The growth system comes at the age of 30

Chapter 317 The Real State Banquet! (4K)

Many people are curious whether places like state banquet hotels are exclusive privileges.

In fact, ordinary people can now check in and dine as long as they make a reservation in advance.

As long as you abide by the relevant regulations, don't disturb others, and don't trespass into certain special areas, you can wander around freely without needing any formal review or connections.

If you want to book a room or private room, you can simply call or make a reservation through an online platform.

If you're willing to spend the money, you can even hold your wedding there.

State banquet hotels also offer this service, and the price per table is not expensive, ranging from 3888 to 6666. There are many hotels outside that offer higher-end services.

Compared to ordinary hotels, state banquet hotels have many restrictions, which not everyone likes, and those who like them may not have the money.

That's it.

This is a lack of information.

It's truly a case of "the swallows that once graced the halls of noble families now flying into the homes of ordinary people."

As for the prevalence of conspiracy theories about individual privilege, it's simply to make simple-minded people feel that they are very smart.

Is this the amazing part?
It's some of the people in there.

However, if you're just dining, the price isn't calculated per person, but rather based on the total cost. Prices range from 1200 to 1500 or 2000 per guest, with a minimum of eight people required. Guests must dress appropriately and not disrupt the city's appearance.

Chen Jingle's family meets the population requirement.

Aside from the slightly higher prices, there are no other problems.

He can easily afford this price. Besides, it's not like he's always being so extravagant. It's okay for the whole family to try something new once in a while.

So they decided to have their last meal before leaving Beijing here.

……

Aside from the guards on duty, there's not much else to mark the entrance of the State Banquet Hotel; it's just an ordinary gate.

There is a row of electric bollards at the entrance; you have to wait for them to come down before you can go in.

When he saw the comrades on duty saluting him, Chen Zhenlin immediately felt that his life had been worthwhile.

What have I done to deserve being allowed to eat in a place like this!
Lu Xian's eyes widened in disbelief; this was truly like a country bumpkin visiting the Grand View Garden.

Chen Zhenwei and Liu Yuehua were no better off.

Chen Jinghao and Chen Qiyun, the two younger ones, practically wanted to lean against the car window.

Chen Jingle and Li Beixing are slightly better off.

Although Ms. Li was curious, she didn't lose her composure. She had seen all sorts of more luxurious places, and this place seemed rather ordinary.

Chen Jingle looked around, but wasn't particularly shocked.

As the car drove a little further inside, you could see a huge, ancient-style archway with the six characters "Yutai State Banquet Hotel" written on it.

This is the logo of the State Banquet Hotel.

Chen Xiuyun quickly picked up her phone and snapped photos. She wanted to send them to Lin Yaoheng to make him incredibly envious.

Hmph, huh? Serves you right for not being able to get time off to come play with me! Now you regret it, don't you?
This is a state banquet hotel!

If it weren't for Chen Jingle, she might not have had the chance to come here and spend money.

Who would spend tens of thousands on a single meal? Does she seem like someone who can afford to go to a place like this?

Only the richest people could afford this.

Once I start working, it will be even harder to come to a place like this.

Various new regulations have been introduced, including bans on gatherings, banquets, and alcohol consumption.

Cherish the present!
To say that the State Banquet Hotel is particularly special is not really true. It's just that compared to other hotels, it's quieter, with fewer people coming and going. It's lush and green, decorated with flowers, and the plants and trees complement the flowing water of the artificial lake.

The environment is excellent.

……

After getting off the bus at the destination, the group was led to a private room by a waitress.

Looking at the luxurious-looking tableware, Chen Xiuyun picked up a fork, craned her neck, and stared wide-eyed: "Is this made of silver?"

Chen Jingle glanced at it and laughed, "It should be pure silver, or silver-plated. Anyway, silver isn't worth much now."

Be nice!

Everyone gasped in astonishment; even the knives and forks were made of silver. Even the kings and nobles of ancient times couldn't have been more extravagant.

Chen Jingle was more interested in the other porcelain pieces on the table. They seemed quite expensive, and he remembered that they were for sale. He wondered if he should buy a few sets to take home as souvenirs after dinner.

He asked the waitress and learned that there was indeed a souvenir shop inside, and he immediately understood.

It seems like Beijing doesn't have many local specialties.

You can't exactly buy Daoxiangcun, can you?
What's so good about that stuff? It's just a mess when you get home.

Quanjude roast duck?
Don't be silly, it'll be cold by the time it gets home, and might even spoil.

People who are used to Cantonese roast duck will not appreciate Beijing roast duck.

Cloisonné is quite nice.

Adding to the various museum souvenirs I bought a few days ago, that's about it. Later, I'll get some souvenirs from the State Banquet Hotel to bring this trip to Beijing to a perfect close.

Seeing that everyone was a little reserved, Chen Jingle quickly smiled and said, "Relax, don't be so nervous. It's just a place to eat, after all."

"Easy for you to say. This is a state banquet hotel, you know. How can it be the same as any other hotel?"

Chen Xiuyun complained.

My aunt laughed and said, "Maybe this chair we're sitting in has been sat in by some important person from some country."

Everyone laughed.

"So-called foreign guests are nothing special," Chen Jingle said dismissively.

He genuinely didn't think it was anything special.

The reason why some people seem unapproachable is almost entirely due to the filters and auras we create for them.

Of the 233 countries and regions in the world, only a small number truly possess sovereignty. The officials of those small countries don't even have as much power as the municipal officials in Jiangbei.

Especially in Africa, where the ruling class changes hands frequently, anyone with a higher education and a slight understanding of military strategy can become a national advisor or military strategist there.

It's not an exaggeration.

We simply showed respect to them and gave them the highest level of hospitality.

The more you see, the more you realize that this world is just a giant makeshift operation, with normal people being a tiny minority, and the vast majority being all sorts of idiots and gluttons. In fact, it makes us the odd ones out in this world.

Who would believe that in 2025, the study of winning is still so prevalent all over the world?

Regardless of the truth or the outcome, I'm determined to win!

I declare that I have won, and I have truly won. The truth and facts are not important; what matters is that the people are willing to believe.

Doesn't it feel magical?

Because we are so normal, we seem all the more out of place with others.

Therefore, Chen Jingle didn't take those so-called foreign guests seriously at all; in short, everyone is human.

……

While waiting for the food to be served, Chen Xiuyun pulled Li Beixing along and took various photos with everyone.

Chen Jingle didn't say anything, letting them do whatever they wanted, since it wouldn't affect anyone else in the private room anyway.

The food was finally served.

The dishes here are served one serving per person.

The first course is always a welcome cold dish, but the specific dishes vary depending on the chef.

Shrimp, abalone, salmon, broccoli, and mushrooms—the portion wasn't large, and everyone was taken aback when it was served. Huh? That's all?

Chen Jingle smiled and picked up his chopsticks: "Try everything, good or bad."

Take a bite of shrimp first, then a piece of abalone, and you'll immediately feel that this cold dish is significantly different from what you usually eat, or what you eat in a typical hotel or restaurant.

These seasonings are all very mild, mainly to highlight the freshness and aroma of the ingredients.

The ingredients are of very high quality.

After everyone tried it, their expressions varied, but unsurprisingly, they all felt it was pretty good, even a little surprising.

Salmon isn't for everyone, but those who can eat it generally find it quite tasty.

The standard for state banquet dishes is that the fish is boneless and the meat is boneless, so that even grandparents with poor teeth can taste every dish and won't be unable to finish it.

Next up is the Golden Broth Shark Fin Stew with Four Treasures.

Once it's served and the lid is lifted, you can smell a rich aroma.

Chen Jingle was very familiar with this aroma because this soup was a true high-quality stock, made by simmering ingredients such as scallops, ham, pork hock, and old duck, and then skimming off the surface foam with chicken mousse to obtain such a top-quality clear soup.

Then use this clear broth to cook other foods.

When you drink it, it has a slightly sticky, lingering texture.

Besides the soup base, the four main ingredients are abalone, shark fin, fish maw, and quail eggs. However, compared to the soup, these ingredients are not as impressive.

Compared to the cold dishes we just had, this dish was undoubtedly more popular.

Without a doubt, absolutely delicious!

"Is it good? Is it tasty?" Chen Jingle asked with a smile.

"Delicious! Tasty! Excellent!"

Everyone nodded in unison.

Most people watch how Chen Jingle eats before trying to eat it themselves, otherwise they really don't know how to eat it.

It's so exquisite!

If you were to gulp it down in one go, it would look a bit like Pigsy eating a watermelon.

Chen Qiyun, the little glutton, asked curiously, "Brother Le, can you make this dish?"

These words drew everyone's attention to Chen Jingle.

Chen Jingle thought for a moment: "It's possible, but it's a bit troublesome. The key is in the soup. Making it only once or twice is too much work. Hotels don't lack customers, so they make a whole pot of this kind of broth."

However, seeing everyone's expectant looks, he didn't rule out the possibility of a deal. After thinking for a moment, he said, "How about this, I'll make a portion for my family to try during the Mid-Autumn Festival or Chinese New Year."

"That's great!" Everyone immediately beamed with joy.

Although I don't know exactly how much a meal here costs, it's definitely not cheap. If I could cook at home and have such a meal occasionally, even if it's just one or two dishes, I would be content.

Next up are dried king prawns.

The presentation was quite nice, but it was a bit stingy to only have one large, deveined prawn.

Grandpa chuckled and said, "Just one shrimp? Not even enough for one bite."

"Those who prepare state banquets don't even know to put in an extra one, good things come in pairs," Uncle said sarcastically.

Everyone burst into laughter.

For them, this amount is indeed a bit insignificant.

Fortunately, the shrimp tasted good.

"Just look at those crisp shrimp shells and glistening batter, and you know it won't taste bad." Chen Jingle is the one who can best appreciate the highlights of this dish.

What is it?
It involves pre-cooking the ingredients, adding broth and seasonings, heating them over medium or low heat until the ingredients are tender and flavorful, and then reducing the sauce over high heat to finish the dish.

This is a dish that looks ordinary, but is actually very complicated to make.

One bite revealed a salty-sweet sauce with a hint of shrimp oil, which appeared to be specially made and was very fragrant.

Try the shrimp meat again; it's bouncy and refreshing.

The low oil temperature for frying shrimp is difficult to control; the heat is crucial for any dish.

However, you don't need to worry about these things when dining at the State Banquet Hotel, as all the dishes are prepared by top-notch state banquet chefs.

Next served was braised sea cucumber with scallions.

The Liaoning sea cucumber mentioned here is not the ginseng from Changbai Mountain.

There are many types of sea cucumbers, among which the spiny sea cucumber is the most prized. The Liaoning sea cucumber, or Dalian sea cucumber, is a type of spiny sea cucumber.

It's said to have aphrodisiac properties. It seems that anything from the sky, the ground, or the water that can be associated with aphrodisiacs and yin-nourishing properties is not cheap.

Besides, it's such a big one.

Chen Jingle didn't like eating sea cucumbers before, feeling that the taste was just so-so. However, after actually eating this braised sea cucumber with scallions, he realized that it wasn't that sea cucumbers were bad, but that some people didn't know how to cook them.

Many Shandong cuisine restaurants can't even make a basic braised sea cucumber with scallions properly, let alone Cantonese restaurants in Jiangbei.

If sea cucumbers didn't taste good, would the sea cucumber team eat them every day?

Furthermore, the aroma of scallion segments is far stronger than that of green onions.

The aroma of scallions, soy sauce, and broth blend together to create a complex fragrance that ordinary braised sea cucumber with scallions simply cannot match. The ingredients alone are on a completely different level, not to mention the cooking method.

Once you cut it open, you can tell that the Liaoning sea cucumber has been properly prepared. It wobbles when you shake it slightly, and the flavors are well-balanced.

Then there's braised lion's head meatballs.

A properly stewed lion's head meatball has a soft exterior, but the meat inside has a distinct texture, and the best part is that you don't need to chew it much. It's not quite melt-in-your-mouth; it just crumbles at the slightest touch of the tongue.

This is not the same thing as the meatballs that many people mistakenly believe it to be.

Lion's head meatballs require careful attention to the combination of ingredients, demanding high knife skills, and finally, precise control of the cooking time; if not cooked properly, they will taste greasy.

Use a spoon to break it apart and take a bite with the sauce.

Fragrant!
good to eat!

The key is that the portion size is quite large, much better than the shrimp from before. After eating this, even someone with a small appetite will be about 70-80% full.

The last main dish was braised mushrooms with seasonal vegetables.

The soup base is also that same stock, with a very rich aroma, but it's a little less flavorful and less thick than the shark fin soup.

"The thickening is done very well."

Even by Chen Jingle's standards, it was of a high standard. It must be said that this state banquet hotel truly represents the highest standard. Perhaps because it hosts mostly foreign guests, the quality of its food seems more consistent than that of hotels in Beijing.

In addition, there are two desserts, plus a seasonal fruit platter.

Everyone was definitely full; apart from Chen Jingle, everyone else was pretty much the same.

"I used to think that the portions of each dish were too small and not enough to eat, but I was obviously wrong," Uncle said with a smug smile as he leaned back in his chair.

In short, although the meal cost a lot, everyone was very satisfied.

The key is the location bonus attribute, which makes it worthwhile.

After a satisfying meal, go for a stroll to digest your food.

Sister Xiu happily took photos and checked in with everyone.

This is something she can be very proud of, since most people never have the chance to set foot here in their entire lives.

Chen Jingle was thinking about something else, so he took everyone to a nearby boutique to buy some state-owned tobacco and alcohol products to take back. Whether for personal use or as gifts, they would be a great choice.

I also bought some for my father-in-law's family, and two tea sets, one for the company office and one for home.

Isn't this more prestigious than Maozi and Huazi?

(End of this chapter)