Free Web NovelChapter 556: Chapter 468: Playing Matchmaker, Lucas the Worrier
"You?"
Zhao Shun looked him up and down skeptically.
"You have a girlfriend?"
"Uh, no, but..."
"No buts, go get a girl first, then come back and talk to me."
Zhao Shun pushed away the golden kiwi, rolling his eyes dramatically.
"Most annoying are single guys who think they’re all that and try to play wingman. If they’re so good, why are they still single? Trying to fool me?"
Lucas scratched his nose in slight frustration, still not giving up, turning his head to look at the two pretty waitress ladies next to the stove, as well as the vibrant figures weaving between the guests.
"Tsk, I don’t believe it, with so many girls here, there’s not one interested in this kid?"
"As the saying goes, to win a woman’s heart, you must first win her stomach!"
"Western girls’ aesthetics are different from Panda girls; skills are more important than looks."
"With this kid’s baking skills, flirting should be a piece of cake!"
Thinking of the sweet soup he needed to make in the morning, and the dessert special he recorded a few days ago, Lucas’s lips slowly curled into a smile.
"Just wait, kid, soon you’ll be thanking me!"
Though the stoves were plenty, operating them with just three people had a speed limit; for now, they could only use six at once.
After Zhao Shun and Old Chen completed the initial steps, they immediately switched places with Lin Chen, letting him take charge of the wok tossing.
The three of them began working together quite smoothly, and as the number of Three Treasures Tofu Skins being served increased, their synergy and proficiency also rapidly improved.
Sometimes they didn’t even need to shout instructions; just a hand gesture and they understood each other perfectly.
Apart from tossing the wok, Lin Chen wasn’t idle either; he skillfully pressed the sticky rice needed for the next batch onto plates and placed them on the adjacent stove for standby.
Whenever he stepped away from the stove, a server would immediately push a trolley filled with takeout boxes to start plating.
Under the high-speed operation of the three of them, they could produce three batches of Three Treasures Tofu Skins every five minutes, which was 108 pieces.
Even if each person ordered four pieces, it was enough for twenty-seven guests, not to mention those who only ordered two or three pieces.
When these three batches were finished, the next three were almost ready, achieving seamless service.
Before long, the open-air dining area was packed with people.
The guests who couldn’t find seats weren’t upset, carrying their boxes to the restaurant or the beach to find a comfy spot to enjoy their meal.
Dreya and Anna each bought four portions of Three Treasures Tofu Skins and had just sat down for a few minutes. During the time it took to snap a photo, all the empty seats around them were taken.
"Hurry up and eat, it’ll get cold!"
Anna glanced at the dozen or so photos she’d just taken, impatiently putting her phone down.
"I’m starving to death, all these pics, it’s not easy maintaining a celebrity persona."
"Social media updates are a must."
Dreya, unhurried, put her phone down too, moving her box closer. "If you want to become popular, you have to ride the wave."
"While Lin’s popularity is rising, riding on it can quickly gain you thousands of followers."
"Once your influence grows, endorsements will naturally come looking for you."
"Okay, okay, both my ears heard you!"
Anna giggled, eagerly picking up a piece of Three Treasures Tofu Skin and examining it closely.
The thin rice skin blended with egg was golden yellow and white, its surface fried to a crinkly texture, with crispy yellow folds that looked very enticing.
The sticky rice wrapped inside was distinct, its surface glistening under the sunlight with a crystal-like sheen.
Just by looking, she could tell that this rice would have a different texture from ordinary rice.
But to know exactly how it differed, she would have to taste it.
Seeing her focus entirely on the food, Dreya could only smile and shake her head, not mentioning work again, and took a big bite of her Three Treasures Tofu Skin.
Unlike any fried food she’d had before, the rice skin on top was surprisingly soft and bouncy, with a rich rice aroma mingling with the egg’s fragrance spreading throughout her mouth.
Soon, she bit into the sticky rice underneath.
The sticky rice had a marvelous texture, with distinct grains, slightly firm yet chewy, and the rice aroma was more pronounced than regular rice.
The lard in the sauce had thoroughly seeped into every grain, the salty flavor completely absorbed by the sticky rice, complemented by the crispy bamboo shoots and soft mushrooms, each bite bursting with flavor.
Being already familiar with Chinese seasoning, she wasn’t surprised, rather it felt comforting.
The taste was one she’d never experienced, but the soy sauce was practically a hallmark flavor of Chinese cuisine, making her feel like she was home.
"It’s delicious!"
Next to her, Anna’s cheeks were puffed out, making her resemble a hamster, as she mumbled with shining eyes.
"The dishes from Lin here truly suit my taste; I could eat them every day and never tire of them. I really want to travel to Great Xia for a few months and see just how delicious the local cuisine is!"
"Then why don’t you go?"
Dreya ate elegantly, in stark contrast to Anna.
"It wouldn’t be much fun by myself. Don’t you want to go too?"
"I do," Dreya nodded, "but I’d need to have free time. You know my schedule is already booked till after October, unlike you who has it so easy."
"Sometimes I’m really envious of you; you don’t have to work, and no one rushes you. At most, you just get a few words from Leo. Your time is so free."
"Unlike me, my time’s not my own; I’m like a puppet string being dragged around by others."
"Oh, regretting being a star?"
"Not at all," Dreya turned to Anna, smiled, "Life is like that, with gains come losses, but at least I love my job and realized my dreams."
"My dreams..."
Anna tilted her head in thought for a moment, then shook her head, "Forget it, I have too many dreams, let’s go with the flow~"
"Anyway, right now my dream has been realized, which is having a holiday and eating good food!!"
While Lin Chen swiftly prepared meals in an orderly manner, Raphael had somehow left the kitchen and arrived on-site.
After watching Lin Chen a few times, he took some ingredients himself and started experimenting at the food cart.
In Western cuisine, rice products are rarely used, especially crushed and ground into a paste-like state.
He felt that the rice batter could surely be used in many ways, a skill he must learn!
Additionally, the unique texture of glutinous rice could also create many new combinations.
The longer he stayed by Lin Chen’s side, the more he found himself unable to leave.
There were simply too many new things to learn, and one could never finish learning.
The Great Xia dining styles are vast in variety, compared to Western cuisine, it outshines in both interest and appearance.
At least from his personal perspective, Western cuisine’s so-called innovation was more like child’s play, lacking any true creativity.
Unlike Chinese cuisine which blooms in full scope, innovating in taste, form, and presentation.
If he could, he’d even want to undergo systematic Chinese cuisine training to see what distinguishes it from Western culinary teachings, producing such creative chefs.
In theory, Western education should be more capable of igniting creativity, right?
While pondering over recent plans in his mind, Raphael quickly finished making the rice and egg wrappers, stuffing and wrapping ingredients inside, drizzling a bit of lard around the pan edges, and casually flicked his wrist forward.
The stuffed bean curd skins arced beautifully in the air, landing steadily back in the pan, showing the already golden-brown other side.
"So that’s how it is."
Lost in thought, he shook the pan several more times, seemingly savoring the sensation of flipping it.
Although Western cooking doesn’t require pan-flipping, that doesn’t mean he can’t do it.
Many dishes cooked in a flat pan because the pan is close to the flame, creating a similar taste and texture to fire-cooked food through quick flipping techniques.
It’s not used much normally but is an essential skill to master.
The round shape of the Chinese iron wok, though unfamiliar to him, made flipping easier instead.
Relying on years of experience and touch, he wasn’t surprised at all by his success on the first attempt, his expression remained calm and collected.
Being an old chef of twenty-odd years, if such a small thing still caused emotional fluctuation, that’d be a failure.
Most new chefs working on cutting and preparation nearby didn’t know Raphael, but they were aware some head chefs occasionally appear due to pre-job research.
Seeing him casually flipping the pan single-handedly, admiration and envy shone in their eyes.
"He’s likely one of the Michelin Chefs?"
"Such strong skills, perfectly recreating the dish after just watching a few demos without being present before; when can I reach such a level?"
"I thought pan-flipping was a special Chinese technique, but this chef can do it too; I must practice it well in future."
Every person reflected a few lines inwardly, increasingly glad about their decision to apply here.
With Michelin Chefs coming to learn and exchange ideas, why hesitate?
If they could stay, their culinary careers would be a breeze!
Thinking this, everyone’s eyes burned with determination, increasing their pace in slicing ingredients.
Suddenly, the room filled with the rhythmic ’da da da’ sound of chopping.
Lucas, having finished basic photography, held onto his camera, wandering around to find more shots.
Simultaneously, his gaze lingered on each beautiful server, trying to pick a suitable candidate.
With the camera in hand, servers didn’t think much of it, even offering sweet smiles, thinking he was searching for suitable subjects to photograph.
