The Gourmet Customizer

Of course, Cui Yufen and her group of gruff, practical chefs didn’t buy Su Chen’s artsy, pretentious act. They just figured Boss Xiaosu was being cagey about the real reason, which had to be one of his trade secrets.

Seeing that she wouldn’t get anything out of him, Cui Yufen decided she might as well start tasting.

Fortunately, the plate was warm, and the counter it rested on also had a heating function. So even though the Nine-Turned Pork Intestines had been plated for a little while, its temperature was perfect, in no way affecting the texture or flavor.

Cui Yufen took a small bite. Her way of eating was very different from Zhang Heping’s. She chewed slowly and deliberately, repeatedly exhaling air from her mouth through her nasal cavity. Only by doing this could she more fully experience all the flavors in the dish.

Just as she expected. After one bite, Cui Yufen thought to herself, ’Zhang the Second might be unreliable at times, but when it comes to eating, even I probably can’t match his discerning palate.’

Zhang Heping’s description of the dish’s characteristics had been spot-on, but the one thing that puzzled Cui Yufen was that it didn’t seem quite as exaggerated as he’d made it out to be!

The flavor was there, and the texture was there, but... that was it. What was so profound about it?

Seeing Cui Yufen’s expression, Zhang Heping spoke up before Su Chen even had a chance. "Master, try another bite."

"Hm?" Cui Yufen picked up another piece and tasted it.

"Try some more!"

Cui Yufen was getting a little impatient. ’What’s with these disciples today?’ Still, she did as Zhang Heping suggested and picked up another piece to eat.

It was only after she’d eaten several more bites in a row that a glint of light suddenly appeared in Cui Yufen’s eyes, which were clouded by the passage of time.

’Wait, there’s something to this!’

She quickly took a few more bites!

’So that’s how it is!’

Cui Yufen, a senior who had struggled and clawed her way through the culinary world for forty or fifty years, was having an epiphany while eating a dish for the very first time!

’So this is what pork intestines are supposed to taste like?’

’It feels like I’ve wasted a lifetime eating them...’

’Before, all I could ever taste was the oily fragrance, almost completely ignoring the ingredient’s own flavor, and I even thought *that* was the true aroma of pork intestines...’

’It’s not like that at all!’

SMACK! SMACK!

At this moment, Cui Yufen was completely, subconsciously, just picking up piece after piece from the plate and putting it in her mouth. The pork intestines were incredibly fresh and tender, yet also stewed until they were perfectly soft. Two seemingly unrelated textures coexisted in a single ingredient—it was truly marvelous!

It was effortless to chew, and the distinct layers of sour, sweet, spicy, and salty flavors were perfectly suited for an old lady her age!

GULP...

The spectating disciples watched their old master. Didn’t she just take a few small bites at the beginning? Why, after just a few more mouthfuls, was she suddenly devouring it with such gusto?

And she was eating so intently, too. Watching her made everyone frantically swallow their saliva.

Master!

’Can’t you leave a little for your disciples?’

Meanwhile, the Jiang Brothers, who had been standing at the doorway watching this good show unfold, also nodded with a smile.

"Boss Su is going to be a huge sensation this time. He’s conquered half the Lu Cuisine circle all by himself!"

Jiang Wusheng first nodded, then shook his head slightly. "It’s not that exaggerated. Cui Yufen’s faction is just about average in the Lu Cuisine circle. And she’s not the only National Banquet Master."

For a proper national banquet, depending on the scale, they might invite four to five hundred chefs, with every four to five people responsible for a single dish.

All these chefs could be called National Banquet Masters.

So, in reality, there’s nothing that mysterious about being a National Banquet Master. They don’t necessarily represent the highest level of Huaxia cuisine.

And even among National Banquet Masters, there’s a world of difference. Lu Yongliang and Cui Yufen are considered masters of the same tier. Above them, there are still many others they have to look up to.

Jiang Wensheng nodded in agreement. "But regardless, he’s completely won over this Capital City faction. It’s a shame, though. From what I can see, Boss Xiaosu isn’t interested in fame or fortune. If he were to take up a nominal post in the Capital City right now, he’d surely become a major figure in just a few years!"

There’s a reason the Capital City is known as a culinary desert.

It’s not that there’s no good food in the Capital City, but rather that the city has no cuisine to call its own. Even the Halal food beloved by many was introduced by people from other regions.

Most of the well-known, time-honored restaurants you can name are run by chefs from out of town, and they all cook regional cuisines from elsewhere.

That’s why if any master chef could gain the recognition of the chefs in the Beijing Circle, they could rise to prominence within a few years of entering it.

A nominal post?

Hearing that term, something suddenly occurred to Jiang Wusheng. "You mean a nominal post?"

"Exactly!" Jiang Wensheng said. "Isn’t this kind of arrangement popular nowadays? A master takes a nominal position at a restaurant and rarely cooks in the kitchen, but they’ll show up to cook once in a while. Food lovers seeking out the master’s skills will naturally hold that restaurant in higher regard."

’What a novel idea!’

An idea suddenly sparked in Jiang Wusheng’s mind.

’If I could get Boss Su to take a nominal post at my museum, wouldn’t I then be able to openly and justifiably invite him to make a few specimen dishes for the museum and write down a few recipes for posterity to admire?’

’What a brilliant idea!’

As Jiang Wusheng’s mind raced, thinking about how to move forward with this plan, Cui Yufen had already eaten every last bit of the pork intestines on the plate.

The old lady had already been thoroughly won over by the previous two dishes, but this Nine-Turned Pork Intestines made her recognize Su Chen’s skill on a whole new level.