Chapter 44: What Does a Famous State Banquet Dish Taste Like?
Startled as she was, Ye Shengge was also delighted to be able to eat such a remarkable Bok Choy in Supreme Broth.
At the same time, she made a decision. She would replace the version of Bok Choy in Supreme Broth on her personal gourmet list with the one she just had here.
Ye Shengge’s gourmet food list already had an entry for Bok Choy in Supreme Broth. It was one she had tasted at a major hotel in the provincial capital, prepared by a master chef.
That had been the best Bok Choy in Supreme Broth she had ever eaten.
But now, it was being replaced by the one from here.
She told Li You about her decision.
Li You smiled and said he was very honored.
Then, he served Ye Shengge a bowl of rice.
Afterward, he returned to the kitchen.
Ye Shengge had also ordered a plate of stir-fried shredded potatoes.
He now had superior-quality potatoes, green peppers, and red peppers.
Li You planned to use these superior-quality ingredients this time.
Ye Shengge was a regular customer now.
’Regulars deserve a little special treatment, don’t they?’
Soon, the stir-fried shredded potatoes were ready, and he brought them out to Ye Shengge.
"Boss, this rice is delicious too. It has a lovely fragrance," Ye Shengge said.
Li You smiled. "Then have another bowl."
Ye Shengge shook her head. "One bowl is enough."
Then she took a bite of the shredded potatoes.
After savoring the flavor for a moment, she said with a mix of surprise and wonder, "Boss, why do I feel like the shredded potatoes are even better this time than the last? Has your cooking improved again? Is there still room for your skills to improve?"
Li You shook his head. "It’s not that my cooking has improved. It’s just that the ingredients themselves are of a higher quality this time."
So that was it.
Ye Shengge had a moment of realization. That made perfect sense.
Indeed, when culinary skills are equal, the quality of the ingredients themselves becomes extremely important.
In a competition between two chefs of comparable skill, the one using better ingredients will often be the winner.
And the quality of the same ingredient can be worlds apart.
Knowing how to select ingredients is also a required skill for any chef.
It’s very important.
She continued eating.
After slowly finishing her meal, Ye Shengge said with satisfaction, "Boss, your food is still the best. It’s just a shame it’s so far away. Otherwise, I’d come here for all three meals every day."
Li You smiled. "In that case, just have a few more meals here each time you visit before you go back."
Ye Shengge said, "That’s exactly what I was thinking. I’m definitely not going back today, at least. Isn’t it market day in Wenxian Town again tomorrow?"
Li You nodded. "Yes, it is."
Ye Shengge said, "Perfect. I’ll go check out the Wenxian Town market tomorrow morning then."
Li You said, "Sounds good! The market in a small town like this can be quite interesting."
"It really is," Ye Shengge agreed.
After speaking, Ye Shengge scanned the QR code to pay.
Including the cost of the meal, the total was 585 yuan.
Just then.
"Congratulations to the Host for selling the first serving of Bok Choy in Supreme Broth.
New Main Quest triggered: Achieve a single-day revenue exceeding 8,000 yuan.
Quest Time Limit: None.
Quest Reward: One recipe, one lottery draw."
’Another main quest!’ Li You was pleasantly surprised.
Reaching a daily revenue of 8,000. Given the current situation, that would be quite difficult.
However, since there was no time limit, it didn’t matter.
’I’ll be able to complete it eventually, right?’
Li You always had a very positive mindset.
At that moment, several cars pulled into the parking lot one after another.
A group of about twenty-some people got out of the cars.
They all seemed to be customers.
Seeing this, Ye Shengge smiled faintly. "Boss, your business seems to have gotten a lot better than it was a few days ago!"
Li You replied, "It’s just a one-time thing."
This group was indeed customers. And it wasn’t their first time here.
Li You already recognized them. They were the customers who had come with Jiang Caidong, Liang Heng, and Qu Feng last time.
He hadn’t expected them to come again today.
’This is a good thing, of course.’
Li You walked out of the restaurant to greet them.
The group approached.
The man in the plaid shirt from last time was, once again, wearing a plaid shirt. He laughed heartily and said, "Boss, we’re back!"
Li You also smiled. "Welcome back."
Just then, Ye Shengge also stepped out of the restaurant, planning to go for a walk in the canyon.
As she stepped out, a look of utter amazement flashed across the eyes of every customer outside.
’What a beautiful woman!’
’That face, that figure... she’s simply flawless.’
Ye Shengge said to Li You, "Boss, I’m going for a walk in the canyon for a bit."
Li You nodded. "Alright. Be careful."
"Okay!"
After Ye Shengge left, the customers noticed a new item had been added to the "Today’s Specials" sign.
Some were puzzled.
’It’s just bok choy in boiled water, why is the price so high?’
Others were pleasantly surprised.
’So the boss actually serves Bok Choy in Supreme Broth!’
’Needless to say, this has to be the authentic Bok Choy in Supreme Broth.’
’568 yuan... that price isn’t expensive.’
Of course, if it were up to them to eat it, they couldn’t bring themselves to spend that much.
However, that didn’t diminish their excitement.
Because Bok Choy in Supreme Broth is a famous state banquet dish and a legendary classic of Sichuan cuisine, the name itself was enough to make one excited.
Seeing it available here, even if they couldn’t afford to eat it themselves, was a pleasant surprise.
The man in the plaid shirt was quite delighted and said to the confused ones, "You guys don’t understand Bok Choy in Supreme Broth. If you did, you’d realize this price isn’t expensive at all."
"Really? Then tell us, what’s so special about this Bok Choy in Supreme Broth?" the confused people all asked.
They were all very curious.
The man in the plaid shirt nodded. "Alright, I’ll tell you about it. As people from Chuansheng Province, you really should know about this dish. It’s not just a classic of Sichuan cuisine, it’s also a famous dish served at state banquets..."
The man in the plaid shirt explained the various details of Bok Choy in Supreme Broth one by one.
Li You listened and nodded to himself. ’This guy in the plaid shirt really knows his stuff about Bok Choy in Supreme Broth.’
And now, the people who were previously confused all grew excited.
’So there’s such an incredible dish in Sichuan cuisine!’ They couldn’t believe they hadn’t known about it before; it felt almost shameful.
’The boss really is the boss. He can even make a state banquet dish.’
’So awesome!’
Then, a fervent glint appeared in the eyes of many customers.
’Since there’s a state banquet dish right here, shouldn’t we experience what it tastes like?’
’I’ve never had a state banquet dish before.’
’Even though 568 is a price I’d hate to pay, a few of us could split one order!’
’For example, five people.’
’That way, it would only be a little over a hundred yuan per person.’
’It’s still not cheap, but to spend a little over a hundred to taste a state banquet dish?’
’That’s still worth it.’
’You’ve got to splurge every once in a while.’
’And this is the only place that has it. If we went somewhere else, forget about spending a little over a hundred—even if you spent several hundred, you wouldn’t get to try it!’
’Because they just don’t serve this dish.’
’Unless you go to one of those big hotels. But it would be even more expensive there.’
’So we have to take this chance to experience it.’
Someone made this suggestion, and the rest of the customers excitedly agreed.
Including the man in the plaid shirt.
Although he knew a lot about Bok Choy in Supreme Broth, he had never actually eaten it.
He had tried making it at home, but successfully preparing this dish was easier said than done.
"There are 26 of us in total, so let’s get five orders of the Bok Choy in Supreme Broth. How about it?" said the man in the plaid shirt.
"Alright. Five orders it is."
"I can’t believe we’re getting the chance to eat a state banquet dish! I’m so excited!"
"It’s all because the boss is so amazing. He’s giving us the chance to see what a state banquet dish tastes like!"
"The more we talk about it, the more excited I get!"
"..."
The customers were extremely happy and full of anticipation. Li You, of course, was just as happy.
’The Bok Choy in Supreme Broth may be expensive, but it doesn’t seem that hard to sell!’
...
A huge thank you to Zhang Chao for the 100-coin donation!
Thank you, boss!
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