"Who cares!"
"Matters of the heart, who can really explain them?"
Zane, hearing this, simply glanced back at Rindo, and then said, "By the way, you finished your bear paw, isn't it time to go home?"
"Huh? Well… actually, I'm not full yet, so…"
Rindo blushed slightly and spoke softly.
"Unbelievable."
"Alright, what else do you want to eat?"
Zane, unphased, shrugged his shoulders and asked again.
Realizing she wasn't being kicked out and could continue eating, Rindo's eyes lit up. She quickly ordered a few more small dishes and a ginger soda with a thick face!
Tonight, the tavern was supposed to be closed.
But as fate would have it, Rindo and Leonora still came to eat.
For Zane, this wasn't necessarily a bad thing.
On the contrary, it showed that his tavern was gradually becoming well-known over time!
...
Morning, the fourth day of the residential training camp.
In a cooking room, dozens of students were quietly waiting.
On the podium, examiner Hinako Inui was leisurely eating her snack, seaweed strips!
As the former second seat of the 80th generation of the Elite Ten, she was known as the "Empress of Mist" during her time at Totsuki. Her abilities were unquestionable.
Although she started a bit later than Shinomiya and Akira.
Her outstanding talent and ability in the past two years had made her a significant figure in the culinary world of Japan.
Recently, her self-owned "Mist House" Japanese restaurant received a two-star rating from the WGO food organization.
In other words.
Compared to Shinomiya, who had stagnated.
Her culinary career was thriving.
...
"Examiner, it's past seven."
"Why haven't you announced the cooking topic yet?"
At this moment, among the many students present, Megumi, who usually was timid, raised her hand first and asked softly.
"Huh? You all don't know?" Hinako pretended to be surprised, then looked around the cooking room and continued, "The topic for this test is that there is no topic because I didn't prepare any ingredients for you."
"No ingredients?"
"What's going on?"
"Without ingredients, it's like soldiers without weapons. How can we cook or fight?"
"I'm going crazy; how can this training camp have such outrageous exam questions."
Upon hearing this, all the students almost lost their minds, their spirits on the verge of collapse.
After all, such a ridiculous test was simply too unreasonable!
"The world is a bloody, brutal dining table. You either become a diner or become the food."
"As you can see, ingredients are everywhere, around us, on this land."
"I have fenced off an area within a one-kilometer radius of this cooking room. There is a flowing creek, towering trees, and a small grassy field."
"I believe this area is a treasure trove of ingredients. It's up to you to find them."
"I've prepared seasonings, oil, salt, vinegar, soy sauce, and cooking utensils for you. You can even use fishing rods and other tools."
"Find ingredients within this area and cook something that satisfies me to pass!"
Finally, everyone understood what Hinako meant.
In short, if there are no ingredients, you have to collect, dig, pick, or catch them yourself...
No matter what method you use, as long as you find ingredients and cook a delicious dish, it's okay!
...
How to put it?
This kind of freeform, non-standard test question is quite difficult.
If you can't find ingredients, it's a dead end.
But even if you find them, you must consider their usability.
Ingredients for the dishes you know may not be available.
And even if you have the ingredients, you may not be able to make the dish.
Even if you manage to cook a dish, its taste and texture might not pass Hinako's standards!
This is likely why Hinako designed such a challenging cooking topic.
After all, when faced with the unknown and unexpected, anyone's vision often narrows, and it's hard to come up with a solution.
Therefore, in her view, if you can't keep your composure and handle such situations, even the most talented have no place at Totsuki.
...
"Well? Why are you still standing there?"
"The test time has already started. If you can't find ingredients and cook within two hours, you'll fail!"
Hinako, eating her seaweed strips, saw the students standing there, at a loss, and kindly reminded them.
"Can we form teams? After all, finding ingredients and cooking within the time limit is very tight for us."
At this moment, Takumi stepped forward and asked Hinako.
"You can, but no more than two people per team."
Hinako lightly rubbed her chin, thought for a moment, and reluctantly agreed.
"Alright, brother, let's go."
Then, Takumi quickly called his brother Isami to go out and find ingredients together.
Time was indeed tight, as Takumi said, so many students started teaming up, taking fishing rods and buckets, and heading out to fish!
"Just as I thought, most people can only think of fishing."
Seeing this, Hinako sighed deeply.
...
In European countries, eating duck is considered a high-end choice.
So, it's not that Western cuisine avoids duck, but rather some Western restaurants lack the skill and confidence to make authentic duck dishes!
While many were focusing on the fish in the creek, Takumi and Isami brought back a duck.
"A duck?"
The bored Hinako's eyes lit up slightly.
Meanwhile, Takumi wasted no time.
He grabbed a half-moon knife with both hands and started cutting the duck on the chopping board.
The power he displayed was like a beast baring its sharp fangs, even surprising the experienced Hinako!
Despite the heavy force, there was a delicate touch.
In an instant, the duck was perfectly cut into parts. Then, he took the breast meat, sprinkled salt and black pepper, and rubbed it evenly.
"Brother, it's your turn."
Then, Takumi handed the half-moon knife to his brother Isami.
"Okay, brother, I'll handle the next step."
Taking the half-moon knife, the normally gentle Isami suddenly looked fierce, exuding a chilling aura.
He quickly chopped rosemary and garlic, sprinkled them on the duck meat, and pressed lightly to let the seasoning penetrate.
Then, he placed the marinated duck into a ziplock bag, added olive oil, sealed it, and let it marinate.
"These two..."
The whole process left Hinako in awe.
The brothers' cooking styles were completely different: one focused on strength, the other on speed.
Yet their cooperation was seamless, perfect, and harmonious.
Unknowingly, Hinako began to look forward to the dish.
...
After marinating, they put the duck in the oven to roast.
They preheated the oven to 180 degrees Celsius.
Roasted for 40 minutes until the duck turned golden brown. Finally, they brushed it with a special sauce.
Thus, an Italian-style roast duck appeared before Hinako.
"I didn't expect you to find ingredients and cook within an hour."
Looking at the roast duck, Hinako's eyes showed a hint of appreciation.
"Italian cuisine differs from French cuisine."
"It values simplicity, freshness, and nature, focusing only on ingredient quality and pairing, not excessive seasoning or cooking."
"And I don't like making dishes that keep diners waiting too long."
Hearing this, Takumi remained calm and replied.
"Good, not bad."
"Having such an understanding shows you're not a flashy student."
Hinako nodded.
Then, under the brothers' watchful eyes, she cut a small piece of duck breast and tasted it.
...
The duck meat, after long marinating and roasting.
Fully absorbed the seasoning, releasing a rich aroma with every bite.
The first bite brought a smooth, oily sensation from the duck skin.
"Huh? This texture..."
Hinako was slightly stunned.
"I see, the key is the sauce, especially the chopped rosemary."
"This spicy herb suits roast duck, removing the gamey taste and adding flavor."
"The cooking time was well-controlled, not too burnt or undercooked, crisp yet tender, rich and flavorful."
"And brushing honey on the duck while roasting. It prevents burning and keeps the meat moist, not dry and tough!"
"Honey contains fructose, adding a sweet, pleasant taste."
After swallowing, Hinako slightly raised her head and said to Takumi and Isami, "This dish is qualified."
"Brother, we did it."
Isami smiled at Takumi.
"Piece of cake."
Though Takumi's face remained calm, he secretly sighed in relief.
...
Typically, even on summer mornings.
After casting the bait, you must wait about 20 minutes for the fish to bite.
In early spring or winter, with low temperatures, it may take over an hour for the float to move.
Moreover, don't forget, there were twenty or thirty students fishing.
But the creek had limited fish, not enough for everyone.
And fishing requires patience.
In a cooking test, who can stay calm the entire time?
"We're doomed!"
"It's been an hour, and I haven't caught a fish."
"Stop talking, you're scaring the fish away!"
"Exactly, can't you be quiet?"
"Hey?"
"The float's moving, quick… pull it up."
"Wow, finally caught a silver carp, now I can coat it with egg, breadcrumb it, and fry it golden brown..."
"What are you talking about?"
"In this test, where will you find eggs and breadcrumbs?"
"Oh, right, I forgot we have to find all the ingredients ourselves."
Time was ticking away.
Panic was spreading among the students.
As Hinako expected, even if they caught fish
or found ingredients.
Creating a perfect dish with limited resources was difficult, and many students would fail!
...
Fresh vegetables picked in the morning.
Often have a much fresher taste than stored ones.
The best dishes come from the healthiest, most natural ingredients, closely related to fruits, vegetables, herbs, beans, mushrooms, and grains.
Of course, being skilled in rustic cooking, Megumi didn't focus on fish like the other students.
She picked a basket of mushrooms, carrots, and onions and quickly returned to the kitchen.
Then, she chopped the carrots and onions into small pieces, put them in a pot with chopped onions, added water, and mixed well. She added sugar, sake, oyster sauce, and soy sauce.
She brought it to a boil, filtered out the solids, and simmered the sauce until thick.
Finally, she cleaned the mushrooms.
Heated a wok, added oil, and stir-fried the mushroom slices.
She cooked out the moisture and poured the thick teriyaki sauce over the mushrooms.
"Interesting, all vegetarian."
Hinako looked at the teriyaki mushrooms, thoughtful.
From this dish, she saw Megumi's cooking was fresh and simple, highlighting "vegetarian" rather than flashy like Takumi and Isami.
"The relationship between a chef and their ingredients should be intimate."
"Your dish, though plain, shows incredible thought and care, yes, a special kind of care."
"I believe this will be a dish that makes me feel warm and human."
Hinako smiled as she spoke.
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