Reborn in Japan as a Chef God -
Chapter 172: Special Grade Cuisine?
Chapter 172: Chapter 172: Special Grade Cuisine?
"Lost..."
"There are no flaws! I can’t find any loopholes!"
Lancelot kneeled in disbelief.
It was no wonder that Lancelot was out of sorts, as the turn of events happened too fast. Just a few minutes ago, everyone in the judges’ seats, the guest seats, and the entire audience, including himself, thought he would win unanimously.
However, in just those few minutes, Xia Yu uncovered the steamer, and the tables turned. The unanimous winner turned out to be the opponent he thought would be easy to crush!
"I stand with the Flame Dragon Roll Fish Fin Sausage!" Liangzi Lina glanced at him, raising her chin slightly.
"Seconded!"
Aoki Motota’s eyes held a playful look.
Ding.
Finally, the broadcast screen above the Food Battle Stage displayed a score of 5 to 0, with Xia Yu winning unanimously!
A landslide victory!
Chiyoda Aichi took a deep breath and shouted, "Let’s cheer for the victor—!"
"We won!"
Below the stage, An Yilun’s face was flushed with excitement as he vigorously waved a flag with Xia Yu’s cartoon image on it.
He was employed by Xia Yu, in other words, he was a member of Xia’s shop. The support group behind him was one he had rallied on Twitter. With just two days of preparation, he managed to gather dozens of people. If given more time, organizing a group of a hundred tourists would be no problem.
Feng Zhizi Yaeko stood dazed in the cheering crowd for a while, then put on her sunglasses and quietly left. She needed to return to her company and prepare another planning proposal approved by her partners.
Feng Zhizi already had a rough draft for the plan.
"Sakamoto, Sakamoto, Yu won!"
From the second-floor window of Xia’s shop, Nishimura Eiki bounced excitedly, constantly tugging on Boss Sakamoto’s uniform.
"What a splendid food battle! A major comeback!" Sakamoto said in his cool voice.
"Yes, a desperate counterattack followed by a complete crushing!"
Nishimura Eiki’s palms were still covered in cold sweat that hadn’t dried, as the plot developed too quickly. He experienced a heart-pounding roller coaster from the bottom to the top. But that was the charm of the food battle.
Saitama Prefecture, surrounding Tokyo.
A pair of teenagers who had just entered high school were dancing in front of the TV in their studio.
"Autumn, Boss Xia is indeed amazing!"
Aspiring manga artist Mashiro Takumi tightly clenched his fists, his face full of excitement.
Takagi Shuutoku suddenly said, "Takumi, I’ve got a new idea..."
"What?"
"To be honest, our second work ’One in a Billion’ has a very low chance of being selected for a Tezuka Award. If it makes it to the final candidate stage, we’ll consider it quite lucky."
Mashiro Takumi became silent, then nodded, "It’s time for us to conceptualize our third work."
"What do you think about a chef-themed story?" Takagi Shuutoku adjusted his glasses.
...
The scene shifted back to the old shopping street.
The food battle hadn’t dispersed yet. The judge’s panel was being interviewed by the television station.
Chiyoda Aichi asked, "Minister Shinohara, what was the decisive factor that led you to cast your vote for Chef Xia Yu?"
"The ultimate flavor!"
Shinohara Shigetaro faced the camera, appearing quite composed. "Chef Lancelot used two special-grade ingredients, ’Land Shark Back Fin’ and ’Fish Fin Mushroom,’ to create the ultimate ’fish fin’ flavor. His dish, ’Golden Silk Fish Fin,’ can be called the Emperor of Fins!"
"However, ’Golden Silk Fish Fin’ merely brings a certain ingredient’s flavor to its pinnacle. According to the IGO’s rating standards for cuisine, ’Golden Silk Fish Fin’ can be rated as quasi-special-grade cuisine!"
Saying this, Shinohara Shigetaro slightly squinted his eyes.
"And Chef Xia Yu’s ’Dragon Roll Fish Fin Sausage,’ the taste of flame and the taste of spices blend with each other, enhancing each other..." Shinohara Shigetaro lowered his voice, "Flame and spices, originally unrelated things, but in Chef Xia Yu’s dish, they become inseparable golden partners, a perfect match!"
He looked at Chiyoda Aichi, close at hand.
"Miss Chiyoda, you also tasted the fish fin sausage earlier. That explosive texture must still be fresh in your memory, right?" Shinohara Shigetaro smiled.
"Yes, yes!"
Speaking of that explosive texture, Chiyoda Aichi’s intellectual and poised image in front of the camera suddenly changed. Her eyes showed fervor and ecstasy, and she even gestured with both hands. "How to describe it, it’s like biting through the sausage casing, and the ’hemp rope’ structure inside scattered in the mouth and then exploded with a boom..."
An innocent and amusing voice that made people laugh.
But no one present, nor in front of the TV, could laugh, all immersed in the shock.
"Could it be that type of quality in cuisine..."
In the Polar Star Dormitory Kitchen, Ichise Hui released his folded arms, showing a trace of astonishment, unable to remain calm.
Shinohara Shigetaro was just one sentence away from summing it up!
Tiqie Helinai hadn’t sat down since Xia Yu uncovered the steamer, biting her thumb, intently watching him with a complicated expression. "He’s only 16 years old... has he already touched that realm..."
"A 16-year-old special-grade chef?"
Chef Shen He trembled with excitement, a huge smile on his face, a performance that Qi Nan beside him couldn’t bear to watch.
"Chef Shen, Chef Shen..." Qi Nan patted Shen He’s shoulder.
He snapped back to reality, his enlarged pupils glaring at Qi Nan. Startled by his gaze, Qi Nan took a few steps back. "Chef Shen, what’s wrong with you?"
"Do you know how terrifying a special-grade chef at 16 is?" Chef Shen seemed to be talking to himself, "A hundred years ago, Chef God Liu Maoxing emerged at the age of 13, passing the special-grade test, while another Chef God of that era, Lan Feihong, became a special-grade chef at 19..."
"Anyone who can pass the special-grade test under 20, or to broaden the range, around the age of 20... that level of genius chef can be hailed as having the qualification to be a ’Chef God’ candidate!" Shen He said.
Qi Nan gasped, looked around, and seeing no one was paying attention to them, tugged at Shen He. "Chef Shen, considering we’re overseas, it’s best we don’t mention those two Chef Gods lightly..."
They were speaking in their native language, which Morioka Makki and Tiqie Helinai, although nearby, could not understand.
At this time, Chiyoda Aichi’s voice came from the stage:
"Minister Shinohara, please give your closing remarks on Chef Xia Yu’s cuisine!"
Shinohara Shigetaro stood up. This was the last segment of the food battle. A good opening should naturally have a perfect ending.
He took a microphone handed by a staff member and cleared his throat.
"This was an unbalanced food battle duel!"
The first sentence rendered the entire audience silent.
Unbalanced?
Lancelot, kneeling, looked deathly pale.
"This was a food battle where a dish with special-grade quality crushed a quasi-special-grade dish—" Shinohara Shigetaro lowered his voice, and his voice exploded on the stage.
Wow.
Upon realization, the crowd erupted.
Special-grade cuisine crushing a quasi-special-grade cuisine?
No one was a fool. The special-grade cuisine obviously referred to Xia Yu’s ’Flame Dragon Roll Fish Fin Sausage’!
"This, this..." Countless people were dumbstruck, never expecting Xia Yu’s dish to reach such heights.
Shinohara Shigetaro paid no mind to the agitation around the stage, proceeding confidently.
"But—"
He arrived at a turning point, and everyone pricked up their ears.
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