1984: Starting from a bankrupt Sichuan restaurant

Chapter 107 This woman is too crooked! (Second update!)

The first shop at the factory gate had a stove built in front of it, but I didn't know what they were cooking. There was a small square table set up in front of the door, so it looked like they also sold braised meat.

The items were made in a rather eclectic manner.

He Zhiyuan has been to many places, and his footprints are all over Sichuan.

He had seen far too many restaurants like this, located right in front of large factories, and found it hard to muster any interest in them.

Generally, restaurant owners like this have some kind of nepotistic relationship with factory leaders to get such good positions.

As for the taste of the food, it was basically indescribable.

He used to never even step inside a restaurant like this.

However, since Huang Chen brought him here today, he'll keep some of it for now.

If your best friend recommends a restaurant to you like it's a treasure, you should at least try it before criticizing it, otherwise it seems unprofessional.

They arrived at the perfect time, just as the factory was closing. A stream of textile factory workers' bicycles poured out of the factory gate, and the three of them quickly moved aside to make way.

When they arrived at the restaurant entrance with their cart, the braised meat stall was already surrounded by workers, and there were also many customers who had parked their bicycles at the entrance and were walking into the restaurant.

"Business is so good?" He Zhiyuan was somewhat surprised to see this. He parked his bicycle, pushed up his black-rimmed glasses, and also moved closer to the braised meat stall.

"Editor-in-Chief He..." Xiao Li hesitated whether to go with him, but Huang Chen stopped her and said with a smile, "Don't worry about him, he just loves watching how other people cook. Let's go and grab a seat first, or we'll have to wait for a table if we're late."

"Okay." Xiao Li nodded readily and followed Huang Chen into the store.

"Boss, I'd like a pig's ear!"

"Three ounces of pig's head meat!"

"I'd like a pig's snout and three ounces of pig's head meat!"

The customers rushed to order, as if afraid of being the first to order, which made He Zhiyuan even more curious about what was so appealing about this braised pig's head.

He Zhiyuan stepped aside to let a customer who had just received the braised food come out, then squeezed in a step and came to the square table.

The winnowing basket on the table was piled high with pig ears, pig snouts, and strips of pig head meat, all bright red and glistening with oil, creating a visually striking display.

This caramel color looks so tempting! In his experience, this braised meat is definitely going to be delicious!

Moreover, the owner was quite clever; he used a relatively small winnowing basket to fill it to the brim with braised meat.

As the saying goes, goods sell best when they're piled up. The more goods piled up, the more willing customers are to buy, giving them a sense of abundance and freshness.

If you spread it out in a big winnowing basket, you won't feel this way anymore.

Of course, there was a lot of meat, at least six or seven pig heads, weighing several dozen kilograms. If it could be sold out by the time the factory closed, the business would definitely be booming.

Pig head meat sells for 2.5 yuan, while pig ears and pig snouts sell for 3 yuan per jin (500g). The prices are not cheap. There are several well-known braised food shops in Chengdu that sell for about the same price.

In the towns and villages of Jiaozhou, the fact that customers are still scrambling to buy at this price speaks volumes.

He Zhiyuan watched for a while, then his mouth dropped open in astonishment.

The chef who cuts the braised meat has such precise knife skills. The customer tells him how much meat he wants, and with one cut, he gets exactly the weight, without the slightest deviation.

His hand is practically indistinguishable from a scale.

Then watch him slice the ear. With a swift, sweeping motion of his slicing knife, the ear slices fall, some so thin they are translucent, and each slice is of uniform thickness.

Fast, accurate, and stable!

This knife skill is comparable to the best chopping board in the kitchen of Rongcheng Grand Hotel.

The sliced ​​pig's ear pieces are packed in an oil paper bag and handed to the customer. In no time, the next customer is immediately served pig's head meat.

The speed was fast and the technique was beautiful, so the guests didn't get bored while waiting. They watched with great interest, and some even discussed when the weight would be misjudged.

He Zhiyuan never expected that this small restaurant would have such a skilled cold dish chef!

However, his gaze was quickly drawn to the large stove behind his master. The pot was simmering with what appeared to be beef broth, and the aroma wafted over with the steam. Upon closer inspection, the meat was incredibly fragrant, with absolutely no gamey smell.

Several lines of text were written on the front of the stove.

"Beef with crossed legs? That's an interesting name..." He Zhiyuan continued reading, his interest growing stronger.

This stove used to be a signboard, which not only displayed the names of the dishes but also briefly explained their origins.

The handwriting is good, and the story is well-written.

According to this statement, this "Qiaojiao Beef" can be considered a local specialty dish of Suji.

Zhou Village, where cattle are slaughtered. Huang Chen mentioned this village to him when he came to Suji last time. A lot of the beef in the Jiaozhou area is slaughtered here and transported to the market for sale. The history of cattle slaughtering is long.

As the deputy editor-in-chief of a food magazine, he is different from the average gourmet. He not only loves to eat, but also enjoys exploring the stories behind a dish.

This small restaurant tells the story of "Qiaojiao Beef" exceptionally well.

It has a story behind its creation, a historical origin, and a history of development and inheritance.

In just over a hundred words, the history and origins of this dish are explained clearly.

Clear beef broth is a medicinal dish that has the effect of dispelling cold and dampness, and the soup is fresh and delicious.

This braised beef with skewers is indeed quite different!
He Zhiyuan stopped crowding around the braised meat stall to watch the excitement and squeezed through the crowd after a few excuses. He then saw Huang Chen and Xiao Li already sitting in the shop, waving at him.

He raised his hand to indicate that he had seen it, but instead of rushing over to them, he went closer to the large pot.

The pot still contained about half a pot of soup, which was clear and glistening with oil. You could see the broken beef bones at the bottom of the pot, and it was simmering gently. Standing in front of the pot was a middle-aged woman with a smile on her face. She looked quite kind and was holding a bamboo strainer in one hand, adding cabbage, beef intestines, beef tendon, and tripe into the strainer.

When it's almost done cooking, grab six thinly sliced ​​pieces of brisket and drop them into the bamboo strainer. Blanch them for a few seconds until the meat turns from red to pink. Immediately lift the bamboo strainer out of the pot and pour it into an earthenware bowl. Then, ladle a spoonful of rich broth from the pot into the bowl. This completes the preparation of this serving of "Qiaojiao Beef".

The dish was ready quickly, and there was quite a bit of meat in the bowl, including offal, beef tendon, and beef.

Zhao Tieying had noticed He Zhiyuan long ago. He was chubby, wore glasses, and stood in front of the stove, glancing around as she made braised beef. She was a little wary, but still smiled and said, "Why don't you sit inside to eat? There are two empty tables."

"No rush, no rush." ​​He Zhiyuan waved his hand and asked with a smile, "Miss, did you make this braised beef? The soup smells so good. Can you tell me what spices and Chinese herbs you put in it? Was the soup really simmered for eight hours? Did you have any special tips when you were blanching the side dishes?"

Zhao Tieying's smile vanished, her eyes sharpened, and she stared at He Zhiyuan coldly, saying, "Who sent you, with your glasses on, to spy on me?"

"I could tell you weren't a good person just now. You stared at me making braised beef, and then you dared to ask me all sorts of questions!"

"Peering over the stove to see the ingredients being cooked—stealing both oil and fire!"

"What? You want to steal my skills?!"

"Believe it or not, I'll shove you up!"

He Zhiyuan was so startled by the bamboo flute that Zhao Tieying raised that he took two steps back, his glasses falling down to the tip of his nose.

That woman is so crooked!
Zhou Miao, who was cutting braised meat outside, turned around when he heard the noise, stared at He Zhiyuan, and tightened his grip on the cleaver in his hand.

The guests all looked over, wondering what was going on.

"Comrade, you've misunderstood!" He Zhiyuan quickly waved his hand, not expecting such a misunderstanding to occur.

"Comrade Zhao Tieying, this is my friend." Upon seeing this, Huang Chen quickly got up and walked over, putting a hand on He Zhiyuan's shoulder and introducing him with a smile: "He is Comrade He Zhiyuan, the deputy editor-in-chief of the Sichuan Cuisine magazine. He is not a chef, nor is he here to steal recipes. He usually writes articles."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Tieying quickly put the bamboo strainer back into the soup pot and smiled somewhat awkwardly: "So you're Mayor Huang's friend. I misunderstood. I'm sorry, comrade."

Yesterday, Mayor Huang said she was going to treat her friends to a meal at their restaurant and ordered some dishes. But today, she almost beat up one of her friends, mistaking him for a food thief. How embarrassing!

What kind of magazine's deputy editor-in-chief, a cultured person who writes articles... I hope he won't go back and write articles criticizing her every day.
Zhou Miao silently turned back and continued slicing the pig's head.

"It's alright, it's alright. I was too abrupt and didn't introduce myself beforehand." He Zhiyuan pushed up his glasses, not annoyed at all.

This wasn't the first time he'd encountered this situation; he'd even been chased by a chef with a cleaver for three blocks before. But scare him with a bamboo strainer was nothing compared to this.

After all, in the culinary world, his way of asking questions has always been rather provocative, and everyone's used to it.

After all, chefs have apprenticeships and secret recipes; they can't possibly share everything.

But as the deputy editor-in-chief of a food magazine, he loves to ask readers questions they want to know.

Forget everything else, let's ask first.

Perhaps some chefs are generous and willing to share, which would be a contribution to the preservation of Sichuan cuisine.

It's nothing for him to be scolded a few times.

The readers of Sichuan Cuisine magazine include not only cooking enthusiasts and housewives, but also many chefs who want to learn knowledge and skills from their excellent peers.

They founded the magazine to explore Sichuan culinary culture, delve into culinary theories, exchange Sichuan cooking techniques, introduce local delicacies from across Sichuan, and share industry information.

If you only introduce what dishes are delicious without talking about their origins or how they are made, it's ultimately not quite right.

"Comrade Zhao, just serve us the dishes I ordered yesterday," Huang Chen said, pulling He Zhiyuan back to his seat, beaming from ear to ear.

"What are you laughing at? Don't I have any dignity?" He Zhiyuan sat down, unable to suppress his laughter.

Huang Chen smiled and said, "You're too impatient. If you have any questions, wait until you've eaten. I'll take you over and introduce you first before you ask. Even if they don't want to answer, they won't resort to violence."

“You don’t understand, this braised beef looks really good, I couldn’t help but ask questions.” He Zhiyuan’s eyes looked around the store.

The restaurant is quite large; even with nineteen tables, it doesn't feel crowded. Right now, every table is occupied, and there are people queuing outside waiting to eat. For a small town, this kind of business is considered very good.

The restaurant had an eight-immortal table with long benches, and the floor was covered with a layer of cement mortar. The table and benches were wiped clean and there was not a trace of oil stains. It wasn't decorated, but it looked clean and tidy, better than 99% of small rural restaurants.

"What did you order?" He Zhiyuan's gaze fell on the menu wall; the menu was quite simple.

"Beef with stir-fried pork belly, twice-cooked pork, stir-fried beef with two kinds of peppers, braised pig ears, and cold chicken salad—four dishes and a soup," Huang Chen said.

"That's too much for three people. I see the dishes here are all huge." He Zhiyuan looked away and shook his head.

"If you can't finish it, pack the cold dishes to take home. Since you're already here, I want you to try a couple more dishes," Huang Chen said with a smile, opening the wine first.

As they were talking, the braised beef with ribs was served first.

They served three dry dipping sauces, three small bowls for soup, and a dish of pickled radishes.

"The beef stew is here! Let me try the soup first!" He Zhiyuan immediately sat up straight and picked up a spoon to ladle soup for himself.

What interested him most on the menu was this "Qiaojiao Beef"!
"Sichuan Cuisine Magazine?" In the kitchen, Zhou Yan looked thoughtfully at He Zhiyuan, who was drinking soup from a bowl.

If it could be featured in a magazine, it should have a good effect on increasing the restaurant's visibility, right?

In this era, magazines are a medium with considerable reach!

　These are some used books I found online; I just received them today.

　　I was quite surprised by the exquisite covers of some of the books, as well as the color-printed pictures inside.

　　Even the last page of this book, showing the interior decoration of the Guanxian Happiness Restaurant, impressed me.

　　This is the third issue of 1984.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)