Food Wars: Let him cook

"If possible, you could actually add a Schisandra berry when cooking."

"Schisandra berries are acidic, sweet, and warm in nature. They pertain to the lung, heart, and kidney meridians. Their taste is primarily sour and sweet. Adding one to the congee can play a good role in harmonizing the overall flavor."

After finishing the congee in his hand and experiencing the unfolding progression of its flavors, Dylan offered his pertinent advice.

"You don't need to add too much, one berry is enough, and the congee's flavor can become more coordinated."

"But I don't have any Schisandra berries among the medicinal herbs I brought this time. Even if I wanted to use them, I can't. This is a limitation of objective conditions," Hisako Arato argued reasonably. She also knew that Schisandra berries could harmonize the congee's flavor and had thought of it during cooking. The key was, a clever housewife can't cook without rice!

"Have you forgotten where we are, Hisako? I told you long ago to learn the geographical distribution of medicinal herbs. You're always slacking off. That won't do!"

However, upon hearing Hisako Arato's words, Dylan didn't show an expression of agreement. Instead, his face hardened as he questioned her.

"This is... a riverside..."

As if remembering something, Hisako Arato's voice suddenly trailed off until it was completely inaudible...

"Schisandra berries, as a medicinal herb, usually grow in thickets along riverbanks and forest edges."

As Dylan spoke, he put down the bowl in his hand and stood up from his chair. He twitched his nose, searching for subtle changes in the fragrance in the air, finally arriving in front of a bush.

"If you had thoroughly learned all the homework I assigned you, instead of just thinking you've learned enough, wouldn't you have been able to make an even better dish this time?"

Dylan's voice was tinged with severity and a hint of helplessness.

Actually, he could mostly understand Hisako Arato's thinking. When making dishes, it's enough to understand the properties of medicinal herbs. Why bother about where they grow?

Indeed, under normal circumstances, chefs don't need to find medicinal herbs themselves.

This was the modern era, not ancient times. With convenient transportation and fast shipping, some of the things taught in the past should be adjusted.

Perhaps he was being a bit old-fashioned...

"I'm sorry, Teacher Dylan. I've failed to meet your expectations."

Hisako Arato lowered her head slightly, a look of shame on her face. She then turned her head to glance around, and after confirming no one was paying attention to them, she turned her body around.

"What are you doing?"

Seeing Hisako Arato suddenly turn her back to him, Dylan's brow furrowed slightly, somewhat unsure of what she was doing.

"Isn't there going to be a punishment? Hurry up, Teacher Dylan. I don't know when someone might come over. It feels so embarrassing."

Hisako Arato fidgeted, her words tinged with a sense of shame. It was her first time in such a public place; her legs felt a little weak.

"The way you say that, it kind of makes you sound like a pervert."

Looking at the beautiful girl who had turned her face, her cheeks flushed and her appearance shy, Dylan's heart was also somewhat moved.

Especially since this girl had slightly lowered her body, arching her rear, presenting an S-shaped curve. No matter who saw it, they probably wouldn't refuse to give her a swat on her fleshiest part.

However, in public, unless he was extremely angry, he wouldn't hit anyone.

"Not necessary. Tonight, when you get back, copy the common medicinal herbs from the herbal classic and their distribution locations ten times. That will be your punishment."

Dylan said indifferently, still feeling in his heart that he should adhere to earlier educational methods. Understanding the growing regions of medicinal herbs was beneficial, not harmful, for a chef specializing in medicinal cuisine.

After all, his expectation for Hisako Arato wasn't just an ordinary Special Grade Chef, but an advanced Special Grade Chef.

Rather than cramming this content when needed in the future, it was better to lay a solid foundation now while there was time. As the saying goes, a ten-thousand-zhang tall building rises from flat ground.

"Alright, go study on the bus. You should be able to find relevant information on your phone."

After saying this, Dylan left, leaving Hisako Arato standing there with a flushed face. Feeling the river breeze on her face, the girl suddenly felt a bit disoriented.

What the! I was all ready, and he's not going to do it? What is this, a neglect play?!

Watching Dylan's departing figure, Hisako Arato stomped her foot, her little face looking exceptionally red, whether from anger or shame, it was hard to tell.

"Without punishment, it's impossible to learn a lesson properly. It's precisely because I want to improve so much that I desire Teacher Dylan's punishment."

Watching Dylan gradually walk away, Hisako Arato seemed to realize something. The blush spread to the roots of her ears, and she then began to mutter to herself in a low voice, as if trying to cover something up.

Dylan, of course, was unaware of Hisako Arato's girlish thoughts. Otherwise, he would definitely have fulfilled her wishes and given her a few good ones.

At this moment, Dylan was walking towards his spot while taking out his phone. After a moment's thought, he began to input the scores: Hisako Arato, 68 points.

If Alice Nakiri's dish was taken as the standard, then Hisako Arato's level was probably just at the passing line, reaching the peak of Second Grade cuisine.

If Schisandra berries had been added, the score could probably have reached 75 points.

Sometimes, just adding one ingredient can bring about a world-changing difference in taste. This is the charm of cooking.

"So, what is your dish?"

Looking at Erina Nakiri, who was waiting at his spot, Dylan looked into her eyes and asked.

"I've made a Hairy Crab French Bisque. All the freshness of the river is gathered in this one bowl. Please taste it, Teacher Dylan."

As she spoke, Erina Nakiri handed the bisque, which exuded an endless savory aroma, to Dylan, her face full of confidence.

"A bisque, hmm? A standard French approach indeed. But I really didn't expect you to carry so many ingredients with you. No wonder you had so many large and small bags this morning."

Remembering when he encountered Erina Nakiri and Hisako Arato before setting off, and the large and small bags they had with them, an expression of realization appeared on Dylan's face.

Although it could be considered a shortcut in some ways, advance preparation, from a certain perspective, could also reflect a chef's quality.

"I never fight a battle I'm not sure of winning. Compared to searching for ingredients everywhere, I'd rather focus all my time on completing the dish."

Hearing Dylan's words, Erina Nakiri said with a hint of pride.

Because she knew Dylan was the chief examiner, Erina Nakiri and Hisako Arato had specifically studied the plan several times before departure.

And upon doing so, they indeed discovered the key. So, they had a large quantity of needed seasonings, cooking utensils, and basic flavoring ingredients delivered overnight.

Now was the time to put them to use!

"Flour as a base, with added minced onion and crushed garlic. The oil used for sautéing is olive oil. After sautéing these ingredients until fragrant, white wine and cream were added, with salt and black pepper for basic seasoning, to cook up a bisque—a very standard French method."

"Furthermore, the sand in the hairy crabs and snails has been completely purged. The texture is soft and tender, and the taste is delicious. This deliciousness has also gradually integrated into this bisque over time."

"If I'm not mistaken, you probably blanched the hairy crabs and snails briefly, removed them once their shells opened to extract the meat, and then added this semi-cooked crab and snail meat only when the bisque was almost ready, in order to ensure both retained their tender texture, right?"

Scooping up a few pieces of hairy crab meat mixed with the bisque and putting it into his mouth, Dylan looked up at Erina Nakiri, his voice tinged with a bit more admiration.

The seasoning of the bisque was impeccable, and her control over the cooking time for the hairy crab was also excellent. It could be said that she had reached an outstanding level in all aspects.

"So, what score will you give?"

Erina Nakiri's eyes held a look of anticipation. Although she was very confident in her dish, the one evaluating her was Dylan.

If she could get a high score from him, wouldn't its value instantly increase!?

"To be fair, your dish tastes very good, but it didn't give me a very stunning feeling. It can only be considered a decent, standard dish."

"Because it was completed relatively early, there's a slight bonus in the score. 73 points."

Dylan's words made Erina Nakiri's expression stiffen; she couldn't quite manage a smile. Her dish only got 73 points? Just barely above the passing line, reaching a good level.

"Don't underestimate these 73 points. When today's rankings are out, you'll know their value. Go back and rest for now."

Watching the change in Erina Nakiri's expression, Dylan instantly understood her thoughts, but he was too lazy to explain. She would know the answer by evening.

"I understand."

Lowering her head dejectedly, Erina Nakiri began to reflect on the strengths and weaknesses of her dish, then went aside to try again.

She wasn't aiming for a high score for now; at least 80 points would be good!

"Teacher, help me look at mine."

After Erina Nakiri left, many other students came forward one after another. Time was passing, and more and more students completed their dishes, coming before Dylan to receive their scores.

However, without exception, no one scored above 60. The highest stopped at 43 points. Such a discovery was somewhat despairing.

A score that didn't even reach the passing line—how could they possibly pass this mid-term assessment!

"Damn it! Under these rotten conditions, it's impossible to make good food! What kind of trash mid-term assessment is this, with such a high elimination rate, not even giving people time to adapt slowly!"

After tasting the dish he had cooked, a pained expression appeared on the man's face.

His cooking skills were average, and he usually just barely passed in class. Now, the conditions were so harsh; under these circumstances, he simply couldn't make a good dish.

If he were to present this semi-finished product to Dylan, not only would the dish likely be thrown back at him, but his score would undoubtedly be abysmally low.

Because he had attended one of Dylan's classes before, the man knew just how strict this person before him was!

And from the beginning until now, more than five students had already had their dishes overturned by him, been verbally reprimanded, and ultimately received scores not exceeding ten points.

"If I can't pass, neither can you!"

After another failure, the man angrily overturned the pot in front of him, his eyes already somewhat bloodshot.

Even though there was still plenty of time, he really couldn't bear it any longer—this indescribable, agonizing torment.

So, he made a bold decision: to overturn the stoves of the few guys around him as well. Anyway, these people usually looked down on him.

"What are you doing?!"

"Fuck!"

"Son of a...!"

The sudden outburst caused the few chefs gathered nearby to curse. The man was quickly subdued by their combined efforts, receiving a harsh beating to his face and body, leaving him black and blue, clutching his stomach and hunched over like a shrimp.

They had beaten him, but their dishes had also been overturned. Seeing their hard work treated this way, even the most good-tempered among them now had red eyes.

"Let's take him to the teacher and see how this matter should be resolved."

What was done was done and couldn't be undone. The only solution now was to take this guy to the teacher and let the teacher help them solve the problem.

"Yes, take him to the teacher!"

"Let's go, let's go!"

Looking at their ruined dishes, the few of them quickly conferred and then dragged the man, who was clutching his stomach and howling in pain, before Dylan.

Dylan had seen everything that happened. Seeing them approach, he naturally knew what they wanted to say, so he spoke first with a cold face:

"You few, if you're here because your dishes were overturned, you don't need to say anything."

"But Teacher, it happened so suddenly."

Dylan's abrupt words stunned the few who had rushed over. They then realized he had been watching them all along. A chill ran down their spines, and they forgot the explanations they had prepared.

"I could tell from such a distance that his condition wasn't right."

"As chefs, instead of guarding your own dishes while cooking, you were gathered over there chatting, completely disregarding your food. Otherwise, an attack of that level wouldn't have overturned your dishes, would it?"

Looking at the evasive eyes of the few, Dylan said with a smile that didn't reach his eyes. He certainly knew why these guys felt guilty.

During the cooking process, because it required a longer time, they had gathered to chat, showing no intention of taking this assessment seriously.

Otherwise, even if that student had been overcome with anger and wanted to overturn their dishes, it would have been impossible, especially since he looked so scrawny.

Perhaps as soon as he showed any such inclination, he would have been subdued by the contestants guarding their dishes. It would have been impossible for one person to destroy multiple people's dishes.

"But, we're undergoing a cooking assessment. This is an accidental situation..."

One of the girls among them clenched her fists, seemingly wanting to say more, but was sternly interrupted by Dylan.

"Say no more. You probably have about four or five hours left. Either go back and recook now, or get a zero."

Dylan picked up the tea from the table, took a sip, and spoke coolly.

"How can this be! This... this is too cruel!"

"Damn it!"

For a moment, the scene was filled with complaints. But they didn't dare talk back to Dylan and eventually turned and left.

Dylan watched their departing figures, then looked at the man on the ground and said coldly:

"As a chef, instead of completing your own dish, you go and destroy others' dishes. This in itself is wrong."

"Erina, do me a favor. Go find his student records and process his expulsion."

"Yes, Teacher Dylan."

The few who left didn't hear the final outcome of the matter. At this moment, they were gathered together, discussing countermeasures.

"If that's the case, then let's overturn other people's dishes too! As long as enough dishes are overturned, it will definitely attract attention!"

"That's not really a good idea..."

"Things have already come to this, who cares about that much? Do you guys have extra ingredients? Even if you want to start over, you need ingredients! And hastily made dishes won't get a good score either."

The aquiline-nosed man among them had a sinister look in his eyes.

Since Dylan was unwilling to bother with just a few of them, they would escalate the conflict. As long as the number of victims increased, even Dylan wouldn't be able to sit idly by! If they could just muddle through with a baseline score, there would be a chance to advance.

"Alright! Let's do it! I don't see him getting punished either. At worst, it's just getting beaten up. If we don't get a score from the start, we probably won't pass this mid-term assessment!"

Although they all felt that such a thing wasn't very moral, their own interests were at stake. After a brief discussion, they decided to escalate the matter.

Meanwhile, Ikumi Mito, focused on the final reduction of her sauce, naturally didn't notice this farce. At this moment, her entire being was immersed in her cooking. Sniffing the aroma in the air, an expression of adoration on her face, she looked up with a pleading expression.

"Perfect! Now's the time!"

Ikumi Mito showed excitement, then used a cloth to pick up the clay pot, ready to present it to Dylan.

However, just at this moment, a foot suddenly appeared in front of her, causing her to stumble and nearly fall to the ground.

"What are you doing?!"

The sudden turn of events made her shout angrily, her face contorted with indescribable fury.

If she hadn't been training regularly and had a stable stance, she probably would have dropped her dish on the ground by now, ending up in a miserable state.

"Nothing, just slipped."

Hearing Ikumi Mito's question, the woman who had tripped her looked nonchalant. This dismissive attitude truly infuriated Ikumi Mito.

"You..."

She was just about to teach her a lesson when she suddenly noticed that the way the surrounding people were looking at her was very strange.

Wait!

Weren't there still several people cooking more than ten meters away? Why were they all gone? And these people, why weren't they working on their own dishes but had come over to surround her?

Something was wrong, very, very wrong!

"Your dish looks really good. Can I try it?"

A boy, smelling the aroma in the air, looked at Ikumi Mito with an adoring expression, as if he genuinely wanted to learn from her dish.

"Sure, you stand there. I'll come over and let you try."

Rarely, Ikumi Mito suddenly smiled and didn't refuse this seemingly unreasonable request. She slowed her pace and walked towards him.

This also made the few others surrounding her visibly relax, thinking to themselves, another naive fool. Later, we'll just pretend to accidentally knock over the dish...

"Forget it. I'd better wait until Teacher Dylan has evaluated it!"

Looking at their expressions, Ikumi Mito's face turned stern. She suddenly dashed towards a gap between them, accelerating and bursting out with her agile figure.

She had sensed their intentions the moment their eyes met—that ill will. She didn't know what had happened to make them become like this.

Pressure? Lack of skill? Or something else...

But she didn't want to focus on that. Right now, she just wanted to present the dish in her hands to Teacher Dylan as quickly as possible!

"Catch her! She's not wearing shoes, she definitely can't run fast!"

Ikumi Mito's agility had clearly surprised them somewhat, but they weren't overly worried because she wasn't wearing shoes.

Although this patch of muddy ground was soft, it was strewn with many stones, both large and small. Under these circumstances, someone without shoes definitely couldn't run far!

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