Full Complaint Mode Activated

Head Chef Dai finished speaking and looked nervously at Jiang Hao.

Jiang Hao took a couple bites, nodded, and wore an expression of enjoyment on his face.

"Great stuff."

"As the poem goes: 'Sea fish with sandy jade skin, minced flesh in rich golden sauce. Served from afar to honored guests, no need to adorn a treasured sword. I'm poor and rarely eat such fare, but your kindness makes it bountiful. In the end I'll dine on simple greens, yet this taste leaves no regret.' That's praising shark fin."

Hearing Jiang Hao say this, Head Chef Dai's tense expression visibly relaxed.

"Too bad, though~"

At those two words, Head Chef Dai's just-relaxed heart clenched. Damn it, what the hell was this bastard going to say now?

Zhen Xiaoqiu kept up the straight-man act. "Too bad about what?"

Jiang Hao set down his spoon, turned his face to the camera, and spoke with ease:

"Shark fin has many classifications. By origin, Sea Tiger Fin naturally ranks first, along with Galeo Fin from the Galeo ray, Tianjiu Fin from cowhide sharks and basking sharks, and below that Butterfly Green Fin, Green Slice Fin, Toothpick Fin, and so on."

"By part, there's Tail Fin, Spine Fin, and Wing Fin."

"This bowl of braised fin has decent technique and full flavor. Too bad the fin material used is only low-grade Butterfly Green Fin, and even the cheapest Wing Fin at that."

"All I can say is, the cooking's good, the ingredients aren't. As for a score, I can only give it a 5."

After saying this, Jiang Hao shook his head helplessly, putting on a pitying air.

"A 5, still failing. Isn't that a bit low? I thought it was really tasty." Zhen Xiaoqiu chimed in at just the right moment.

Jiang Hao spread his hands. "Can't help it. If he'd written 'Rich Broth Shark Fin,' I wouldn't have scored it so low. But his menu says 'Fresh Crab Meat Braised Sea Tiger Fin.' Using the Sea Tiger shark's name like that borders on cheating the customer."

"And look at the price—a bowl of soup costs several thousand. He's clearly selling it as a premium item, so I can only give it a failing grade."

These words were a bit cutting.

The cheapness or costliness of ingredients is only one aspect of fine food. Many dishes use the most ordinary ingredients yet produce the most delicious results. But if it comes with a gimmick that deceives customers, passing off inferior goods as quality, that's a whole different matter.

On the surface, Jiang Hao was explaining and clarifying, but underneath he'd already driven a knife deep, drawing blood with one strike. Head Chef Dai's face turned even uglier.

He now hesitated to introduce the other dishes, afraid Jiang Hao would tear into them again.

The cameraman captured all these scenes. When they edited it back at the studio, it would definitely be entertaining.

A flicker of amusement passed through Zhen Xiaoqiu's eyes as she looked at Head Chef Dai. "Head Chef Dai, please continue introducing the next dishes. I think the audience must be dying to know how they're made."

Head Chef Dai gritted his teeth and pointed at the Official Grade Abalone. "This abalone is prepared using the traditional method of clay pot charcoal fire. Pork ribs and old chicken are simmered into a broth for seasoning. No other seasonings are added. It's cooked for over twelve hours before it's ready. We usually prepare it the night before and sell it to customers today."

"The abalone we make is perfectly intact, like a fried egg, with a full, soft center. Original flavor, original color, delicious and fresh—it leaves an endless aftertaste."

"There's a saying: 'One bite of abalone, one bite of gold.' The texture is tender and fresh, and it has excellent medicinal and nourishing effects. It can nourish yin and beautify the skin, moisten and supplement without causing heat or dryness, and even help prevent high blood pressure and diabetes. It's cholesterol-free and benefits the liver and eyes."

Head Chef Dai waved for the waitstaff to portion the abalone onto plates in front of everyone. Jiang Hao picked up his knife and fork and cut into it. Sure enough, it sliced cleanly with no effort. He stabbed a piece and put it in his mouth—the texture was rich, smooth, and creamy.

Delicious!

Ding~ Collected one "Taste of Gourmet Food." Collector, keep up the good work.

Not bad. Three percent now.

After finishing the abalone, everyone looked at Jiang Hao again, waiting for his performance. Head Chef Dai stared at him fiercely. If he were Superman, he'd shoot laser beams and kill this bastard.

His two sous-chefs also looked tense, wondering what Jiang Hao would tear into next.

Wiping the corner of his mouth with a napkin, Jiang Hao chuckled. His laugh was crisp, but to Head Chef Dai and his crew, it grated on the ears—they wished they could just shove a stick in his mouth.

A stick.

"Since you dared to use the name 'Official Grade Abalone,' you must know that only abalone with four heads or larger can be called official grade. Take a look at yours—does it even have four heads? I doubt it reaches five."

"And besides, the world's most famous abalone is Japanese Dried Abalone. What you're using is Australian Abalone."

Head Chef Dai had endured the roasting for a while and finally couldn't hold back, speaking angrily: "What's wrong with Australian Abalone? Australian Abalone is good abalone too!"

"How could it be the same? Hah, that line only fools amateurs." Jiang Hao looked at Head Chef Dai with a slightly contemptuous gaze.

"Japanese Dried Abalone, Middle Eastern Dried Abalone, South African Dried Abalone, Australian Dried Abalone—these types rank in quality and price in that order. Japanese Dried Abalone is the most expensive and naturally the tastiest. Australian Abalone is the cheapest of the lot. Why? Because it's not as good as the others. Do I really need to explain such a simple point?"

Jiang Hao left Head Chef Dai speechless. This kind of thing could fool diners who didn't know any better, but in front of someone in the know, he had no rebuttal.

By now, Head Chef Dai's gaze at Jiang Hao carried murderous intent. If he could, he'd grab a frying pan and smack this guy dead.

"Coconut Sugar Bird's Nest. Everyone, please try it." Head Chef Dai was in a foul mood and didn't bother introducing it, just having the waitstaff serve it directly.

Seeing Head Chef Dai stay silent, Jiang Hao took the initiative and spoke to Zhen Xiaoqiu and the camera. "Xiaoqiu, you should eat more of this dish."

"Why's that?"

"Because bird's nest is very nourishing for women. It moisturizes the lungs, nourishes yin, and strengthens the stomach. Long-term consumption lets a woman glow with beauty from the inside out. It's a top beauty product."

Zhen Xiaoqiu's eyes lit up. "Really? Then I'll have plenty."

She scooped a spoonful into her mouth and couldn't help exclaiming, "Wow, light and sweet, delicious and tasty. The flavor's really great!"

Jiang Hao took a couple bites too. After receiving the system prompt that his task value had increased a bit, he set down his spoon and said, "It's not bad, but there are still plenty of issues."

"What issues? I think it's great." Zhen Xiaoqiu asked.

At this point, the camera cut back to Head Chef Dai, whose face was already flushed with anger, teetering on the edge of eruption.

"These bird's nests are clearly farmed ones. Hmph, as for quality... let's just say they're so-so," Jiang Hao said.

Head Chef Dai snapped at that, leaping forward and shouting, "Which restaurant these days isn't using farmed bird's nests? Go ahead, find me some wild ones to look at."

"That's why I said so-so. I can't go against my conscience and claim these nests are top-tier," Jiang Hao said, smiling at Head Chef Dai.

Jiang Hao's words were infuriating enough to kill.

Head Chef Dai's chest heaved violently.