Setting Up Stalls – Chapter 119

Not Made by the Same Person

Truly, he really had the air of a broadcaster. No wonder he was able to come to the customers’ table to explain while he cooked. Sun Miao certainly didn’t have that kind of eloquence. Besides, she was fine with talking nonsense, but seriously introducing how she cooked in front of others? She definitely couldn’t do that.

As the head chef explained, his hands never stopped moving.

“First, we add diced bamboo shoots, followed by diced shiitake mushrooms…” He added the ingredients in sequence. As the food sizzled in the wok, a fragrant aroma immediately burst forth. Afterwards, he added shrimp, dried scallops, and many other ingredients. In fact, the moment Sun Miao saw the head chef’s technique, she knew he had real skill and knowledge.

His wok-tossing technique was very impressive. Sun Miao could also toss a wok; she had to do it when making Egg Fried Rice. Tossing the wok while simultaneously using a steel ladle to evenly coat all the rice and egg was the most basic and yet most difficult step. What Sun Miao hadn’t expected was that this portion of Yangzhou Fried Rice also included a bowl of superior stock¹.

The superior stock was poured in, and combined with the chef’s masterful wok-tossing skill, the rice dish didn’t turn into congee. When served, it was still a solid plate of fried rice. For this skill alone, Sun Miao felt that he was genuinely talented.

It’s just that I still think it’s expensive.

And when he was adding the seasonings, Sun Miao saw the spoonful of salt and immediately realized something was wrong, because Su Ruixi couldn’t eat things that were too strongly flavored. This Yangzhou Fried Rice wouldn’t taste bad, but it definitely wouldn’t suit Su Ruixi’s palate.

But she was just a spectator now, so she wouldn’t say a word and simply watched quietly.

What was commendable was that the head chef didn’t add any more MSG or chicken essence, which made Sun Miao breathe a sigh of relief. This Egg Fried Rice was already quite savory with the dried scallops and shrimp, and with the addition of the superior stock, adding more MSG or chicken essence would have made the flavor too overwhelming.

The Chinese people emphasize the Doctrine of the Mean², and this extends even to cooking. While extreme flavors can be captivating, for a dish like Yangzhou Fried Rice, which evolved from home-style stir-fries, palatability is more important.

Perhaps because Sun Miao understood Egg Fried Rice so well, she also understood a bit about Yangzhou Fried Rice. There was one point she felt the head chef had gotten wrong. Yangzhou Fried Rice wasn’t entirely different from Egg Fried Rice; it was essentially Egg Fried Rice with other things added.

The ingredients might be a bit more expensive, but in essence, it wasn’t much different from Lao Gan Ma³ Egg Fried Rice. At its core, it was still Egg Fried Rice.

After the head chef finished making the Yangzhou Fried Rice, he divided it onto two plates. The plates were of ordinary size. The Yangzhou Fried Rice was mounded into a round shape, and sprinkled with a variety of ingredients, creating a dazzling and beautiful presentation.

Only after the chef left did the two of them sit down to quietly enjoy their meal. As Sun Miao ate, she found it delicious, but Su Ruixi’s expression beside her changed slightly. Sun Miao didn’t understand why, but Su Ruixi suddenly spoke up, “It’s different from what I had last time. This is a bit better.”

She was very picky, and a picky person’s tongue is discerning. She could tell immediately whether something tasted good or not. The last time Su Ruixi had ordered Yangzhou Fried Rice from Yuanfu Lou was after eating Sun Miao’s Egg Fried Rice. At that time, the greasy fried rice had been impossible for her to eat, but right now, it was at least palatable.

“The person who made this isn’t the same as last time.” Su Ruixi wiped her mouth, put down her napkin, then found the button and called the waitress in. Sun Miao keenly sensed that Su Ruixi was a little angry. She tilted her head in confusion, and Su Ruixi explained.

“The price for takeout is the same as having it made at the table, both are 1888, but the quality control is much worse. This isn’t the first time I’ve eaten in and ordered takeout from their restaurant, and they actually tried to fool me with something made by someone else.”

Hearing this, Sun Miao understood what Su Ruixi was angry about. Anyone would be angry in this situation. Weren’t there other places selling Yangzhou Fried Rice? Weren’t there other Huaiyang cuisine chefs or inheritors of the Yangzhou Fried Rice tradition? Of course there were, and surely quite a few.

Some places also made Yangzhou Fried Rice fresh at the table for just 288; some hotels even offered different tiers. If you didn’t want it made tableside, it was only 68 or 88. Although Sun Miao still found it a bit expensive, in a star-rated hotel, these prices were acceptable.

So why could this place sell it for so much? It was because the diners acknowledged it, thought it was delicious, and so it could command that price. But what if Yuanfu Lou itself had the ability but was fooling its customers? Then you couldn’t blame the customers for getting angry.

Sun Miao was definitely on Su Ruixi’s side, but since she hadn’t tasted the takeout fried rice Su Ruixi had ordered before, she could only stand by and offer moral support. Su Ruixi didn’t stay idle while waiting for the waitress; she was typing on her phone, though it was unclear what she was doing.

Soon, the waitress walked in with a smile. Su Ruixi’s first words were, “The person who makes your Yangzhou Fried Rice for takeout is not the same chef from just now.”

“Ma’am?”

The waitress wasn’t entirely sure, and Su Ruixi didn’t want to make things difficult for her. She said directly, “Get me your manager who’s on duty today.”

The manager arrived quickly, greeting her with the same smile, but he completely denied what Su Ruixi said. “That’s absolutely not the case. Our takeout also has a guarantee of quality; it’s all made by the head chef. At most, the texture might be a little different due to the steaming time, but it’s definitely just as delicious.”

Su Ruixi looked at him for a moment and then asked him to leave. After the man was gone, Su Ruixi took out her phone and played the recording she had just made. “Are you playing me for a fool?” Su Ruixi was a very meticulous person. The mere thought of paying 1888 for such garbage quality control made her feel upset.

Su Ruixi suppressed her temper and said to Sun Miao, “Let’s eat first. We’ll deal with them later.” After saying this, she felt a little apologetic, feeling that she had disturbed her date with Sun Miao over such a matter. She felt she had been a bit too impulsive and should have waited until next time to cause trouble.

“Sorry, today…”

But Sun Miao, as if she could predict the future, knew what she was about to say. With a smile on her face, she said, “It’s okay. If I encountered something like this, I’d be upset too.”

She had once seen a video of a couple who went to eat noodles. After a long wait, the girlfriend got a bowl of terrible noodles. Not only were the noodles mushy, but they also had a fishy smell. She told the owner the noodles weren’t good, and as it looked like an argument was about to start, the boyfriend impatiently dragged his girlfriend away.

The video showed the two of them sitting in the car. The girl was crying, and the boy was pointing the camera at her, questioning, “Why did you have to tell the owner it wasn’t good? Why are you angry? Why are you crying?” The girl replied, “I just wanted to express it. It just wasn’t good. I waited so long, and it tasted bad, why can’t I say that? I’m not crying because the noodles were bad, I’m crying because of you. Why do you look so embarrassed when I tell someone the truth?”

The boyfriend’s thinking was always “if it’s not good, we just won’t come back next time,” but he forgot that as a consumer, the girlfriend was fully entitled to give her feedback. And as her partner, even if he didn’t charge into battle for her, he absolutely shouldn’t have been a drag at that moment, making it seem like the girlfriend was being embarrassing.

Sure enough, hearing Sun Miao’s words, Su Ruixi’s mood instantly improved. She pulled Sun Miao along to continue eating, and the atmosphere immediately became much better.

When they were halfway through their meal, Sun Miao heard a familiar voice. “Su-jie, you think of me at a time like this? I’m here, I’m here.” Her voice arrived before she did. Just by listening, one could tell it was Hip-hop Mei.

Yabi Mei followed behind her. Hip-hop Mei entered boisterously and even greeted Sun Miao, “Yo, Little Boss Sun is here too.” Yabi Mei, on the other hand, just nodded at Sun Miao.

Seeing more people arrive, the waitress brought extra chairs and asked if they wanted to order more dishes. Hip-hop Mei sent her away, and she and Yabi Mei each took a seat.

“I heard the whole story from Su-jie. I’ve never actually ordered takeout from Yuanfu Lou, but she has. Could you tell the difference?”

Yabi Mei nodded. “It was a little different. I thought it was because it had steamed for too long and got ruined.” They were both regulars at Yuanfu Lou, had eaten there many times, and were satisfied. Occasionally, when they didn’t feel like cooking at home, they would order takeout. They had always felt it was reasonable for takeout to taste different from food served in the restaurant, but now that Su Ruixi brought it up, Yabi Mei realized the difference might actually be quite significant.

“Actually, Yuanfu Lou’s quality control has indeed been getting worse and worse. I even think that the dishes that are delivered directly, not made at the table, aren’t made by the head chef from just now either. They’re probably made by his apprentice,” Yabi Mei added.

While they were chatting, someone else came in, carrying a plastic bag with something inside. She walked quickly to Su Ruixi and said, “President Su, what you ordered.” The assistant was actually very confused. Su Ruixi was clearly eating at Yuanfu Lou, so why would she order a separate takeout of Yangzhou Fried Rice and have her deliver it here?

However, Su Ruixi just said, “Thank you for your hard work. I’ll give you a private red envelope today as an errand fee.”

“Thank you, President Su!” The assistant beamed. Seeing that Su Ruixi was having a meal with friends, she didn’t say much more and left. But just before she walked out, she suddenly wondered, Why are there only two sets of bowls and chopsticks…

After the assistant left, Su Ruixi opened the bag and took out a takeout container. Yuanfu Lou’s takeout containers were very exquisite. The Yangzhou Fried Rice was in a thick, disposable bowl with a blue-and-white porcelain pattern on the outside. This material was much better than what Sun Miao used. With just a glance, she guessed: The takeout container alone must cost five or six yuan.

She opened the container, and the Yangzhou Fried Rice within came into view.

This time, comparing it to the fried rice right in front of them, one didn’t even need to taste it to see the problem. Sun Miao understood with a single look: They didn’t add superior stock; instead, they loaded it with oil. The rice was glistening with oil, looking incredibly greasy at first glance, making one lose all desire to pick up their chopsticks.

Su Ruixi’s expression darkened. Hip-hop Mei, beside her, blurted out, “What the f#ck, the difference is huge! They both sell for 1888?”

Sun Miao pursed her lips. “Susu-jie, let me try it first.”

“Okay.”

Su Ruixi picked up a spoon from the table and scooped some up. She had already eaten several mouthfuls of the good Yangzhou Fried Rice and knew exactly what it tasted like. Just by looking at this one, she knew it wouldn’t be very good, but one can’t have a say without investigating first. She still had to taste it for herself.

She put the spoonful into her mouth, and then her brow furrowed as well.

This was definitely not made by the same person. The flavors were worlds apart.

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