"Jianghu Cuisine."
This term refers to a type of folk cuisine as opposed to traditional, authentic cuisines.
Rooted in the folk, it comes from daily life, appearing casual but actually crafted with great skill. The concept of Jianghu Cuisine may be unfamiliar to many.
However, many classic dishes within Jianghu Cuisine are famous and well-known to households.
For example:
Spicy Hot Pot.
Pickled Fish.
Geleshan Spicy Chicken.
Beer Duck.
Boiled Fish.
Spicy Crab.
Pickled Pepper Bullfrog.
Mao Xue Wang.
...
Each of these dishes is well-known individually!
Although Spicy Chicken is a Jianghu Cuisine, its preparation is similar to other Chinese Sichuan dishes, but it focuses more on high heat stir-frying to retain the chicken's tenderness.
It's well-known that Japanese people generally don't eat food that's too spicy, too numb, or too heavy in flavor.
Logically speaking,
A dish like Spicy Chicken, which is somewhat heavy, wouldn't be well-received.
Therefore, Zane had to modify it so that people like Yuuki and others could quickly adapt to the spicy flavor.
Perhaps it was the slight spiciness that finally hit her, as Yuuki started sweating profusely, her delicate face even blushing.
"The more I eat, the more thrilling it gets!"
In this plate of Spicy Chicken, she found some black bits and quickly picked them up with her chopsticks, staring at them.
Finally, she realized what it was.
...
"Sour plums? So there were sour plums inside the Spicy Chicken!"
"But I must say, although the taste is sour and a bit bitter, the taste experience it brings is indeed different. Just by chewing a bit, you can fully appreciate the texture of the Spicy Chicken, which is refreshing and sweet."
At this moment, due to the taste of Spicy Chicken, Yuuki couldn't help but exclaim.
Earthy, rough, and mixed, these three characteristics have always been the traits of Jianghu Cuisine and also the features of Spicy Chicken.
Often, the deliciousness of a dish still stems from life. In some ways, Jianghu Cuisine might be the type of cuisine that most closely connects with ordinary diners.
And for someone like Yuuki, who is good at handling wild game ingredients, this is even more so.
...
Every city
Has its own tavern.
Every tavern
Has its own story.
Returning home, breathing in the aroma of alcohol and food, there's an indescribable feeling in the heart.
At this moment, one must order a few skewers of grilled meat and a bottle of sake. Once served, they can't wait to open it, and a burst of alcohol aroma hits the nose:
Smells so good!
Yes, the first sip is always the most satisfying.
In the end, the dishes on the table would be finished, leaving only the lingering food aroma on the clothes and the satisfaction in the heart!
At night, the scenery of this city is exceptionally beautiful, with the faint moonlight casting shadows on the trees, bringing silence and thoughts.
Having finished the Spicy Chicken and two or three bowls of rice, Yuuki now sat quietly, drinking a sip of sweet tea, feeling unsatisfied but excited, saying, "I missed the chance at the Autumn Elections, but I can't miss this School Festival. I must strive to win first place in the 'Main Avenue Area'!"
"First place?"
"Yuuki, that doesn't seem so easy!"
Beside her, Megumi, who also had a red face from eating, hesitated, then smiled wryly.
Evidently, even though she successfully made it into the top eight in the Autumn Elections, she still seemed somewhat lacking in confidence.
Yuuki shook her head at this, saying sweetly, "No, no, Megumi, every year the School Festival only requires us to operate stalls, restaurants, eateries, and food stalls in three main areas."
"In any case, no matter the size or mode, as long as we successfully sell the dishes to customers, that's all that matters!"
"Therefore, one's cooking skills are certainly a major factor, but the location of the stall, marketing strategies, the weather, and other factors will also affect business and performance."
After speaking, Yuuki clasped her hands excitedly, "And after my investigation, choosing the back part of the 'Main Avenue Area' is ideal, as it should have the highest foot traffic!"
...
"Also, Megumi, Yuuki and I are teaming up for the School Festival."
"I believe with our combined cooking skills and abilities, our stall's business will surely thrive."
Ryoko chimed in from the side.
Megumi was surprised, then her expression softened, and she smiled warmly, "I'm really envious of you guys, having goals and dreams to strive for. I'm just hoping not to get expelled."
"With your current skills, the chance of getting expelled is almost nonexistent."
Yuuki spoke frankly.
Every year, Totsuki Academy holds the School Festival, and its scale, popularity, and influence are extremely grand and far-reaching.
However, an oddity
Is that during the School Festival, it's rare for students to get expelled due to poor business performance.
This contradicts Totsuki's official policy of "elite education."
Generally, only if a student's stall performs poorly, resulting in a deficit, will they face expulsion!
So, if students plan well, they can usually break even or even make a profit.
Of course,
There are exceptions where some people are just plain unlucky or "self-destructive"!
"Hopefully."
Megumi's eyes flashed, and she sighed.
...
At 2 a.m., the tavern closed.
This period was relatively peaceful, with nothing significant happening to Zane.
His personality was becoming more easygoing, so the atmosphere in the tavern was always warm and cozy, even more so than a typical tavern.
Last time, even Rindo couldn't help but ask him if he planned to stay in the tavern for the rest of his life, living such an ordinary life?
Indeed!
Recently,
Zane appeared to the world as mysterious but almost without desires.
To him, an ordinary life itself is a kind of happiness.
But how should this happiness be achieved?
When he first unexpectedly traveled to the world of "Food Wars," it meant his life had already become dramatic and absurd.
Therefore, a very awkward fact was always in front of him:
How should he find his place and meaning in this world?
Yes!
The tavern he runs.
Now, it has always been a spiritual home for many people!
But what about him? Where should he go?
And as the Midnight Chefs incident continued to ferment and the School Festival approached, the Totsuki coup was also drawing nearer.
Thus, Zane was very clear that as an "outsider," he would eventually be drawn into it.
"Ding!"
"Host, successfully signed in once."
"Ding, congratulations to the host for obtaining the recipe for Boiled Cabbage."
Then, as the tavern closed, the system's voice finally reappeared.
...
In many people's impressions.
Sichuan cuisine must follow the spicy and oily route. Many non-spicy Sichuan dishes, such as White Oil Tofu, Old Mom's Trotters, and Dongpo Elbow, have made their way to more people's banquets.
Among them, the most exemplary is the traditional Sichuan dish:
Boiled Cabbage!
From the Imperial Kitchen to state banquets, it has become a favorite among the elite.
Once completed, it looks like a few cabbage hearts in clear water, with no visible meat or even an oil slick.
Only a few jade-like tender cabbage leaves lying in the crystal-clear water.
However, once eaten,
It is light, fresh, fragrant, rich, not greasy, and melts in the mouth!
Calling it an advanced clear soup dish of Sichuan cuisine is not an exaggeration.
Its complex preparation process makes many famous restaurants and hotels reluctantly give up on making it.
Even its flavor has been elevated to a philosophical level, with Sichuan poet Shiguanghua saying, "The highest realm of Sichuan cuisine is Boiled Cabbage."
Of course, this extremely delicious dish uses complex ingredients, has a complicated process, and is very expensive, making it difficult to serve as the tavern's signature dish.
It can only occasionally be brought out for "professionals" like Mana and Erina to taste.
"Although it doesn't match the tavern, it is indeed a high-class dish!"
Finally, Zane muttered softly.
...
A bustling scene constantly unfolds at Totsuki Academy.
At the main entrance, that is, the archway of the School Festival.
Now, the opening ceremony of the School Festival was about to begin. To prepare for this event, Totsuki Academy had deployed many staff and resources.
After all, managing 220 stalls simultaneously is not an easy task.
Sanitation management of each store, complete measures against food poisoning, submission times for financial reports, performance audits of each store... only a wealthy Totsuki Academy could manage all this.
At this time, gathered at this place were all the students participating in the School Festival, forming a sea of people in this slightly cool weather, full of energy.
"Finally, the day has come, Erina."
Next to her, Alice smiled, "Although I can't compete in the same area as you, I'll show you that I'll win first place in the Main Avenue Area!"
Erina heard Alice's words.
But she didn't care and found it amusing, saying, "The winner of the Autumn Elections competing in the Main Avenue Area, huh? You must lack confidence."
Erina looked back at her with disdain.
"Even if I win this School Festival, can I take away your tenth seat in the Elite Ten?"
Alice sighed.
...
Just then, the crowd began to buzz.
"
Look!"
"Could it be..."
"It must be, like a mysterious organization. Most students leaving school or being forced to withdraw didn't fully know their names, let alone see them face to face."
"My gosh!"
"It's really the Elite Ten!"
"During the Autumn Leaves Hunt, I wasn't qualified to attend, so I couldn't witness the Elite Ten in person."
"I thought I'd never have the chance in my life, but who knew I'd see such a star-studded lineup at this School Festival!"
"1...2...3...4...8...why are there only 8?"
"With Erina, it's 9!"
"Someone's missing?"
Undoubtedly.
The collective appearance of the Elite Ten caused a huge sensation.
Even though it was known beforehand that the School Festival's opening would be grand, no one expected a "collective appearance of the Elite Ten," shocking many.
At the same time,
In the presence of these powerful Elite Ten,
These normally arrogant students felt how small they really were.
"Heh, how rare."
"Rindo didn't participate in the School Festival, but that's just like her."
At the front, Kuga Teruki smiled to himself as he felt the mix of admiration, awe, and fear from the surrounding students.
"Next, we will sing the Totsuki Culinary Academy school song. All students, please rise. Ready... sing..."
As the female host Kawashima Rei finished speaking, the song that broke the sky began to flow like a passionate stream.
After the song stopped, it was officially announced:
The School Festival has begun!
...
Let's first talk about the number of stores in each area.
The Main Avenue Area has 60.
The Central Avenue Area has 40.
And the Mountain Area, centered around the Elite Ten, has 20 stalls!
The objective of the School Festival is for each stall to avoid a deficit within 5 days to pass.
Under these conditions, some confident students chose stalls in the temporary area, hoping to compete with the Elite Ten. But someone like Kuga Teruki, who placed his stall in the Central Area, was rare.
At this moment, a total of 120 stalls began attracting a continuous stream of customers.
The entire Totsuki Academy presented the most prosperous scene!
...
"Let me see."
"In the Main Avenue Area, a dish must be priced between 500 to 1000 yen."
"In the Central Area, it's 1000 to 5000 yen."
"As for the Mountain Area, each dish must be priced over 5000 yen?"
At this moment, standing at the first stall in the Main Avenue Area, Rindo couldn't help but make a meaningful comment as she looked at the "School Festival Travel Guide Map" in her hand.
But then, she couldn't hide her excitement and smiled.
"Alright, let's start with the first stall!"
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