Food Bureau

I call come, come and go, come and go.

According to Lai Congshan, an unknown gourmet, there are three kinds of cooks in this world: the first one satisfies your food and clothing; the second one pleases your tongue; the third one comforts your heart.

After Lai Congshan said the words that caused me to think, he followed the evil. He is not a big villain. In today's words, he is a bit drifting.Ten years ago, my own father Lai Congshan became famous in R City and was named the "God of Cookery". In fact, he was a cook. After he became a god, most of the circles were rich and famous, which gave him an illusion that he He is also a rich man, so he also speculates in real estate when others speculate in real estate, bets on horses when others bet on horses, and smokes marijuana when others smoke marijuana.

Everyone is fine, he went in.

It is said that Lai Congshan was arrested at the time and got all the stolen goods. Several small bags of powder of suspicious color and texture were found in the pocket of flour in the small storage room of the restaurant.Later, when I went to visit the prison, he sighed and complained to me: "The other day, Master De brought a small box and said he would let me stay here for two days."

"Do you dare to accept this??" I doubted my father many things, but that was the first time I doubted his IQ.

"Then you have to know, since Lord De said this, I have taken [-]% of the risk if I agree to come down. No, I will have nothing to do with it after [-]%."

Bet, right?Then you are willing to gamble and admit defeat, and don't say anything more.

Before I left, I also persuaded him, "In this case, you should put down the kitchen knife in the past few years, aspire to become a talent, and strive to write an autobiography, write all your unique skills, and when you come out in the future, find someone to publish it If you talk about it in a big way, it can benefit the society, and if you talk about it in a small way, you might even be able to subsidize your family."

Having said so many bad things about Congshan, we also miss his kindness.Back then, Lai Congshan married a beautiful wife and gave birth to me. That's why I wasn't born crooked. Lai Congshan also passed on his ambiguous intuition about food to me. It is said that when I was three years old , my mother put a little bit of sugar as small as the fingernail in the pot of rice paste cooked by my mother, and I shook my head in disgust.

When Lai Congshan had an accident, I was studying in the United States, and I had just been there for a year and a half.When his news came, I looked at the calendar and wondered if today was April Fool's Day, and it wasn't. Then I called customer service in a flash and took the 3-dollar [-]D printer I just ordered. Retired, I was a construction student at that time.

In the next few days, I booked the plane ticket, asked for leave, and booked the economy class ticket. Just like returning the printer, I keenly predicted the economic situation of my family in the next ten years.

Misfortunes never come singly, I was just thinking about how to comfort my mother when I went back, when my mother told her that she wanted to remarry.

Wait, my dear father is still alive!But Ms. Wang Yaru said that she is a modern woman with ideals and pursuits, and she doesn't want to be a widow for my father for nine years in a good year.

I also don't want to ask her to think again about the meaning of "great years". I think she has misunderstood the word, but it's not important. What's important is that she said that the cost of my architecture studies in the United States is surprisingly high. She is a family woman, I can't pay for it even if I sell everything. Only by remarrying can I pay for my tuition.

I also figured it out, if I save a little more, I might be able to make up for the living expenses, but the tuition fees of the private school of architecture can’t be paid for anyway, well, the leave of absence was changed to drop out, and since then, I dropped out of school.

My dropping out of school did not change Ms. Wang Yaru's determination to remarry, which shows that I was cheated.It doesn't matter, I have to find something to do so that I don't have to support my stepfather.

So far, my father Lai Congshan said another sentence in prison that made me think.

He said that chefs and architects are both constructing, except that the latter can only construct reinforced concrete, while the former is constructing people's taste buds, and constructing the balance between man and nature through ingredients. The architect's works are visible to the naked eye, okay Chefs change the world virtually.

too!ox!up!

One sentence made the things I couldn't bear to do become unfathomable. I decided to open a small restaurant and become a cook.

Well, let's not talk about the bad past.

This is my seventh year as a cook, and the story starts from this day, because I think back later, it should be the first time I knew "Shang Wan" by name, nose and eyes. , maybe passed her by in the bustling crowd, maybe listened to her interviews on the radio of the taxi, maybe glanced at her when looking up at the glass curtain wall of Shanggu Building Huge commercials, but none of them are concrete.

Later, I asked myself, if Xiao Ziyan was an ugly and fierce middle-aged executive who was thrown on the cover of a magazine on the table that day, I would still be looking for her a handful of "alive" dried prunes after more than a month Do you want to make steamed buns, drive my small broken van without air conditioning, and go door-to-door in the countryside in the [-]-degree heat?

I do not know……

Well, maybe not, but love at first sight is so superficial, like a steamed stuffed bun that you bite off, your mouth is full of aroma, and your lips and teeth are full of love. Who would think that this flavor comes from anaerobic The ever-dividing spores of lactic acid bacteria, or the interaction of free amino acids with salivary enzymes?

Some things, such as love and food, are not beautiful if you think too thoroughly.

At twelve noon that day, the alarm clock rang on time. I got up and took a shower. I was about to check the ingredients for tonight, when my phone rang, it was Ah You.

"Seat! Are you free tonight? How about I come to see you at nine o'clock?"

I guess she fell out of love again.

"Close early tonight, close at nine o'clock and go home."

"Uh... How about picking up another guest, half an hour without delaying you?"

"Five hundred for half an hour."

Oh, don't get me wrong, I run a decent restaurant.

"Don't be like this! She is falling in love! Then I'll go there early, five o'clock? Six o'clock?"

Shrug.

"Ayou" and "Juzuo" are both nicknames, and Ayou's real name is Zuo Xiaochen.Zuo Xiaochen would tell a story to everyone, the story of her grandfather. In the 50s, the 17-year-old Grandpa Zuo was arrested because of a small misunderstanding. After criticism and struggle, he was sent to the farm for transformation. Fast forward ten years, at the end of the 60s, the director of the farm sympathized with him and said that he could issue a fake disease certificate and let him go. Going home, but having no identity after going out, Grandpa Zuo agreed.One day after going out, Grandpa Zuo was hit by a car on the street. He lost his breath on the spot and was taken to the crematorium. He was about to be burned. The comrades at the crematorium found that he had no identification. It couldn't be burned, so he lifted it down and put it aside first. A few hours later, Grandpa Zuo woke up and saved his life. Then he was able to get married and have children, and gave birth to Zuo Xiaochen's father, so Zuo Xiaochen always said thank God for his blessing, otherwise There would be no her father, and without her father there would be no her. Plus her surname is Zuo, everyone calls her Ayou.

Ayou is a pretty girl with long hair. People are always confused by her appearance, thinking she is so cute, but in fact... Forget it, because she is my best buddy, I won’t make any more complaints. Anyway, you will know later.

"By the way, why did you close early today?" The person I slandered continued to ask.

I couldn't help but yawned, adding color to this boring story, "Tomorrow is Ms. Wang Yaru's birthday, and she asked me to come to her house before lunch, so today she closes early."

"Jiangzi, I thought there was some gossip...then I'm going to find you even more, I have a gift for auntie!"

I sighed in my heart, "Okay, come at a quarter past five."

After hanging up the phone, I continued to check the ingredients.The arctic prawns were sent by the third brother. They are fresh, seedless on the abdomen, and creamy on the head. This is very important. All aquatic organisms are the most delicious before spawning. At this time, guanylic acid and inosinic acid reach the best balance. Once the eggs are released, the amino acids that produce umami taste will be greatly reduced, and the meat quality will be like chewing wax.So when the salmon swim against the dangerous shoals of waterfalls, cross the Niagara Falls in North America or the Liping Falls in Shaanxi with scars, and persist in going to spawn, they have to experience the last catastrophe: human predation.Salmon tastes best right before spawning.

A box of full-grained dried shrimp roe, I want to try a dish with it.On top of a piece of Tibetan ham, a few Dutch pears, and some odds and ends, wax gourd, pigeon, flower crab, some soothing herbs... These ingredients are only for one guest.

At four o'clock in the afternoon, I ate a bowl of Yangchun noodles at home. Before work, I would not eat strong food, which would affect my taste and breath. After eating, I took a taxi to the store with the ingredients.

The small shop is located in the prosperous CBD of R City. We locals call it "Shanggu", that's right, it is the Shanggu Group that is famous for its A shares and H shares.Shanggu's headquarters is here, and the bus stops call this station "Shanggu". Over time, it has replaced the name of this area.

Shanggu, where every inch of land is very expensive, seven years ago, the average monthly rental price of shops was 300 yuan per square meter. I took Wu Fei, my childhood sweetheart and ex-girlfriend in high school. Together, we only dared to rent as big as [-] square meters. Wu Fei Do I have to drive in Shanggu?I'm pretending to be deep: location, location, location.At that time, this sentence had not been uttered badly, and it could still scare people.

Later, I chose the location, sacrificed the area, and opened a late-night cafeteria in the alley behind the Guangshang Building, where three guests couldn’t get rid of their buttocks, so we named it “Two People’s Bureau” to show that we can It seems like you don't want to open a bigger one.

Unexpectedly, I don’t know if it’s because of the “two people” or the “late night”, there is a little effect of hunger marketing. More and more guests want to experience it, and often they can’t make an appointment, and they have to wait for two days.

Then, maybe five years ago, Wu Fei ran away with the man, and the "Two People's Game" closed for a month. ".

Oh, you want to eat Wu Fei's melon?Too bad, I don't want to mention it now, it depends on my mood later.

Ah You came at five o'clock, just as I expected, she didn't mind me asking her to come at five o'clock quarter, she knew that I usually enter the store at five o'clock to get ready.

When she came to the store, I was carving half a winter melon, preparing to stew the winter melon cup that is the favorite of tonight's guests, and guaranteed that she would be able to drink it when she came at seven o'clock.Take the half of the melon on the stem, the meat is thicker, after removing the flesh and carving, it should be stewed in water for half an hour.There was light jazz playing in the shop, and I listened to it to relax while I worked.

Ah You took off his sunglasses, and tilted his head to look at the work I was doing. I raised my eyes to look at her, and saw that her eyes were not swollen, and her nose was not red. It seems that this lovelorn is not important this time, "Let's talk." I urged.

She poked her neck and rolled her eyeballs, just like the singer named Huang Ling, "Ju Zong, your hands are so beautiful, with slender fingers and beautiful bones, and you can do things with precision and stability," she stretched out her hand , "It's really a good attack..."

"Stop," I stopped her words and the outstretched hand, "Look and see, don't touch."

"Tsk tsk," Ah You rolled his eyes again, "Do you think anyone can be touched by me??"

"Yes, yes, we, Zuo Xiaochen, are idiots, how can we touch people casually? You only touched people with money." I put the carved melon into the stew pot.

"Give it to the 'back', give it to the 'front'! I think you are losing money now. You don't allow people to order food in this place, and you charge 1000 yuan an hour. Those sisters who come to eat here must be tricked by you." Already!"

"One thousand per person per hour, drinks are not included, and there are also male diners," I corrected her, "My food is delicious, and I chat with you, massage your stomach and soul, it means that you have eaten delicious food and received psychological counseling. Is the one-to-one service worth the price?"

"It really made you win, and now people in the nearby circle really use it to check in here as a show of capital," Ayou said, throwing a beautifully wrapped bag into my hand, "A birthday present for Auntie .”

I looked at it, and it was a Versace silk scarf, "Oh, it's quite willing." I know her too well, so I don't have any scruples when talking.

"Someone gave it to me, I think it's too motherly." Ayou is more ruthless than me.

Well, I think she just wants to find someone to accompany her today. How can there be any drama of broken love that she is looking forward to?I continued to prepare vegetables, diced pigeon meat and mushrooms, and took apart the crab meat.

"Who is the guest tonight? Do I know him?" Ayou asked.

"Let's meet, Xiao Ziyan, the anchor of City Radio Station at ten o'clock in the evening."

"Oh~ that emotional show? What's it called...'Zi Yan Zi Yu'?"

"Well, yes." I held the lancet and sliced ​​mushrooms under my breath.

"Wow, what did she talk to you about?"

"That can't be said."

"Why? Don't you exchange stories here?"

"Firstly, you are not a guest, and secondly, you can't ask someone's story by name, and you can't match things with people."

"Cut~"

At 05:30, the winter melon was stewed soft. I put the diced pigeon meat, mushrooms, crab meat, fresh lotus seeds, and soaked scallops into the winter melon pot. The soup base with dried shrimps has been boiled for two hours, and it needs to be stewed for another hour and a half, and it will be ready to drink when Ms. Xiao Ziyan comes.

Seeing Ayou swallowed his saliva, I smiled, "I'll make you some amazing side dishes."

"Really? What?"

I picked out six soybean sprouts of the same thickness from the refrigerator behind me, yes, just six.

"Wow! So generous!" Ah You rolled his eyes.

"Don't worry," I said with a smile, "otherwise, tell me, why did you lose your relationship this time?" I think it's better to hear something unhappy.

Ah You sighed unprecedentedly, "Sister..."

"You hooked up with senior sister?"

"Sleep."

If I hadn't been well-trained, my bean sprouts would have been scared off.Ah You is not a student. She was an opera student at the Conservatory of Music in R City. After graduation, she didn't want the iron job her parents found for her. She insisted on going to a bar to become a singer. Back then, she almost vomited blood from her father's anger.She sang for four years before she became famous. Next, she plans to participate in a talent show to pursue her dream.

Two months ago, when she was singing in a bar, she met Bai Yueguang, who was in college, and hooked up with her, but today it sounds like the plot is developing a little too fast, why did she fall asleep and lose love again.

I cut the bean sprouts from the head to the tail, and cut them into exactly the same length. The six white bean sprout stems were blanched in boiling water for two seconds, and they were soft and not as crisp.Then take out the prepared toothpick, point it at the light, and poke it in from one end.

"Oh my god! Are you doing embroidery or cooking?"

"How about I stuff meat dishes in bean sprouts for you? This is what Lafayette ate back then, isn't it interesting to you?"

"Enough, enough!" Ah You's eyes straightened.

"And then? You and senior sister?" I continued to ask her.

"Hi!" Ah You looked away, his face turned red, which is really rare.

"Don't tell me it doesn't fit in bed?"

Ah You coughed, "Guess, senior sister is attacking or receiving?"

"..."

"It's okay, say it boldly!"

"Look...how? You won't be counterattacked, right?"

"She was thinking... and because of this she was at odds with me..."

I suppressed a smile, "And then?"

While speaking, I took out the inner flesh of the six bean sprouts, and I took out the shrimp roe soaked in honey water, which had softened and swelled at the moment. Does not impart a bitter taste.

I poked the shrimp roe with a needle and stuffed them into the bean sprouts one by one. This is a delicate job, and it really requires precise and steady fingers as Ayou said just now.

"My God! I don't dare to eat your dish!" Ah You's attention was completely attracted by the work in my hand.

"Say senior."

"...Then I got awkward a few times. We got into a fight when we spent the night together. We broke up yesterday."

"You said you...why didn't you follow me?"

"I... It's not that I don't agree, it's that she is different from what I expected..."

"You," I brewed the last bean sprouts, "you still don't love her enough."

"Well... maybe."

I set the salt steam, steamed six bean sprouts filled with shrimp roe for 30 seconds, and took it out. At this time, the bean sprouts were almost transparent, showing the red shrimp roe inside, which was really beautiful.

Separate the three from the left and the three from the right, spread green peppercorns on the three on the left, and crushed star anise on the three on the right, heat the oil and pour it on.

"Taste it." I pushed the plate in front of Ayou.

"You..." She solemnly took a sip of tea, and solemnly picked up a bean sprout and put it in her mouth.

I also tasted a peppercorn, which was still a bit aggressive, and an aniseed one, which was better.The last process is mainly to remove the beany smell of bean sprouts.

"Yeah, you have to eat ten sticks to enjoy this dish." Ayou threw the remaining three sticks into his mouth.

I hold my forehead.

"Don't say it, it's quite delicious."

Well, I probably couldn’t hear a richer description than “delicious” from Ayou, but I tried it on a whim today. I heard that Galeries Lafayette used shredded ham in his imperial meal, so I changed it to use shrimp roe.

"Who are you going to serve such a pretentious dish?" She has a richer vocabulary when describing bad things.

I shrugged, "Only for you."

She was about to hit me, but I dodged, "I don't plan to enter the menu, it's too gimmicky, I'll cook home-cooked dishes."

Ayou smacked his lips, "Not to mention, you have a good grasp of the salt, I haven't seen you add salt, how did you do it?"

I stretched out my hand, "Relying on the sweat of my hands, when removing the flesh and stuffing the shrimp roe, the sweat slowly seeps in..."

Before I finished speaking, seeing that she was about to vomit, I quickly withdrew my hand, "Just kidding."

"Damn! You're just bullying me, I don't believe you dare to treat your guests like this!" She calmed down, "The mouse experiment is over, so what's the name of your dish?"

I thought about it, "Not red, not white."

The author has something to say: City R is a completely fictional first-tier city, which does not compare to any real city.

Xiao Shang: When is the next update?

Xiao Lai: 9:[-] p.m. Beijing time on Friday.

Xiao Shang: Will I be there then?

Xiao Lai: I can mention it.

Xiaoshang: ...... Open a new article~ Thank you everyone for supporting me~