Siheyuan: Starting as a Chef Apprentice

The chefs carefully select the cod. They gently press the fish body with their hands, feel the elasticity of the fish meat, and observe the clarity of the fish eyes to ensure that the selected cod is the freshest.

After returning to the kitchen, the chefs cleaned the cod, carefully processed it, removed the scales and internal organs, and then prepared the batter according to precise proportions. The chefs held a mixer and quickly stirred the flour, eggs, beer and other ingredients. Under the action of the mixer, the batter gradually became even and delicate, and bubbles slowly rose in it.

The processed cod is placed in the batter, evenly coated with the batter, and then gently placed in the boiling oil pan for frying. With the sound of "sizzling", the batter quickly expands and takes shape on the surface of the cod, gradually turning into a golden and crispy crust. The chefs always pay attention to the heat and time of frying the fish, and use a long-handled slotted spoon to turn the cod from time to time to ensure that it is fried evenly.

The essence of fish and chips lies not only in the deliciousness of the fish, but also in the quality of the fries. Chefs select high-quality potatoes, cut them into fries of uniform thickness, and soak them in clean water to remove the starch in the potatoes. Then, the fries are taken out, drained, and fried in oil until golden and crispy.

The innovation of this dish lies in the Chinese-French mixed sauce. The chefs drew inspiration from French sauces, selected basic ingredients such as French mayonnaise and mustard sauce, added Chinese bean paste, minced garlic, balsamic vinegar and other condiments, and finally prepared a unique dipping sauce after repeated mixing and experimentation. This dipping sauce has both the richness of French sauces and the unique flavor of Chinese seasonings. When paired with fish and chips, it creates a brand new taste experience.

When this dish was served on the table, the golden and crispy fried fish was paired with golden French fries, and a small dish of Chinese and French mixed sauce was placed next to it, which looked attractive in color.

When the customers saw this dish, they showed curiosity and anticipation in their eyes. An English gentleman picked up a piece of fried fish with a fork, dipped it in the sauce, put it in his mouth and chewed it slowly. His eyes widened slightly, and a look of surprise appeared on his face. He said:

"The taste of these fish and chips is very special. The skin is crispy and the fish meat is tender. The sauce is even more amazing. It has both the Western flavor that I am familiar with and some novel oriental flavors. It is really memorable." Other customers at the table followed suit, and soon, there was a burst of exclamations at the table.

The innovative dish "Sino-French Beef Wellington" combines the essence of Chinese, French and British cuisine. The chefs innovated on the traditional Beef Wellington cooking process.

First, they select the best steaks and marinate them with Chinese spices. The chef grinds spices such as star anise, cinnamon, and bay leaves into powder, spreads them evenly on the steaks, and gently massages the steaks to allow the flavor of the spices to fully penetrate the beef. After marinating for a period of time, the steaks exude a rich aroma.

Next, according to the classic method of Wellington steak, the marinated steak is fried until the surface is golden to lock in the gravy. Then a layer of French foie gras sauce and mushroom sauce is spread on the surface of the steak. The combination of these two sauces adds a rich taste and strong flavor to the steak.

The steak is then wrapped in a layer of golden crispy puff pastry and baked in the oven. The temperature in the oven is precisely controlled, and the chefs keep an eye on the changes in the steak in the oven and observe the color and state of the puff pastry through the glass door of the oven.

When the "Chinese-French Beef Wellington" is baked out of the oven, the whole dish exudes an enticing aroma. The steak is wrapped in a golden and crispy pastry. When cut, the steak inside is an attractive pink color, tender and juicy. The flavor of Chinese spices and the flavor of French sauces are perfectly blended. With every bite, you can feel a variety of flavors jumping on the tip of your tongue.

……

In order to ensure the smooth operation of the London branch, recruiting and training the right employees became a key link, just like building a building, employees are the solid foundation. Wang Jianye and his team knew the importance of this, so they carefully planned and launched the recruitment process.

The recruitment information was like a stone thrown into a lake, which caused ripples in the job market in London and attracted many job seekers from different cultural backgrounds. These job seekers, with their own dreams and expectations, flocked to the recruitment sites of Wang's Hotels, forming a unique landscape of multicultural integration.

The interview process was conducted in a spacious and bright conference room in downtown London. There was a long table in the conference room. Wang Jianye and his team members sat at one side with focused expressions, with the resumes and related materials of job seekers in front of them. Opposite them were the candidates who came for the interview. Some of them looked nervous, sat upright, and held their resumes with slightly trembling hands; others were more confident, with smiles on their faces, and their eyes revealed their desire for the job.

Wang Jianye was the first to break the silence. He scanned the applicants in front of him and said in a steady and powerful voice: "Welcome everyone to the interview. Our Wang's All-in-One Hotel is committed to creating a specialty restaurant that integrates the food culture of China, France and the United Kingdom. Therefore, we not only value your professional skills, but also pay more attention to your understanding and adaptability to multicultural integration. Now, please introduce yourselves one by one."

The first applicant was a British chef with many years of experience named James. He was tall and sturdy, with a kind face and neatly combed curly hair. James stood up slightly, nodded to the interviewers, and then said in his English with a strong London accent: "Hello, everyone, my name is James.

I have been working in the catering industry in London for fifteen years and am good at making traditional British dishes, such as roast steak, fish and chips, etc. I have always been interested in Chinese and French cuisine and have tried to create some fusion dishes myself.

I think it is meaningful for different cultures to learn from and integrate each other. I believe I can bring my experience and passion for food fusion here to create unique dishes for the hotel. "When he spoke, he looked at the interviewer firmly and gestured with his hands from time to time to help express his ideas.

The next person to be interviewed was a young British waitress named Lily. She was well-dressed, pretty, and had lively eyes. Lily stood up shyly and said softly but clearly, "Hello, I'm Lily.

I previously worked in a restaurant at a five-star hotel and have accumulated extensive service experience. I am good at observing customers' needs and can serve them with a warm and thoughtful attitude.

I am very interested in understanding customers from different cultural backgrounds. I know that it is very important to respect cultural differences during service. I will work hard to learn about Chinese and French catering culture so that I can better provide quality service to every customer. "

As she spoke, her cheeks flushed slightly, and her eyes occasionally looked down at the ground, but she quickly raised her head to make eye contact with the interviewer. There was another professional with a Chinese and French catering background, named Li Hua. He was wearing a neat shirt and a pair of glasses, and looked very gentle. Li Hua stood up slowly and said in fluent English:

"My name is Li Hua. I studied culinary arts in both China and France, and have a deep understanding of the food culture of both countries. I once worked in a Chinese-French fusion restaurant in Paris and participated in the development of many innovative dishes.

I believe I can combine the essence of Chinese and French cuisine with British food culture and develop more popular dishes for the hotel. At the same time, I can also communicate and cooperate well with colleagues from different cultural backgrounds in the team to jointly promote the development of the hotel. "When he spoke, his expression was calm and his eyes revealed confidence and professionalism.

After several rounds of rigorous interviews and comprehensive evaluations, Wang Jianye and his team finally finalized the list of candidates to be hired.

The staff hired include experienced local British chefs like James, who are familiar with the characteristics of local ingredients and the taste preferences of British customers;
Enthusiastic and thoughtful British waiters like Lily are able to win the favor of customers with their friendly attitude and professional service. There are also professionals with Chinese and French catering backgrounds like Li Hua, who bring the unique skills and innovative concepts of Chinese and French cuisine to the hotel.

During the training period, the hotel specially arranged a series of comprehensive and systematic courses. In addition to basic service standards and food preparation training, it also focused on setting up cross-cultural communication courses to allow them to have a deep understanding of the differences and similarities in the food culture of China, France and the United Kingdom, so that they can serve customers more easily in their future work.

In the service standard training class, the training instructor stood in front of the classroom, holding a detailed training manual in his hand, and explained with a serious expression: "Dear colleagues, when serving British customers, there are some important points that you need to remember.

British customers attach great importance to etiquette and privacy, so we should always keep a proper distance during service and not be too close or abrupt. For example, when taking orders for customers, we should stand at a suitable distance from the table, bend down slightly, and ask the customer's needs in a polite way, such as "What would you like to order today?"

Rather than getting too close or being too casual in tone." The instructor explained while demonstrating the correct posture and movements, leaning forward slightly, arms hanging naturally, with a polite smile on his face.

“When communicating with customers, we should also pay attention to the appropriateness and respect of our words. If customers have special requests or complaints, we should listen patiently and respond in a gentle tone, such as "We are very sorry for the inconvenience. We will solve this problem for you as soon as possible." We must never argue with customers or show impatience."

The instructor's voice was firm and clear, and his eyes scanned each student to make sure they were listening carefully.

Read the error-free version at 69shuba! 6=9+shu_ba is the first to publish this novel.

In the course of dish introduction training, the trainer focused on how to enable employees to explain the characteristics and flavor combinations of Chinese-French fusion dishes to customers in a concise and clear way. The trainer placed several of the hotel's signature Chinese-French fusion dishes on the podium, such as "English-style fish and chips with Chinese-French mixed sauce" and "Chinese-French Wellington steak", and then picked up one of the dishes, showed it to the trainees and said:

"Take the dish 'English fish and chips with Chinese and French mixed sauce' as an example. When introducing it to customers, we can say: 'This is our specialty, English fish and chips. We use fresh cod, coat it with batter and fry it until golden and crispy. The French fries are also carefully made, crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. The special thing is our dipping sauce, which is a blend of Chinese and French sauces.

It has the richness of French sauces and the unique flavor of Chinese seasonings, which can bring you a new taste experience. 'Everyone should learn to highlight the key points and characteristics of the dishes so that customers can quickly understand the charm of the dishes. 'The trainer said, while pointing to the various parts of the dishes with his hands, his expression was vivid, trying to make the trainees understand better.

In the cross-cultural communication course, trainers used a variety of teaching methods, including case analysis, group discussion and role-playing, to enhance employees' learning experience and depth of understanding.

The trainer used a projector to show some real cases, such as a customer who was dissatisfied because the waiter did not respect his privacy, or a customer who made a mistake in ordering because the dishes were not clearly introduced, etc. Then he guided the trainees to analyze and discuss, and let them think about how to deal with these situations correctly.

The students were divided into groups, sitting together and discussing enthusiastically. Some groups frowned and thought carefully about the problems in the case, while others actively spoke, expressed their own opinions, and put forward their own views and solutions.

In the role-playing session, the students played the roles of waiters and customers respectively, simulating service scenes in different cultural backgrounds. The students who played the role of British customers deliberately showed their characteristics of paying attention to etiquette and privacy, while the students who played the role of waiters needed to communicate with the "customers" in an appropriate service way and language based on what they had learned.

For example, a student who played the role of a waiter kept a proper distance when taking an order for a "customer" and asked politely, "Sir, do you have any special preferences or dietary restrictions on our menu?"

The "customer" responded: "I'd like a lighter dish, thank you."

The waiter then replied: "Okay, sir. We have a Chinese-French fusion vegetable salad, which uses fresh local vegetables and is paired with a special Chinese-French mixed sauce. It tastes refreshing. Are you interested in trying it?"

During the training, the staff showed great enthusiasm and motivation. James, a local British chef, was already very skilled in making British dishes, but he still studied the cooking techniques and cultural knowledge of Chinese and French cuisine seriously.

In the cooking training class, he watched the Chinese chefs demonstrate how to cut vegetables with Chinese knives and how to use the right temperature to cook Chinese dishes. He asked questions from time to time and tried it himself. His eyes revealed his desire for new knowledge and his love for the art of cooking. He muttered to himself, "It turns out that Chinese cooking has so many unique techniques. This is a good learning opportunity for me." (End of this chapter)