"Oh, it turns out that you came here in person. You are too polite." Hearing Zhang Haisen introduce himself, Yuan Zhou immediately felt a sense of familiarity with his own people.
Yuan Zhou was quite satisfied with his two nominal disciples of Cantonese Cuisine, especially Zhang Longquan, who was smart and capable of handling affairs. Although he was old, he was not inferior to the younger generation.
As the disciple of Yuan Zhou, he was still a pillar of Cantonese Cuisine, although he had been defeated by Huang Gang for the position of chairman of Cantonese Cuisine.
Zhang Haisen was Zhang Longquan's father. He was 70 years old this year, but he still looked very spirited.
The proudest thing in his life was that he had a son who was better than his father. As a person who had been a village chef all his life, he was quite famous in the surrounding villages. However, he always felt that a village chef could not enter the hall of elegance.
Zhang Haisen's dream was to be the head chef of a big hotel. He felt that was the only way to be successful. Of course, as a person of the older generation, he always felt that decency was the best standard for a job.
Therefore, Zhang Haisen had been very strict with Zhang Longquan since he was a child. Since he couldn't fly himself, he wanted his child to fulfill his wish.
Under the strict training, Zhang Longquan lived up to his expectations. Although he had only been learning for a few days, he was quite good at cooking. In addition, he had a bit of talent, so he had already gained a lot of fame at a young age.
When Yuan Zhou held the Village Chef Competition in the three provinces of Yungui and Chuan, Zhang Haisen paid close attention to it. If it weren't for the fact that his hometown was not Yungui and he had retired, he would also want to participate in it.
It was also the first time that Zhang Haisen felt that a village chef was also a chef and also had a status. All the changes in his perception were brought about by Yuan Zhou.
Because of Yuan Zhou's status and culinary skills, he also respected the village chefs. Zhang Haisen felt that he could finally vent the anger that had been suppressed in his heart for many years.
At the beginning, when Yuan Zhou wanted to select the nominal disciples of various cuisines, Zhang Haisen was really whipping his son with a whip. He wanted his son to win the quota so that he could have the chance to be taught by Yuan Zhou.
Hard work pays off. Although Zhang Longquan was slightly inferior, he and Huang Gang still got this rare opportunity.
From then on, Zhang Haisen could see his son's culinary skills improving visibly. Therefore, he would often say at home, "It's all thanks to you, Head Chef Yuan. What you need to do now is to study hard and make Cantonese cuisine flourish. That is the most important thing."
Zhang Haisen had long wanted to meet Yuan Zhou in person to thank him. Of course, the most important thing was to see Yuan Zhou.
It was no exaggeration to say that Zhang Haisen felt like he was on a pilgrimage.
In Zhang Haisen's heart, this was the person who changed his life's obsession. Moreover, his culinary skills were so superb that he was the God of Cooking in his heart.
Zhang Haisen had brought his most precious thing to meet his idol, but he was still a little nervous. He was afraid that he would lose face in front of his idol.
After speaking with Yuan Zhou, his nervous mood gradually calmed down. He felt that Yuan Zhou was very approachable and did not put on any airs.
"You're welcome. Only by coming personally can I show my sincerity. Thanks to Head Chef Yuan's guidance, Long Quan has become much more promising," Zhang Haisen waved his hand.
"Why didn't Long Quan accompany you this time?" Yuan Zhou saw that Zhang Haisen was a little uncomfortable and changed the topic.
Honestly speaking, Zhang Haisen was not very tall. He had the body of an ordinary person. Due to his old age, his height had shrunk slightly. His appearance was ordinary, but his eyes were bright and full of expression. As for Zhang Longquan, he was already 50 years old. However, due to his training with Wang Jike, his muscles were well-developed and well-maintained. He looked like a somewhat handsome uncle, unlike Zhang Haisen.
This was also the reason why Yuan Zhou did not recognize him immediately. He reckoned that Zhang Haisen looked more like his mother.
"Hahaha. Recently, he and Chairman Huang have been busy dealing with some matters of the Cantonese Cuisine Association. I think they are going to organize some sort of competition. Besides, it's not like I can't walk. I just wanted to come and see Head Chef Yuan. I used to be a chef myself," Zhang Haisen said as he straightened his back.
He could now proudly say that he had been a village chef for his entire life.
"I can tell. From your posture, I can tell you are a chef," Yuan Zhou nodded.
"Hahaha. Head Chef Yuan, you have a good eye. However, I'm just a village chef. I can only cook some village banquets, but not others," Zhang Haisen said modestly.
"This salted lime was pickled during my last year of work. It's not something expensive. Head Chef Yuan, you must accept it and have a taste. It's a local specialty of our Guangdong Province," Zhang Haisen added.
He had retired at the age of 60. It wasn't that he didn't want to cook anymore, but his physical strength couldn't keep up. Being a village chef required more physical strength than being a chef in a hotel. This was because he had to prepare banquets that required at least four or five tables. It was already an amazing thing for Zhang Haisen to be able to work until he was 60.
"If that's the case, I will definitely have to have a taste. However, I did make some as well. It's just that they're not old, only a year old. You can bring some back to have a taste," Yuan Zhou said.
"I will naturally look forward to Head Chef Yuan's cooking," Zhang Haisen said happily.
He had admired Yuan Zhou's culinary skills for a long time. Now that he could eat something personally cooked by Yuan Zhou, one could imagine how excited he was.
Then, Yuan Zhou chatted with Zhang Haisen about how he used to be a village chef. Yuan Zhou was very interested and asked about many things.
The main reason was that Yuan Zhou had already thought about it. Based on the previous three provinces' village chefs, a village chef was indeed different from a proper chef.
Although the emphasis was different, it didn't mean that a village chef didn't have any redeeming qualities. Many village chefs' unique skills were also treasures in the culinary world. For example, there was a village chef whose kimchi was praised by Yuan Zhou as "embodying the essence of Sichuan's kimchi". It was said that a company offered one million yuan for the recipe.
Yuan Zhou didn't know whether the recipe was sold or not. However, he knew that the same recipe would taste different in different jars and different climates. The company that offered the recipe probably knew that as well. They were buying this gimmick.
Good things couldn't be buried. Since he wanted to carry forward the culinary skills of China, he not only had to absorb new knowledge, but he also had to master old skills. Tradition couldn't be lost, nor innovation. The best way was to work on both at the same time.
Yuan Zhou wanted to carry out a joint activity of village chefs to include all the village chefs in the country and make a unified management. Of course, this project was huge and tedious. At present, it was just an idea in the embryonic form. It wasn't mature yet, so it was still in the planning stage.
It was also a coincidence that Zhang Haisen came here this time. He could understand some things about the village chefs.
When it came to other things, Zhang Haisen might be a little timid. However, when it came to things that he had been doing for decades, he was more talkative.
Although Zhang Haisen used to think that the village chefs were the work of the commoners, his culinary skills were truly well-known in the countryside. Naturally, he knew a lot of people and could talk endlessly. Since he knew a lot of people, he could talk endlessly.
When Yuan Zhou's alarm clock rang, the two of them stopped talking reluctantly. This time, Yuan Zhou had gained a lot. At least, he had more perfect and new ideas in his mind.
"I'm sorry. Head Chef Yuan is getting old, so he talks a lot. This has really taken up a lot of time," Zhang Haisen said, feeling embarrassed.
He had heard from his son that Head Chef Yuan's daily schedule was fixed. What time and what to do were all fixed. But now, Head Chef Yuan had asked for two hours. This would definitely take up a lot of time.
"No, I've gained a lot," Yuan Zhou said, "It's all because of my culinary skills."
Zhang Haisen felt that what he was talking about was the daily life in the countryside. How could it be of any help to Head Chef Yuan? Thus, he waved his hand, "What I'm talking about is just some countryside skills. They are just dishes that cost a dozen RMB each. They can't be considered as culinary skills."
"No, no, no. Culinary skills can only be differentiated between good and bad. Service, environment, and ingredients can only be differentiated between cheap and expensive," Yuan Zhou said.
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