WGO Gourmet Division in Japan.
Mana was lounging in a chair by the window.
She held a steaming cup of coffee, her gaze dreamy as she looked outside.
Perhaps she was thinking of something interesting, as a smile played on her lips, making her seem detached from the world, enjoying a rare moment of peace and serenity.
If you looked closely, her hair was a bit messy.
But it added to her unique charm, a touch of allure!
She gently stroked the rim of her cup with her fingers, her movements elegant and slow.
Lazy!
Composed!
In this moment, these traits were on full display.
...
"Lady Mana, Asahi is here."
Anne entered the room, looking slightly tense but respectful.
"Mm."
"Let him in."
Mana nodded and left her chair, moving to the sofa.
Soon after, a young man in a black cloak and mask slipped into the room.
Seeing Mana on the sofa, he quickly bowed and greeted her in a raspy voice, "Lady Mana!"
"No need to be so formal. Find a seat."
Mana said lightly.
Her noble and majestic presence was overwhelming.
Even Asahi, who had defeated many elite chefs, felt a shiver of fear.
Asahi represented the dark forces behind the Midnight Chefs.
After becoming an adult, he had defeated all opponents in the dark chef competitions and became the leader of the dark culinary world.
As a Special Executive Officer of WGO.
Mana had plans to secretly support the Midnight Chefs.
In other words.
She and Asahi were deeply connected.
Today's wave of restaurant closures across Japan was her plan, carried out by the Midnight Chefs.
On the surface, it looked like the Midnight Chefs were causing chaos and destroying Japan's culinary world, but...
In reality.
Asahi and his team were merely Mana's pawns.
Though she once appeared submissive, overly fascinated by Zane's cooking, as her network of influence emerged, the entire culinary world trembled!
What was her goal?
What was the point of her actions?
Mana was an enigma!
The only certainty was:
She had genuine feelings for Zane.
...
"How are things going?"
Mana glanced at Asahi before picking up her coffee cup, about to take a sip.
But suddenly, she remembered something and put the cup down.
"Except for Kojirou Shinomiya's SHINO'S branch in Tokyo, all other WGO-certified one-star restaurants have been destroyed!" Asahi reported truthfully.
"Oh!"
"And then?"
Mana asked, neither happy nor angry.
"Over a thousand high-end restaurants, two five-star hotels, five four-star hotels, and two two-star restaurants have all closed!"
Asahi continued.
"Good."
"For such results in one day, you've done well."
Mana finally smiled with satisfaction.
"It's an honor to serve you, Lady Mana!"
Asahi humbly replied.
"Mm. Continue with the plan. I want the entire culinary industry in Japan to be in turmoil within a month because of your actions!"
Mana's eyes flashed with determination.
"Yes, Lady Mana!"
Asahi pounded his chest and replied firmly.
Then he sensibly retreated.
...
The restaurant business is part of the service industry.
And a characteristic of the service industry is human labor. With human labor, what changes occur?
In business, if the product and service categories change, it can lead to massive industry transformations, known as "normal distribution" and "power-law distribution."
To put it simply:
When many people enter an industry, it's hard to have oligopolies or monopolies.
These groups are mostly in the middle, creating a normal distribution.
Conversely, fewer participants and noticeable oligopoly or monopoly create a power-law distribution.
As time goes on.
The restaurant industry's classifications have become less rigid.
There's a mix of low and high-end consumption. For example, at Yuxingji in Shanghai, a scallion oil noodle costs 18 yuan, and shrimp and pork dishes are 22 yuan, suggesting it's a mid-low-end eatery.
But with a crab roe noodle priced at 138 yuan, it reaches mid-high-end standards in ingredients and price.
In Shenzhen's Yesui Mountain.
Regular molecular fruit juices are only about 20 yuan.
But olive juice ranges from 108 to 1000 yuan.
Wenling Yichengyi Coffee's milk is 18 yuan, but the most expensive coffee is 3888 yuan.
Strictly speaking.
High-end isn't defined by one ingredient or price.
But in essence, they've established a high-end market beyond their brand positioning.
It's not just mid and low-end moving up; high-end is moving down. Some hotel menus offer 500 to 3000 yuan items and affordable dishes...
...
However, to Mana with the God Tongue.
No matter how expensive a restaurant or high-end the ingredients, they were all "trash" to her.
Perhaps seeing the current culinary world's decay and darkness, she decided to use the Midnight Chefs to destroy it!
"Alas!"
"In just one day."
"All the one-star restaurants in Japan have closed."
"At this rate, Japan will have no restaurants left, and people will have to cook at home!"
Anne saw Mana's intent and the gravity of the situation, and sighed deeply.
"I just want to see."
"How far these surface chefs can go."
"And whether the Midnight Chefs, led by Asahi, have the strength to lead the next era."
Mana said.
"Lady Mana."
"You're going to plunge the entire culinary world into despair."
"So that little tavern owner will have to step up and save the day by defeating the Midnight Chefs..."
"Anne!"
"That's enough."
Mana quickly stopped Anne from speaking further.
Indeed, countless restaurants, hotels, and eateries across Japan would be destroyed by the Midnight Chefs, and some chefs might even resort to suicide due to the pressure!
Perhaps Anne was right; this would be the greatest blow the Japanese culinary world had ever faced!
But during this upheaval.
The Midnight Chefs' influence would grow rapidly, and they would openly promote their culinary philosophy.
And the surface chefs trying to resist might find it impossible.
The only variable was Zane.
...
Hainan Island's cuisine.
It's not easy to accept at first bite.
But it grows on you. Many people get stuck at the first hurdle.
In fact.
Hainan cuisine emphasizes ingredients over methods.
Dishes like coconut chicken, sour vinegar, Wenchang chicken, and steamed crab require fresh ingredients.
In the best coconut chicken hot pot places, chickens are slaughtered upon order.
Yeah!
If it doesn't taste good to some.
It's because different chefs create varied results.
If you go to the most authentic places—Pu Qian's sour vinegar, Wenchang's Qingbuliang, and Lingao's roasted suckling pig—you'll find them delicious.
To be honest, Hainan's food needs an adjustment period.
Few people immediately love local Hainan food at first bite.
For example, Zane, in a previous life, struggled with the white-cut chicken with sauce, disliked the name "sour vinegar," and found the rice noodles strange. Only Qingbuliang, which was sweet and refreshing, was enjoyable. He even found coconut water a bit off.
But.
After staying a while.
These foods grew on him!
...
The moon quietly rose.
Silver moonlight bathed the earth, cloaking everything in a soft glow.
Street lamps lit up, casting warm halos in the night. Pedestrians hurried by, and cars left trails of blurry taillights like shooting stars.
As Shunkatei, Kirinoya, Ristorante F, and other one-star restaurants closed.
The tavern remained open as usual!
At that moment.
Zane was preparing a large coconut.
First, he split the coconut open.
Then poured out the coconut water.
The old coconut shell was thick with coconut meat, and the meat was full of milk and oil, rich in nutrients, fragrant, and nourishing!
He used a scraper to scrape the coconut meat, leaving it inside the shell.
He cut the chicken into pieces, blanched it, then put the chicken into the coconut, added coconut juice, and some salt, and steamed the entire coconut.
This method of making coconut chicken.
Is the simplest and purest among various methods!
...
Coconut is sweet and mild.
Its flesh nourishes and strengthens, invigorates and expels wind, kills parasites, and long-term consumption enhances complexion and stamina.
Thus, it holds high economic value!
In tropical regions, dishes like coconut chicken are common. But for Erina, who lived in Northern Europe, it was surprising.
Regarding coconuts, old ones are sweeter, young ones are slightly tart.
The tricky part is the chicken.
Generally.
Any meat-type chicken works.
Specific breeds like Qingyuan chicken, Huasi chicken, Xinghua chicken, ancient chicken, Xiyan chicken.
Hens are often used. Roosters are usually capons. Both are authentic for Wenchang chicken, with hens and capons at the right age.
Local Hainan hens, around 120 days of mountain activity, start laying eggs, losing nutrients.
Capons get more nutritious with age, but aren't suitable for coconut chicken. 180-200 day-old capons are ideal.
Younger chickens lack flavor, older ones are tough. Dual-purpose breeds are likely unsuitable.
Egg-laying hens… even less recommended!
...
"This new dish, is it coconut chicken?"
A diner, and the new Director, Erina, blinked and asked.
"Yes."
"It's coconut chicken."
Busy Zane smiled and replied.
In Hainan, four famous ingredients are:
Wenchang chicken.
Jiaji duck.
Dongshan goat.
Le crab.
Dishes made from these ingredients are Hainan's unique flavors.
Coconut chicken, known throughout Lingnan, is made with Wenchang chicken and
coconut. Given the conditions, Zane used a different chicken, but the dish would still delight Erina and others!
The chicken's skin is crisp, the meat tender and flavorful, paired with special sauces, it's:
Delicious!
...
First bite.
The first sensation is freshness, followed by saltiness.
Then sweetness follows, pleasing everyone with different tastes.
"Coconut meat is delicate and soft, coconut water is sweet and fresh."
"Though rich in minerals, the coconut water and meat are fragrant, combined with tender chicken, it's irresistible for my God Tongue!"
One bite, and Erina was hooked.
Coconut chicken blends summer flavors with chicken.
The taste is wonderful, breaking conventional cooking methods, creating a dish with beauty, flavor, and nutrition.
Coconut aroma.
The broth is light and refreshing.
Lastly, the coconut chicken broth is drinkable.
The coconut's taste, with chicken's freshness, brings immense happiness in one bowl.
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