Rebirth as a Cooking God

When the building was empty, Xia Yu finally heard the handsome young monk muttering something, his words faint and indistinct.

Dragon face...

Barbecued pork, soft-boiled eggs, seasonal vegetables, and bright green green onions.

Although it is said that the soul of a bowl of noodles lies in the soup base, this alkaline water wheat fragrant dragon noodles also captures the essence of noodles. It's amazing!

Xia Yu frowned slightly.

Dragon noodles?

He was a little stunned.

For those in the know, the word dragon noodles is equivalent to ramen.

In the early 20th century, the word ramen did not exist. At that time, the people of the island country called Chinese ramen dragon noodles. It was not until a large number of immigrants brought the ramen culture to the island country. In order to cater to the tastes of the locals, the overseas Chinese used soy sauce and Chicken bones and pork bones were boiled into soup, and Japanese ramen was born.

Therefore, Xia Yu couldn't help but show a strange expression when he heard the ancient title Dragon Face.

Well, it’s not him who is complaining. The island nation’s generation, pursuing a looser generation, is known as the Heisei waste house. Therefore, Xia Yu was really shocked when he heard this word from a Heisei Ton that contained food culture and traced the origin of Japanese ramen.

The young monk stared at the ramen noodles on the counter and was still thinking.

Constant analysis and praise.

Later, Xia Yu frowned, why did he keep saying these few words over and over again?

Hey! Xia Yu said, Is it okay if you don't go to morning class? Be careful that Natsuki Sumomoto spanks you.

Morning class?

The young monk finally raised his head, his glazed eyes flickered for a moment, and then he lowered his head again, The abbot said that I won't have to attend morning classes in the future until I solve the mystery in my heart.

oh?

Xia Yu sat down and looked at the ramen on the counter, Does such a simple ramen have anything to do with the mystery in your mind? You seem to be very confused.

The young man asked, Do you know 'Wabi Sabi'?

Xia Yu was choked.

Don't you know? With a slight sigh, the young man dipped his fingers in tea on the desk and wrote two extremely square Chinese characters.

“It’s this ‘wabi’.”

Silence, silence.

Xia Yu felt a subtle pain in her balls when she looked at the young monk's serious and handsome face, which even showed piety.

He knows the word.

But put them together, uh, please forgive me for my lack of knowledge.

It's completely unfamiliar, but it has a strange attraction, as if there is an important cooking secret hidden in the meaning of the word. Xia Yu was inexplicably looking and gradually fell into a trance. When his thoughts returned from the sky, the young monk had disappeared, and an old face with a smile appeared nearby.

What are you thinking about?

The owner of Shirinji Temple, Abbot Isshin, was sitting on the tatami two or three steps away, as tall as a pine or cypress.

Xia Yu asked directly: What is 'wabi' and what is 'sabi'? What is 'wabi-sabi'?

Abbot Yizhen was stunned, obviously not expecting Xia Yu to have questions about Zen. He pondered for a moment, then answered with a smile: If you just refer to Zen, this group of words actually comes from the three seals of Hinayana Buddhism. All actions are impermanent, all dharmas have no self, and Nirvana is silent. If you take the words apart and look at them individually, well, do you know the famous tea maker during the Warring States Period, Senkyuri? He created 'wabi tea' and had a profound influence on tea ceremony.

After finishing speaking, he paused and Abbot Yizhen uttered three groups of words:

Wabi-sabi, mysterious, and mournful.

“Understanding them, you will have a deeper understanding of the environment and things in the island country.”

Abbot Yizhen smiled and said, You come with me.

Xia Yu followed.

In the abbot's garden of Shirinji Temple, he stopped and stood with the abbot Yizhen on the corridor of the courtyard. The courtyard in front of him was quite strange. At first glance, it looked like a flat plain.

There is not a drop of water, the ground is covered with a uniform layer of white sand, and a total of 15 stones are embedded in various parts of the yard.

This probably symbolizes the pool and landscape.

Xia Yu thought to himself as he looked at the illusion of white waves created by the distribution of white sand on the ground.

This is a dry landscape garden, and it is also the essence of wabi-sabi. Abbot Itshen said.

Xia Yu was suddenly startled, I probably understand.

An aesthetic taste?

Well, simple, close to nature?

Abbot Yizhen showed approval, You really understand.

He went on to sing:

The wabi live the life

What I ate was Shancai

Quite comfortable

…”

This is a harmonious song. Abbot Yizhen sang it. Xia Yu's eyes gradually brightened and he suddenly hit his palm:

It turns out that little monk was telling me that 'wabi-sabi' also exists in cooking.

Isn't it?

Since ‘Wabi Sabi’ represents the neon people’s aesthetic taste towards things, then this kind of aesthetics is not only reflected in tea ceremonies, gardens, etc., but also includes cooking and delicacies.

Xia Yuxing hurried away to find the young monk and tell him the answer.

Abbot Yizhen looked after him with a smile.

However, after searching all over the temple, Xia Yu still couldn't find the young monk.

The next day.

Xia Yu got up very early, washed up, and walked into the quiet canteen in the mountains before everyone in the temple.

I thought I would have to wait for a while, but unexpectedly someone arrived earlier than me.

Xia Yu's footsteps stopped at the threshold. He looked around and saw the handsome young monk again, sitting in a daze in front of a desk. However, unlike yesterday, it was too early today, there was thick fog in the mountains, and the light inside the house was a bit dim.

Haha, I understand. You wanted to tell me yesterday about the existence of 'Wabi-Sabi Ramen' and the meaning of 'Wabi-Sabi', right? Xia Yu sat down opposite the monk.

Yeah, wabi-sabi ramen, I haven't had it in a long time.

The young monk raised his head and said, Can you make a bowl for me to eat?

The somewhat cute eyes clearly showed fluctuations when speaking.

this……

Xia Yu was in trouble.

Hey, he can’t say that we haven’t fully understood ‘Wabi-Sabi’ yet, so we can’t make the so-called Wabi-Sabi Ramen. Looking at the pleading and earnest eyes of the young monk, for some reason, Xia Yu opened her lips slightly and couldn't say such weak words as I can't do it.

I have a recipe. The young monk said. He didn't care about Xia Yu, dipped in tea again, and wrote text on the table with his fingertips. It was all traditional Chinese characters.

Noodles are ordinary noodles.

The soup base is made from chicken bones and chicken feet, which is very ordinary.

Even the side dishes are the shadow of the well-known Japanese ramen, barbecued pork, soft-boiled eggs...

Xia Yu took a deep breath. For a moment, she felt that she had been tricked, and all her expectations were in vain. Ha, for such an ordinary recipe, you told me it’s ‘Wabi-Sabi Ramen’?

The young monk added: Actually, 'Wabi-Sabi' is not something difficult to understand. It is opposite to 'Exquisite external wisdom,' or in other words, 'humble external wisdom,'

Appearances don't matter.

“The key is simplicity that goes straight to the source.”

Before Xia Yu had time to comprehend the meaning of these words, a hand suddenly stretched out and patted his shoulder.

You woke up so early today? Aoki Souta's words reached his ears, and Xia Yu's tense body suddenly relaxed. He turned back and glared, I was scared to death by you.

Who are you talking to? I heard you chattering from far away, so I heard the sound and came over to have a look...

ah?!

In an instant, Xia Yu's hair stood on end, I'm following...

Opposite the desk, the young monk was still there, with his head lowered, but behind Xia Yu, Souta Aoki's face looked strange, and it didn't look like he was deliberately pretending to be a prank.

...

Goosebumps all over.

Scared.