Chapter 225: Plain as Water
By two o'clock in the afternoon, lunch was basically over.
So far, Yixian ranks first, followed by Mutsu, and Colorado ranks third, which Su Xia did not expect.
Afternoon tea has a weight of only ten, which means that you can only get one point for every ten coins you earn, which is a bit cost-effective. In this way, you don't need to pay too much attention to it, but every bit counts, and who knows if it is the key to winning, so you still have to invest a little and don't take it lightly.
Afternoon tea starts at four o'clock. The British people have received their coins early and started waiting, being more active than others.
The afternoon tea competition mainly involves dim sum.
The snacks that Yixian served included cold cakes, pineapple cakes, mung bean cakes, pea yellow cakes, egg yolk cakes, etc.
Mutsu served yokan, daifuku, sakuramochi, Japanese steamed buns, mochi, etc.
Veneto did not participate in the cooking competition, her cooking skills were really questionable. With so many people in the Italian department, someone always stood out, and Tianying was one of them. She prepared tiramisu, mousse, cheesecake, cream puffs and so on.
Colorado is the one that people are more concerned about. The snacks she prepared are onion rings, fried squid rings, popcorn chicken, French fries, potato chips, and of course, super creamy ice cream. Her customers are mainly children, and children love those things the most.
“Colorado has the talent.”
This was Su Xia's evaluation after watching Colorado's performance.
Because her sister was right next to her and there were many people in the cafeteria, Saratoga sat next to Su Xia without making any small moves. She said, "I noticed that Yixian prepared only Chinese cakes and all the food for lunch was Chinese."
"Mutsu prepared all Japanese snacks, and lunch was all Japanese food, such as saury, eel, sushi, sashimi, etc. Kaohsiung prepared all kinds of noodles." Saratoga continued, "And Tianying prepared basically all kinds of pasta and pizza. Anyway, all of them are Italian food."
"Each of them prepared dishes from their department. In comparison, what Colorado prepared was nothing, but..." Saratoga racked her brains to think about how easy it should be, but for a moment she had no idea what to say.
Su Xia said with a smile: "The United States has been established for hundreds of years, but it has no history and no delicious food...Ah! Gaga, why did you hit me!"
"Don't disparage America. We are an American ship," Saratoga said, blowing into her fist.
"I didn't mean it." Su Xia explained. He actually did it on purpose. "And what I said is the truth. It's true."
"Do you want another fist?" Saratoga waved her fist.
Su Xia said, "The Saratoga worked so hard, but after the war it was sent to a crossroads, without any sympathy. After something like this happened, I don't understand why you care so much about that country."
Operation Crossroads was a nuclear test operation conducted by the United States at Bikini Atoll. A total of two nuclear tests were conducted in this operation, one in the air and one underwater , to test the power of nuclear weapons against surface warships. Was the Saratoga lucky enough to participate in it?
In that operation, in addition to the Saratoga, there were many other ships, more than the warships of many countries combined. From another perspective, the United States at that time was really a big country with a huge business.
Saratoga was conflicted after hearing what Su Xia said.
Su Xia was not afraid of death and continued, "Think about it, didn't the Saratoga slack off throughout World War II? She was the queen of bathing. What was so hard about it? She didn't have any merit at all. In comparison, the Enterprise has achieved many victories and is treated much better. Moreover, it is older than the Essex-class model. The Saratoga is an old girl..."
Su Xia was beaten badly this time, and Lexington did not speak for him. How could a brother-in-law bully his sister-in-law like this and bring her in? Even if it is true that the Lexington-class aircraft carrier is old, it cannot be said.
Su Xia held her head as she was beaten, and raised her hand to indicate that she had something to say.
"What else do you have to say?" Saratoga said angrily.
Su Xia said: "The USS Saratoga is an aircraft carrier belonging to the United States, there is no doubt about that. Gaga is the Saratoga, but it is not the Saratoga, not the battleship that belongs to the United States."
Su Xia continued, "To be precise, Gaga is a ship girl, but she inherited the power of the Saratoga, or in other words, she is a spirit and hero created by the sea based on the Saratoga. She is the daughter of the sea. Then she is my ship girl, my wedding ship, my bride, she belongs to me, what does she have to do with the United States?"
Su Xia nodded and said, "To sum up, I did say bad things about the United States, but Jia Jia shouldn't be angry about it."
A shipgirl is a shipgirl, a daughter of the sea. A battleship is a battleship, built by a shipyard. Saratoga made a clear distinction, but she still felt that country could be called her home, a spiritual sustenance.
But that was all. Yes, she was not an American ship, she was the admiral's. Belittle America, belittle Saratoga, Gaga was the admiral's. Saratoga was no longer angry, even if her sister was around, it didn't matter, she hugged Su Xia's arm.
Su Xia found Lexington staring at him, and at that moment he had only one thought - if he had known earlier, he would not have said anything, and it would have been better to let Jia Jia beat him up. This was going to be difficult.
Su Xia coughed and changed the subject, saying, "Everyone prepared their department's dishes, but Colorado prepared hamburgers and other things. Is that modern fast food? Yes, it's modern fast food, and it's also very distinctive, just right."
Regardless of whether anyone responded or not, Su Xia's main purpose was to change the subject, saying, "Really, I think it's great. Colorado has an idea. To make these things, you don't need any cooking skills, just an assembly line, but they are quite popular."
"Colorado must be ranked high this time." Su Xia deliberately mentioned Lexington, "Lexington, you are not as good as Colorado. You don't have such big ideas as hers."
Lexington simply said, "I want to hear the admiral call me wife."
"Uh, ah, ma'am." Su Xia paused, "I like you."
Su Xia found that he had really changed, and he started talking.
After afternoon tea, the final program begins at six o'clock , with dinner being the finale.
Su Xia had been looking forward to dinner, but nothing happened.
Everyone had a good dinner, and that was it, it was over.
But the main purpose of this cooking competition is to determine the winner. Can we look forward to it?
There is no need for statistics at all. In this cooking competition, there was no equal from the beginning to the end. There was only crushing. Yixuan was far ahead all the way and was sure to win.
Su Xia didn't know what to say, wondering if she was prejudiced.
Su Xia clearly didn't stipulate that Yixian must prepare Chinese food, Mutsu must prepare Japanese food, Tianying must prepare Italian food, etc., but everyone insisted on doing whatever they wanted. In fact, there is still a little regulation. The funds are limited because the monthly allocation for the canteen in the future is fixed.
In short, Mutsu lost, not because of her cooking skills, but because of the natural flaws of Japanese food.
Kaiseki cuisine is well presented, but the question is whether you can enjoy it to your heart's content. There are a few key words in Japanese cuisine, one is freshness, sashimi and sushi are the representatives, but if it is not for showing off, can many people really accept eating it raw? In addition, there are the three musketeers of sweet soy sauce, dashi, kelp, and miso soup, and then there are all kinds of fried foods adapted from Western cuisine.
In comparison, Chinese cuisine is extensive and profound, with eight major cuisines, each with its own characteristics, and everything available.
Yixian relies on its excellent Chinese cuisine. If you want something sweet, we have squirrel mandarin fish and sweet and sour spareribs; if you want something heavy, we have mapo tofu, spicy chicken, and boiled beef; if you want to feast on meat, we have Dongpo pork, Dongpo pork elbow, and braised pork elbow; hot pot is quite popular. There is nothing you can't think of, and she can't do it.
In Su Xia's opinion, it was not that Yixian's cooking skills were better than Mu Ao's, but that she had a magic weapon in her hand. Mu Ao was defeated, not because of war.
As for French and Italian cuisine, they are also world-famous. The problem is the lack of a good chef.
Speaking of which, in Su Xia's mind, Chinese food is the best in the world.
This is not to belittle foreign countries. The reason is that our country is too big, the territory is too vast, and the population is too large, so there are a lot of dishes developed. With such a large base, the possibility of finding a dish that suits your taste is greater than that of other countries' cuisines.
From a historical perspective , China is the result of the fusion of various countries during the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, which is comparable to Europe to some extent. In other words, we are a union of "multi-national cuisines".
The fried noodles at the street corner are definitely not as good as the French full meal at a Michelin three-star restaurant. Anyone who insists on saying it is better is just being self-righteous.
The fried noodles at the street corner cannot compare to the French full meal at a Michelin three-star restaurant. The prices are completely different, and that's natural. But some people just like to compare, comparing cheap Chinese food on the street with expensive Japanese food and French full meals, and then conclude that Chinese food is not as good as foreign cuisine. It's simply brainless.
Compared to state banquets, a dish of boiled Chinese cabbage has so many steps and tricks. Compared to banquets, Chinese cuisine is definitely not inferior to others. There may be controversy over some single items, and it may even lose, but in terms of breadth, it is definitely better than the others.
If we simply discuss popularity without discussing craftsmanship and depth, then dishes with lots of oil, salt, heavy taste, and greasy sweetness are the best.
Anyway, Yixian won the cooking competition, Mutsu came in second, I don’t know if it had anything to do with Kaohsiung taking away so many customers, Colorado came in third, and there was no point in ranking any further.
Until the cooking competition was over, Su Xia was still a little confused. Is this the end?
The cooking competition in his mind is more than just this.
The cooking competition that we worked so hard for is over now. Isn’t it a bit anticlimactic?
