Mountainside Area.
The sales rankings for each booth have just been tallied.
Unexpectedly, the top-ranked booth was Momo's dessert restaurant, while Erina's restaurant ranked third!
Additionally, two booths showed deficits: Soma's booth in the Central Area, where he faced a disastrous defeat against Kuga, and Alice's booth in the Main Avenue Area, which ranked last.
At this moment, in a simple yet stylishly decorated booth, various molecular gastronomy dishes were displayed under transparent glass domes.
They were oddly shaped, like eggs, caviar, chocolate, and even screws, dazzling the eyes.
The booth's owner was a young chef with short silver hair. She wore a neat white lab coat, and her tools moved with precision, as if she were conducting an art project!
The booth was filled with various utensils:
Blenders.
Separators.
Pipettes.
Test tubes.
Alcohol burners.
Slow cookers.
With precise measurements and proportions, simple ingredients were often transformed into stunning molecular dishes!
Passersby couldn't help but be curious and place orders, and Alice would quickly get to work.
Today's most popular item was egg jelly. She used a straw to draw juice into a special container, added the right amount of gelling agent, gently stirred, and poured it into molds.
In no time, a colorful jelly emerged.
Besides egg jelly, there was ice cream made with liquid nitrogen, soft and refreshing, and foam coffee made with special techniques, light and aromatic...
These creative dishes were visually striking and very appealing.
...
"Huh? I'm ranked last?"
As the sun set, Alice was shocked to learn she had a deficit.
"Young Miss," said Ryo, selling seafood ramen nearby, "I told you that in running a booth, you must consider costs. You spent so much on these instruments; of course, you're in the red."
"Molecular gastronomy needs instruments, just like traditional chefs need knives."
Alice shrugged, feeling helpless.
Molecular gastronomy requires many tools.
And the School Festival has strict cost limits for each booth.
She spent most of her money on equipment, so she had to cut costs elsewhere!
Though she felt helpless, she wasn't too worried. After all, it was only the first day. She could still find ways to increase her revenue over the next few days.
"Equipment is just one issue."
"Your menu is too diverse. You try to showcase all aspects of molecular gastronomy."
"Customers may be impressed, but none of your dishes leave a lasting impression."
"Don't you see?"
"Many customers sample a bit of your food and move on to the next booth without any attachment."
Ryo gave her a warning look.
"Huh?"
"You mean..."
Alice's eyes deepened as she pondered.
...
Dusk settled over Totsuki Academy, casting a golden glow across the sky, as if nature had painted a gradient. The air carried a faint scent of earth and foliage, unique to twilight. The school basked in this tranquil beauty, with swaying trees and dancing flowers, everything harmonizing naturally.
After the first day of the School Festival, the dorm students of Polar Star Dorm gathered, chatting about the day's events.
"Wow, Megumi, your oden booth ranked third in the Main Avenue Area?"
Yuuki, looking a bit tired, was excited as she spoke to Megumi.
"Yeah, it was surprising."
"I think I got lucky since many customers headed straight to my booth after entering."
Megumi scratched her head and laughed.
"If I remember correctly," Ryoko said, blinking, "your booth was the first in the Main Avenue Area?"
"Yes, it's the first one."
Megumi nodded.
"No wonder. The School Festival tests more than cooking skills. Booth location, menu design, ingredient preparation, cost control... many factors affect the ranking."
"For example, in the Mountainside Area, the top spot went to the third seat, Momo, while the first seat, Tsukasa, didn't even make the top five."
Ryoko explained.
"Ugh, we didn't even make the top ten, let alone the top five."
Talking about this, Yuuki felt dejected. She had been confident, but today's results shattered her hopes!
"Though we didn't achieve the desired results, we still made a profit."
"I heard two booths had losses, one belonging to Alice and the other to..."
Ryoko glanced at Soma, sighing.
...
Without the warmth of human interaction, life can be a lonely journey.
Take three parts lean to seven parts fat pork and finely chop it.
Add scallion ginger water, soy sauce, salt, sugar, pepper, and other seasonings, stirring in one direction to make the filling elastic.
Then add a spoonful of hot oil and gradually mix in broth.
Take a rolled dough skin, add the filling, and pinch the edges, creating at least 18 pleats.
Line the steamer basket with oiled paper, place the dumplings in the basket, leaving space between them. Steam over boiling water for 10 minutes until cooked.
...
Typically, a portion of soup dumplings is designed for a single serving, such as:
One dumpling per basket for Yangzhou soup dumplings.
Four per basket for Wuxi dumplings.
Eight per basket for Shanghai Nanxiang dumplings.
Ten per basket for Shaoxing Shengzhou dumplings.
While the sizes vary, being in the same container, they're all broadly categorized as "small baskets." Zane's soup dumplings, in each basket of ten, were meticulously measured.
...
Thin skin, tender meat, white and plump.
These delicate soup dumplings, each like a translucent white jade, had paper-thin skins, appearing as bouncy white rabbits, utterly adorable.
Through the thin skin, the juicy filling was visible.
They were neatly arranged in the steamer basket, exuding a faint fragrance, making mouths water.
"So cute!"
Sonoka's eyes lit up instantly.
She eagerly picked up a dumpling, blowing on it gently.
She poked the skin with chopsticks, and the juice flowed out, making the dumpling even more tempting!
"Sonoka, do you know the right way to eat soup dumplings?" Zane whispered in her ear.
"The right way?"
Sonoka was puzzled.
"Using chopsticks to poke the skin is wrong."
"Soup dumplings are best enjoyed fresh out of the steamer when the skin is most delicate."
"If you're too rough, the skin breaks, and the soup spills."
"So, be gentle."
"See the thicker skin on top? Hold it there and wiggle it to break the connection with the steamer gently."
"This way, you get a whole dumpling."
"Don't rush to eat. Place it on a spoon, bite a small corner, and sip the soup. Then enjoy the dumpling!"
...
Sonoka was amazed by the detailed instructions.
She never thought a small soup dumpling had such an eating method.
"Can't I just eat it whole?"
She regained composure and asked with a hint of confusion.
"You can!"
"No rule says you must eat a dumpling in a certain way."
"But to savor the flavor, you should take your time. Eating it all at once loses the fun."
Zane patiently explained.
"It makes sense."
Sonoka nodded.
She followed Zane's instructions, savoring the dumpling.
Golden crab roe nearly seeped through the light skin. Carefully picking it up and adding crab vinegar, the hot roe blended perfectly with the vinegar.
She bit a small opening, sipped the rich broth, and tasted the filling.
The texture was smooth and firm, perfectly complementing the crab vinegar.
The rich aroma burst in her mouth.
This was the ultimate soup dumpling experience.
The crab roe dumpling had a hint of Japanese flavor, likely from white miso in the meat.
Eating it was a harmonious blend of crab and pork, natural and delightful.
Finally, the flavors exploded on her taste buds.
The best moment of the day had begun!
"This taste... it's incredible."
"The initial burst of broth, the chewy skin, all so surprising."
"Chewing the filling, the tender meat, and broth create a perfect transition."
"And the remaining broth gives an ultimate refreshment."
Sonoka closed her eyes, savoring the moment.
...
"Zane, can you comfort me?"
As Sonoka enjoyed her dumplings, Alice hurriedly entered, her heart easing upon seeing Zane.
The fall from winning the Autumn Selection to losing on the first day of the School Festival was a harsh blow.
She sought comfort in Zane.
"Alice, what happened?"
Seeing Alice's teary eyes, Zane was confused.
"I... I don't know!"
"I prepared a lot for the School Festival, but my earnings were the worst today, with a huge loss."
"Zane, what should I do?"
Alice's eyes brimmed with tears, and she hugged Zane tightly, not wanting to let go.
...
"Uh, tell me exactly what happened."
Zane was bewildered by her actions.
Realizing her mistake, Alice quickly let go, wiped her tears, and explained everything.
"Your poor performance has nothing to do with your preparations."
"Take your egg jelly, for example. It's unique but looks too much like an egg."
"Though it's chocolate and fruit jam, customers won't see that. They'll think it's a boiled egg."
Alice blushed, realizing her oversight. She hadn't considered this perspective.
Now, it made sense why tired customers didn't enjoy such sweet dishes.
"The key is in the presentation."
"Use a computer to design a cute shape. Add curry's aromatic spice, and you'll attract many customers, especially children who love unique-looking food!"
"Huh? Design cute shapes?"
Alice was stunned by Zane's advice.
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