The Spirit of Gourmet

Chapter 9: Catering to Customers and Adapting to Customers
In the end, Zhou Yun finally got to eat the squirrel mandarin fish he had been longing for.

He carefully picked up the last piece of fish and put it into his mouth. The wonderful taste of the crispy, fragrant and tender fish made Zhou Yun so happy that he burst into tears. There was a hint of resentment in his eyes when he looked at his father.

Dad, please leave some more for me!

It's just this one, and it makes me feel even more miserable after eating it!

Ignoring Zhou Yun's resentful look, Zhou Qing slowly wiped his mouth, turned his head and looked deeply at Qin Lang. After a moment of silence, he slowly said, "Do you think you've passed?"

"I think it's too much." Qin Lang smiled and pointed to the empty plate on the table. "This is the best proof, isn't it?"

"Indeed." Zhou Qing stood up and walked into the room. He quickly took out a food recommender badge that gleamed with metallic luster under the light and handed it to Qin Lang. "This is my exclusive token—the fish scale badge."

"Your cooking skills have earned my approval, and now I grant it to you."

"Thank you, Mr. Zhou Qing!" Qin Lang carefully took the fish scale badge, and a stone in his heart finally fell to the ground.

Although he was absolutely confident that his cooking skills could conquer a food recommender, he was somewhat nervous before he received the badge.

Now that he has the token, he can go to the Royal Spirit Chef Association at any time to activate his star veins and qualify to become a Royal Spirit Chef!
"But there's one thing I need to ask..." Zhou Qing paused for a moment as he looked at Qin Lang, who had taken the badge. He then spoke slowly, "Your choice of this dish probably has something to do with the dried plums, right?"

"Yes." Qin Lang nodded. "Mr. Zhou Qing likes sweet and sour flavors, and you are very thin. I think you must often have a poor appetite."

"Squirrel Mandarin Fish is a sweet and sour dish that's more suitable for you."

"Although I let you pass this time, I hope you won't do that again in the future." Zhou Qing shook his head slightly. "You deliberately cater to the tastes of the food recommender and choose the flavors he prefers instead of putting more effort into improving your own cooking skills."

"This is a shortcut, not the right way."

Perhaps because of his older age, Zhou Qing had higher requirements for the Yuling chefs who came to assess him, which was also the reason why he was complained by many Yuling chefs.

A dish of squirrel mandarin fish completely impressed the old man who had been serving as a food recommender for decades. He did not want such a talented chef to go astray, so even though it had been approved, he still wanted to express his opinions.

Hearing this, Zhou Yun on the side couldn't help but shrink his head.

It has begun, my father’s admonition mode has begun.

Even a chef who passes the food recommender assessment cannot escape being taught a lesson by his father.

Thinking of this, he couldn't help but glance at Qin Lang, wanting to see how the other party would react to Zhou Qing's advice.

Shame? Or anger?
Then, Zhou Yun was stunned for a moment.

Because Qin Lang was smiling.

"I don't agree with what Mr. Zhou Qing said."

Qin Lang spoke softly. In front of him stood a food recommender who was much higher in status than him, but his back was straight and his tone was full of confidence.

"You said... you don't agree?" Zhou Qing didn't get angry. He just frowned slightly and looked at Qin Lang, "Why don't you agree?"

Qin Lang smiled and said, "My master once taught me that a chef's cooking skills can be roughly divided into three levels."

"The first realm is [Imitation]. At this stage, chefs can only learn fixed recipes and cooking methods, strictly following fixed methods to cook, striving to accurately and perfectly replicate the dishes."

"The second level is 'Innovation'. At this stage, the chef has a clear understanding of the functions of various ingredients and seasonings, and can innovate and improve recipes to create even more delicious dishes."

"What about the third realm?" Zhou Qing asked.

Zhou Qing agreed with the first two realms, but these two realms already encompassed Zhou Qing's entire understanding of chefs.

He really wanted to know what the third realm above this was, and what gave Qin Lang the confidence to disagree with him. "The third realm is [Customer Friendly]." Qin Lang took a deep breath and spoke slowly. "As a chef, no matter how amazing the food you cook, it will eventually end up in the mouths of diners."

"The highest level of a chef is to rationally adjust and change dishes according to the physical condition and personal preferences of the guests, striving to satisfy every diner."

Qin Lang looked at Zhou Qing and spoke slowly, "Mr. Zhou Qing, I deliberately chose a sweet and sour taste, not to please you."

"Because in my eyes, you are not a food provider, but a food guest."

"Shike..." Zhou Qing stood there in a daze, his expression gradually changing. After a long silence, he bowed to Qin Lang.

"Been taught a lesson."

"It seems that my thinking is too narrow."

"After listening to what young friend Qin Lang said today, I am really ashamed." Zhou Qing looked at Qin Lang with a little more respect in his eyes.

"I don't know... who is your master?"

Qin Lang was stunned for a moment, then shook his head slightly.

"He's gone."

The master who led him on the path of becoming a chef in his previous life had passed away before he came into this world.

Even though he obtained the title of special first-class chef, he only barely touched the threshold of "customer-friendly".

There is still a long way to go to reach the special level.
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"Is this the Royal Spirit Chef Association?"

Qin Lang stopped and looked at the tall building in front of him.

The original body had been here several times in his memory, but for Qin Lang, this was his first time here.

In the world of food spirits, every person has seven star veins in their body, named after the Big Dipper. They are the places where the Royal Spirit Kitchen accommodates and nourishes food spirits.

If you want to become a Royal Spirit Chef and have your first food spirit, there is a necessary prerequisite.

Activate the first star meridian in the human body - Tianshu.

The formal way to activate the star veins is to go to the Royal Spirit Chef Association after obtaining the approval of at least one first-level food recommender, and let the association complete the activation.

Of course, there are irregular activation methods, but they have some hidden dangers and are expressly prohibited by the Royal Spirit Chef Association.

Despite the setbacks, Qin Lang still managed to reach this point smoothly.

After entering the Royal Spirit Chef Association, Qin Lang found the area where the star veins were activated and showed the staff his newly obtained fish scale badge.

After the badge is awarded, the food recommender will upload the award information to the backend of the Royal Spirit Chef Association as soon as possible, and there is no possibility of misusing other people's tokens.

After completing the identity verification, the staff led Qin Lang into a secret room engraved with countless mysterious star-like patterns.

"Relax, don't be nervous." The staff member patted Qin Lang on the shoulder with a smile and pointed to the raised platform on the ground.

"Stand here and don't move."

"Just close your eyes and open them again, and it will be done."

(End of this chapter)