Siheyuan: A Cook in the 60s

"You all came here to give me some face. The higher-ups have already decided to conduct a thorough investigation of this matter. My master has made some efforts and has achieved some results."

No one denied what Zhao Boxue said.

If we talk about the chef who has had the greatest influence, it must be Cao Wei without a doubt.

This guy has already reached the level of being the chef for a state banquet.

On several occasions, we asked him to entertain foreign guests.

"Originally, it meant that all restaurants and hotels must follow the hygiene regulations of Samadhi House."

"Master Zhao, this won't do!"

"Yes, Master Zhao, this is going to cost us our lives!"

"Yes, Master Zhao, we understand that you have your standards, but your standards are too strict."

The hygiene standards of Samadhi House are above those of cooking skills and service.

This is also Cao Wei’s requirement.

No matter what, there can't be any problem with your dish.

This is a matter of principle.

In addition, Samadhi Tower has been supervising the project for more than ten years.

Nowadays, restaurants outside especially like to recruit waiters from Samadhi Tower. Apart from anything else, they do their job very well. Unfortunately, few people from Samadhi Tower leave, but quite a few want to come in.

"Everyone, everyone, listen to me." Zhao Boxue's voice became louder.

Everyone stopped and looked at him eagerly.

The corners of Zhao Boxue's mouth twitched. Everyone present was in their forties or fifties. This expression was really a little difficult to break.

"As you can see, it is difficult to do this under these rules. So, let's discuss it and come up with a charter. Submit it to the higher-ups for review. If it passes the review, we will follow this standard going forward."

"That's fine... Let's write the regulations in a more relaxed way..."

"Everyone, the higher-ups will follow our rules. Don't write too much, as they will review it. So, today we asked everyone to come here to talk about this matter. Let's discuss it carefully..."

The "window effect" is very useful at any time. The group began to think about this rule.

The problem is how to be less strict and at the same time satisfy the superiors.

Everyone is actually quite anxious. The restaurant is closed, and if it doesn't open for one day it will lose money.

Let's finish it quickly and do business happily...

Compared to their worries.

Cao Wei seemed much more relaxed.

"What's the matter, do you have any clues, old man?" Cao Wei asked cheerfully.

"No." Old Man Yu shook his head. "Glowing cuisine. Someone once said, Royal Chef, you will never be able to make glowing cuisine in your lifetime. Do you know why there is such a legend in our country?"

"why?"

“Because it’s true.”

"Ah?" Cao Wei was stunned for a moment: "Can this be true?"

"No, I happen to know this person. It's recorded in my ancestor's book. It's a true story. The specific name is not recorded in the book, but it's said that he was a cook during the reign of Emperor Taizong of Tang. He was very skilled and worked in the palace for more than ten years. Later, for some unknown reason, he was released from the palace. For a while, he didn't know what to do. He had no children, and even if he had savings, he didn't know who to give them to. By chance, he heard the story of Master Sanzang's journey to the West to seek Buddhist scriptures."

"It just so happened that he was also a religious believer, so he thought about going out for a walk and seeing if he could get some blessings."

"Could this be made up?" Cao Wei was skeptical.

"No, because after he left, he no longer thought about teaching. Instead, he walked around and stopped at various places. Every time he arrived at a place, he would look for food there. At first, it was just because he was a cook. He wanted to see what was different about the local area. Later, his goal became to see what skills the chefs in various regions had, learn from each other, and improve his cooking skills."

"What about religion?" Cao Wei asked a soul-searching question.

"How would the old man know?" Old Man Yu shrugged. "He wandered around like this for thirty-three years."

"He spent 33 years traveling all over the Tang Empire, and even visited neighboring countries. His cooking skills reached the pinnacle. After returning to the capital, he opened a small restaurant, and that's when the rumor of his "glowing cuisine" came about. Rumor has it that Wu Zetian once went to invite him out of retirement..."

"That's ridiculous." Cao Wei couldn't help but complain: "The emperor should hire a cook."

"Haha, I think it's possible." Old man Yu laughed cheerfully, "Think about it, he is all alone, he has nothing but his craft. He is also old. For such a person, what else do you think you can do except to invite him politely? Punishing an old man in his seventies or giving money to someone who has no worries? That makes no sense."

"So in the end, the old man won't come out again, and the emperor can come and eat whenever he wants?"

"That's what I meant. It is said that after the meal, the man never troubled the old man again. But the old man died that night because of this incident."

"what?"

“That’s what it says in the book.”

"No matter how I read your book, it seems to be dirty laundry on Wu Zetian."

"Not really, not really. Since then, there has been a rumor that if you want to make a proper "glowing dish", you have to eat all over the country. Later, you also know that in our country, is there any dynasty that can allow chefs to travel all over the country? Unless the chef has a very high status and position."

"It's true." Cao Wei smacked his lips.

Even in the prosperous times recorded in books, people had to have a "travel permit" to go out. Letting a cook run around to learn? That's nonsense.

"So, in the years that followed, there has never been a chef who can really cook "glowing dishes". But there are some records that say it is related to emotions, and if you are sincere, your wish will come true. If you are really interested in this, you can study it. But don't get too carried away. Be moderate, be moderate." In the eyes of Grandpa Yu, Cao Wei is a monster.

Despite his young age, it is no exaggeration to say that his cooking skills are unrivaled in history.

This is not the most outrageous thing. The most outrageous thing is that this guy's state is terrifyingly stable. Normal people have ups and downs. When cooking a dish, sometimes it is 90 points, sometimes 95 points, and when it is in a better state, it is 98 points.

As for Cao Wei, it remained stable at 99 for ten thousand years. And it was 99 in different forms.

In the culinary world, no one with a bit of insight would disagree with this.

For such a monster, Mr. Yu felt that it was appropriate to make him not be a human being.

What does it mean to be inhuman?

"Glowing food" is not like being human. How can a normal person make glowing food?