1986: My Happy Life in Provence

Chapter 129: Monotonous? Outrageous!
In France, hotpot is not as lively as it used to be, as people don’t gather around one pot to eat.

Ronan naturally became the busiest "food distributor" in the whole venue.

Others wanted to help but couldn't because they didn't understand how to eat tonight.

Ronan's restaurant and dining area are connected together. It feels a bit "strange" that a table of people are watching one person busy.

"When I was on a business trip to Paris, I went to a Michelin restaurant. There you can also see the kitchen, and guests can personally see the process of how ingredients are turned into food." President Ines clasped his hands together and rested them on his chin, looking at Ronan in the kitchen area with a leisurely expression.

The format of tonight's party is very unique and she will definitely remember it vividly.

Mr. Jacques naturally knew the kind of restaurant that Ines was talking about:

“Only restaurants with absolute strength and bosses with absolute confidence will open their kitchen areas to customers. Tonight both conditions are met.”

Mr. Jacques' praise for Ronan aroused everyone's curiosity.

"Have you tried this kind of food?" Jerome, the owner of Strasga Winery, asked curiously.

Jacques is a guy who appears humble on the outside but is extremely arrogant on the inside.

He actually gave such a high evaluation to tonight's dinner?

Jacques pushed his glasses up, his expression calm:

"I haven't eaten it, but I can roughly guess what it tastes like. Ronan uses many kinds of mushrooms to make a pot of soup base, and then uses the soup base to blanch meat and vegetables. There is a rare mushroom in the soup that has a very strong aroma. The meat and vegetables must have the aroma of mushrooms."

"Oh, it sounds quite healthy and delicious." Ines looked towards the kitchen expectantly.

People in Provence love to eat mushrooms and vegetables.

"But it doesn't sound like it goes with pink wine." Astrid poured herself a glass of wine lazily.

The best pairings for rosé are meat, seafood, barbecue or hearty dishes like Nicoise salad.

It is not suitable to be consumed with light food.

Gabriel, who runs a preserves business in Apt, excitedly picked up a fork:

"Here it comes, here it comes, the food is served."

Ronan placed a bowl of mushroom soup in front of everyone:

"Have some soup first. I've been cooking it for the whole afternoon."

The French also eat soup, but it's all thick soup.

Whether it's cream of mushroom soup, red wine onion soup, Marseille fish soup or the local garlic soup, they are all great dishes to go with bread and baguette. They rarely make the soup as clear as the bowl in front of you.

The soup is so clear that you can see every mushroom in it at a glance.

Ines took a sip:
“Very good, very delicious to drink.”

Although it is obviously different from the local method, as Jacques said, this soup base has a strong mushroom aroma, which is exactly what the people of Provence like.

Ines also attaches great importance to healthy eating and maintaining her figure, which helps her to look less different from other stars when standing next to them.

This soup is perfect for her.

Jerome has a tongue as good as Jacques's:
“It’s very rich, the flavors of the different mushrooms don’t interfere with each other, they blend together magically, it’s delicious!”

Ronan upgraded the soup twice, and seeing that everyone was satisfied, he felt that all his efforts were not in vain.

"The food will be here soon." He left the table and continued to work in the kitchen.

Most people praised the taste of the soup, but some people raised objections.

Corentin, who holds an important position in the Vaucluse Federation of Industry and Commerce, looks up at the kitchen:

"Ronan, is there only one dish tonight?"

Ronan nodded:

"Yes, Mr. Corentin, there is only one dish of 'hot pot' tonight."

Corentin looked bitter and said in a low voice:
"It does taste good, but isn't it too monotonous to have only this flavor for dinner?"

A Provencal meal consists of several or even dozens of cold cuts and five or six main courses, with a wide variety of cooking methods and flavors.

Jacques disagrees:
“The charm of a meal lies in whether the food itself is good enough. It’s not about whether the food is rich or not. Just this soup is enough to be called a successful dinner. You don’t understand how much there is to savor in it.”

There is a lot of knowledge in this pot of soup.

Corentin shrugged his shoulders.

"I was just expressing my concerns."

"Well, let's not forget today's theme," said Chairman Ines, raising his glass. "Our theme is pink wine."

Don't forget that this is a gathering of the 'Vaucluse Pink Wine Lovers Association', do you think you are in a Michelin restaurant?

Astrid put down the spoon in disappointment:

"But food of this flavor doesn't go well with rosé."

It's too bland.
"The meat is here, everyone eat it while it's hot." Ronan placed two plates of cooked beef in the middle of the dining table.

"It's still great." President Ines was the most positive.

She really enjoyed the dinner this time, it seemed like it was tailor-made for her.

Jacques ate a piece of beef and frowned slightly:

“The timing of the fire was excellent.”

Professionals can see more professional things.

The texture of these beefs is perfect.

Is Ronan calculating cooking times on a computer?

Some people ate enthusiastically and discussed passionately that tonight was definitely a magical and wonderful Chinese food journey.

Others were not so positive.

Corentin sighed helplessly.

Although it tastes good, it's really too monotonous. Who would only have one dish at a party?
"Here are some sauces that you can dip into." Ronan brought a tray from the kitchen.

"This is seafood soy sauce. I put garlic and a lot of local spices in it. It's salty and fresh, with a little bit of spiciness. I think everyone will like it."

"This one, which is a little lighter in color, is also salty and fresh, but it has lemon in it, and the spiciness is a little stronger than the first one, which is very appetizing."

"This one is made with red wine, slightly sweet, and I also added celery."

"This is Chinese sesame paste. If you want to try something exotic, you can try it."

"This is another Chinese dipping sauce, mainly sesame oil, and it also contains..."

Every time Ronan put down a bowl, the eyes of everyone at the table widened.

As the last sentence was spoken, nearly ten kinds of sauces of different colors and shapes were placed on the table.

"Are all these eaten with hot pot?" Corentin asked in disbelief.

"Yes." Ronan looked at the results of all the 'experiments' during this period and said with a smile, "You can choose according to your own taste, or you can eat them in combination. You can eat them any way you want."

"Can one dish have so many seasoning combinations? It's amazing." Gabriel said as he stood up to get the dip.

Led by Gabriel, everyone stretched out their spoons towards the dip that interested them.

Ronan's attention remained on Astrid.

When he came over just now, he happened to hear the descendant of the nobility complaining that the food tasted too light and was not suitable for pairing with rosé wine.

Astrid took the 'seafood sauce', dipped it lightly, put it in her mouth and started chewing.

"That's more like it," she muttered quietly.

Ronan finally felt completely relieved.

The 'battle' of the mushroom soup pot has achieved a phased victory!

Jacques tried each dip:
“This meal has something for everyone.”

Whether you are a 'healthy' person like Ines or someone like Corentin who likes a rich experience, you can find your own comfort zone in this meal.

Corentin finally stopped complaining:
"Thank you, Ronan, for giving me an extremely rich dinner. It was undoubtedly a perfect Chinese dining experience."

Ronan put on an apron and said to everyone with a smile:

“The Chinese food journey is not over yet.”

Everyone stopped eating at the same time and looked at him in confusion.

Ronan was not wearing an apron when she was cooking just now.

Why are you wearing an apron all of a sudden?
Ronan took out a bag of bright red peppers:
"This next area may sound a little 'scary', but believe me, the meat and vegetables cooked in this pot have a completely different flavor. Similarly, the experience of pairing them with those sauces will be completely different."

This time even Jacques, who usually had a straight face, couldn't help himself.

Oh, God.

How many flavors can a hot pot have?

The red soup base is just to give everyone a 'fresh' taste while experiencing the richness and inclusiveness of Chinese cuisine.

Mushroom soup is the preferred choice of these Provencal people.

There were 10 guests tonight, 11 in total including Ronan, but the 4 kg of beef and 2 kg of mutton prepared in advance were not enough. But even if there were only vegetables, these "social elites" refused to put down their forks.

Ronan opened the refrigerator and remembered that there was some seafood in it that could be cooked together.

As he processed the shrimp, Astrid stood beside him with a glass of red wine.

"Do you need anything?" Ronan asked politely.

Ever since he learned that Astrid was the same age as her mother, Ronan's hostility and vigilance towards her weakened and he could no longer associate her with the infamous Marquis de Sade.

"Help me cook some in the 'red soup base'," Astrid said in her usual lazy voice.

"You like spicy food?" Ronan was a little surprised.

Astrid is a quiet person, a heartless pink wine drinking machine.

Ronan didn't notice what she ate at the table.

"Spiciness is a kind of pain." Astrid said, shaking her glass. "Happiness can be faked, but pain cannot be faked. It is the most real existence."

The shrimp in Ronan's hand almost slid into the red soup pot:
"Yeah, I'll help you cook some shrimp in the red broth."

Astrid affected Ronan's mood and he accidentally pricked his finger with a shrimp.

Astrid smiled gloatingly:

"Looking back on today, you may not remember how many times you were happy or why you were happy, but you will definitely remember the pain of being pricked by a shrimp on your finger once."

Ronan lowered his head to wash his fingers awkwardly, and answered as if he didn't understand anything:
"It's just a minor injury. You won't remember the pain in a while."

Astrid chuckled and left:

"I can help you with the pain that is impressive, I'm pretty good at it so feel free to call me if you need it."

Ronan adjusted his mood and returned to the dining table, only to find that the vegetables he had prepared a few minutes ago were gone again.

He asked happily:
"Is everyone satisfied with the food?"

“Satisfied, satisfied, very satisfied!”

"I haven't eaten that much at night in a long time."

"My mind wanted me to keep eating, but my stomach told me it was overwhelmed."

Ronan sat down contentedly and put the last of the vegetables on his plate.

I've served you all night, it's time for you to do something.

He took a bite of food and asked in a casual tone, as if discussing what the weather would be like tomorrow:
"I have always wanted to spread Chinese cuisine in Provence, but I haven't found a particularly good way. Does anyone have any suggestions for me?"

(End of this chapter)