200 square meters. When I went there, a resigned chef from his family went to ask for salary, and the boss and the chef started arguing about the salary.At the beginning, it was about that the chef earned 200 yuan a month. After the chef left, the boss said that the chef did not do a good job when he was working. It was not worth [-] yuan, but only [-] yuan.Seeing the two of them chatting there for a long time, the chef finally left with [-] yuan. The boss said that the chef returned a total of eight dishes while he was working, and these eight dishes were directly deducted from the salary.

Seeing the boss chattering so much, he left without talking to the boss.

I thought of the work in Binhai, should I go?Heart crime total.

Lin Yan called me and asked if I had found a job. I said no. I asked her if it was okay to go to Binhai. She said yes, go, she can take care of the children by herself.That's what she said, but I don't really want to go, I don't want to leave the provincial capital.

I am busy looking for a job every day. I have been introduced by friends, and some have applied for jobs by myself. Most of them are not suitable. Either the salary is low or I feel bad, and I have no idea of ​​cooperation.

During this period, Zheng Jiaqi and Ye Yurong went back to Beipiao and came back from Beipiao. Zheng Jiaqi looked very happy when she came back, and took the medicine she grabbed from the old Chinese doctor and went home to eat. Ye Yurong was sent to Hongji by me to learn pastry. Satisfied with the job, she started working at Hung Kee.

When Lin Yan went to her mother-in-law's house for 20 days, the fifth sister called and said that her mother wanted her grandson to ask Lin Yan to take the child back to Beipiao. I told Lin Yan, and Lin Yan said that I would go back to Beipiao immediately and told me to go to Binhai to see , If you can do it, you can do it in Binhai, if you can't, come back, you don't lose anything, just take a round trip fee, if you don't do it, it's right to travel.I thought it was the same thing, so I decided to go to Binhai to have a look.

When Lin Yan came back from Fuzhong, she took the child and got on the train back to Beipiao at the train station without going home. I just took a quick look at my son at the train station.The son was a little grown up and was falling asleep, kissed him on the cheek, and sent the two of them to the train.

When I sent the two of them to the train, my heart was very sour, and I felt ashamed of them.

Fifth Sister picked them up at Beipiao Station.

When I got home, I called Master Liu in Binhai and told me to go to Binhai tomorrow.Master Liu was very happy to hear that I was there, told me the location of the hotel, and told me to go directly to the hotel to find him after getting off the train.

In the evening, I drank wine with Li Ge, Li Jian, and Jiang Runping, and told them that I was going to Binhai, if it was good, I would do it in Binhai, and if it didn't work, I would come back.If I work in Binhai, ask them to help me take care of Lin Yan and his wife at home.Brother Li said it was okay, he could take care of Lin Yan and his wife at home, and Li Jian said don't worry, he will take good care of his godson.Jiang Runping said don't worry about Lao Tan, he will take care of all the power and energy work at home, and told me to work outside without worrying about my family.

To be honest, it is lucky to have a neighbor like Brother Li, and his two comrades-in-arms are also interesting buddies.

The next day, board the train bound for Binhai.

Binhai is a coastal tourist city with well-developed tourism and catering industry, which is better than the provincial capital.Binhai seafood is well-known throughout the country, and the salaries of Binhai seafood chefs working in the provincial capital are not low, starting at 4000 yuan.The wages of Northeast cuisine chefs in the provincial capital to work in Binhai are not so high, around 3000 yuan.My salary is considered high, three thousand and five.

It was already three o'clock in the afternoon when we arrived at Binhai, so we took a taxi and went directly to Qinghua Pavilion, where we met Master Liu.

Qinghua Pavilion is on Dock Street, and one kilometer further is Binhai Dock.The store has two floors, with an area of ​​about [-] square meters.The decoration is antique, the same as the decoration style of the main store of Qinghua Pavilion in the provincial capital. There is a row of old forts on the front of the door.

Master Liu led me to look at the store, and said to me: "Master Tan, this is our old store, Qinghuage Dumpling House. Yuekai's business, I called you at the time to ask you to go to Coarse Grain to be the head chef of Northeast cuisine, but you didn't come, so you can't be the head chef when you come back, you can only be a chef."

I said: "It's okay, otherwise I don't want to be a head chef, I just want to be a cook for cooking, don't worry, and I come to Binhai mainly to learn about Binhai seafood."

Master Liu said: "Let's go directly to Coarse Grain, the office is over there, and I will get you a job first."

I came to the coarse grain store with Master Liu.The coarse grain store is not far from the dumpling restaurant, across a street, the dumpling restaurant is on Wharf Street, and the coarse grain store is on Wuyi Road, about 800 meters apart.

The Coarse Grain Store is a newly renovated store with an area of ​​[-] square meters. It is very high-end and fashionable, and looks high-end and grand.

I just talked with my boss on the phone, and I haven’t met in person. After completing the entry procedures in the office, the boss happened to be there. Master Liu introduced me to the boss, and the boss called me to the office to talk to me alone.

The boss, surnamed Yan, is not tall, about 1.6 meters tall, over [-] years old, looks very serious, and looks like a high-ranking person.

"We have known each other for a long time, but we have never met." The boss said.

I said, "Yes, I haven't met."

"Actually, you should have come here last year. We should have cooperated a long time ago, but now it is a whole year late." The boss said.

"It's not too late to cooperate, it's not because I'm here to defect to you." I said.

The boss smiled, and then said: "Master Tan, this time you come to work in Coarse Grain first, cooking our Northeast cuisine, but not the head chef. The head chef will do it again when you have a chance, and you will be the cook first."

I said, "No problem, I just come here to cook. I don't want to be a chef. I'll get used to it first, and I'm afraid I'll have to go back when I can't get used to it."

"I can get used to it. The chefs who cook Northeast cuisine in our family are all from the provincial capital. You are all fellow villagers. They do a good job here, and you can do it too."

"Hope I can."

The boss said: "You don't need to call me the manager or the boss here, just call me the old man, that's what everyone calls me."

I said, "Okay, sir."

"You just came here today, and you're tired from the train ride all morning. Take a rest first, have some food and sleep later, and then go to work tomorrow." The old man said, "I'll ask Xiao Liu to show you the coarse grain kitchen in a while. See the head chef of Coarse Grain, Xiao Liu is not working in Coarse Grain, he is working in the old dumpling restaurant, he is doing very well, the young man is good."

I said: "Okay." Coming out of the CEO's office, Master Liu led me into the kitchen.

The kitchen is very large, with a total of twelve sets of stoves in the hot dish room, six sets of northeast dishes and six sets of coastal seafood.Northeast cuisine is next to Cantonese cuisine.Noodles, cold dishes and stews are served directly in front of customers.

Since it was noon, there were only a few staff on duty in the kitchen, and the head chef was not seen.After watching the kitchen, Master Liu went back to the dormitory and checked in.The dormitory is a four-story building, and the entire second floor is rented by the hotel as a dormitory.Just entering the dormitory is a duty room, where I checked in, and I was assigned to the chef's dormitory of the coarse grain store.

When I arrived at the chef’s dormitory of the coarse grain store, there were four upper and lower beds in total, and one lower berth was vacant. The administrator who managed the dormitory let me live in that bed.

In the dormitory, I met the head chef of the coarse grain store, also surnamed Liu, a fat man who looked to weigh two hundred catties, but he was quite good.

The chefs of the two stores are both surnamed Liu. In order to distinguish them, the chefs of the coarse grain store are called Da Liu, and the chefs of the dumpling restaurant are called Xiao Liu.Da Liu is the chief chef of the Coarse Grains Store, and under him are the chefs of Northeast cuisine and Binhai seafood.Xiao Liu, who was waiting to introduce me, is the head chef of Northeast cuisine in the dumpling restaurant, and he also has a head chef above him.

I live in the dormitory.That night, Xiao Liu invited me to have dinner with him. At the dinner table, he told me that the boss, Mr. Yan, is not from Binhai, but from Tieling Changtu.Mr. Yan used to be the leader of the Tieling Changtu Grain Bureau. After retiring, he opened the Qinghua Pavilion in Binhai, and now he opened the Coarse Grain Pavilion. He is very powerful and has assets worth hundreds of millions.

Mr. Yan is now managing the restaurant, but he is not always in the restaurant. It is not bad to be able to stay in the restaurant for two days a month. Most of them are managed by his wife. Her wife is a provincial accountant and is very economical. Ma'am, but very well.Mr. Yan has two children, a boy and a girl. The boss is a real estate developer in Changtu. With the help of the old man, he is doing very well now.The girl is studying at university and is about to graduate.

The old man is very powerful in Binhai, and some of his old friends and comrades in arms are some of the upper-level leaders of Binhai, so the old man's catering business in Binhai is flourishing.

Xiao Liu also told me that the new Coarse Grain store has just opened for less than three months, and now the business is very good, with an average of about 3 yuan a day, and can sell for [-] yuan in good times.Da Liu is the head chef, his apprentice is the head chef of Northeast cuisine, Lu Lu.Both master and apprentice are small-minded, and told me to be careful when working with coarse grains.At the beginning, he planned to ask me to work in the dumpling restaurant. The old man said that Coarse Grain lacked a good Northeast cuisine chef, so he arranged me to work in Coarse Grain.

In the chat with Xiao Liu, it can be seen that he wants to be the chief chef of coarse grains, and he called me here to increase his strength here.

It seems that no matter where you go, you can't do without intrigue.

My plan is very simple, first look at what it looks like, and see if I can adapt to this place, and if I don't adapt, I will go back, and if I can adapt, I will work here.Don't participate in any of their affairs, just cook your own dishes and learn from Binhai seafood by the way.I also know a little bit about Binhai Seafood, but not too much. Now that I am back in Binhai, I have to figure it out.

When I came to the Coarse Grains Kitchen the next day, the head chef Da Liu arranged for me the location of the frying pan, and told me to get familiar with it the first day. I don’t need to go to the stove to cook.

The seat he arranged for me was next to the master of Cantonese cuisine, that is, the side.There are two positions on the side of the kitchen, one is the position of the side of the wok, which is usually where the chef is, and the other is the side of the wok, which is the worst for cooking. Arranged at the end, also put the side, but this side is usually ignored by people.

I am in this position.

Standing on the stove with a wry smile in his heart, the head chef of Linjiangxuan, the famous provincial capital, came to Binhai to stir-fry the end of the pot, which is simply a mockery.But since I came here, I can't immediately say no to go back, so why not make a fuss about a dish?Besides, for the sake of 500 yuan a month, I can't go back immediately, so I have to work for a few days to earn my travel expenses before going back.

The big kitchen is very bullying to newcomers.

There is a deformed stir-fry pot on my stove. I asked Da Liu if he had a new one. He said that he didn't have it now, so he just used it and bought a new one in two days.Knowing that what he said would disappear in two days, I didn't ask again.Look at the hand spoon, the hand spoon is okay and can be used, and the bamboo brush, colander, and oil grate are all okay.The chopping board assigned to me was a young boy named Yang, whose family was Changtu, who had just been here for two months.

Now that you have decided to do it first, start working.

Turn on the stove. The stove does not burn natural gas, but diesel. It is a bit slow at the beginning of ignition, and the firepower is very strong after waiting for it to rise, which is stronger than natural gas.First heat the stir-fry pot to red, and then use a hand spoon to knock the deformed part of the stir-fry pot back to its original shape. Although it can't be as round as the new one, it can still be used.

Then start cleaning the stove.

The seasoning tank is okay, just brush it clean. The two oil Gus I got are really not flattering. I guess I haven't cleaned it for a month. I don't know who used the leftovers. There is a thick layer of oil stains on the outside.Boil water in a frying pan, add detergent to soak it, until it is almost soaked, use a steel wool ball to brush it little by little, and after half an hour, two oil gus come out, looking clean and satisfied, then add full of oil.

There are no recipes here, all are open stalls. Each chef prepares ten dishes, and his own chopping board is responsible for arranging the stalls. After the dishes are arranged, they are placed in the front freezer. Customers can order directly while watching the dishes.This is more advanced than the provincial capital, where most restaurants still order dishes.

I just came here, and I haven't served any dishes yet, so I went to the food stall in front to see what other chefs are serving.

Come to the front dish display area.

The display area for dishes is huge.Noodles, cold dishes, stews, and tofu shops are all open stalls. A large line is more than 30 meters long. The hot dishes are in front of the cold dishes and stews. There are three sets of constant temperature fresh-keeping freezers for display. , the upper and lower floors, together with more than 80 dishes.

Next to the hot food stall is the seafood fish tank. The fish tank is very large, and the seafood in it is very complete. There are live sea cucumbers and live wild abalones. The shellfish pond for raising small seafood is also very large, except for some common shellfish in the provincial capital. There are also very uncommon ones, such as bamboo clam, fresh head, live octopus, fragrant snails and so on.

As expected of a seaside city, there are a wide variety of seafood, at least fifty or sixty.

Take a look at the noodle stall, the noodle stall is the largest, long strip, 15 meters long, and there are all kinds of coarse grain staple food.There are corn cakes, corn dumplings, sweet-scented osmanthus corn cakes, sorghum rice flour dumplings, assorted coarse grains, and millet flour pancakes, black rice flour pancakes and so on.The noodle stall is in the middle, and the tofu shop is on the left, where a 40-year-old elder brother makes tofu. The tofu products include dried tofu, tofu mixed with shallots, and fried tofu.The tofu shop is mainly a gimmick, to show guests that the tofu in the hotel is made by itself, and it is genuine.

On the right side of the noodles are cold dish stalls and stew stalls.There are four people in the cold dish stall. Most of the cold dishes are mainly seafood, supplemented by Northeast cold dishes.There are two big brothers in their 40s who are in charge of the stew stall. They stew four large pots of dishes, namely Northeast Killing Pig Vegetables, Little Stupid Chicken Stewed Mushrooms, Small Potatoes and Braised Pork with Dry Beans.

Turned around in front, and finally came to the fish tank.The seafood guy is a local in his 30s, and his deputy is in his 20s, from Changtu.The two are changing the water in the fish tank.It is very troublesome to change the water in the seafood tank in the provincial capital. You must first drain the water in the original fish tank, then put it into new water, and add sea water essence. When the salinity of the water reaches a certain level, you can put seawater fish and seafood in it. Otherwise, you have to feed the seafood to death.It doesn't need to be so troublesome here, just add sea water.Fill the fish tank with water here, and put sea water directly into the fish tank from the sea water vehicle, which is simple and trouble-free, and there is no need to worry about the death of seafood, and it is pure natural sea water, which is much better than sea water mixed with sea water.

(End of this chapter)