From selling box lunches to becoming a famous Chinese chef

The leaders in Qufu reacted quite quickly. After Feng Zhengming contacted them, he immediately contacted the Confucius Mansion Cuisine Association, the Confucius Mansion Council, and the local cooking association.

We even notified the province and the provincial culinary association about this matter.

When the provincial government received the report, they never expected that Feng Zhengming had actually done such a big thing in Qufu.

Then the province also convened members of the cooking association and found several Shandong cuisine chefs to discuss the matter.

After the old masters learned the news, they almost unanimously supported Feng Zhengming.

Master Cui’s attitude is extremely clear.

"It is clear that he did nothing wrong. Confucius Mansion cuisine is an important branch of Shandong cuisine and a signature dish of Shandong cuisine. If Confucius Mansion cuisine is considered by others to be casual, it is nothing but a wolf in sheep's clothing.

What will others think of our Shandong cuisine? When we go out to communicate with chefs from other places, won’t we become a laughing stock? "

Master Su also agreed with what Master Cui said.

"That's right. Zhengming is now the representative of Shandong cuisine and the national culinary champion. It's the right time for him to step forward and take care of this matter. We should give him enough support."

Master Wang and Master Yan naturally agreed and expressed their support for Feng Zhengming.

Seeing that the master chefs had a clear attitude, the provincial government did not even ask for the opinions of other people in the Provincial Cooking Association.

The province even sent Chen Zhiheng and Tao Jingwen, who had always had a good relationship with Feng Zhengming, to come forward.

Let them represent the province and assist Feng Zhengming in rectifying the abuse of the Confucius Mansion cuisine signboard.

It is being discussed at the provincial level and also at the local level.

Some people can't sit still and have taken the initiative to find Master Xia, hoping to meet Feng Zhengming through the Xia family and discuss with him whether he can give them some opportunities?
Feng Zhengming's attitude was very clear. Before he held a formal meeting to discuss the Confucius Mansion cuisine brand, he would never meet with any owner or chef of a restaurant or hotel that hung a Confucius Mansion cuisine brand.

At this time, Kong Lingfu couldn't help but feel fortunate that he had met Feng Zhengming in advance.

He took the initiative to go to the Xia family and wanted to see Feng Zhengming again through the Xia family, but was rejected.

After he returned, he immediately stopped the business and began to make improvements to the Kongfu Restaurant himself.

Kong Lingfu was very clear that Feng Zhengming had already told him how to make the rectifications. In the next period of time, it would be his own time to make the rectifications and try his best to preserve the signboard.

It seems that Feng Zhengming refuses to see anyone, and it seems that he should be the one with a lot of free time.

But in fact, Master Xia, who was able to see him, knew very well that Feng Zhengming had not been idle these days.

With the help of Master Xia, he was able to review a lot of restored archival materials from the Confucius Mansion.

Find various records about Confucius Mansion cuisine from it.

Once Feng Zhengming finds relevant records, he will copy them all down first.

Then we will analyze each item one by one and select those that are suitable for current restaurants and hotels.

Obviously, Feng Zhengming did not want to fight an unprepared battle.

Since he had already made it clear that he wanted to remove some of the signature dishes of Confucius Mansion cuisine.

Then he must come up with a plan that can be approved by everyone.

He must have sufficient knowledge of Confucius cuisine himself.

Can you point out what the restaurants and hotels are doing wrong?

Only in this way can what Feng Zhengming says convince everyone.

After some research, Feng Zhengming did find quite a few records of Confucius Mansion dishes.

However, many of the records are more like sacrifices.

Rather than the usual banquet cooking.

This also made Feng Zhengming feel helpless.

He could only eliminate the large amount of information about the sacrificial process and extract some records of Confucius Mansion cuisine from it.

Finally, we have summarized some records of Confucius Mansion cuisine that are applicable to the present day.

Then he and Master Xia watched the Confucius Mansion dishes made by the Xia family.

We have to admit that the Confucius Mansion dishes prepared by Master Xia and several Shandong cuisine masters back then were indeed some very suitable dishes.

It may be difficult for Feng Zhengming to dig out other dishes from past information now.

Master Xia probably also understood Feng Zhengming's thoughts.

He smiled and sighed: "We sorted out a lot of archival materials at the beginning, but we could only restore this part in the end. In fact, most of the dishes of Confucius Mansion cuisine are still within the scope of Shandong cuisine."

Feng Zhengming nodded: "I know. Next, we still have to start with the decoration of the restaurant and the hotel, as well as some of the interior arrangements."

Master Xia was somewhat curious when he heard this and asked, "If we only criticize it based on the decoration and interior layout, wouldn't it be hard for many people to believe it?"

Feng Zhengming shook his head and said, "I don't think so. Confucius Mansion cuisine emphasizes 'the food should be fine and delicate'. If we can't even guarantee the dining environment, how can we meet the requirements of Confucius Mansion cuisine?"

This made Master Xia nod his head: "Yes, yes, it does require a good enough environment."

Feng Zhengming once again gave his own conclusion.

"We can't say that we should pursue the luxury of the past, but at least the environment should be clean and sanitary, and the tables and chairs should meet basic standards. And the tablecloths should at least be changed every day, right?"

Master Xia couldn't help laughing after hearing this: "Hahaha, it seems that you still have a deep impression of Kong Lingfu's Kongfu Restaurant, where the tablecloth has not been changed."

Feng Zhengming sighed helplessly: "It's true that many of the tablecloths on his side are so dirty that they are unbearable to look at. Can they really guarantee hygiene like that?"

"This is something that many restaurants and hotels don't pay attention to." Master Xia looked helpless.

Feng Zhengming suddenly became serious: "I think this kind of place that doesn't pay attention to the decoration and interior layout must not keep their signboard, otherwise it will tarnish the reputation of Confucius Mansion cuisine."

Master Xia asked: "You have delayed for such a long time, aren't you worried that they will take the opportunity to replace them with new ones?"

Feng Zhengming responded directly: "If they can realize the problem and replace it with a new one, I will be very satisfied. As long as the chef's skills are up to standard, they can keep the signature dish."

After a brief pause, Feng Zhengming added: "But later, I will take time to check. If they are not replaced on time, I will just take down their signs."

Master Xia couldn't help but remind him: "If you do this, you will offend people."

Feng Zhengming said seriously: "What's there to be afraid of if you offend someone? Grandpa Xia, I think your Xia family is too afraid of offending people, so your Xia family also has a certain responsibility for the fact that Kongfu cuisine has become what it is now.

And there is no local supervision, which has led to so many restaurants and hotels that are obviously not up to standard being put up.”

These words made Master Xia blush.

Feng Zhengming then directly stated: "At this time, we cannot be afraid of offending people. We must pay attention to whether the dishes are delicious and whether the restaurants and hotels are well run.

You know, Confucius Mansion cuisine is one of our Qilu’s signature dishes.

Do you hope that after seeing this sign, people will curse you behind your back when you mention it?"

These words shocked Master Xia.

The old man really didn't realize this.

Now that Feng Zhengming has pointed it out, the old man has realized the seriousness of this problem.

"Zhengming, you are right. Since Confucius cuisine is our signature dish, and our Xia family has restored Confucius cuisine and mastered many of its cooking methods, we should indeed shoulder the responsibility of promoting, inheriting, and supervising it." When Feng Zhengming heard what Master Xia said, he finally felt relieved.

"Grandpa Xia, I hope that in the future, we can work together to build a good brand for Confucius cuisine."

Master Xia nodded and agreed: "Okay, our Xia family will definitely support you."

Finally, when Tao Jingwen and Chen Zhiheng arrived in Qufu.

Feng Zhengming and Master Xia were notified to attend the meeting together.

On this day, Feng Zhengming met a group of people related to Confucius cuisine.

But what he didn't expect was that many of these local people related to Confucius cuisine were not chefs at all, and might not even know anything about Confucius cuisine.

Feng Zhengming was really helpless about this situation.

When he arrived at the meeting, he did not speak immediately but listened to what others had to say first.

Among them, several people from the Kong Family Research Society and the Kong Mansion Cuisine Association were able to speak very well.

But after listening to some of their statements, Feng Zhengming gradually felt that they were a bit too frivolous.

They started from the status of the Confucius Mansion in the past and some of the sacrificial rituals of the Confucius Mansion.

You can't say they're wrong.

But what they say is basically impossible to use in restaurants and hotels.

After listening to this, Feng Zhengming still did not speak in a hurry.

First let the leaders make some inquiries based on their speeches.

It was not until he was asked his own questions that Feng Zhengming began to refute the other party point by point.

"First of all, I am very grateful to you for sharing with us a lot of things that the Confucius Mansion once had. I admit that I am an orphan and have not received much education, so I may not be as professional as you in academic research."

Feng Zhengming was relatively polite at first and expressed that he was not well educated.

“But I am a chef, and I am the champion of a national cooking competition. I think for the time being I should still have a certain authority in the national cooking world.

So I want to say that what some of you just said might indeed be what Confucius Mansion cuisine used to be like.

But times have changed. Some things are not suitable for today and cannot be displayed to customers in restaurants and hotels."

Feng Zhengming didn't wait for the other party to speak before he continued to explain his point of view seriously.

"I think what we are discussing today is how to inherit and promote the Confucius Mansion cuisine, so that people who come here to taste the relatively authentic Confucius Mansion cuisine."

Then he emphasized: "The most important thing is to leave a good impression on tourists."

Feng Zhengming's words caused the scene to fall into silence.

Those people from the Confucius Mansion Research Association and the Confucius Mansion Cuisine Association really don’t know how to refute?

They are indeed much better than Feng Zhengming in the field of cultural studies.

You can start cooking and run restaurants and hotels.

They really had nothing to argue with Feng Zhengming.

As Feng Zhengming said, if they do it according to their ideas, Confucius Mansion cuisine will only leave a bad impression on most people.

So if we really want to better inherit Confucius Mansion cuisine and promote it.

It is indeed necessary to follow some of Feng Zhengming's designs.

Feng Zhengming did not completely deny those professionals who conduct research in the cultural field.

"Everyone, I think that the relationship between us is not an antagonistic one, but a mutually reinforcing one.

The cooking of Confucius Mansion cuisine is our expertise, but the cultural attributes of each Confucius Mansion banquet still need to be given by you.

More importantly, as a restaurant specializing in Confucius Mansion cuisine, some of the decoration and layout also need your guidance, and in this regard, we really need your research support. "

After hearing what Feng Zhengming said, several people from the Confucius Mansion Research Society and the Confucius Mansion Cuisine Association looked at each other in bewilderment.

They soon smiled and agreed with Feng Zhengming's statement.

"Hahaha, that's right, you are worthy of being our top scholar, your speech is very good."

"That's right, we should complement each other."

“Everyone should work hard in the areas where they are good at.”

"Yes, we can give you a lot of suggestions on decoration and layout, and even on how to match tables, chairs, and tableware. Combined with your cooking skills, we will definitely be able to present Confucius Mansion cuisine to customers in a better way."

Master Xia and several other local chefs were present, as well as Tao Jingwen and Chen Zhiheng who came all the way from the province.

Everyone found Feng Zhengming's game of chess quite exciting.

Originally it seemed that Feng Zhengming and the other group were in some conflict.

Even Tao Jingwen and Chen Zhiheng, who came specially for the trip, secretly worried for him.

Because after they arrived here, they also received some complaints against Feng Zhengming.

Some people sued Feng Zhengming, the top scholar, for being too arrogant.

It was just a small matter, but he insisted on making a big deal out of it.

Moreover, everyone took the initiative to seek him out for advice, but he refused to see anyone.

Faced with these lawsuits, Tao Jingwen and Chen Zhiheng also felt helpless. They could only temporarily help Feng Zhengming and try not to let anyone disturb Feng Zhengming.

Today Tao Jingwen and Chen Zhiheng had discussed it in advance.

If Feng Zhengming had a conflict with the locals, they would try their best to appease both sides.

But the two did not expect that Feng Zhengming did not provoke confrontation between the two sides.

Instead, it successfully resolved the other party's dissatisfaction.

It can even be said that Feng Zhengming's words made everyone present who specialized in various aspects of Confucius Mansion research and the Confucius Mansion Cuisine Association feel very comfortable.

In fact, their original research direction was not what dishes Confucius Mansion cuisine should be made of or how to cook them.
Their research direction has always been the presentation form of Confucius cuisine.

This includes the tableware used in every family banquet in the Confucius Mansion at that time, as well as the regulations and some cultural attributes behind them, including what kind of tables and chairs should be used for Confucius Mansion cuisine and how the venue should be decorated and arranged.

So Feng Zhengming gave them corresponding opportunities to allow them to put into practice what they had studied over the years.

This naturally resolved their hostility and made them willing to cooperate with Feng Zhengming.

With their support, some of the things Feng Zhengming said next would naturally not be questioned much.

For example, the signboard of Confucius cuisine should be returned to the province, and all restaurants and hotels serving Confucius cuisine must be reviewed and approved by the province before they can be listed.

These not only did not encounter any obstacles, but were supported by the Confucius Mansion Research Association and the Confucius Mansion Cuisine Association. (End of this chapter)