"Are you interested in joining the Guangdong Culinary Federation? With your talent, in another ten years or so, when us old folks are gone, you'll be one of the new Four Heavenly Kings of the Federation!"
Astonishingly, Granny Clever Hands directly invited Dylan to join the Guangdong Culinary Federation, even offering conditions that no chef in Guangzhou would ever refuse!
"What! Is this really Granny Clever Hands? Didn't the files say she's very strict? Why does she seem so kind now... Could it be that someone was deliberately slandering her?"
Taki Kakuzaki watched the scene unfold with a slightly shocked expression. She had specifically investigated the Four Heavenly Kings of the Guangdong Culinary Federation before coming, but all the information, regardless of the source, said this one was extremely strict!
But now... Granny Clever Hands was clearly behaving like a benevolent old woman!
"To be directly invited to join the Guangdong Culinary Federation! What an honor! But thinking about it, it's normal. After all, he made a dish that glowed! Even if it was just a fluke, he must possess Special Grade strength, otherwise, such a fluke would never have been triggered! It's just that, aren't these conditions a bit too generous? Is a Special Grade Chef worth the Federation spending so much to recruit?"
Lanyu Jin looked at Dylan with envy, wishing she were the one standing before Granny Clever Hands. If so, she would be nodding frantically to show her determination, not standing there impassively like Dylan!
"No, thank you. I'm used to being a free spirit and have no interest in joining official organizations."
Dylan shook his head, rejecting Granny Clever Hands without hesitation. What a joke. Someone had offered him the presidency of the European Cuisine Research Society, and he hadn't even agreed to that.
How could he possibly care about becoming one of the Guangdong Culinary Federation's Four Heavenly Kings a mere decade or so in the future?
Working for others was, in the end, still working for others. Even if he were to eventually join a faction, he would be his own boss.
"What? He refused!?"
Lanyu Jin stared at Dylan in astonishment, clearing her ears in disbelief, seemingly unable to comprehend that he would decline.
"This is a direct ticket to becoming one of the Four Heavenly Kings! For someone like him who hasn't even passed the Special Grade examination yet, it's equivalent to being directly promoted from elementary school to an academician! And he still refused?!"
Amu muttered to himself, a strange expression on his face that was neither a smile nor a cry. What he yearned for but couldn't obtain, Dylan cast aside like a worn-out shoe, and from his look, he even seemed a bit disdainful... Comparisons truly are odious!
"Is there something you're not satisfied with? These things can all be negotiated."
Granny Clever Hands also noticed the change in Dylan's expression. Annoyance flickered within her, but she continued to persuade him.
The current Guangzhou culinary scene was suffering from a dearth of talent, with only them, who were already halfway into their graves, holding the fort.
Now that someone like Dylan had finally appeared, they naturally wanted to recruit him, to see if they could bring about a second spring for Guangzhou's culinary world!
Of course, this wasn't a casual decision. An hour ago, the Four Heavenly Kings of the Guangdong Culinary Federation had held an emergency online meeting and decided this together. Naturally, Master Baiyao had played a part in pushing this forward.
But it was mostly because the Guangzhou culinary scene was indeed experiencing a talent gap, lacking new figures to take the lead.
"It's not a matter of conditions. I truly have no intention of joining any faction. Even if you made me one of the Four Heavenly Kings right now, my answer would not change."
Dylan shook his head, explaining his situation. He wouldn't tie himself to any officially organized faction; it was far too restrictive for his freedom!
"Alright, since that's the case, I won't insist. I've spoken too much this time. If you change your mind, you can come find me anytime."
Hearing Dylan's words and seeing the certainty in his eyes, Granny Clever Hands understood his thoughts. She sighed and then spoke.
At nineteen, he already possessed the ability to create glowing dishes; he certainly wouldn't want to be confined to this small corner of the world and would want to venture into a larger one.
However... when he tired in the future and wanted to find a place to rest his feet, perhaps he would consider Guangzhou. So, it was wise to establish a good relationship in advance.
A genius with such potential would be highly sought after no matter where he went.
"If the opportunity arises."
Dylan didn't make his words too final, avoiding any strain on their relationship. In his mind, however, he was wondering whether to use this opportunity to challenge Granny Clever Hands.
"Granny, you wouldn't want me not to join the Guangdong Culinary Federation, right? If so, then let's have a good battle!"
Such thoughts surfaced in his mind, and Dylan couldn't help but let out a soft chuckle. Then, his expression suddenly changed, and he quickly walked over to his cooking station.
His hyper-olfaction told him that his dish was about to reach its optimal state before plating; it was time to take it off the heat for the final step of cooking.
"This color is perfect! And the state is just right too!"
Lifting the pot lid, Dylan's eyes filled with delight as he looked at the White Bailing mushrooms tumbling in the sauce. With a flick and lift of his chopsticks, all the Bailing mushrooms in the pot tumbled into the plate, so fast it looked like magic!
"What kind of technique is that? Why did all the White Bailing mushrooms in the pot end up on the plate with just a touch of the chopsticks, and there's no mark on their surface from being pierced by the chopsticks!"
Sonoka Kinokuni's eyes widened in shock as she stared at the Bailing mushrooms, trying to find any trace of them being pierced, but there were none!
"Because I lifted them out, I didn't stab them through. Of course, there are no piercing marks. Haven't you learned such a basic technique?"
Dylan tilted his head, asking with some confusion. In his view, this technique was the most basic of basics, not even worth mentioning separately. But... why was Sonoka Kinokuni looking at him with such adoration?
"This is a basic technique...? Where did this little monster come from? Even at the Special Grade level, not many people can do this!"
Hearing Dylan's words, Granny Clever Hands' mouth twitched slightly as she frantically complained in her mind. She had seen young people who liked to show off, but she had never seen someone who could show off this much; he was practically a role model for show-offs!
She actually knew this move too. It had taken her a month to learn and then three years of continuous practice to master, all to add a bit of that Special Grade Chef flair when cooking.
And yet, this guy just used it so effortlessly, with such a nonchalant air. Youngsters these days, indeed, showing off more skillfully than she ever did!
"The school didn't teach this kind of thing. They only taught very basic stuff, which I've already learned completely. Can I learn this from you?"
Hearing Dylan's question, Sonoka Kinokuni shook her head like a rattle drum, then looked at Dylan with bright, eager eyes.
"If you want to learn, I'll teach you. It's not a difficult technique anyway. If you're quick, you can learn it later today."
Dylan nodded, not minding. He had learned this trick with just one look. The only difficult part was controlling where the ingredients landed; he had made several mistakes while practicing and had spent the better part of half a day to master it completely.
"Really? Yay!"
Getting Dylan's consent, Sonoka Kinokuni exclaimed excitedly. She knew she had met a benefactor and had to seize this opportunity to learn as much as possible!
What she had learned today alone was richer than a whole month at Totsuki Academy! Dylan was truly an amazing teacher, able to articulate her shortcomings concretely and offer effective suggestions for improvement.
If she could stay by his side, she estimated that in less than two years, she could become a true Special Grade Chef, at least capable of becoming a Special Grade Chef in Japan without issue! The examinations there were much more normal than this!
"Boy, who is your master? Don't tell me you figured out these techniques on your own. Your master must be an incredible expert."
Watching Dylan pick up a grill pan, preparing to sear the Bailing mushrooms he had just taken out of the pot to lock in all their flavor, Granny Clever Hands suddenly asked.
"The capable one is the teacher. Anyone better than me can be my master. Even if they surpass me in only one aspect, they can be considered my master."
Dylan said truthfully. In terms of masters, he had actually studied under many. If Granny Clever Hands could surpass him in dim sum, he would immediately pester her until all her skills became his own.
He absolutely would not allow anyone in this world to surpass him in culinary arts! Perhaps it was precisely this mentality that had brought him to where he was today, making him the man who had swept through the dark culinary world. General of a Hundred Victories, Dylan.
"The capable one is the teacher? What magnanimous spirit! No, it should be said, that's how it ought to be. Anyone better than oneself can be a teacher."
Dylan's words made Granny Clever Hands fall into deep thought, and then she praised him greatly. She found that she couldn't quite see through this person.
This fellow was like a rootless tree, water without a source, suddenly appearing here. None of the major families had the surname Bai!
"That's common sense, isn't it?"
Dylan shrugged, adding peanut oil to the grill pan. He stir-fried black pepper until fragrant, then added the filtered original broth, thickened it with a starch slurry, and removed it from the heat. This was the sauce for the mock steak.
The grill pan was placed on the fire, and oil was added. The braised Bailing mushrooms were lightly coated with a thin layer of cornstarch and placed in the grill pan to sear grill marks onto them.
"A little more rosemary, this is the soul of Western cuisine."
Muttering, Dylan sprinkled rosemary into the grill pan, where it collided with the mock steak. The heat instantly released its aroma, adding a fragrance of rosemary to the surrounding air.
After completing this step, Dylan poured in the sauce he had previously prepared with the original broth. With this, the creation of the mock steak was finally nearing its end.
Without hesitation, Dylan poured in the high-proof white spirit he had prepared earlier. Aided by the temperature, large flames erupted from the grill pan.
The flames engulfed the mock steak, deepening its surface char and adding a hint of alcoholic fragrance that was truly captivating.
"Wine-fragrant Mock Steak, please try it."
As Dylan spoke, the 'Wuqu Knife' appeared in his hand. Granny Clever Hands saw only a flash of the blade, and in the blink of an eye, the mock steak made from Bailing mushrooms had been cut into bite-sized strips.
Several Bailing mushrooms were joined together to form a complete steak, then drizzled with the prepared sauce, its aroma exceptionally rich and mellow.
"Using mushrooms to create the texture and flavor of beef? Not deliberately pursuing complex methods, just making 'beef' when the theme is 'beef,' resembling beef but not being beef. If this were an exam paper, you would undoubtedly get a high score!"
Although there was nothing particularly innovative, the exquisite knife skills, superb technique, and near-perfect control of heat all demonstrated that Dylan's strength had already reached the Special Grade level.
However... this dish actually didn't glow. Logically, having used such techniques and with such meticulous attention to detail, it should have reached the glowing standard long ago. Why not?
This question surfaced in Granny Clever Hands' mind. She then strolled over to Dylan's cooking station, her eyes intensely fixed on the mock steak before her.
"It's mainly this kind of examination; it really doesn't inspire the desire to create truly elaborate dishes. I'm a battle-type competitor. Compared to deliberately complicating simple examination content, I'd much rather bring out amazing dishes in a fight!"
Dylan voiced his thoughts. Examinations like this were mainly to test if one's fundamentals were solid and if they had reached the standard of a Special Grade Chef.
In such an examination, as long as one displayed their normal level, they would surely pass smoothly; there wasn't much anticipation involved.
Competitions, on the other hand, were more about a contest of chefs' creativity. When battling an evenly matched opponent, the desire to win becomes so strong that it pushes one to perform beyond their usual capabilities. Experiencing that feeling afterward is progress.
"Well then, let the tasting begin."
After saying this, Granny Clever Hands carefully observed the mock steak in front of her. The rich aroma emanating from it made her involuntarily swallow.
According to convention, the Special Grade Chef examination should have the contestants taste each other's dishes and adopt a mutual scoring system.
By eating an opponent's work and then evaluating their own, they would assign scores. This made the chefs, who were supposed to be contestants, also act as qualification judges, testing their ability to correctly assess others' work. This was also a psychological game!
But... looking at this mock steak before her, which exuded a rich, wine-like aroma yet appeared unremarkable on the surface, Granny Clever Hands felt an inexplicable impulse.
If she didn't eat it today, she would regret it for the rest of her life! So she decided to change the examination method: she would personally taste Dylan's dish and then judge whether he could pass this Special Grade examination.
However, for a powerhouse capable of creating glowing dishes, even if this particular dish didn't glow, it should still be at the level of a two or three-star Special Chef. Passing the Special Grade examination would be, to put it mildly, simple...
Picking up the knife and fork placed aside, Granny Clever Hands cut one of the mock steak strips in half, wanting to see its cross-section.
However, just as her knife pressed onto the mock steak and made a small incision, a dazzling golden light burst forth from within!
The brilliant golden light instantly illuminated the entire venue. Being right in front of it, Granny Clever Hands subconsciously closed her eyes, and this was merely from cutting into one piece of the mock steak.
"Gulp."
The rich aroma, accompanied by the golden light, spread through the air, instantly drawing the gazes of the other contestants. This was a completely subconscious action on their part; by the time they realized it, they were already looking.
"So fragrant! Such a pure aroma!"
Leah murmured in French, her hands unknowingly stopping their work. A glistening sheen appeared at the edge of her red lips – saliva uncontrollably secreted by her brain upon smelling the aroma.
"I really want to taste it! What exactly does that dish taste like? Why does it have such a rich fragrance?! And... it's another glowing dish! The quality seems even better than the one he made in the preliminary test!"
Taki Kakuzaki wiped her lips, a wave of heat surging from deep within her body, causing her to involuntarily clamp her legs together, her eyes revealing a deep longing. This was just too intense; a mere aroma had made her like this!
"It's the white spirit. Just before the aroma volatilized, you used the white spirit to ignite the flames, sealing all the flavors inside the mock steak, leaving only a rich wine fragrance on the exterior. But didn't you cut it with a knife after cooking? With such a large cut surface, why did only a small amount of aroma drift out..."
Swallowing the food in her mouth whole, feeling the impact of its aroma, Granny Clever Hands looked at Dylan, her face flushed, and asked her question.
This fellow had clearly cut the mock steak with a knife earlier, yet why hadn't the slightest bit of its aroma escaped, nor had any golden light emerged? In contrast, she had only made a tiny incision...
"Because I heated this knife and also added olive oil. The moment I cut it, I used the oil to sear the surface of the mock steak, creating a char that sealed in its flavor. This way, the loss of aroma during tasting is minimized as much as possible, allowing the fragrance to explode in the mouth at the moment of chewing, creating an exquisite taste experience."
Dylan explained his concept. Although it was just a very ordinary mock steak, he still wanted to do something a little different. The "cluster aroma bomb" was one of the dish's selling points.
"I see. If that's the case, then everything makes sense. To actually seal in the aroma, what an astonishingly creative idea!"
She had thought it was just an ordinary mock steak, but she hadn't expected such a surprise to be hidden within. As expected of a dish that glows!
However... Granny Clever Hands looked at Dylan with a complicated expression. She had initially thought he had luckily produced a glowing dish and was a genius with potential.
But now, it seemed this fellow wasn't just a genius, but a true powerhouse! A powerhouse who had already fully matured!
Was this guy a monster? Reaching this stage at nineteen! Perhaps only such a top-tier genius would have hope of challenging the legendary Dragon Chef title in the future.
China, and indeed the world, hadn't seen the birth of a new Dragon Chef in 20 years!
"Such a rich aroma, logically, should only be achievable by piling on a large amount of spices. However, when I put the mock steak into my mouth, the source of the flavor I tasted was various vegetables."
Granny Clever Hands opened her eyes, put down the knife and fork in her hands, and picked up the chopsticks beside her, preparing to taste this steak in the manner of eating Chinese cuisine.
It couldn't be helped; cutting with a knife and fork would cause the dish's flavor to dissipate into the air, and she wanted to try the mock steak with its aroma completely exploding in her mouth. That feeling would surely be amazing!
________
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