1986: My Happy Life in Provence

Chapter 185 Father and son work together to achieve great things!
While Thomas and Cotillard were admiring the paintings in the old church, Ronan had already happily returned home and was ready to paint with vegetables.

The ability to present a dish has been acquired.

The problem of votive paintings was also solved.

Finally, we can start doing real work!

It's just that besides the parents, there is also an "expert" at home.

Freddy stood at the door of Ronan's house with a bulging belly, and seemed to have been waiting for a long time:

"I heard you're going to cook today?"

Business at the market has been growing steadily, and Luo Tianhai often tries to cook many dishes at home. Ronan's family has a great demand for meat, and Freddy will deliver meat regularly, so they don't need to drive to buy it.

This afternoon, Freddy came to deliver the pork needed for selling sweet and sour pork at tomorrow's market, and was surprised to hear that Ronan was going to show off his skills tonight.

Ever since Ronan's parents came to Provence, Ronan rarely cooks, and Luo Tianhai has become the head chef.

The greedy Freddy hadn't eaten Chinese food made by Ronan for a long time. After work, he didn't go home and came here directly.

Ronan smiled and welcomed Freddy in:
"You've come just in time. We're just in need of an 'expert'. Please stay and have dinner with us."

Freddy was not polite at all and asked impatiently:
"What's for dinner tonight?"

Ronan pointed to the kitchen with his chin:

"Go and see what my dad did today."

"Huh?" Freddy looked towards the kitchen. "Didn't you do it?"

When he turned around, Ronan was gone.

Freddy touched his head and walked to the kitchen with his big butt:

"Don't you want to show off your skills?"

After Ronan finished taking a shower, Luo Tianhai had already prepared the meal and the dishes were out of the pot, but they had not yet been served.

Luo Tianhai asked Ronan:

"What do I do next?"

At noon, Ronan told his father to cook as usual and not to wait for him.

This was Ronan's first time "painting" with vegetables. He had no experience with it, but he was willing to draw something from a small card to more than one meter long. When inspiration came, he couldn't stop it.

Worried that it would take too long and delay everyone's meal, Ronan only left one dish for 'practice' and asked them to take the rest out first:

"I'll take care of the rest, don't worry about it. Freddy is definitely an expert in food. Let him try Dad's 'improved' flavor."

Even Ronan and Feng Zhen only saw what Luo Tianhai was up to a few days ago, and these Provencal people had never tasted Luo Tianhai's improved craftsmanship.

Ronan then instructed Freddy:

"You are brave enough to give us your suggestions today. This is a help to us. Don't be embarrassed."

Backyard dining area.

Freddy and Ronan's family are old acquaintances and see each other at least two or three times a week. When Ronan asked them to eat first, they really ate first without being polite.

There were four dishes on the table, but Freddy's first target was his old friend - sweet and sour pork.

This is his Chinese meal 'White Moonlight', he can never get enough of it.

Although it's not made by Ronan, it's 'Wan Wan Lei Qing'. It's also sweet and sour pork.

But before it even reached his mouth, professional foodie Freddy noticed the difference:

"Different from the way Ronan did it?"

Luo Tianhai nodded with a smile;
“Yes, I improved the method.”

This is the 'upgraded' sweet and sour pork that Ronan asked him to make.

If Freddy's feedback is good, this version will be sold at the market tomorrow.

Freddy felt a little uncomfortable.

Even if the method has changed, is it still "White Moonlight"?

Since Ronan asked him to comment boldly, he should talk about Lao Luo. Give me back the "white moonlight"!

Freddy took a small bite, and the words of "comment" were already on the tip of his tongue, but they were "smashed" down by the second, third, and third pieces of sweet and sour pork.

After eating three pieces in a row, Freddy pointed at the pot-fried pork and asked:

"If there's any left, can I take it?"

The new 'White Moonlight' has appeared!

Even more exciting than before!!
Feng Zhen pushed the sweet and sour pork in front of Freddy:
"Eat as much as you want. If it's not enough, ask Lao Luo to make you a plate to take away."

Freddy forked up the fourth piece:

"I have to inform my friends that your pot-baked pork recipe has been upgraded. Ask them to go to Mena Village tomorrow to try the new flavor."

Ronan has said on many occasions that he learned how to make sweet and sour pork from Luo Tianhai.

Based on this dish alone, Freddy is convinced that the best way to eat sweet and sour pork is to look at Luo Tianhai.

I have new topics to talk about with my friends!
Seeing Freddy's good reaction, Luo Tianhai pushed the 'Spicy Crab' in front of him again:
"I've never made this dish for you before. I recently developed it and plan to put it on the menu in the future. Can you help me taste it and see if it suits the local tastes?"

Seeing the seafood, Freddy became serious.

Seafood must appear on the tables of Provençal people every day.

When it comes to seafood, he is the best!

Ronan told him to comment boldly, so Freddy was not polite:

“Is this dish spicy?”

The spicy crab was bright red in color. Freddy, who had eaten Chinese food many times, could guess its taste at a glance. "Yes, spicy." Luo Tianhai nodded.

Freddy crossed his arms and said in a serious tone:

"Lao Luo, I must remind you that the spicy taste of local people is different from the spicy taste of Chinese food. If you want to sell this kind of food, you must be careful."

The peppers grown locally in Provence are a sweet red pepper that can be seasoned with spices such as dried oregano, mustard seeds, and black pepper if you want to add spiciness.

Just because Freddy and his friends can accept the spiciness of Chinese food doesn't mean others can as well. This is something that professional judges must remind everyone of.

Luo Tianhai didn't say anything and kept urging Freddy to try it.

Freddy picked up a piece and put it in his mouth to taste it carefully. Suddenly his eyes widened a little:
“This smell”

"How is it?" Feng Zhen asked nervously.

Come on, I hate it when you guys stop talking halfway!
Freddy finished a whole crab and kept sucking his fingers:

"It has the 'spicy' taste of Chinese food, but it tastes a bit familiar, which is quite magical."

Freddy had never eaten Chinese food before Ronan and his family moved to Provence.

After Ronan and his family moved here, he had never eaten Chinese food anywhere else. So where did this sense of familiarity come from?
"Will it feel abrupt?" Luo Tianhai asked.

Freddy shook his head violently:

"Not at all! I really like the taste of this dish!"

If the people of Provence think a dish is delicious, they will use bread to wipe up the remaining juice.

The highest praise that the people of Provence give to a dish is that they start dipping bread into the soup before the dish is finished.

Freddy grabbed a piece of country bread and wiped it vigorously on the plate:
"It's also delicious with bread. Trust me, the locals will love it, I swear."

Freddy then tasted the remaining two dishes, finishing them all. He issued a final professional review:

“The ‘improvement’ is very successful. It has the unique taste of Chinese food and gives people a sense of freshness, but it will not make the locals feel abrupt or difficult to accept. I can’t wait for your restaurant to open.”

Freddy had promoted Ronan's stalls at the Mena Village and Lourmarin markets before, but he had not yet promoted Ronan's restaurant among his friends.

He really needed some topics that would make him feel superior to his friends, but Freddy would only recommend what he had eaten and seen.

He has eaten sweet and sour pork before and he likes it, so he dares to recommend it to others.

The restaurant sells more than one dish, and Freddy can't guarantee that this Chinese restaurant can satisfy everyone.

But after eating Luo Tianhai's food today, Freddy felt that he could recommend it not only to those who are interested in Chinese food, but also to those who are not very interested in Chinese food.

Provence locals are sure to find what they love to eat here.

Luo Tianhai quietly clenched his fists, and his heart, which had been tense for several months, finally relaxed.

It's a joke to say Freddy is an 'animal' expert and a 'Saint Remy' expert, but this guy is definitely a food expert.

His affirmation gave Luo Tianhai great confidence.

Don’t hold your son back!
Ronan seemed to have heard his father's call and came late.

Freddy saw Ronan and said jokingly:

"Ronan, you're not needed here. Your father has already made the dish to perfection. It doesn't need any further 'touching'."

Luo Tianhai was in a good mood today, and he rarely joked with Ronan:

"You're still home? I thought you were out."

Feng Zhen put down the cutlery and said with a smile:
"If you come any later we will have finished eating."

Ronan deliberately raised the plate high so that they couldn't see it:

"Then I take the lion's head?"

Too many inspirations to choose from!

Sorry for keeping you waiting!!
"Put it down!" Freddy picked up the fork. "You can take away other dishes, but not the lion's head. That's Lao Luo's specialty!"

Those special dishes that Luo Tianhai said could not be improved were actually the ones he often made for his friends.

However, Luo Tianhai couldn't imagine how Ronan could polish the lion's head, and this kid had been fiddling in the kitchen for too long, so he might not have succeeded in polishing it at all. He urged him:

"Please sit down, the food will get cold soon."

You don't have to work hard anymore, I have already achieved great success!
"Come and have a drink." Freddy offered Ronan a glass of wine and congratulated him in advance. "With your father's cooking skills, your family's restaurant will definitely be successful!"

He was very familiar with the taste of the lion's head made by Luo Tianhai and ate it often.

After experiencing the charm of those new dishes, Freddy didn't think Ronan could "polish" anything.

No matter how you change it, it's still lion's head, the taste remains the same.

Ronan smiled and said:
"Of course my father's craftsmanship is great, but as his son, I also have to contribute."

As he said this, he put the plate down and said with some regret:
“It’s my first time arranging a dish, so I’m a little rusty. There’s still a lot of room for improvement. Experts, please give me some comments.”

A dark brown lion's head is placed in the middle of a white plate, surrounded by a green wreath made of asparagus, green sauce and mint, and a few small mushrooms are used as decoration in the middle of the wreath.

Luo Tianhai & Feng Zhen & Freddy: "Is this a lion's head?!"

Feng Zhen was extremely surprised and stood up to look:
"Oh son, if you do this, the lion head can be renamed 'Phoenix Egg', this is too advanced!"

Luo Tianhai was reluctant to even touch it, his eyebrows knitted together:
"How much do you have in your head? Where do you get all this inspiration?"

This lion's head dish shocked Freddy more than the previous dishes combined. He asked in disbelief:
"Ronan, is your goal to run the restaurant into a Michelin star?"

This is France, a country that pays attention to romance and details. The French like to arrange their dishes as exquisitely as works of art!
Ronan's exquisite plating skills give this restaurant endless possibilities and immeasurable ceilings.

"Michelin? That's too far away." Ronan sat down and said calmly, "I'll be satisfied if it can run smoothly and have a stable flow of customers."

Food expert Freddy raised his glass and gave his final review of today's dishes:
“Believe me, my friends. As long as you and your son work together and each of you plays to your best, Lourmarin’s first Michelin is just around the corner!”

(End of this chapter)