Tamamo Cat's Friendship / Wasting Food Is a Barbaric Practice

This made Yuxian very excited. Ryo Hayama was an expert in using Spices, and he wondered what kind of dishes he would make.

The competition was intense and exciting.

Previously, Ryo Hayama always managed to take the initiative and fill the entire room with fragrance, but this time, Yuxian found that there was no scent wafting over from his side.

On the contrary, Soma Yukihira's Mapo Tofu emits a fragrant and spicy aroma during the cooking process.

Achoo!

Gretel was so overwhelmed by the spiciness that she couldn't help but sneeze; she was the least tolerant of spicy food among the group of children.

Alice, are you alright?

Yuxian asked Gretel with concern, worried that she might not be able to handle the spiciness and feel unwell.

"I'm fine!" Gretel was still putting on a brave face. She wouldn't admit defeat. She had said she could handle it, and she absolutely couldn't back down now.

Yuxian shook his head inwardly and asked the waiter to bring Gretel a glass of water.

He instructed Gretel, "Don't eat too much in a while, just have a bite. If it's too spicy, drink more water."

Jack was also concerned about Gretel, and she said, "Alice, don't worry, we'll help you eat if you can't finish."

Yuxian smiled wryly, realizing that Jack's words would likely only backfire.

As expected, Gretel immediately refused Jack's offer, saying, "I don't need your help, I can definitely finish it myself."

After the minor incident, the match quickly came to an end.

The two contestants have finished cooking and carefully plated their dishes before submitting them for judging.

"This is..." Yuxian looked up at Ryo Hayama when he saw the food he brought, "Saltwater Duck?"

Ryo Hayama nodded with a smile; he was very confident in himself.

Saltwater Duck, also known as Nanjing Saltwater Duck, is a very famous dish in Su Cuisine.

Yuxian certainly knew about this dish, but what he didn't understand was why Ryo Hayama would choose Saltwater Duck for the competition.

Saltwater Duck is characterized by its return to simplicity, highlighting the natural flavor of the duck meat, which seems unable to showcase Ryo Hayama's strengths.

Ryo Hayama is skilled at using Spices, but the Saltwater Duck in front of him obviously cannot use too many spices, otherwise it will definitely ruin the flavor of the duck meat itself.

Did he abandon his area of expertise? Obviously not.

You'll only know how it tastes once you've tried it.

Amidst great anticipation, the judges' tasting session began.

Chapter 14, Section 480: Tamamo Cat's Friendship

Yuxian gently picked up a piece of duck meat and put it in his mouth.

His eyes suddenly lit up, and his whole spirits lifted.

Tasty!

Ryo Hayama's Saltwater Duck has an extremely pleasant taste; the duck skin is white, the meat is tender, it is fatty but not greasy, and it is fragrant and delicious.

Yuxian couldn't help but start chewing continuously.

He is not a professional gourmet, nor does he possess a 'God Tongue' like Erina Nakiri, capable of distinguishing all flavors.

But when it comes to the sense of whether something tastes good or not, everyone shares this feeling.

Delicious is delicious, and bad is bad; you can't fake that.

The judges were all engrossed in eating Ryo Hayama's Saltwater Duck, a testament to the dish's deliciousness.

Soma Yukihira took the initiative to pick up a piece and taste it, wanting to see what the advantages of his opponent's cooking were.

"This is..."

Soma Yukihira was more professional than Yuxian. He looked up at Ryo Hayama, "Spices?"

Ryo Hayama nodded and explained, "That's right, there are many ways to use spices."

"Blending the flavors of many different spices into a delicious dish is one approach, but using one or two spices alone is also an option."

"The key to Saltwater Duck lies in the braising process. I really put a lot of effort into preserving the original flavor of the duck meat while enhancing its taste."

In the short few days of preparation, Ryo Hayama tried many different combinations of spices before finally choosing the current recipe. He is confident that he can win over the judges' taste buds.

Yuxian gave Ryo Hayama a thumbs up, "As expected of a spice expert, your dish is already a very authentic Chinese Cuisine."

Yuxian has eaten countless Chinese dishes, is quite different from others in that he is not very accepting of improved varieties.

He finds it hard to accept Chinese food that tastes like Chinese food; even if it tastes good, it always feels a bit strange.

This is also why he tried Ryo Hayama's Saltwater Duck first, rather than Soma Yukihira Soma's Mapo Tofu.

Because Soma Yukihira's Mapo Tofu has been visibly modified, Yuxian's heart is now beginning to lean towards Ryo Hayama.

Of course, he will still try that Mapo Tofu and give it a fair evaluation.

After eating the Saltwater Duck, Yuxian rinsed my mouth with water to remove the lingering taste and avoid interfering with the taste of the Mapo Tofu.

Scoop up a spoonful of Mapo Tofu and put it in your mouth.

Delicious! Spicy! Hot! Refreshing!

Spicy is a very unique flavor that creates a stimulating sensation that makes you want to eat more and more.

Soma Yukihira Soma's Mapo Tofu perfectly showcased the characteristics of spiciness, Yuxian couldn't help but keep eating the dish in front of him, which didn't look authentic.

If we're talking about comfort, Yuxian can say with certainty that Soma Yukihira's Mapo Tofu is better than Ryo Hayama's Saltwater Duck.

After finishing the taste, Gretel kept pouring water into her mouth, looking quite uncomfortable from the spiciness.

But you could tell from her face that she wasn't unhappy; on the contrary, she seemed quite content.

Jack tilted his head, puzzled, and said, "They're all delicious, so why do I feel like the duck is a little more special?"

"Are you stupid? Of course it's because it tastes better!" Gretel pouted. There's no such logic to it; the only reason it tastes good is because it tastes good.

Abigail said earnestly, "I think it's because the aftertaste of duck meat is stronger. Even though I ate such spicy tofu later, I can still remember the taste of duck meat. It was really delicious."

"Useless!" Anna glanced at Soma Yukihira with disdain, her words sharp and sarcastic, even though she had eaten just as much as she had, leaving no food on her plate.

Tamamo Cat muttered softly, "Nothing special."

She was pointing out the biggest flaw in Soma Yukihira's Mapo Tofu: it lacked any distinctive features.

This kind of Mapo Tofu is delicious, but it's not memorable.

Artoria gracefully wiped her lips and said calmly, "The dining table is like a battlefield. In addition to conquering the taste buds of diners, you also have to conquer their hearts."

Yuxian smiled and said to Ryo Hayama, "Congratulations."

The answer is obvious; everyone agrees that Ryo Hayama's Saltwater Duck is superior.

The final result of the final match was displayed on the big screen: Ryo Hayama won!

The audience in the stands cheered, and the host announced the final champion, officially concluding this Autumn Selection.

Although Soma Yukihira lost, he was not too discouraged.

He had just tasted Ryo Hayama's Saltwater Duck, so he naturally acknowledged his opponent's strength. Winning or losing wasn't important; what mattered was making progress in the future.

He then remembered the small piece of stewed beef that Tamamo Cat had eaten that night, and suddenly it dawned on him.

The kind of food that bears the chef's strong personal mark is the direction he should strive for in the future.

On the path of culinary arts, lacking distinctiveness means mediocrity, unless you can crush others with absolute skill.

It must be said that in this respect, Ryo Hayama has already surpassed Soma Yukihira, and his victory in the match was definitely not accidental.

The Autumn Selection has ended, and what follows will be a period of practical learning.

Students are sent to restaurants that have partnerships with the Tōtsuki Academy for practical learning, allowing them to learn from chefs who actually work with customers.

This teaching arrangement is also intended to keep students grounded in reality, so they don't get too caught up in their own world and forget that food ultimately ends up on the customer's table.

Before setting off, Megumi Tadokoro came to say goodbye to Tamamo Cat.

"Meow meow, I'm going to my internship..."

When she arrived, Tamamo Cat -Tamamo Cat was sleeping in the room, curled up in a ball, and lazily responded.

"Oh."

Megumi Tadokoro panicked, her face turning ashen as she said, "Nyan, do you not want me anymore...?"

Her lack of self-confidence was exposed again.

Tamamo Cat rolled over, deciding to ignore Megumi Tadokoro and continue sleeping.

Seeing this, Megumi Tadokoro had no choice but to lower her head and leave, her mood suddenly becoming very low.

As Yuxian stepped outside, he saw Megumi Tadokoro's expression and asked, "What's wrong?"

"Meow meow is ignoring me..."

Yuxian blinked. "She must be sleeping. You should feel lucky that you weren't killed by her for disturbing her sleep."

Megumi Tadokoro stared wide-eyed at Yuxian in shock, exclaiming, "So disturbing a cat's sleep is this dangerous? I'm so lucky to be alive!"

She began to recall whether she had ever disturbed Tamamo Cat's sleep in the past.

Yuxian smiled and comforted her, "You're going to do your internship, right? Good luck!"

"Yes! I will try my best!" Megumi Tadokoro nodded and left with her luggage.

After a long time, Tamamo Cat finally woke up from her nap.

She found Yuxian and said, "Master, I need to leave for a while."

"Okay, be careful."

Yuxian smiled. Tamamo Cat was still worried about Megumi Tadokoro. At this time, it was obvious that she would leave to follow Megumi Tadokoro.

Yuxian felt comforted and happy that Tamamo Cat could make friends here.

Section 481, Chapter Fifteen: Wasting Food is Bad Civilization

Megumi Tadokoro dragged her luggage to another city.

It's not as bustling as the city where Tōtsuki Academy is located; it's a small town.

"This should be it."

Following the guide provided by the academy, Megumi Tadokoro found the restaurant where she was interning. The restaurant in front of her had a very rustic decor, and at first glance, it looked like an old-fashioned building.

The long queue in front of the restaurant shows that it's doing quite well, and the chefs inside must have exceptional culinary skills.

"Ah! I'm late. There's such a long line. I'll have to wait a while."

Two middle-aged office workers walked past Megumi Tadokoro. One of them hurriedly stepped forward to join the queue, constantly complaining and regretting that he hadn't come earlier.

They were clearly there to dine at the restaurant in front of them.

Another person asked, "Is the food at this restaurant really that good?"

The man shook his head and replied, "You don't know, the food at this restaurant is actually quite average, but occasionally they'll include a few extremely delicious dishes. Whether you get to eat them depends entirely on luck."

"Is that so? It's all based on luck? Can't we order à la carte? I don't mind if it's a bit more expensive." Another person was somewhat resistant to this kind of thing that relied entirely on luck.

The man said with a wry smile, "Do you think others haven't thought of this? Many people have offered their opinions, but the shop owner is just so capricious; she doesn't care if I eat it or not."

"Someone caused trouble inside, and as a result, that seemingly ordinary cashier girl threw them all outside, one in each hand."

"Once you're inside, you have to follow the rules. That's what makes this restaurant special, but everyone still can't resist the delicious food!"

Hearing the conversation between the two people walking by, Megumi Tadokoro couldn't help but feel nervous. It sounded like the people in this shop had a bad temper.