From selling box lunches to becoming a famous Chinese chef

At noon, Feng Zhengming, who had finished preparing the ingredients, reunited with Grandpa, Grandpa Situ, Third Uncle and Luo Qing.

"Okay, I'm almost ready. I'm just waiting for the game this afternoon. Let's go get something to eat first."

Grandpa was somewhat worried and asked seriously, "Are you really ready?"

Feng Zhengming also answered seriously: "I'm ready."

Grandpa Situ was watching from the side and said with a smile, "You two are becoming more and more alike, and it seems that you, Xiao Feng, are more nervous than your grandson?"

Grandpa Feng was embarrassed to say, "It is indeed very nervous."

Feng Jiandong immediately persuaded his father: "Dad, don't be nervous, we should believe in Zhengming's strength."

Luo Qing also said, "Yes, we should believe him."

Grandpa Feng also laughed: "Okay, I believe Zhengming."

Then Feng Zhengming led everyone to the restaurant for dinner.

Because he had to accompany his grandfather, Feng Zhengming did not have the buffet in the banquet hall with the other chefs.

In the hotel restaurant, the hotel staff saw that Feng Zhengming and Mr. Situ were both there, and they both received the group warmly.

Even the hotel restaurant manager came over to ask, "Mr. Situ, Chef Feng, would you like some red wine for lunch? We have fried cod for lunch today, which will go well with red wine."

Feng Zhengming smiled and said, "For pan-fried cod, I think it would be better with white grapes. Do you have any white wine recommendations?"

The restaurant manager was a little surprised when he heard this, as if he didn't expect Feng Zhengming to also study Western cuisine.

Even Third Uncle Feng Jiandong looked at Feng Zhengming with some surprise.

Mr. Situ smiled and said, "Does your hotel have Pinot Gris? Bring me a bottle."

The manager immediately agreed: "Yes, our hotel has imported dry white wine from Dai Li. I'll open a bottle for you, Mr. Situ."

Feng Zhengming thought for a moment and said, "Let's go for Tianbai."

After hearing what Feng Zhengming said, Mr. Situ looked at Luo Qing and immediately understood.

"Then have a bottle of sweet white wine."

The manager also nodded and agreed: "Okay, then I'll open a bottle of Pinot Grigio for you."

After the manager left, Grandpa Feng asked, "Zhengming, you have a game this afternoon. Is it okay to drink?"

Feng Zhengming smiled and responded: "Don't worry, Grandpa, I will drink less. I mainly want to try the cod in their hotel restaurant."

Luo Qing was a little curious: "Does cod have to be paired with white wine?"

Feng Zhengming smiled and explained: "These are invented by foreigners. In fact, if you don't want to pair it with wine, you can also drink some fruit juice."

Mr. Situ asked, "Zhengming is quite knowledgeable. You actually know that codfish should be paired with white wine?"

Feng Zhengming explained to Grandpa Situ: "I saw it in some magazines introducing foreign food."

Not long after, the manager brought a bottle of white wine with the label almost entirely in foreign languages.

After pouring it out, Luo Qing took a sniff and exclaimed: "This wine smells so good."

Feng Zhengming nodded: "This white wine has a relatively low alcohol content. You can try it. It tastes sweet."

Luo Qing followed Feng Zhengming's instructions, picked up the wine glass and took a sip.

I found that the wine was indeed sweet, and there was almost no taste of alcohol.

“It’s really delicious.”

Feng Zhengming smiled: "The sweet white taste is very suitable for you ladies to drink."

Not long after, the restaurant started serving food to Feng Zhengming and his friends.

Because we ordered a set meal, the first course served was Western food.

Seeing the Western food on the table, Grandpa Feng couldn't help but frown.

Feng Zhengming roughly guessed what his grandfather wanted to say.

So he took the initiative to say, "Grandpa, today we are just trying to see how Western food tastes. If you are not used to using a knife and fork, then chopsticks will work just as well."

Grandpa was somewhat helpless after hearing what Feng Zhengming said: "Okay, if you want to try it, then try it."

Luo Qing asked in a low voice: "Can I eat it with chopsticks?"

Feng Zhengming replied: "Why not? This is China. If you are not used to using knives and forks, just use the chopsticks we are used to. There is no need to be so particular about eating."

Mr. Situ laughed and agreed, "Zhengming is right. There is no need to be so particular about eating. Western dining etiquette is just for others to see. We eat our own food, so there is no need to be so particular.

Everyone is used to using chopsticks, so it’s the same to eat with chopsticks.”

As he said this, Mr. Situ raised his hand and called the waiter to bring a few pairs of chopsticks to everyone.

The waiter was a little confused by this request.

But seeing that it was Mr. Situ who wanted it, and Feng Zhengming was also present.

The waiter still went to help and brought chopsticks.

After the waiter brought the chopsticks, Feng Zhengming distributed them to Grandpa, Third Uncle and Luo Qing, and even held some chopsticks himself.

This scene made other customers in the restaurant feel a little strange and some even talked about it in a low voice.

I vaguely heard some discussions and saw many people looking at me.

This made Luo Qing feel a little uncomfortable.

Even my third uncle Feng Jiandong was too embarrassed to use chopsticks to eat.

Feng Zhengming, on the other hand, didn't care at all. He picked up his chopsticks and ate while saying, "Just eat, don't worry about what tableware you use. This is China, and chopsticks are what we're used to."

Most people in the restaurant knew Feng Zhengming. They knew that he was a talented young chef in the country who had participated in a national competition.

After hearing his words, the whispers gradually dissipated.

Mr. Situ was also very impressed by Feng Zhengming's ability to eat Western food with chopsticks so comfortably.

I can do what I want to do without fear of other people's opinions.

In Mr. Situ's opinion, this is the key to Feng Zhengming's future success.

With Feng Zhengming taking the lead, everyone in the family also started eating with chopsticks.

Luo Qing ate the appetizer and thought it tasted pretty good.

Feng Zhengming tasted it and said, "The appetizer is too ordinary. The ingredients in the vegetable salad are not good. You can add a little bit of chopped nuts to increase the taste. The seasoning should be lighter. You can add a little fresh lime juice and a little black vinegar to make it more appetizing."

Everyone present was a little surprised to hear Feng Zhengming's direct comments.

The other customers in the restaurant also found his comments incredible.

Mr. Situ smiled and said, "Zhengming, your comments are quite interesting. It seems that you really have some knowledge of Western food."

Feng Zhengming also gave his own comments on the dishes that were served next.

Finally the main course of seared cod arrived.

Feng Zhengming tasted it and said with a smile: "This dish is pretty good. It should be a very traditional French pan-fried cod." Mr. Situ finally couldn't help asking: "Zhengming, have you really never been abroad? Why do I feel that you are also very knowledgeable about Western food?"

Feng Zhengming responded with a smile: “Grandpa Situ, I am just pretending. I saw this in some magazines introducing foreign food.

But I used to buy magazines not just to read them, I would secretly buy some ingredients that were available, and then try to cook them in the kitchen myself.”

After hearing what Feng Zhengming said, Mr. Situ could understand.

"It seems that you are a chef who really likes food. A chef not only needs to like cooking, but also needs to like food. Only in this way can he devote himself to cooking."

Grandpa Feng said with a smile: "He really likes to cook and eat."

As we were chatting, the Western chef from the hotel restaurant came out.

The other person came to Feng Zhengming's table with a salad that looked like he had just made.

Coming to Feng Zhengming, he put down the salad in his hand and asked Feng Zhengming to taste it again.

Feng Zhengming was not polite and continued to mix it with chopsticks, then tasted the other person's salad.

After eating, Feng Zhengming communicated with the other party in a foreign language.

"This taste is just right. You should have added some nut butter, right? And the key is to add lime juice and black vinegar, which enhances the taste a lot."

The Western chef heard this and said in broken Chinese: "Thank you."

Feng Zhengming smiled and responded: "You're welcome. You are welcome to come to our country. I hope we can have more exchanges in the future."

The Western chef also nodded and agreed: "Okay, I hope we can have a chance to communicate."

The hotel restaurant manager rushed over in a hurry.

He was originally greeting guests when he heard the waiter say that the Western chef had come out to look for Feng Zhengming.

The manager was worried at first that Feng Zhengming would not be able to communicate with the other party, which might cause some misunderstandings.

But when he rushed over, he realized that his worries were unnecessary.

Especially hearing Feng Zhengming communicate smoothly with the chef in fluent foreign language.

This really made the manager look at Feng Zhengming with a new respect.

Previously, the hotel restaurant manager always thought that Feng Zhengming was a very talented young Chinese chef.

I only now discovered that Feng Zhengming actually has some knowledge of Western cuisine.

Feng Zhengming exchanged a lot of ideas with the restaurant's Western chefs.

Point out some seasoning problems used by some Western chefs.

For example, when making pan-fried cod, Feng Zhengming recommends not using too many spices, but simply marinating it with sea salt, and then frying it quickly over high heat to char the outside to lock in moisture loss.

Feng Zhengming also gave a suggestion: "You don't need to wash the pan after frying the cod. You can add some white wine to reduce the sauce and scrape the burnt layer on the bottom of the pan. Then add a little spices and soup to reduce the sauce, and then add it to the white sauce you are going to serve with the cod."

Probably no one would have thought that Feng Zhengming was actually teaching a Western chef how to cook.

Grandpa Feng, Uncle Three, and Luo Qing couldn't understand the conversation between Feng Zhengming and the western chef.

They didn't show any surprise.

Mr. Situ and the hotel restaurant manager could understand the conversation between the two.

Their faces were filled with surprise.

Especially the look in Mr. Situ's eyes when he looked at Feng Zhengming showed more appreciation.

Feng Zhengming is not bound by cuisine, and does not even care about Chinese and Western food. He has a certain understanding of any food and even conducts some serious research.

I'm afraid many people can't do the research without bias like him.

After communicating with the Western chef, Feng Zhengming finally gave him affirmation.

The Western chefs were also very impressed by Feng Zhengming's unique understanding of Western cuisine.

Perhaps some of Feng Zhengming’s methods cannot be considered original Western cooking methods.

But it makes Western chefs think that it might be worth a try.

Before leaving, the western chef said to Feng Zhengming: "I am looking forward to your competition. I will go to watch your competition this afternoon. You should do your best. I hope you can achieve good results."

Feng Zhengming responded with a smile: “Okay, you are welcome to watch the game.

But you shouldn't just pay attention to me, I think you should also look at other chefs. Only by looking at all our chefs can you understand Chinese cuisine better.

Whether it is Chinese food or Western food, they each have their own unique set of things, but they also have many common points.

I hope we can have more opportunities to communicate and learn from each other’s strengths.”

The western chef nodded seriously and agreed: "Okay, I'll go and see."

When the western chef left, the manager said to Feng Zhengming in astonishment, "I never thought that you, Chef Feng, could speak foreign languages ​​so well and that you also know western cuisine."

Feng Zhengming said modestly: "I am a Chinese chef. I learned a lot about Western food from some magazines. I don't really know some things, so I can't say I understand them."

The manager quickly said, "You are too modest. I think our restaurant's Western chef is very impressed by you."

At this point, the manager lowered his voice and said to Feng Zhengming: "This western chef is usually very arrogant. He looks down on many people in the kitchen."

Feng Zhengming smiled and whispered to the manager, "That's because you take him too seriously. His salary should be very high, right?"

When the manager heard Feng Zhengming mention the salary of the western-style chef, he nodded and whispered, "He was hired by our boss at a high price. He is said to be a very famous chef abroad."

Feng Zhengming said: "You see, you paid him a very high salary, and you paid him a higher salary than a Chinese chef, so it's natural for him to act arrogant in front of other people in the kitchen.

If you don't take him seriously and just treat him as an ordinary chef, he won't have any arrogance."

The manager thought this made sense, but then he said helplessly: "But without him, no one in the restaurant can cook."

Feng Zhengming smiled, patted the manager gently and said, "So you still need him, and he has the right to be arrogant in the kitchen of your restaurant."

What did the manager want to say?
Feng Zhengming took the lead and said, "If you invite me, I might have an even worse temper than him."

These words choked back what the manager was about to say.

The manager could only smile angrily and leave.

Feng Zhengming sat down again and saw that everyone in his family was staring at him.

After watching for a while, Third Uncle Feng Jiandong asked, "Zhengming, you look like a top scholar now."

Luo Qing followed suit and said, "Yes, he has the air of a top scholar."

Feng Zhengming smiled and said, "Since you all said so, let's finish our meal quickly. I'm going to win the top prize."

The family members were immediately amused.

Feng Zhengming and his friends finished their lunch together.

When they were about to pay the bill, the manager came over and said that their restaurant's Western chef would treat them for lunch, and thanked Feng Zhengming for having some culinary exchanges with him.

Feng Zhengming was not polite and smiled and asked the manager to thank the western chef. (End of this chapter)