Chapter 141 Chicken and Lychee
Hearing this, Chen Yu was stunned.

Chen Yu asked subconsciously: "Unqualified? Why?"

He had clearly made the best dish, which was impeccable in both creativity and taste. Even the examiners praised him unanimously. How could he fail?

After the initial shock, anger instantly swept through Chen Yu's body.

He asked angrily, "Didn't you all just praise the dish I made? Whether it's the taste, creativity, or technique, I performed impeccably! What on earth failed?"

Yao Ye sighed softly, "Chen Yu, calm down. Indeed, your dish is top-notch in terms of creativity, taste, and technique. This level of skill is rare even among top chefs. However, your dish has a fatal flaw."

"The fatal flaw?"

Chen Yu repeated it subconsciously, thinking constantly in his mind.

How could the dish he had spent so many days pondering and perfecting have such a fatal flaw?
Yao Ye said: "Do you still remember the re-examination questions for the special chef assessment?"

Chen Yu nodded, "Of course I remember, it's 'chicken' and 'unique taste'. My dish shows the unique taste of chicken, showing a taste that has never been tasted before. Doesn't this fit the title perfectly?"

Lei Hua shook her head slightly and said, "Your dish only fits the word 'excellent taste', but it misses the main theme, which is 'chicken'."

Chen Yu asked in confusion: "Doesn't my dish contain chicken? Isn't the lychee filled with chicken?"

Lei Hua said: "It is not the presence of chicken in a dish that makes it fit the theme. The theme of the special chef assessment is chicken, which means that the chicken must be the absolute protagonist of the dish, and everything, whether it is ingredients or seasoning, must revolve around it. But in your dish, the chicken is not the absolute protagonist. It and the lychee together constitute the dish. The flavors of the two are intertwined and integrated into one, but what is ultimately presented is not the delicious taste of the chicken."

"This dish has two protagonists, and the tacit cooperation between the two creates a wonderful taste and an unprecedented delicacy. Indeed, this dish is a rare and excellent product. However, unfortunately, this dish does not match the title."

After hearing what Lei Hua said, the atmosphere in the field became quite solemn.

This dish, which featured excellent creativity, skillful techniques and wonderful taste, was judged as unsatisfactory simply because an extra ingredient was added to the dish, which took away the main position of the chicken.

The judging criteria are really too strict.

Lei Hua also felt very sorry.

But that’s how the assessment for top chefs works. Even if there’s just a slight deviation, you’ll still fail.

Chen Yu stood there in a daze.

He never thought that he would lose here.

It is too unreasonable to say that a chicken is unqualified just because it did not show the delicious taste of the chicken!

"Three examiners, I don't agree! What right do you have to say that I didn't show the deliciousness of the chicken? Doesn't the sweetness of lychees perfectly highlight the deliciousness of the chicken? Isn't deliciousness the deliciousness of chicken?"

Seeing the unconvinced look on Chen Yu's face, Hong Ze said, "What were you thinking about when you made this dish?"

"Me? Of course I was thinking..."

Of course, the ultimate taste is to be displayed with lychees.

Before he could finish his words, Chen Yu's heart suddenly skipped a beat.

yes……

It was lychees. It was lychees that he was thinking about when he was cooking, not the chicken.

The meat stuffed in the lychees can be any kind of meat, it can be pork, fish, beef or mutton, but he chose chicken simply because the theme is chicken.

I chose chicken just to compromise with the question.

Chen Yu's face turned pale. Only then did he finally realize that he had done something wrong.

He should have made everything about the chicken, but he used it as a foil.

Hongze said, "You said before that you wanted to use this dish to recreate the unique taste that Huang Gong mentioned, and that unique taste is lychee, not chicken. You are very proud of your erudition, but this pride has turned into arrogance, which has blinded you. At the same time, your obsession with Huang Gong's poems has made you only see the lychee, but forget the real protagonist - the chicken."

Hongze spoke calmly, but every word he said was like a sharp knife stabbing into Chen Yu's heart, tearing his arrogance and complacency to pieces.

Chen Yu was born in Wenhua Garden. He was well-versed in poetry and books under the guidance of his master since he was young. Chen Yu sometimes thought that if he took part in the imperial examination, he might be able to get a place.

Among the chefs who could not even read a few words, Chen Yu, who was well-read, naturally felt that he was superior.

This sense of superiority has always existed in his heart, and has made his arrogance grow deeper and deeper.

At this moment, the poems and essays he was familiar with pushed him to the bottom, and his arrogance eventually became his grave.

If it weren't for his persistence in wanting to show the deliciousness of lychees as described in Huang Gong's poems, perhaps he would not have been defeated so completely.

Chen Yu's tall figure shrunk in an instant. He was knocked down by the thing he was most proud of. It was as if the thing that had been supporting him was taken away in an instant, along with all the energy in his body. At this moment, he didn't even have the strength to straighten his back.

Yao Ye couldn't bear it and advised: "A temporary failure doesn't mean everything. Go back and think about it carefully. You will definitely perform better in the next special chef assessment."

Chen Yu lowered his head in silence, without saying a word. He simply packed up his things and left through the side door with the guards.

The door of the examination hall is only open to the winners.

In the blink of an eye, only four of the five people were left.

The four people present looked at Chen Yu's silent back as he left, their hearts filled with regret.

Chen Yu overcame countless difficulties and exerted his best abilities under tremendous pressure, even displaying strength that surpassed that of a top-class chef.

But in the end he fell down on the same path he came.

Lei Hua broke the silence in the examination room and said, "Now, let's proceed to the next dish. Who among you four will go first?"

Fang He said first: "Please let me cook the second dish."

Jiang Cheng and Li Weiran were just about to speak, but when they saw Fang He beat them to the punch, they had no choice but to hold back for the time being.

Seeing that no one else had any objections, Lei Hua said, "Okay, then serve the dishes you made."

Fang He placed the plate on the table, opened the lid, and said, "The dish I made is called Jinhua Yushu Chicken. Please have a taste, examiners."

As soon as the lid is opened, a rich aroma fills the air. The fresh scent of vegetables hits your nose, and the fragrance of grass lingers in your mouth and nose. At the same time, the delicious aroma of chicken sweeps over, and this deliciousness is also accompanied by a strong salty fragrance, making the aroma of the chicken even more tempting.

(End of this chapter)