Chapter 27: The Chef's Heart
Master Abei continued along Xu Qing's train of thought, "That is to say, the decision of what to eat every day does not lie with the governor, but with the chef."

Xu Qing nodded and said, "That's right. So I think maybe we can change our thinking. We don't need to pursue precious ingredients and strange cooking methods, but focus on what the Governor really wants to eat but can't."

After hearing what Xu Qing said, Master Abei suddenly felt that the situation was clear. Their previous thinking had gone astray. They were always thinking about how to surpass the people in the dark cuisine world in terms of culinary choices, but they forgot the person they should really pay attention to, that is, the Governor himself.

Master Abei couldn't help but sigh: "Ah Qing, how did you think of this?"

Xu Qing smiled and said, "Thanks to Ke Ling and A Mao, they were in the number one restaurant in Sichuan, Ju Xia Lou, and their mother was the number one chef in Sichuan, but they had to sneak out to eat spicy rabbit meat made by a roadside stall. They made me realize that no matter who you are, no matter what kind of environment you are in, or what your identity is, there will be things you want to eat but can't."

Master Abei listened to Xu Qing's words, nodded slightly, and said with emotion: "Ah Qing, you can have such an idea, which is enough for you to become a master."

"Master, you are too kind. I am still far from being good enough."

Xu Qing shook his head and said.

This is not modesty. He knows his own business and he is only good at knife skills. As for other skills such as frying, heat control, pastry making, etc., he is still a complete beginner and has a lot to learn in the future.

“I’m not talking about technique, I’m talking about the heart of a chef.”

Master Abei asked, "Ah Qing, what kind of mood do you think a chef should have when cooking to be considered a good chef?"

This question stumped Xu Qing. He had never thought about this question before. He just felt that a chef who had enough skills and could make delicious dishes that were praised by the public should be considered a good chef.

As for how I feel...

Xu Qing thought of the plot in the animation "Little Chef" and said tentatively: "If you cook with the intention of making others happy, you should be considered a good chef, right?"

"Yes, the desire to make others happy, the desire to understand others, and the desire to help others, only when you have this kind of desire, can you be considered a good chef."

Chef Abei nodded and said, "Ah Qing, if there are only chefs but no diners, there is no point in being a chef. We cook for others to taste. We carefully study recipes every day, figure out the taste, challenge the unknown, and constantly strive for perfection. The fundamental reason is that we hope to present the best taste to diners. We want to see the surprised expressions on their faces, see their surprised smiles, see their satisfied smiles. This is the greatest satisfaction and sense of accomplishment as a chef, and this is the meaning of a chef's existence."

"Ah Qing, you have begun to understand the diners' thoughts, to put yourself in their shoes and think about them, and to want to make the taste they want to eat the most. This shows that you are already a good enough chef. Skills, abilities, talents, and status are no match for a heart that cares about others."

"Diners are very sensitive. They may not be able to see how much effort and ingenuity the chef has put into the dishes, but they can taste it. The taste may be salty or light, sweet or greasy. Everyone has different tastes. But if you want to eat happily, enjoyably and happily, it is not just about the taste that can achieve it. The communication between chefs and diners is a heart-to-heart communication, and food is the bridge that connects each other's hearts. The thoughts conveyed through food will be naturally felt by diners."

"Ah Qing, never forget the feeling of wanting to understand others and wanting to cook the dishes they want to eat the most."

Xu Qing said seriously: "Master, I remember it."

Anything that could be pointed out so seriously by Master Abei must be extraordinary.

Do you want to understand other people's feelings?

Xu Qing had never cooked with such an intention in mind, he just tried his best to perform at his best.

Xu Qing couldn't imagine what a dish that could understand others, help others, and make others happy would look like. Maybe next time he could try making a dish that could show his understanding of others with this feeling.

Xu Qing followed Master Abei back to the hall, lost in thought, and the two talked about the Governor again.

"According to your idea, perhaps we can try the Governor's hometown cuisine. People's first memory of taste is the memory of their hometown. The taste of water and soil, the taste of wind, the taste of plants and trees, ultimately constitute the taste of the dishes. If we make dishes from the Governor's hometown, perhaps we can attract his attention."

"It's just that we don't know where the Governor's hometown is right now."

"In fact, there are traces of this." Chef Abei said with a smile, "Back then, the governor held a grand audition for chefs in various parts of Sichuan. I have also heard that the questions the governor asked were mostly about noodles."

"Noodles, which means that the Governor's hometown should have noodles as the staple food."

Master Abei said, "Yes, this will reduce the scope. And the person who can take the position of governor may have a good family background."

"Then the answer is obvious, Shanxi," Xu Qing replied.

Chef Abei nodded. She thought so too. "It's just that there are so many kinds of noodles in Shanxi. It's hard to choose the one that the Governor would like to eat the most."

Xu Qing simply said, "Master, why don't you just stop being picky and make all the noodles one by one and let the governor choose for himself."

Master Abei thought about it and said, "Well, instead of going through the trouble of selecting, why not just make it and see how it turns out."

Xu Qing stood up and said, "Master, there is one more thing."

"You say it."

"I hope the master won't show up this time, and I'll do it."

Chef Abei immediately rejected the idea and said, "No, the opponent is from the dark cooking world. How can a child like you take on the responsibility?"

Xu Qing said, "It is precisely because the opponent is from the dark cuisine world that Master cannot show up. People in the dark cuisine world must have known Master's name and appearance for a long time. As soon as you show up, they will definitely notice something is wrong."

What Xu Qing said made sense. Master Abei sighed, but she was still worried.

Xu Qing saw what Master Abei was thinking and said directly, "Master, don't you believe me? Master just said that I am qualified to become a master, but it turns out that he was just trying to comfort me."

Master Abei felt helpless, "I'm not trying to comfort you..."

"That means you don't believe me." Xu Qing quickly replied.

Seeing Xu Qing like this, Master Abei knew that he couldn't persuade him, so he had to say: "...Okay, if you want to do it, then do it. But you have to promise me that you must not take any risks, understand?"

(End of this chapter)