Cooking System: Street Food Rules
Chapter 73: Recognized!

Chapter 73: Chapter 73: Recognized!

The midday crowd wasn’t too large, but the mission was still successfully completed.

The reason was quite simple. After conducting a dining survey of canteens, whether in the north or south of China, the most popular menu item in university cafeterias was the pick-and-mix meal. As long as there was a pick-and-mix option, it was guaranteed to be the sales champion. Ranking second was the rice set meal, third was spicy hotpot, fourth was the canteen supermarket, and fifth was fried chicken and burgers.

Jiang Feng’s dishes were delicious to begin with, and coupled with the pick-and-mix format, naturally drove up customer traffic.

And today was just the beginning.

[Entertaining university student customers: 218/200]

[Received additional reward: Scrambled Eggs and Ham recipe.]

Today’s extra reward was quite ordinary; Jiang Feng could quickly learn these recipes from the internet on his own, given his culinary skills. But free recipes and experience weren’t bad either.

Although Scrambled Eggs with Ham used simple ingredients and had a straightforward method, the taste was surprisingly good. The flavor of the fried eggs and the aroma of the fried ham were ultimate pleasures for those who enjoyed them.

Jiang Feng went home for a short rest at midday, then got back into his car and headed to the canteen. He ran a lunch and dinner pick-and-mix service. The business hours were from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., and from 5:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.

Setting up a small stall at school was simpler. He didn’t have to cook each order individually; he just needed to prepare the dishes in advance, arrange them on trays, and wait for students to point out what they wanted. The food truck’s internal hot water heating system meant there was no worry about dishes going cold.

At this moment, many students were already recommending Jiang Feng’s stall to their classmates.

"The new pick-and-mix spot at the second cafeteria is incredibly delicious—not just ordinarily delicious, but *incredibly* delicious!"

"Really? There’s good food in the second cafeteria?"

"Let’s try it this afternoon!"

"Lunch was so good, I couldn’t help but get two more meat dishes!"

"That new stall is truly amazing!"

The news began to spread among the students.

Since noon was Jiang Feng’s first day of business, only about two hundred students had tried the hot meals, so the news hadn’t spread very far yet. Even so, by the afternoon, many people were already queuing up there.

Ji Mingming, Xiao Yu, and Lin Fang arrived quite early. They didn’t have many classes that afternoon, so they came over ahead of time. Jiang Feng was busy stir-frying at the back stove; all the dishes were almost ready, with only the final steps to go. The three bought a drink each and found a place to sit down.

"We’re early; this place hasn’t started serving yet," Xiao Yu said, looking at the empty stall with some disappointment.

"Lunch was so good, I want to try their eggplant again," Ji Mingming laughed.

Just then, two boys approached them somewhat shyly, one of them wanting to ask Ji Mingming for her WeChat. Ji Mingming smiled and refused. This kind of thing was not uncommon. The University of Science and Technology had a higher ratio of male students, and Ji Mingming was an exceptional beauty, so it was natural for many to be interested in her. But she knew a relationship with these types was impossible and never engaged in unnecessary contact, always maintaining her graceful composure and independence.

Jiang Feng was busy at the stove. Two dishes were already finished. For the afternoon, he added one more dish: Scrambled Eggs with Ham. This dish was a favorite among the male students.

Finding herself idle, Ji Mingming peered through the glass of the food truck into the kitchen. From there, she could see the stove area. She saw a young chef in a white uniform busy at the stove. Since his back was toward her, Ji Mingming couldn’t see what the chef looked like, but she felt she had seen him somewhere before.

After waiting for another two minutes, they saw people starting to line up and quickly stood to join the queue. Just then, Jiang Feng finished preparing all the dishes. He pushed the food truck out from the back kitchen, its trays laden with steaming hot food. As he emerged, Ji Mingming glanced towards him, and this time, she saw him clearly.

"Oh my God, it’s him!" she exclaimed. "No wonder!"

"What’s up?" Xiao Yu asked hurriedly.

"Have you heard of Executive Chef Jiang? He’s the owner of a small food stall who has been quite popular on short video platforms recently," Ji Mingming quickly raved to the other two. "He makes particularly, particularly delicious food. I ate his braised meat once when I was at a resort, and it was so delicious that I had a very deep impression of him."

"Executive Chef Jiang?" Xiao Yu pondered for a moment. "Never heard of him."

"I haven’t heard of him either, but the food he makes is indeed delicious," Lin Fang responded.

"No wonder it was so delicious! It turns out to be him," Ji Mingming said excitedly. "This guy’s cooking skills are incredible. Even though he just sets up a small stall, there’s a long queue wherever he goes. We should come earlier in the future; this place is definitely going to be super crowded!"

She found this very interesting. She had watched some online videos and knew Jiang Feng liked to change his stall’s location weekly, a signature trait of his. And yet, people never knew where he would turn up next. It was like a culinary pop-up, appearing randomly throughout the city. Unexpectedly, this time it appeared at the University of Science and Technology!

"Executive Chef Jiang!" Ji Mingming called out as she saw Jiang Feng pushing the food truck over.

Jiang Feng was just handing the food truck over to the auntie serving the food when he suddenly heard someone calling him. He wasn’t sure if they were calling him, but he looked up anyway, spotting an especially pretty girl. Universities really are full of beautiful girls, he thought, a brief wave of nostalgia washing over him as he recalled his own college days—studying hard, a life that was simple yet wonderful.

"Hello," Jiang Feng responded politely. Someone had actually recognized him.

"I know you! Are you setting up your stall at the University of Science and Technology this week?" Ji Mingming asked with a smile.

"Yeah, that’s right," Jiang Feng admitted readily. After all, running a stall here didn’t involve overtime. He just needed to prepare enough food each day, and once it sold out, he was done.

"The lunch dishes were super delicious," Ji Mingming, delighted by the coincidence, praised him.

"Thank you," Jiang Feng replied, then handed the food truck over to the serving auntie. He then went back to the kitchen himself. While students were buying their meals, he could still whip up a couple more dishes.

The stall began operations, and students soon formed a long queue. Ji Mingming ordered a portion of braised eggplant, a portion of fish-flavored shredded pork, and a portion of Sweet and Sour Pork Fillet. She wanted to try every dish. The three of them got their food and then went to get rice. Given how good it was, it looked like they’d be eating at this stall from now on.

Before long, crowds of hungry students swarmed in.

"Where is that new pick-and-mix stall that just opened?"

"Is it really that good?"

"I’ll give the second cafeteria one more chance!"

A few young men entered the canteen, scanned around, and spotted the new pick-and-mix stall in the corner. They immediately walked over and joined the queue.

The line was growing at a terrifying rate. Luckily, they had arrived relatively early and were soon at the front, able to get their hands on the food they craved.

Looking at the delicious and tempting meat dishes on their plates, their eyes immediately sparkled.

Which one to get? They wanted all of them! But their wallets wouldn’t allow it!

The young men’s living expenses were already tight; they usually spent around ten yuan for lunch and dinner. One meat and one vegetable dish was just right; two meat dishes could also work.

"I’ll have the ham and scrambled eggs and Sweet and Sour Pork Fillet!"

"I want the fish-flavored shredded pork and braised chicken with rice!"

"I’ll take the braised eggplant and Kung Pao chicken."

The men placed their orders one after another. They then got two servings of rice each and found a spot to sit down.

The presentation of these dishes was too good. Among them, the Scrambled Eggs with Ham gave off the strongest aroma, especially the ham; once fried, its smell drifted far and wide. Many students passing the long queue felt their mouths water more and more as the aroma wafted their way, and their stomachs growled with hunger. All they wanted was to quickly get to the front of the line and enjoy such a good meal.

Once the men sat down, one of them mixed all his ham and scrambled eggs into his rice. Then he bowed his head, placed his mouth near the edge of the plate, and started shoveling rice into his mouth with his chopsticks. Eggs and ham mixed with the rice entered his mouth together. The delightful flavor exploded. Even the rice itself seemed to become extraordinarily fragrant and soft.

"DAMN!"

"AMAZING!"

He had barely taken two bites, not even swallowing, before he couldn’t help but exclaim his utmost approval. The others were the same, completely immersed in the exquisite flavor of the food.