At night, the city begins to undergo its own changes.
The lights on both sides of the street twinkle like stars, shining in the dark, illuminating people's paths.
Usually, around 10 p.m the tavern would be the busiest with customers.
Aside from Rindo, Megumi, Yuuki, and Ryoko, many familiar faces from before have started to appear here.
Drinking!
Eating!
Or simply relaxing.
Or chatting with friends about daily life.
In any case, the presence of these diners makes the tavern more lively!
---
"I see."
"It's from a Pinot Noir wine in Burgundy."
"Well, let me think, isn't this wine a dry red one?"
"While the tannins in red wine can neutralize the fat in the beef, its sugar content can also affect the overall taste of the dish."
"And among all types of red wine, dry red wine has the lowest sugar content. As for Pinot Noir, its texture is more gentle, with weak tannins and a sweet aftertaste, so..."
"Huh?"
"How does this beef...?"
Being skilled in various fermentations, Ryoko quickly identified the type of wine used by Zane.
At first, she naively thought that Zane used this wine simply because Pinot Noir was relatively inexpensive among red wines.
But later, after her careful analysis, she found that Pinot Noir's delicate and smooth tannins, as well as its fruity aroma, made it the perfect choice for stewing beef!
Of course, she was quite perplexed that after stewing for 2 hours, the beef's texture turned out to be extremely tender.
---
"Beef short ribs."
"This is made with beef short ribs."
Quick to respond to the question was Yuuki, who had just finished eating.
"I know it's beef short ribs."
"It's just hard to understand why it was stewed until it was so tender."
Ryoko blinked and asked in return.
"Compared to chuck and brisket, the texture of beef short ribs is softer and is less likely to fall apart during stewing."
"And as the stewing time lengthens, it can fully absorb the flavor and seasoning of the red wine while maintaining its shape and texture, resulting in the beef short ribs becoming more tender and succulent!"
Yuuki kept rubbing her chin as she slowly analyzed her knowledge about beef.
"Hmm?"
"Roko, you seem to be right."
"Even with the beef short ribs simmering for 2 hours, the texture shouldn't be this soft and tender?"
In her analysis, Yuuki also discovered the crux of the problem.
"Chef, can you help us answer this?"
"How did this beef short ribs become so tender from stewing? Was... was there a specific method used?"
Lastly, Yuuki turned to Zane, inquisitively asking.
"Simple."
"Used technology and hard work."
"Just added a packet of tenderizer, guaranteed to perfectly solve the problem of the beef short ribs being stewed to a pulp but still maintaining its integrity!"
At this, Zane joked.
---
"Tenderizer?"
"Is that true?"
Upon hearing this, Yuuki was almost thrown for a loop!
"Not true!"
"Ways to make the beef even more tender and juicy without damaging the elasticity of the muscle fibers can generally be divided into two types."
"One is to use external force, such as using the back of a knife or a meat mallet to gently pound the surface of the beef."
"This can loosen the muscle fibers of the beef, making it easier to cook, but excessive force can seriously damage the fibers inside the beef."
"So, I generally don't use this primitive method."
"As for the other method, it involves the hydrolysis of the beef's muscle protein structure, which involves adding some ingredients during the stewing process."
"Ingredients such as black tea, honey, ginger paste, sugar, vinegar, beer, tomatoes, and other ingredients can all hasten the softening of the beef."
"Among them, black tea and honey have the best effect."
"Besides removing free radicals, black tea contains much more tea polyphenols, which, in addition to removing free radicals, can also make the beef tastier and more appetizing during the cooking process."
"Oh!"
"Oh, I get it now."
"I almost got scared! I thought you really used a tenderizer!"
Listening to Zane's explanation, Yuuki patted her chest and wiped away a bead of sweat from his forehead, admiringly replied.
---
A genius famous in her hometown.
Arriving in a place full of geniuses, naturally led to becoming an average talent.
For Megumi, she might not even be considered an average talent at Totsuki Academy.
At most, as the Director said: "At Totsuki, 99% of people are there to train the 1% elite," and she's part of that 99%!
In reality, looking at the original plot.
In the first class after starting school, if she didn't team up with Genzo.
Then, she would probably have to carry the "burden" and return home in tears!
Then, without any surprise, she would choose to inherit her mother's Shōkeien Ryokan and live a simple life.
But now it's different, since Zane has crossed over to this world, naturally causing many butterfly effects.
Whether it's the Ten Elites like Rindo, Momo Akanegakubo, or Erina Nakiri, or those in high positions like Anne and the Leader…
Actually, their life trajectories have already begun to deviate from the original plot due to Zane's influence.
Therefore, students like Megumi.
Will definitely be influenced gradually by Zane, altering the direction of her life.
---
"Megumi."
"You must understand, being a chef is already a high-risk profession."
"Everything in the kitchen is dangerous, and unexpected situations can arise."
"Like in a five-star hotel, there are often sudden surges in orders, causing all chefs to struggle to keep up with serving."
"There can be delays in communication between superiors and subordinates, leading to ingredient shortages; or even instances where a sous chef who was working well suddenly loses temper and leaves, leaving all the mess for the head chef."
"At times like these, faced with these unexpected events, one's mind can feel anxious and chaotic."
"But an excellent and qualified chef will immediately overcome this mentality and calmly handle these problems."
Here, Zane looked deeply at Megumi.
"But I don't know what's wrong, every time I get to the exam room, my head feels dizzy."
Realizing that Zane was warning her not to panic every time she enters the exam room, Megumi felt touched in her heart.
But she still awkwardly scratched the back of her head, because these are indeed difficult things for her to overcome.
"Experience."
"So, experience is very important."
"For example, if in the first class after enrolling, you have to cook red wine beef stew for assessment."
"But in a nervous state, you accidentally spill a whole bottle of salt, thinking of making a new one, but there's no time left?"
"So, how would you deal with that situation?"
"Huh?"
Megumi first was surprised, then fully understood Zane's meaning!
—------------
It's a beautiful night and as evening falls, the tavern is a place that's hard to leave behind.
"Boss, we have to go back."
Seeing that it's getting late, Megumi had to stand up and settle the bill.
Unlike Rindo, who almost comes to the tavern every day, Megumi has only been here twice, but both times she has gained a lot.
After all, in the field of cooking, Zane is really much better than her, often with very unique insights and knowledge.
Sometimes in her heart, she really admires Zane.
Thinking if she could have his skills, what worries would she have about the assessments after school?
But she also knows that this is an unrealistic and naive thought, and the only thing she can do is do her best and leave the rest to "heaven"!
"Okay, be careful on the way."
Zane took the money and nodded.
Finally, the three girls from Polaris Dormitory all left together.
As she watched the figure with twin blue braids gradually disappear from her sight, Zane's heart began to feel as clear as a pool of water, gently flowing through his mind.
"What's wrong?"
"They've gone quite far, and you're already missing them?"
Just then, Rindo quietly came to his side.
Seeing him gazing at the hazy figure in the distance, she had nothing to say.
"Huh?"
"Are you jealous?"
At this, Zane turned slightly and asked with a smirk.
"Tch!"
"I get jealous over something like this?"
Rindo blushed, then intentionally turned her head away and muttered softly, "I mean, taverns usually don't make French dishes that take 2 hours, right?"
"At first, I really had some doubts, but thinking about the current plight of Megumi, I realized that you want to use this dish to help her regain her confidence, right?"
After saying that, her sharp eyes stayed fixed on Zane.
Her intuition told her that this time the Burgundy red wine beef stew, as well as the three Western-style fast food items made from toast, tofu dregs, and rice bran last time, had the same purpose.
They all aimed to help Erina and Megumi get out of their predicaments.
Zane rubbed his nose, sighing at Rindo's sharp sixth sense.
"Yes."
"There's this purpose."
"But the most important reason is that I know she's facing this Burgundy red wine beef stew as a French dish for her first class after enrolling!"
Finally, Zane's gaze flickered a few times as he said calmly.
"Huh?"
"Are you clairvoyant now?"
Listening to this reason that seemed so feeble, Rindo rolled her eyes irritably, then put on a completely "I believe you, I'm just a fool" look!
"Believe it or not."
Zane shrugged, indifferent.
---
"Why?"
"Whether it's Erina or the seemingly clueless Megumi, why do you want to help them through cooking?"
"Clearly... they aren't worth doing that for!"
As she spoke, her voice became quieter and quieter.
Rindo couldn't deny that she was deeply attracted to Zane because of his kindness.
As a former chef at a five-star hotel, he was able to abandon everything without hesitation, and then run a small tavern on his own.
And in the face of those confused and lost diners, he could use cooking to help and comfort them every time!
But she really couldn't understand why he insisted on doing this.
"Rin, what's your reason for liking the role of a chef?"
Zane lowered his head, looked at Rindo, and calmly asked back.
This sudden question made her shiver slightly before she struggled to say, "Nothing, I just like it! There's a saying, you know, 'interest is the best teacher'..."
"Interest is certainly something."
"But for me, it's the feeling of being in control of everything in the kitchen while cooking."
"And then slowly enjoying the sense of achievement as each dish, meticulously prepared by me, is served.
"Finally, seeing every guest enjoy what I've cooked to the last bite.
"That, to me, is the best response. And now, with the tavern, cooking has become a pleasure for me."
"In my eyes, if cooking doesn't bring happiness to people, then what's the point of being a chef?"
Listening to Zane's words, Rindo was speechless for a long time.
---
"You're just good with words."
"Cooking is just cooking, why are there so many big ideas behind it?"
Cooking.
It's a way to express emotions.
In this world, there are many people who will go out to eat with you, but those willing to cook for you are few.
Rindo, an experienced foodie, deeply understands this point.
Whenever she feels a little down, she finds temporary joy and happiness by "eating"!
Therefore, she firmly agrees that the significance of a chef lies in the value of making people happy with their cooking.
At the same time, she seems to have a deeper understanding of Zane.
You see, in the current era of cooking, despite the emergence of numerous talents, the industry has become rotten under the drive of selfish desires.
Otherwise, WGO (World Gourmet Organization) wouldn't hold THE BLUE Cooking Championship every year.
The aim is to select young chefs with the potential to lead the new era through competition.
However, it's obvious that none of these young chefs approved by Mana Nakiri can achieve that. In the end, she felt particularly disappointed in the entire culinary world.
She turned her hopes to the dark culinary world, ultimately triggering the Midnight Chefs incident!
Perhaps in this world, there may or may not be young chefs who can rival Zane.
But at this moment, Rindo firmly believes that Zane will indeed be the chef to completely change the culinary world, becoming a beacon of light in the new era!
"What's the matter?"
"Why do you keep looking at me? Could it be that my handsomeness has enchanted you again?"
Seeing Rindo's absent-minded expression, Zane couldn't help but laugh.
"Stop being conceited."
"I just feel that you're cooking..."
"Even if it can bring happiness to people, what's the point?"
"In a world where everyone focuses on greed, your so-called persistence is just a joke!"
"Just like what Erina said, running an izakaya without constantly thinking about making money, how is that any different from being foolish?"
Rindo blushed and then pouted, giving a cold snort.
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This was a 2-in-1 chapter, meaning there is 2 different chapters in this 1 chapter. Make sure to give more power stones!