Although Hansen had only spent nearly two weeks practicing his stir-frying in Nick's backyard, he had actually been put through some rigorous training and broken quite a few bad habits.
As a result, his impression of Nick had shifted from a kind man who had helped him and his sister to someone he both respected and feared, much like an apprentice regarded his master.
Nick was actually quite satisfied with this young apprentice. At least he had a good head on his shoulders and understood that some of Nick's demands were for his own good.
Although he still thought little of the kid's talent for cooking, that also depended on whom he was being compared to.
For the vast majority of Americans, any genes for cooking seemed to have been stripped away during rapid industrialization in modern times. Some could not even use a stove and struggled to fry an egg.
The British mocking Americans for not even knowing how to make tea, or screaming when they saw these "cousins" heating cups of cold water mixed with tea leaves in a microwave, was no joke.
That was simply how things were. Most "white people food" needed only a microwave for the basic heating step, followed by stirring and plating. Being able to add an egg to instant noodles and cook it through already counted as an advanced technique.
Nick had tried teaching Hancock simple, quick dishes such as cola chicken wings, but after wasting bag after bag of chilled chicken wings, he had finally been forced to give up.
Hansen's greatest talent, meanwhile, was his willingness to take the initiative to learn and endure hardship. Even when practicing tossing a wok left his arm swollen, he still gritted his teeth, wrapped it in bandages, and kept going.
So although his