Wensi Tofu

Although Farfetch'd had the negative buff [Alchemy] on the path to becoming a chef, his knife skills were still quite good. Heath found a block of tofu in Giovanni's refrigerator, which reminded him of a very challenging Chinese dish from his previous life: Wensi Tofu.

Heath had first seen Wensi Tofu on A Bite of China. After seeing it, he had taken a keen interest in the dish, which demanded exceptional knife skills, and tried making it himself. Still, he had to admit that cooking did require a little talent.

Heath had tried several times, only to end up with tofu soup. Eventually, he had gritted his teeth and practiced for a long time before managing to make a passable serving of Wensi Tofu. Getting it to resemble a chrysanthemum blooming in water, as it had on television, was still far too difficult.

But Farfetch'd could do it. Heath greatly admired Farfetch'd's talent with a knife, so he intended to let him try cutting the tofu for Wensi Tofu. If he could pull it off, they would be able to serve other dishes that tested their knife skills in the future.

"Far?" Farfetch'd looked at Heath in confusion, seemingly unsure why Heath had called him out.

"Farfetch'd, look. This is a piece of bamboo. Can you shave it into the shape of a knife?" Heath picked up a bamboo tube from the kitchen and handed it to Farfetch'd. Although he had no idea why there was bamboo in the kitchen, he was pleased to find it.

"Far!" Farfetch'd nodded confidently. Then, holding his leek, he shaved the bamboo tube into the shape of a knife with a few quick strokes. It even looked quite sharp.

"Farfetch'd, can you use this bamboo knife to cut this block of tofu into extremely fine strands without breaking them?" This was the crucial part. Heath looked at Farfetch'd and asked solemnly. If Farfetch'd could do that, it would be fantastic. Otherwise, Heath intended to do it himself.

"Far?" Farfetch'd looked at the block of tofu before him, then reached out a wing to touch it and test its firmness.

Heath smacked Farfetch'd's wing with a chopstick and glared at him. This fellow had forgotten what Heath had told him again: as a chef, he should avoid touching ingredients with his bare hands. That rule was specifically aimed at Farfetch'd, since his wings were covered in feathers.

In his previous life, TikTok had featured plenty of so-called hole-in-the-wall eateries and viral restaurants, with people saying that their owners neglected hygiene but served fantastic food, even better than that of a five-star restaurant, and so on.

Heath thought some chefs might indeed be able to make food on par with the work of chefs at five-star restaurants. But all those places touting their lack of hygiene were spouting nonsense as far as he was concerned. The most basic requirement for a chef was keeping the kitchen and dining area clean. If they could not even guarantee hygiene, what business did they have being chefs?

Heath had always believed chefs had a duty to serve their guests wholesome, delicious food, rather than using their cooking skills as an excuse not to clean, or even turning that into a selling point while disparaging other restaurants. Chefs who neglected hygiene had no place in his kitchen.

Looking aggrieved, Farfetch'd withdrew his wing. Then he cut off a small piece of tofu with the knife and set it aside before using his wing to test its firmness. Afterward, he nodded with great confidence.

"Here, cut this block of tofu. Try not to let it fall apart; keep it intact like it is now. Oh, and remember to use the bamboo knife." Heath nodded in satisfaction. With the Wensi Tofu sorted out, he needed to prepare the other ingredients for it.

Normally, Wensi Tofu called for ingredients such as cooked ham, but there was no ham in the Pokémon world. Heath was trying to cure some himself, but it was not ready yet, so he could not use it.

Heath could only substitute other ingredients. Once Farfetch'd had finished cutting, Heath carefully lifted the block of tofu with his kitchen knife and set it aside for later.

He had to admit that Farfetch'd's knife skills were truly excellent. With Farfetch'd's help, Heath cooked considerably faster. Before long, he had prepared a sumptuous dinner and brought it to Giovanni and Sabrina.

"Oh, this looks very good. What are all these dishes?" Giovanni studied Heath's cooking with interest and asked curiously.

"This is Wensi Tofu, this is Yiliang Roast Duck, this is Sweet and Sour Lotus Cabbage, and the last one is Curry Chicken." Heath pointed to the dishes on the table and briefly introduced them.

Meanwhile, Farfetch'd stood beside Heath, repeatedly swallowing his saliva. This made Giovanni glance at Farfetch'd curiously before asking, puzzled, why Heath had let him out.

Heath quickly explained that Farfetch'd had helped prepare the food, so he had specifically brought him along to meet the guests. Giovanni slapped his thigh and laughed, his laughter hearty and unrestrained. It was clear that he was in an excellent mood.

"Oh, little Heath. Everyone else takes their Pokémon traveling to collect badges, compete in the Indigo League, and work hard to become powerful Trainers. How did things end up the other way around with you?" Giovanni laughed until tears came to his eyes. He wiped them away and looked at Heath as he asked.

"Hmm, probably because cooking is the goal I'm pursuing?" Heath smiled. He could travel too, but while others traveled to collect badges, he chose to travel to collect ingredients and take his Pokémon to see the sights along the way. To Heath, that was a way of life too.

Giovanni generously paid Heath a full thousand League Coins for preparing the meal. Heath accepted without any hesitation, bringing him another small step closer to his savings goal for his travels.

After leaving Giovanni's house, Heath stroked Farfetch'd's head. Farfetch'd, however, did not look very happy; his expression was aggrieved and disgruntled. Heath did not know whether to laugh or cry. This fellow was still brooding over Heath not letting him help make the roast duck earlier.

"When you cook for guests, you have to give them your very best. You can't do it if you haven't mastered it yet. That's why I didn't let you help." Heath looked at Farfetch'd and explained with a smile.

Farfetch'd turned his head away, still looking very unhappy.

"Hmm, let's go buy some ingredients. I'll buy you... a duck to experiment with!" Heath gritted his teeth. Even one duck cost several dozen League Coins. His heart ached.

Farfetch'd still did not turn back, but he raised his wing and held up two.

"Ouch... fine, two it is." Heath clutched his wallet in anguish.