Food Wars: Tavern

Late at night, filled with mystery and tranquility.

The heavy rain had finally stopped, and the two satisfied girls, Rindo and Momo, left the tavern.

Perhaps a long-standing dilemma had been resolved, or maybe Zane's charm had left Momo with a happy smile on her face throughout the journey.

On the other hand, Rindo didn't seem as thrilled.

Her belly was a bit swollen, and unexpectedly, she let out a satisfied burp in the end!

"Ah~"

"That was refreshing!"

"I feel like Chef Zane's cooking has improved again. This meal was exceptionally satisfying."

Savoring the delicious flavors of all the dishes, Rindo couldn't help but admire them.

"Rindo, I'm truly grateful to you."

"If it weren't for you, I wouldn't have known there was such an interesting tavern on this food street."

Holding the bear with missing hands and stealing a glance at Rindo, Momo found her not as annoying as before!

"Peach!"

"I must say."

"You seem overly enthusiastic today."

"It's one thing to talk to Chef Zane, but to give him a pair of heat-resistant gloves at the end!"

Seeing Momo's absent-mindedness, Rindo's golden eyes turned mischievous, then she couldn't help but tease.

"Yeah, Chef Zane is a chef worthy of my respect."

Blushing with the teddy bear in her arms, Momo confessed.

"Respect?"

"It's not as simple as that, is it?"

Seeing her look, Rindo smirked and teasingly asked.

Momo knew what that meant, so she stared at Rindo with an exasperated look and blushed even more.

"At first, I was somewhat skeptical of his abilities."

"But that stunning souffle dessert at the end truly moved me."

"In the realm of desserts, honestly, I... I would call him the best dessert chef!"

"The best? That's quite something..."

Rindo was surprised by Momo's high praise for Zane, despite just meeting him briefly!

However, considering the taste of the souffle, she understood.

After successfully graduating from Totsuki Academy, these individuals are considered elite.

After graduation, most of them become leaders in Japan's culinary world, even at the forefront of the industry.

Though they will each choose different paths after graduation, their achievements are remarkable!

For example:

Like Kojirō Shinomiya, one of the Top Ten.

After graduation, he chose to develop his skills in France and independently managed a French restaurant.

In a short time, he achieved the "Pluspol" accolade.

Therefore, Totsuki's Top Ten graduates are highly sought after in the industry upon graduation.

So hearing Rindo's intention to work at the tavern after graduation, Momo couldn't help but feel shocked!

But after calming down, she realized that Rindo's decision was not impulsive!

"As I see it, you want to work at the tavern."

"But are you just after Chef Zane's... well, his cooking?"

"In the end, working as a chef there would allow you to eat his dishes every day."

Seeing through Rindo's intentions, Momo replied without hiding anything.

"Peach, seeing through but not saying it out loud!"

"Hehe, I see numerous possibilities in him. Working at the tavern might not make me fall behind others after all!"

After saying this, Rindo quickened her pace, walking ahead cheerfully.

While Momo, behind her, was briefly taken aback before lowering her head in contemplation.

...

Midnight.

The tavern finally closed!

After spending two nights together, Erina's impression of Zane had changed significantly.

She glanced at him and softly said, "Zane, are you ready to close?"

"Yes, almost."

"Really?"

"The 5-hour operation time of the tavern is too short!"

After grumbling a bit, Erina prepared to leave the tavern.

Surely, she had many thoughts she wanted to share with Zane, but time passed quickly, and she couldn't delay his closing and rest, right?

Before she left, she glanced deeply at Zane and said, "Actually, with your abilities, there's no need for you to run a tavern."

"If you have ideas, bigger aspirations, I can go back and tell Grandpa."

"Have him hire you as a teacher at the Totsuki Academy, no, as a professor!"

"That way, after the start of Totsuki's term, you can achieve even greater things on that big stage!"

Leaving these words behind, Erina left the tavern without looking back. And as she and Hisako departed, the entire tavern closed for the day.

—----------

In a typical tavern.

Wooden tables, chairs, and various details exuded a warm and nostalgic atmosphere.

On the walls, aside from an old-fashioned wall clock, there were paintings, paper fans, and more, creating a vibe reminiscent of an ancient town.

Customers who came here mostly ordered quickly and drank, some specifically came for Chef Zane's cuisine and just ate without drinking.

If alone, they would typically glance at their phones, read manga, newspapers, novels, sometimes engaging in conversation with the chef.

As for groups of three or five customers, they would drink and chat together.

Currently, the best-selling item at Zane's tavern was grilled meat, available in two flavors: sauce and salt!

Sometimes, customers, lazy to choose between the two flavors, or wanting to try something different, would leave the flavor choice to Zane.

Hence at the tavern, you could find grilled meat with tomato sauce, egg yolk sauce, and more.

In such a rich offering of food and drinks.

Every customer who visited the tavern could delight in a feast for the taste buds and experience the unique charm of Zane's cooking!

In fact, for the transmigrated Zane.

On the first day, he met Rindo and became neighbors with Sonoka.

These two seemingly coincidental but destined events made him realize that as a transmigrant, he couldn't separate himself from this world.

On one hand, his running tavern.

Will gradually gain recognition for his culinary skills, attracting many important figures.

He even had a premonition that in less than half a year, this tavern would be targeted by the World Gourmet Organization.

On the other hand, Totsuki's Academy's influence in Japan's culinary world is quite formidable.

Therefore, him running the tavern here will eventually lead to contact with them.

However, in truth, Zane really didn't want to get involved in this mess!

Just like how Eriana hoped he would go to Totsuki Academy to pursue a different career, rather than stay at the tavern.

But in his eyes, Totsuki's Academy's "survival of the fittest" education method wasn't something he agreed with; he actually felt a bit repulsed by it.

Even though after layers of competition, only elite chefs remained. 

These chefs had exceptional culinary skills and unique abilities, but no matter how skilled someone is, they still have weaknesses and problems.

Some people might have bad luck, or a single flaw could lead to one or two failures.

Just one failure could crush their future aspirations, destroying their prospects entirely!

Furthermore, the entire academy was too focused on competition and winning.

This could make many students neglect growth in other aspects, even exacerbating conflicts between students.

Although there were relatively fair "Food War" rules to balance and constrain various factions.

In the end, all the conflicts and issues within the academy erupted when the Top Ten collectively betrayed and the Commander stepped down, which caused chaos!

Therefore, knowing the plot well, Zane naturally wouldn't choose to develop at Totsuki Academy!

[Ding Dong!]

[Host, successful check-in!]

[Ding Dong!]

[For this check-in, the host obtained the recipe for Wensi Tofu, the special recipe Ascending Dragon Dumplings, and one standard cooking utensil, Chinese Iron PotX1!]

After the hustle.

The system voice finally rang out again.

Similar to yesterday's check-in rewards, first was the Chinese Iron Pot—a unique cooking utensil exclusive to China.

Made of iron, it has high durability and corrosion resistance.

It's quite durable; with proper care, it can be used for many years, even decades.

Hmm!

To put it bluntly.

Even after a person is gone, this iron pot may still remain.

Iron is a good conductor of heat, so it has excellent heat transfer characteristics.

During cooking, the iron pot can quickly transfer heat to the ingredients, making cooking more even and efficient.

It also has a wide range of uses suitable for stir-frying, stewing, boiling, baking, frying, and other cooking methods.

Of course.

It's only downside is that it's heavy.

Without strong arm and wrist strength, without skilled flipping skills, it can be difficult to stir-fry ingredients.

Next, there was the recipe for Wensi Tofu.

Although eating Wensi Tofu at the tavern might seem odd.

However, at Zane's tavern, there was an unwritten rule: as long as there are ready ingredients, or guests can make it themselves, customers can order any dish.

That's probably the reason why, since opening, the tavern's business has been booming.

 After all, the tavern values freedom and casualness; if they don't have the dish customers want, it will naturally dampen many customers' excitement!

As everyone knows, Chinese cuisine has eight major regional cuisines, namely:

- Sichuan Cuisine!

- Shandong Cuisine!

- Huaiyang Cuisine!

- Cantonese Cuisine!

- Zhejiang Cuisine!

- Fujian Cuisine!

- Hunan Cuisine!

- Anhui Cuisine!

Among them, Huaiyang Cuisine is known for its intricate knife work, especially renowned for melon carving.

One of the most representative dishes is the Wensi Tofu, where tofu is sliced into fine strands resembling hair.

Legend has it that during the Qing Dynasty, a monk named Wensi practiced at the Tianning Temple in Yangzhou.

Due to the large number of Buddhist laymen visiting the temple to burn incense, the issue of providing vegetarian meals arose.

So, he developed tofu dishes with varied transformations, creating a tofu banquet.

One of the dishes featured tender tofu with enoki mushrooms, wood ear mushrooms, greens, shredded bamboo shoots, and shredded shiitake mushrooms in a tofu stew.

The taste?

Deliciously sweet and savory with a lasting flavor!

Additionally, it had a great appearance, attracting many visitors to taste it at the temple.

One day, Emperor Qianlong traveled south to Jiangnan and passed through Yangzhou. He heard about the beautiful scenery at Tianning Temple and decided to visit.

After trying this dish, he was very satisfied and included it in the palace cuisine, naming it "Wensi Tofu."

Indeed.

There are countless dishes in the world.

But not all dishes are simple; following a recipe doesn't necessarily guarantee success.

For example: this Wensi Tofu dish requires skill in knife work, precise cooking times, seasoning, all of which need guidance from skilled chefs.

Furthermore, one must continuously accrue experience and practice for a long time to master it.

"Wensi Tofu?"

"It's actually a good Chinese dish!"

Muttering to himself, Zane redirected his focus to the special recipe for Ascending Dragon Dumplings!

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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!