Cooking System: Street Food Rules
Chapter 75 The Mighty Dining Squad!

Chapter 75: Chapter 75 The Mighty Dining Squad!

"Where on earth did Executive Chef Jiang go?"

Meanwhile, many customers who had enjoyed Jiang Feng’s cuisine were searching for him. Zhang Dashan from Happy Ranch, the live streamer Liu Bao, and even the city management officers and police officers who had eaten at Jiang Feng’s food stand were all wondering about him.

After Jiang Feng left, the bustle of Juxing Shopping Mall quickly returned to quiet. The other food stand owners, looking at the now-empty space, also missed the bustling times of the past few days.

Xiao Lin, the noodle shop owner, had previously set his sights on making noodles that surpassed Jiang Feng’s. After many attempts, however, he found that let alone surpassing, even getting close was very difficult. Nevertheless, it was precisely because of this that he gained a lot. He launched a new braised noodle dish that was quite popular with customers. Although it was far from matching the scenes of constant queuing and crowding caused by Jiang Feng, it was enough to improve his business. He was an open-minded person; unlike others in the same business who might wish for their competitors’ demise, Xiao Lin was willing to actively learn, and therefore, he reaped better profits.

The customers did not yet know that Jiang Feng had been selling self-serve meals at a University of Science and Technology stall this week. But in the information age, such news would quickly spread.

In the morning, Jiang Feng arrived early at the school canteen’s kitchen. The meat shop owner drove a small van and transported all the ingredients Jiang Feng needed. He then busied himself in the kitchen, his movements still unhurried and understated, steady and orderly.

Today’s dishes:

Meat dishes: Spicy Garlic Pork, Kung Pao Chicken, Sweet and Sour Pork Fillet, Scrambled Eggs with Ham Sausage

Vegetarian dishes: Braised Eggplant, Potatoes with Green Beans

The menu was plain and unadorned, without too many fancy frills. The core idea was simple: dishes that truly complemented rice. Every dish Jiang Feng chose was of this kind—perfect for mixing with rice, letting the grains soak up the sauce. Eating it was an incomparable delight.

Typical stalls would start business at 11:30 a.m. Around 11:50 a.m., the crowds would begin to gather. Between 12:00 p.m. and 12:30 p.m., it would get extremely crowded, after which the numbers would taper off. Jiang Feng’s stall was unique—it was only 11:20 a.m., yet there were already eight or nine students playing on their phones at the nearby tables. These students didn’t speak; they just quietly played on their phones while waiting. Before long, more groups of people started arriving in twos and threes. Noticing the growing number, they stood up to form a line, securing their spots.

The canteen lady, pushing a food truck and trays towards the kitchen, was surprised to see students queuing outside the stall. These students had come really early.

Jiang Feng continued to work, and soon, dish after dish was poured into the serving trays. The meats all glistened enticingly, and the aroma wafted outwards.

The canteen lady pushed out the food truck. Seeing her, the students immediately pressed forward.

It was only 11:30 a.m., and classes hadn’t even ended at the university. While there were few people at other stalls, a long line had formed in front of Jiang Feng’s. The ladies at the neighboring stalls were also surprised. What was the deal with this newcomer? How could so many people be queuing after just one day? Incredible!

Jiang Feng finished a few dishes but had to keep cooking. He cooked in a large wok each time; as long as the preparation was done properly, the flavor was not a bit inferior to that of cooking in a small pot, though it required more effort. He put in considerable effort to ensure that all the queuing students could get a taste.

The line moved forward in an orderly manner. As time ticked by, the queue grew longer and longer.

At 11:40 a.m., the fourth period ended at the university. University professors seldom dragged out their lectures. No matter where they were in the lecture, as soon as the bell rang, they would immediately close their notebooks, say, "Class dismissed," and leave. In university, no one micromanaged; people just did their jobs.

"Class dismissed!"

Once a teacher uttered these words, students instantly jumped to their feet and hurried out. Everyone was walking swiftly; some even started to run.

Eaters gonna eat. At lunchtime, nothing was more important than eating.

A large swarm of hungry students erupted from the academic buildings. Usually, no one was in a rush since there was always food in the canteen, and even for the more popular spicy hot pot, the queue wouldn’t take long. But today was different. Arrive late, and there would be nothing left.

Quite a few people were running towards the second canteen. Some students, not understanding the commotion, were walking on the sidewalk when others suddenly ran past them. They were completely bewildered.

"What’s going on?"

"What is everyone doing?"

"What’s this rush for?"

They looked around and unconsciously quickened their pace.

On the main road to the second canteen, throngs of people were all running towards it, like a large group of soldiers charging into battle.

Jiang Feng’s stall was in a corner of the first-floor canteen. After dashing into the canteen, the students immediately queued up at his stall.

"Holy shit!" Upon seeing the queue, a few students couldn’t help but curse.

In front of the stall, a very long line had already formed. Without hesitation, they promptly joined the end of it. The school canteen had finally gotten a real chef, a genuine one at that. For such a rare opportunity, waiting in line for twenty minutes didn’t seem like much.

At this moment, quite a few university teachers were walking on the road, heading to the faculty canteen for their meal. The school had a special faculty canteen to avoid the awkwardness of teachers and students competing for food.

"What’s happening today?" one remarked. The roads were always bustling after the noon classes ended, but there had never been scenes of students running like this. Today, however, a mighty crowd was on the move, and the teachers didn’t know what it was all about.

Fortunately, one teacher who had learned about it while chatting with students explained, "It’s a new self-serve place that opened in the second canteen. The chef there is an amazing cook who’s quite popular online. There were always long lines when he had a food stall. Many people who have tried it think it’s pretty good, and the word has spread among the students."

Hearing this, the other teachers nodded.

"So that’s what’s going on. There’s actually a reputable chef?"

"Why don’t we go and try it?"

"Look at that crowd. Who knows how long we’d have to wait."

"Forget it, let’s just go to the faculty canteen."

After this little commotion, news about Jiang Feng’s new stall spread even faster. Originally, many were unaware of it. But seeing everyone rushing towards the second canteen, they inquired and immediately understood.

"A top chef?" That title was quite attractive.

"Let’s get in line!"

"Then let’s queue!"

And so, more and more people started forming a long line in front of Jiang Feng’s stall. Meanwhile, Jiang Feng was bustling about again.

"Boss, we’re out of braised eggplant!"

"Boss, we’re out of Spicy Garlic Pork!"

The canteen lady called out towards the kitchen. With every call, Jiang Feng’s movements quickened.

He couldn’t keep up; it was simply impossible. Glancing out of the kitchen door, he could still see pairs of hungry eyes.

Soon, Jiang Feng cooked up a pot of braised eggplant, poured it all into a serving dish, filling it to the brim, and then hurriedly pushed the food truck out. Seeing him emerge, those in the queue immediately stared at him, wanting to see what this renowned chef looked like in real life.

Noticing that Jiang Feng had a good appearance and demeanor, someone immediately shouted, "Executive Chef Jiang! Cook more, we’re all here for you!"

Hearing this, Jiang Feng just responded with a smile. He carried the serving dish out, set it down, and then took two empty dishes back with him. Given the emergency, he decided to quickly stir-fry some ham and eggs as a stopgap.

If it’s going to be like this, I need to find an apprentice, Jiang Feng thought as he sliced the ham. The apprentice wouldn’t be responsible for cooking, just prep work like peeling potatoes, boiling and peeling tomatoes, or cutting ham into sections—all these miscellaneous tasks would be for the apprentice. The executive chef would just need to do the final stir-frying.

When running his food stall on regular days, Jiang Feng could manage on his own. But this wasn’t working out at the school; there were too many students. He was simply overwhelmed.

He sped up, using both stoves and both woks in the kitchen to stir-fry almost simultaneously. The exhaust fans worked furiously, yet the aroma still spread throughout the kitchen.

The owner of a neighboring stall, who specialized in roast meat rice combos, watched Jiang Feng and couldn’t help but feel a sense of admiration. This guy was incredibly intense. It was the first time he had seen someone stir-frying with two large woks at once. There are truly masters among the common folk!