Mana merely took a few bites, and before she even swallowed, she spat it all out, her face instantly turning pale.
A strong sensation of discomfort slowly arose, from her tongue to her throat, from her esophagus to her stomach.
Finally, she vomited!
…
"Mana-sama."
"Are you alright? Do you need an IV drip?"
Anne quickly came to her side, gently patting her back as she softly asked.
"No need! I'm fine for now."
"It's just… my stomach feels a bit uncomfortable… I'll be fine after resting!"
The weak Mana almost lost the strength to speak.
And Sonoka, seeing her own dish so thoroughly disliked by this Special Executive Officer, couldn't help but feel very disappointed and helpless!
After a good while, Mana's complexion gradually improved.
She glanced at Sonoka, her thoughts inevitably complex, and finally spoke: "The seasoning of duck confit is actually all in the marinating."
"So, understanding the characteristics of various spices and their harmonious pairing with duck meat is the key!"
"And your duck confit has over 10 kinds of spices, including thyme, rosemary, black pepper, bay leaves, and so on."
"Yes, there are exactly 15 kinds."
Mujiuzhi, with a shocked look, quickly replied.
"Have you never tried other spices?"
Nagiri Mana then asked.
"No, 15 kinds of spices are already enough to bring out the flavor of the duck meat to its fullest!" Sonoka replied.
"I have tried various spices in duck confit, including cardamom, cloves, caraway, star anise, lemongrass, cinnamon, galangal, and so on…"
"After continuous attempts, I found that dried tangerine peel was a surprise among surprises."
"Especially the dried tangerine peel from Xinhui, China, that sweet, slightly cool citrus flavor can help cut through richness and enhance aroma, making it a perfect match for the stronger-flavored duck meat."
"Dried tangerine peel?"
Hearing this, Mujiuzhi paused, beginning to fall into deep thought!
"Also, the oil used for confit."
"I didn't expect you to use olive oil."
"Actually, lard has better affinity and can make the duck leg richer in texture; duck fat is more authentic, pursuing the original flavor, although it will be drier compared to lard, its taste is pure and harmonious!"
"If this is your skill as a former Totsuki Academy graduate, then you truly haven't made any progress in these two years."
"Uh-huh, after all, I've been busy managing this Spring Fruit Pavilion Restaurant, so I've had little time to delve into cooking."
Mujiuzhi smiled awkwardly, standing there at a loss, appearing somewhat helpless!
…
Generally speaking.
The path of learning to cook can roughly be divided into two factions, namely:
The Academy Faction!
The Practical Faction!
The Academy Faction, as the name suggests, is entering a culinary school or a certain culinary academy to learn professional cooking techniques.
After passing the completion requirements, they then enter various catering jobs.
The Practical Faction, on the other hand, consists of those who have not studied in school, but directly entered the front lines of production, learning the most useful and solid practical knowledge and cooking methods.
Neither can simply be labeled good or bad; both certainly have their own advantages and disadvantages.
The Academy Faction is "good" because it combines theory and knowledge, but its shortcoming is that its practical experience is not as rich as the Practical Faction!
Because, for a chef, craftsmanship is still the most important thing.
Chefs in the Practical Faction are tempered daily at the cutting board and stove, gaining rich experience.
Of course, they also have shortcomings, which is that they know how to do a certain step during operation, but rarely know the principle behind it, leading to insufficient creativity in the later stages.
Sonoka, she definitely belongs to the Academy Faction type of chef.
Perhaps because she started her own business, managing her own Spring Fruit Pavilion restaurant, less than two years after graduation.
This caused her weakness, namely her lack of practical experience, to gradually become apparent and increasingly serious!
…
"To be able to graduate smoothly from the fiercely competitive Totsuki Academy proves that your talent is not bad!"
"However, you probably forgot one thing."
"No matter where you are, the things you can see are always just the tip of the iceberg."
"I have traveled all over the world and know that there are countless dishes out there waiting to be excavated and discovered."
"And a person's energy is always limited; what they can do is maintain a humble heart and constantly learn new dishes and techniques."
"Only by doing every task with a craftsman's heart can you truly lay a solid foundation."
"In short, to improve one's culinary skills, any chef cannot do without a diligent attitude and a strong thirst for culinary knowledge."
"This…"
Mujiuzhi's expression turned serious, her eyes occasionally emitting a thoughtful gleam.
Nagiri Mana's lecture was somewhat like an elder scolding a junior, which could be unpleasant.
But upon careful thought, it was true that ever since she started managing this Spring Fruit Pavilion Western Restaurant, her culinary skills had not improved at all, and she had even gradually lost her original intention!
"Let me tell you this, if you continue like this, your Spring Fruit Pavilion Restaurant will never be able to reach the level of a two-star restaurant!"
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