"Hold the knife steady, and make your cuts precise. In my view, 99% of you are unqualified! If your foundation isn't solid, you can forget about breaking through to the Special Grade in this lifetime!"
Dylan strolled back and forth in the classroom, a teaching ruler in hand, observing the students' progress. Noticing Yoshino Yuki, who was constantly craning her neck to look at others' cooking, lively as a monkey, Dylan's ruler tapped her on the head. "Focus."
The tap wasn't hard, enough to get her attention without causing injury. Dylan's voice was faint but carried an indescribable authority, instantly making Yoshino Yuki settle down. Before her were apples and mushrooms; she was likely planning to use these two as side ingredients, though it was uncertain if she could handle them properly.
"Your cutting is quite good, just a bit slow. However, for a student, it's acceptable. You'll need to practice your knife skills more in the future."
"Yes, Teacher Dylan!"
Turning to Tadokoro Megumi, Dylan's voice softened considerably because her cutting was indeed quite good, just too slow. Others had already finished processing their ingredients, while she had just finished slicing the pork.
"Sorry, teacher... we're late." Panting, Nakiri Erina arrived at the classroom, leaning against the doorframe and gasping for air. Hisako Arato, following beside her, was clearly in better condition; apart from some ragged breathing, she was fine. It seemed that the... resistance... in front really did affect stamina consumption.
"Come in and rest for a bit. No need to rush. As long as you finish your dish before class ends and meet my requirements, you can pass." Dylan observed Nakiri Erina, a flicker of surprise in his eyes. She had changed into a pristine white chef's uniform and tied her hair up, looking incredibly sharp. Her aura had also changed slightly from when they first met.
"Thank you." Without many words, just a lowered head and a word of thanks, Nakiri Erina found an unused cooking station nearby, upon which sat only a piece of pork loin.
"If you're short on ingredients, you can call someone to deliver them, or use those over there. Although they are basic ingredients, when paired with Fish-Fragrant Pork Slivers, they can create vastly different flavors."
Looking at Nakiri Erina resting at the cooking station, Dylan pointed to another box on the podium, which was filled with various vegetables. Dylan had some expectations for the dish Nakiri Erina would make. After all, although her God Tongue had some issues, it was still a super-taste ability. In a sense, she was like him. So far, he had only encountered one girl with super-touch in China; Nakiri Erina was the second.
And that girl with super-touch wasn't actually a chef, but the daughter of a fish stall owner; she knew the weight of things without needing a scale. He had tested her a bit and found she possessed super-touch. After understanding her culinary talent, the girl chose to join the Dark Culinary World because Dylan had inadvertently revealed his seven-star dragon-shaped armband. Thereafter, she stayed by Dylan's side, transforming from a complete novice to a Second-Class Chef in just one year.
The cooking continued. Dylan strolled through the classroom.
"Yours is just purely bad. Every sliver is of different length and thickness. Cut like this, it won't taste good no matter how you stir-fry it. You can eat it yourself later!" Looking at the meat and vegetable slivers on the student's plate in front of him, Dylan couldn't help but frown. This fellow definitely slacked off when practicing fundamentals!
"And you, your slivers are cut too coarsely. Re-cut them. By the time the vegetables are cooked, the meat will be old! This is the most inexcusable mistake!"
"Your problem is with the side ingredients. Although I don't know where you got that sea cucumber, the meat slivers are soft, and the sea cucumber is also soft. The combination can't reflect the 'crisp' texture in Fish-Fragrant Pork Slivers."
"Your knife skills are still lacking."
"Have you all been wasting your school years? Every single one of you has poor fundamentals! The ingredients you use are varied, I can't even find a few that are the same, but before choosing ingredients, figure out what you need! Don't just blindly use high-end ingredients, and don't think that improving a dish is as simple as just swapping out two ingredients!"
After a tour of the room, Dylan wasn't truly satisfied with anyone. The vast majority were half-baked, with 20% having poorly practiced fundamentals. However, there were also excellent ones, like Tadokoro Megumi, Yoshino Yuki, Nakiri Erina, and Hisako Arato, who were the standouts here! Although they hadn't started cooking yet, their knife skills already showed a glimpse of their abilities.
Among them, Tadokoro Megumi surprised Dylan. Because according to the original Food Wars plot, she should be a girl with decent ability but lacking confidence, always performing poorly in every assessment and on the verge of expulsion. However, in his class, she performed well...
Thinking of this, Dylan couldn't help but turn his gaze to Tadokoro Megumi, only to be surprised to find her squatting beside the cooking station.
"Whew, don't be nervous, don't be nervous. You can definitely succeed in one go, Tadokoro Megumi, cheer up!" Quickly writing the character for "person" on her hand a few times and swallowing it, Tadokoro Megumi muttered this to herself to ease her nervousness. She could take her time cutting vegetables, but stir-frying had to be done in one go. In other words, if the heat wasn't controlled well, the dish would be ruined. Thinking of this, her heart immediately tensed up again. Even though she had prepared all the side dishes, she hesitated to cook for a long time.
"Relax a bit. I could tell from your vegetable cutting that your fundamentals are solid; you're in the top five in this class. As a chef, if you hesitate due to nervousness and end up unable to make a good dish, that would be too regrettable! So, if you continue like this, I'll directly fail you. Hurry up and stir-fry. No matter how badly you do, I'll give you a passing grade!" Looking at Tadokoro Megumi squatting on the ground and muttering, Dylan strode over to her and unceremoniously patted her on the back.
"Eh?!" The tingling sensation on her back startled the girl. Hearing she would be failed, Tadokoro Megumi's face showed panic, and she scrambled to stand up. However, because she had been squatting for too long and her blood circulation was poor, her whole body involuntarily tilted backward, and she was about to fall.
"You little slip of a girl, you cut vegetables quite well, but you're so muddle-headed when doing things. You get so nervous just stir-frying a dish. From now on, you sit in the front row in my class!" Catching her, Dylan sniffed, then spoke with a slight reproach. The girl had a very simple and honest fragrance, a reassuring scent, like being hugged by a Yamato Nadeshiko-type girl.
"?" Hearing Dylan's words, the girl exclaimed, a momentary panic flashing across her face. Why did he suddenly want her to sit in the front? And... did the teacher just secretly sniff her? Was it subconscious? Or her imagination? It must be her imagination! Blushing slightly as she got up from Dylan's embrace, Tadokoro Megumi peeked at the man's handsome face with the corner of her eye, feeling her heart beat a little fast. Regardless, she had indeed been held tightly in Dylan's arms just now. Such close contact between a man and a woman truly made her, a girl who had never even touched a boy's hand, feel hot and flustered all over!
"Alright, don't be nervous, just go for it. With your skills, you can do it well. Don't think about unnecessary things; entrust your feelings to your body." Tadokoro Megumi's current situation could only be resolved by gradually building her courage and confidence. And the best way was to call on her more in class. Let her feel the teacher's special care!
"Okay, I'll try my best." Hearing Dylan's words, Tadokoro Megumi nodded seriously, indicating she would do her utmost.
"Unleash your passion, ignite your fighting spirit, don't let the cowardice deep in your heart affect the taste of your dish!"
"Okay!"
"Very spirited, I have high hopes for you!" Seeing Tadokoro Megumi's condition improve considerably, Dylan immediately raised his hand and patted her back vigorously, simultaneously secretly infusing his internal energy into her body. And with the infusion of this internal energy, Tadokoro Megumi was affected, fighting spirit gradually igniting on her face, and then she threw herself wholeheartedly into cooking. Dylan watched this scene and nodded inwardly. This little girl's fundamentals were good. As long as she could overcome her psychological hurdle, she wouldn't be weaker than anyone!
"Teacher Dylan, I've finished. Please taste it." Just as Dylan had seen enough and was about to leave and return to the podium to rest, Nakiri Erina's voice suddenly sounded in his ear.
"Alright, bring it up." Waving his hand, Dylan didn't stop, walked over and sat down in his seat, while Nakiri Erina brought the dish over and placed it in front of him.
"You replaced the winter bamboo shoot slivers with green and red bell pepper slivers, retaining the crispness of the Fish-Fragrant Pork Slivers while adding a bit more sweetness." Looking at the dish in front of him, Dylan didn't taste it immediately but took a slight sniff, then began his routine critique.
"The ingredients for the fish-fragrant sauce have been adjusted according to the composition of the dish. If I haven't smelled incorrectly, you used butter to stir-fry this dish, right? And you also added white wine." Dylan looked at Nakiri Erina calmly. His super-olfaction only needed a sniff to grasp all the details of a dish. In other words, at this moment, Nakiri Erina was completely exposed before him!
"That's right. I considered the topic you gave, and combined it with what I learned before, I used butter and white wine. Butter and white wine can add a milky and fruity aroma to the Fish-Fragrant Pork Slivers, without being too overpowering." Although surprised that Dylan could tell her cooking method just by smelling it, considering the other party was likely a seven-star special chef, she accepted it.
"This method is indeed quite novel. Combining what you learned before with what you're learning now might be a good transition."
Dylan said as he picked up his chopsticks, gathered the meat slivers, green and red bell pepper slivers, and wood ear mushroom slivers together, and put them all in his mouth. Closing his eyes, the first thing he felt was the tenderness of the meat slivers, the crispness of the bell peppers, and the softness of the wood ear mushrooms, followed by the rich flavor of the fish-fragrant sauce. Moderately sweet and sour, slightly spicy and numbing, it had both the traditional Sichuan fish fragrance and the fine control of seasonings found in French cuisine.
"The idea is quite good, but the heat control is a bit lacking. Since you chose to add new things, you have to let them integrate, not let the flavors stand out independently. Do you understand what I mean?" Putting down his chopsticks, Dylan looked at Nakiri Erina with a serious face, pointing out the problem, truly adopting the air of a teacher.
His main purpose in coming to Totsuki was to guide the original Food Wars protagonist group, to make them a little stronger, so that Alice's high school life wouldn't be particularly boring, or even a waste of time. Especially the beautiful girls in Food Wars, they were of utmost importance. Start with teaching, then gradually deepen the exchange. Well, he was talking about discussing culinary arts.
"Let the flavors integrate, not stand out independently..." Dylan's words made Nakiri Erina fall into deep thought, her mind racing.
"Are you mainly talking about the fusion of flavors in a dish?" Nakiri Erina wasn't stupid. Picking up her chopsticks and tasting the dish on the plate, she quickly understood the true meaning of Dylan's words.
"That's right. You're too concerned with showcasing the extra flavors. Although the milky aroma of butter and the fragrance of white wine are indeed enticing, if they are too obvious, they will actually destroy the overall flavor coordination of this dish." Dylan's face showed a look of appreciation, and he continued, "Not bad for someone with the God Tongue talent, you understood with just a little prompting!"
"I understand, Teacher Dylan. Please let me make another one!" Nakiri Erina said, picking up her chopsticks and eating all the food in front of her. This was a requirement Dylan had written on the blackboard. Only after eating all of your own cooking could you make the next dish for him to taste. Anyone who dared to waste food would be immediately kicked out of the classroom!
"Go ahead." Watching the spirited Nakiri Erina, Dylan just waved his hand, then turned his gaze to Hisako Arato who was walking up behind her.
"Alright, bring your work up!"
"Yes, Teacher Dylan." Dylan looked at the girl in front of him, or more accurately, the dish in front of her. The ingredients were the same as the Fish-Fragrant Pork Slivers he had cooked, but the aroma in the air had changed significantly.
"Did you soak medicinal herbs in the sauce? No, it should be an additionally prepared sauce. First, use a clay pot to extract the medicinal properties, and then use a cooking method to let the flavor of the medicinal herbs enter the Fish-Fragrant Pork Slivers. Am I right?" Dylan's voice sounded, slightly peculiar, until Hisako Arato placed the dish in front of him. Only then did he reach out with his chopsticks to observe it.
"That's right. I want to combine what I've learned to give the Fish-Fragrant Pork Slivers a nourishing effect! To achieve the effect of medicinal cuisine." Looking at the blushing girl in front of him, Dylan didn't put the food in his mouth but silently put down his chopsticks.
"I can roughly understand your idea, but the cooking of medicinal cuisine is not such a simple and crude application. This dish of yours is a typical example of focusing only on the 'medicinal' aspect and completely ignoring the 'cuisine' aspect."
Looking at the girl's slightly stunned expression, Dylan didn't hesitate and continued.
"When I was traveling in Guangzhou, I once met an old man who was very good at making soup. Thinking about it carefully, it's also a type of medicinal cuisine. Because he would add many medicinal herbs to the soup, giving the soup itself a nourishing effect, allowing sick people to recover quickly. However, although he added many medicinal herbs, the person eating it couldn't taste the bitterness of the medicinal herbs at all. The soup was only delicious, making people unable to stop drinking. I once went to him for advice, asking him how to make good soup. He told me the most important things were patience and meticulousness. I never believed such words. Later, through my pestering and mutual exchange, I obtained some secret medicinal cuisine recipes from him. After studying the recipes, I discovered that the key to medicinal cuisine is the coordination between the medicinal properties, and how to use cooking methods to transform bitterness and astringency into flavor, to elevate the taste of the cooked dish." Looking at the clear-eyed girl in front of him, Dylan suppressed the urge to throw all the Fish-Fragrant Pork Slivers in front of him and instead slowly began to explain the way of medicinal cuisine.
The so-called medicinal cuisine mainly emphasizes food nourishment, easily achieving the goal of strengthening the body and becoming healthier by tasting delicious food. And medicinal cuisine, the most important part is not the 'medicinal' but the 'cuisine' that follows; otherwise, it would be better to just take medicine. It was clear that Hisako Arato had not yet grasped the true meaning of medicinal cuisine.
"I guarantee that if you eat this Fish-Fragrant Pork Slivers, the aftertaste will definitely be slightly bitter. Such a dish is undoubtedly a failure. If I were you, even if I really wanted to add medicinal cuisine elements to this dish, I would only choose medicinal herbs whose flavors are similar to Fish-Fragrant Pork Slivers, not just haphazardly adding them in. It would be strange if the taste turned out good! Hold out your hand." Dylan said, seriously picking up the teaching ruler beside him. Hearing his words, Hisako Arato was stunned for a moment but still obediently held out her hand.
"Slap~ Slap~" The ruler landed on her palm, making a crisp sound, and also causing the girl to suck in a breath from the pain, but she didn't flinch.
"Eat all the food you made, then remake it according to what I said!" Dylan's expression was stern, but inwardly he was lamenting his own gentleness. In normal times, he would have smashed the plate on Hisako's face long ago. If the reserve members of the Dark Culinary World saw this scene, their eyeballs would probably fall out, and then they would lament his favoritism.
However, there was also a difference between the two. The reserve members of the Dark Culinary World on the Loulin ship all bore grudges to some extent, and were recruited by Dylan through chance encounters. Each of them wanted to quickly become stronger and take revenge, which was why they asked Dylan to be as strict as possible with them. And Dylan, as the leader of the Dark Culinary World, naturally couldn't refuse such a request and had always trained them to the highest standards. But at Totsuki Academy, Dylan was completely in a retirement mode, giving people the feeling that he had been busy for so long and could finally rest. Of course, this was only for the big classes. For the private small classes in the future, he would let them understand what strictness truly meant! He would only recruit female students then.
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