Food Intelligence King

Chapter 171 appears in the school magazine, attracting new diners.

At 7:30, the intelligence was updated.

First of all—

[Food Alert (Rare)]: Frost's Descent is the last solar term of autumn. As the weather gets colder, food naturally changes with the temperature. Starch in plants is converted into more sugar. The texture and flavor of cabbage and radishes improve, and hawthorn and citrus fruits will be abundant. Recently, individual stalls selling persimmons have appeared near the entrance of Xingfu Vegetable Market; their quality is excellent and perfect for enjoying now.

Given the climate of the coastal city, autumn feels very short.

It feels like it was just getting cool for a short while, and now winter is almost here.

Before we knew it, this was already the last solar term of autumn. This news item provides information on ingredients that are highly seasonal.

There are quite a few points worth paying attention to.

Take cabbage and radish as examples.
It's estimated that fillings like cabbage and pork, cabbage and cockles, and white radish, vermicelli, and dried shrimp will also be available soon.

Eggplant vegetarian buns, though not very prominent, did accompany us for a while.

As the seasons change, the fillings and ingredients in the community canteen can also be adjusted accordingly.

The recipe for pork buns from the chef who once hosted state banquets forms the basis for the making of many other buns. Looking back now, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say it's a crucial cornerstone of community canteens.

New fillings for steamed buns have been developed based on the seasons and local tastes.

This represents a potential direction for the operation of steamed bun products during the upcoming winter season.

One more item to be handled in the medium to long term.

In addition, hawthorn and oranges are in season, and the information also mentions a stall selling persimmons, so you can go and buy some to try in the next couple of days.

Article Two —

[Customer Updates]: The Climbing Ivy Literary Society's publication is about to be released, and students from No. 2 Middle School will be bringing this semester's school magazine to the restaurant.

This is the bedtime reading that Chen Zhou promised Ms. Lin.

I reckon it was that same Kang student who came to the store to deliver the school magazine.

He had promised Chen Zhou a surprise.

After the National Day holiday, I didn't see him for a while; it seems he was busy with the literary society.

Although the era of newspaper and magazine publications is over, it is still a very interesting thing to know that your small shop is featured in the school magazine.

finally--

[Market News (Rare)]:
A video circulating online, showing a chef whom even "Teacher Li" wanted to poach, opening a small-portion restaurant in Haibin City, is expected to bring a huge influx of customers to the community canteen. New diners will begin arriving at the restaurant in two days.

Several days have passed since Teacher Li tasted the small portion of food.

Chen Zhou chuckled to himself, thinking that his assistant, Xiao Sui, was somewhat inefficient.

However, although Teacher Li's videos appear to be concise.

That's quite different from the understated, elegant style of filming. Post-production and editing both take time.

For Chen Zhou's small shop, the customer traffic brought by this visit was significant.

As the old saying goes, it is both an opportunity and a challenge.

Now, nearly half of the store's regular customers are local residents. For them, it's not as convenient to come here for a meal on weekdays as it is to eat steamed buns in the morning.

So it sells better on weekends.

In this way, by building a reputation for smaller portions, one can attract a wider range of customers from the surrounding area.

-

The intelligence we need to address is that the restaurant's smaller portion dishes will soon see a surge of customers coming to check it out.

Two days later, customers influenced by the store visit came to the store.

For smaller portions, you can increase the amount of ingredients you prepare.

Chen Zhou will be asking about the rental and sales center next door about the dining area in the next couple of days.

There's no need to rush into tearing down walls and renovating.

It's so close, just around the corner.

At noon, Chen Zhou indeed met Kang Haoran.

He came to the restaurant for dinner as usual, and today he saw the new smaller portions and ordered a few of them.

"Here, Uncle, I've got something good to show you." Kang Haoran smiled and handed over a small magazine.

"What good stuff?"

Chen Zhou sat down opposite him and took the book from his hands.

I saw that the entire cover was covered with ivy, and there was the logo of Haibin No. 2 Middle School in the upper left corner.

Kang Haoran reminded him, "Uncle, turn to page seventeen."

Chen Zhou smiled as he opened the school magazine, found the article written by Kang, and began to read it.

The article is titled "Me and the Community Canteen". "In September, the wind still carries the lingering warmth of late summer, but a hint of chill has already quietly seeped in."

The new school year is like a newly opened book.

My encounter with the community canteen was like an inconspicuous bookmark in the pages of this book.

The main text still starts with the seasonal reflections of middle school students.

Using a book as a metaphor for the new semester, the experience of eating steamed buns at the community canteen is a small episode in the new semester.

"His writing is exceptionally eloquent," Chen Zhou commented.

Kang readily accepted and asked Chen Zhou to read another paragraph.

Chen Zhou then began reading his description of tasting the steamed buns.

"Taking a bite of the bun is an experience of ultimate softness, making you feel as if you are on a cloud."

Immediately afterwards, a torrent of scalding hot juices, carrying an intense aroma of meat, invaded and conquered the mouth.

The minced meat is firm, chewy, and incredibly delicious.

The slight sweetness of the dough and the savory flavor of the meat filling achieve a perfect balance.

A sense of grounded happiness arises spontaneously.

It soothed my empty stomach and relieved me of the anxiety I felt about starting the new semester.

Chen Zhou is now far removed from the literary scene of secondary schools.

He does know that steamed buns are quite delicious.

The young man's writing is really good.

The concluding paragraph expresses Kang's reflections on life, stating:

That day, as I walked back to school carrying the heavy load of steamed buns I had bought for my classmates, it suddenly dawned on me...
Some flavors do not originate solely from the ingredients.

It is the light of dawn and the twilight, the sweat and focus, the burning sincerity hidden in the boss's silence. It is the first and most ordinary pulse of this city as it awakens.

It's called life.

After reading it, Chen Zhou gave Kang a thumbs up:

"You're quite the scholar, young man."

Kang Haoran nodded. The small portions he ate today were quite delicious, far superior to the school cafeteria.

As an adjective, "two streets" means there is a big difference between them.

The two streets in physical terms represent the actual distance between the community canteen and Haibin No. 2 Middle School.

Double entendre.

Kang was mainly surprised that the restaurant owner could cook such delicious stir-fries.

It turns out he's not just good at making steamed buns.

He thought to himself: "This way, it seems like we have a topic for next year."

Kang Haoran said:
"Absolutely, Uncle. I'd be embarrassed to come here for steamed buns if I didn't have some talent."

He gestured for Chen Zhou to put the magazine away.

"The electronic version of the school magazine was already finished, but I thought I'd bring you a proper copy instead, since none of the students at our school have seen it yet."

Kang is a very kind person.

Chen Zhou smiled and said, "It's free today. I'll get you some persimmons later. I wish you good luck."

"Thank you, uncle!"

Business is over at noon.

Watching Kang ride his bicycle away into the distance, Chen Zhou couldn't help but smile.

The two young women, Junior Sister and Hou Wen, ate the persimmons that Aunt Zheng had bought while asking the boss what had happened that day that made him so happy.

Chen Zhou also showed the two of them the school magazine.

I even took a picture of the page about the community canteen and sent it to the work group.

He smiled and said:

"When you have free time, you can read some books to improve the literary literacy of our store."

The junior sister took the paper version and read it with Xiao Hou.

Zhao Yilin exclaimed in surprise, "Isn't this our shop, Senior Brother!"

"It's even in a magazine, Sister Zhao. How do you pronounce this character?" Xiao Hou is only twenty years old this year, and he's still one of those kids who didn't quite understand the basics of the word.

Aunt Zheng has presbyopia, so her junior sister really needs to help her read it.

(End of this chapter)