mijobooks Chapter 97 Knife Skills Competition
Chapter 97 Knife Skills Competition
Wei Yinghong got married in the 70s, when the concept of "three golds" didn't exist.
There are only three things to keep and one thing to keep: a watch, a sewing machine, a bicycle, and a semiconductor.
Returning home in glory is something every man who has made money wants to do.
Lu Yuan had always wanted to buy his mother a piece of gold jewelry, but he never had the chance to give it to her even though he had made money in his previous life.
Now that he has the opportunity and has made money, Lu Yuan naturally won't let this opportunity pass him by.
The little girl looked at the stack of money and didn't know how to react for a moment.
She was just about to take the money when she saw Lu Yuan snatch it back from her.
Lu Yuan was looking at a banner in the middle of the hall that read: Cooking Skills (Knife Skills) Competition. The winner will receive a home appliance prize and a 50% discount on all items in the store.
"Hey beautiful, what's the situation with that competition?" Lu Yuan asked, pointing at the banner.
The little girl replied, "This is a new event launched by our mall. There's a vegetable-cutting competition this Friday, Saturday, and Sunday at 11 a.m. I heard the prizes are quite valuable, so everyone is welcome to sign up."
Lu Yuan glanced at the large clock in the mall and said, "So the competition starts in 10 minutes? Is it too late for me to register now?"
"It's fine," the girl said. "As long as I arrive before 11 o'clock."
Lu Yuandao said, "Then I'll participate in a competition first, and come back to buy it later!"
After saying that, Lu Yuan invited his parents to go with him to the central hall of the mall to participate in the competition.
At this moment, the little girl suddenly spoke up timidly, "Sir... please give me back my necklace first..."
"Oh! Oh! I'm sorry!" Lu Yuan then realized that the necklace was still on his mother's neck, so he immediately took it off and returned it to the girl, and then handed her a 100 yuan tip.
Lu Yuan then immediately pulled his mother and father toward the central hall of the mall where the event was being held.
When we arrived at the central hall, the venue was already packed with people, making the competition area completely impassable.
Two long tables were set up in the middle of the competition area, with vegetables such as potatoes, cucumbers, and radishes, as well as tofu, on the tables.
There were about thirty people standing behind the long table, most of whom were housewives.
Lu Yuan squeezed for a long time before finally reaching the registration spot at the edge of the venue.
"Hello, I'd like to register for the competition."
The staff member looked up, sized him up, and asked skeptically, "Young man, are you sure you can do this?"
Logically speaking, those who participate in the competition at this time are usually housewives who have nothing else to do.
For a young man like Lu Yuan, whether he can cook or not is a question, let alone participate in a competition.
"No problem!" Lu Yuan said confidently.
"Okay, I'll report it to you then. If you can't cut it, don't force it, or you might end up cutting your hand."
The staff noted down Lu Yuan's name and then led him to a spot in the far corner.
Lu Yuan's neighbor was an elderly woman who smiled at him in a friendly manner, and Lu Yuan returned the smile in the same manner.
As the clock struck 11 o'clock, a middle-aged man in a suit came before the crowd and began to host:
"Welcome, dear friends, to our department store. To thank our new and old customers, we are holding our first-ever cooking skills (knife skills) competition today."
"The winner will not only receive an oven worth 600 yuan, but will also enjoy a 50% discount on today's shopping."
"In addition, we have many new products on sale in our store today. Welcome to browse and purchase them."
"Next, let's welcome Executive Chef Huang from Jianghuailou to announce the competition rules."
Clap clap clap clap!
As applause erupted, a middle-aged man wearing a multi-layered, high-crowned chef's hat walked over to the host and took the microphone.
In the kitchen of a Chinese restaurant, the higher the hat, the higher the status; the more folds in the hat, the higher the skill level.
Lu Yuan observed him from a distance. Judging from the hat, this Master Huang's skill level must be quite high.
"Hello everyone, I am Chef Huang, the executive chef of Jianghuailou. I will be using the relevant examination items for professional chefs as the content of your competition."
Chef Huang paused briefly, a hint of pride as a professional chef appearing on his face, before continuing:
"The first and simplest item is slicing with a flat blade."
As he spoke, Master Huang handed the microphone to the host, took out his personal knife roll, and laid it flat on the table.
I pulled out a fine kitchen knife and easily sliced off a piece of radish with a flat, horizontal cut. Then I held it up, and I could faintly see the light from the lamp.
Master Huang's actions were very professional, just like those of a chef on TV, which sparked a heated discussion among the onlookers.
After finishing cutting, Master Huang picked up the microphone again and said:
"The flat-blade slicing requirement is for each contestant to slice the radish in front of them into 1mm thin slices that are translucent enough to be seen through a light source. One whole plate is required, and the time limit is 15 minutes. Countdown begins!"
Not far from the central hall, two men watched the lively scene unfold before them, smug smiles on their faces.
"Mr. Zhang, you really have a way with things. We can use the ovens we can't sell as prizes. It's not a loss for us anyway."
"The cooking competition is too clever. Those who can cook don't have money to buy things, and those who have money to buy things don't have time to cook. So this 5% off coupon is practically useless."
"The best part is having Chef Huang from Jianghuailou show off his skills! When President Qi sees the exposure you've given his restaurant, he'll definitely promote you!"
Mr. Zhang, beaming with delight at his subordinate's flattery, waved his hand and said, "It's not as miraculous as you make it out to be. It's mainly to attract customers to the mall!"
At Chef Huang's command, the housewives present picked up the radishes and began to carefully slice them.
Since each person was only provided with one radish, everyone had to be careful; if they cut it badly, they wouldn't be able to make a dish.
Lu Yuan didn't rush. Instead, he picked up the kitchen knife and felt the sharpness of the blade.
Upon touching it, Lu Yuan discovered that the blade was indeed very dull.
Lu Yuan then turned the plate upside down, tilted the knife slightly, and gently rubbed the blade with the bottom of the plate.
Actually, the sharpness of the knife plays a large role in knife skills when cutting vegetables.
Some people can't cut meat or slice potatoes well, often not because of poor knife skills, but because their knives aren't sharp enough.
Sometimes, the kitchen knife at home is too dull, and it slips when cutting tomatoes straight on. Not only can you not cut the vegetables well, but you can also easily get injured.
After sharpening the cleaver, Lu Yuan picked up a rag and gently wiped the blade.
Then he saw the old lady next door slicing a radish with a worried look on her face. Because the knife wasn't sharp enough, the process seemed very difficult.
The radish peel that was cut off wasn't smooth enough; it was bumpy and uneven.
Lu Yuan asked, "Grandma, would you like me to sharpen your knife?"
The old woman looked up and asked, "Young man, you should hurry up and start the competition. I was just joking around, don't keep you waiting."
Lu Yuan laughed and said, "It won't take long, Grandma, give me the kitchen knife."
At Lu Yuan's insistence, the old lady handed the kitchen knife to him.
Lu Yuan simply handed the sharpened kitchen knife to the old lady and said, "Grandma, you can use this first, I'll sharpen it later."
The old lady gratefully accepted the kitchen knife, saying, "Young man, thank you so much!"
Lu Yuan smiled faintly and continued sharpening the kitchen knife. Soon, the second kitchen knife was sharpened.
Ten minutes had passed by then. Lu Yuan calmly picked up the radish, cut off the four sides, and trimmed it into a rectangle.
Then place it flat on the table, press down on the radish with your left hand, and push the cleaver horizontally with your right hand to cut a slice of radish.
Lu Yuan moved very quickly, slicing through the radish peels one after another, and soon the plate was filled with paper-thin slices of radish peel.