Chapter 79 Physical Strength
Early the next morning, Xu Qing went to see Master Luo Tian.

Xu Qing thought that the training would be tough from the start, so he was mentally prepared.

Unlike what he had imagined, Master Luo Tian was still sitting leisurely on the recliner, basking in the morning sunshine and drinking wine comfortably, enjoying himself very much.

Everyone else at Yangquan Restaurant was busy preparing for the opening. They kept walking and didn't even have time to drink a sip of water.

The one who replaced Master Luo Tian as the head chef was Jidi. He was usually serious and had a fierce look in his eyes, and at this moment he looked even more majestic, making people who approached him dare not even breathe, for fear of doing something wrong and making him angry.

In contrast, Master Luo Tian's leisurely appearance is really a bit unpleasant.

If it weren't for the fact that he was the nominal chef, someone would have thrown him out of the door along with his chair.

"Master, this isn't a good idea." Xu Qing reminded gently.

Xu Qing could see the anger bars accumulated by the people coming and going.

Don't turn around and arouse public anger. When that happens, everyone will elect Jidi as the head chef and throw this old man out the door, saying out of sight, out of mind.

At Juxialou, Master Abei works hard with everyone, without distinction between them, and sometimes even takes the initiative to take on more work.

It's good here, the people who should be working the most have the least time.

Master Luo Tian said with a smile: "It's okay, don't worry about it, they are used to it."

When Xu Qing heard this, his blood pressure suddenly rose a little.

When he thought about the old man drinking leisurely and watching him work while he was busy in the kitchen, he couldn't help but want to pick up the bucket and run away on the spot.

I don’t want to learn this art anymore!
He doesn't want to have high blood pressure at such a young age.

Master Luo Tian glanced at Xu Qing, who was holding back his anger, and said, "Young man, don't be so angry."

Xu Qing closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and exhaled. Only then did he feel his blood pressure drop a little.

"Master, let's get started."

"Alas, young people are always impatient. Well, let me teach you the first lesson. Do you know what is the most important thing about being a chef?"

skill?
It shouldn't be such a simple thing.

Xu Qing recalled that Master Abei seemed to have asked him a similar question at the beginning, and at that time he had just begun to understand the chef's intentions.

Xu Qing said: "It should be for the sake of the diners, wanting to make them happy."

Now he has fully understood this sentence. It is no longer just the teaching of Master Abe, but a true thought from his heart.

Those who do not possess this kind of mindset cannot understand the communication between hearts.

This can be said to be the only way to become a top chef.

"Wrong." Master Luo Tian said mercilessly.

No, this is also wrong?

Shouldn't this be a perfect answer?

Xu Qing narrowed his eyes, "Master, do you think the chef's intentions are unimportant?"

Master Luo Tian smiled and said, "Boy, don't set a trap for me. You know the importance of intentions very well, so there is no need for me to waste my words. I am asking about something more basic." Something more basic...

Xu Qing replied: "It's skills, basic techniques like knife skills, stir-frying, and controlling the heat."

“That’s wrong.”

Xu Qing frowned and asked, "What is that?"

Master Luo Tian said leisurely: "Of course it's physical strength."

Ok?
Does this count as well?

Xu Qing retorted: "Master, physical strength is not only needed by chefs, people from all walks of life need physical strength."

Master Luo Tian sat up straight and said, "You are right. Physical strength is needed to do anything, whether it is the most basic or the most complicated work. Whether it is a small vendor hawking on the street or a high-ranking official in the imperial city, they all need sufficient physical strength to do things. Chefs are no exception. We are no different from other people. What is extremely important to them is equally important to us."

That’s true, after all, chefs are also human beings.

Xu Qing nodded in agreement.

Master Luo Tian continued, "Moreover, the career life of a chef is also closely related to physical strength. You may not know that among all the elders of the Guangdong Chefs Association, I am the only one who is still the head chef of a restaurant. The others have already resigned. Because cooking is a very energy-consuming task, especially for top chefs. Sometimes an unconscious shake of the wrist can make the taste of the dish a little different. They resigned early just because they didn't want their reputation to be ruined in their own hands."

"Although I am not as strong as I was at my peak, at this age, I can say without exaggeration that I still retain more than 80% of my strength."

No way……

Xu Qing glanced at Master Luo Tian's head full of white hair. It was already amazing that an old man of his age could move freely.

Master Luo Tian saw Xu Qing's face full of doubt and knew that he didn't believe it. He stood up, stretched, and said, "Let's go. I'll show you my skills."

The two came to a remote kitchen. Master Luo Tian picked up a kitchen knife, his eyes focused, and the knife in his hand slid like water. Almost in the blink of an eye, the vegetables on the chopping board were cut into slices. Then the knife light flashed, and between flashes, uniform thin threads were born under the knife. Each one was crystal clear and the same size, with no difference at all. This kind of control does not seem like that of an old man. Even a young man is no more than this.

Apart from vegetables, his hands didn't even shake when he was cutting meat or chopping bones, and the muscles on his arms bulged, showing his golden body that was honed through decades of hard work.

Only with such a body can one ensure that one's skills are always at their peak, and even if ruthlessly eroded by time, 80% of one's strength can be retained.

Xu Qing now truly believed it and yearned for it.

After Master Luo Tian finished demonstrating his knife skills, he put the kitchen knife aside and kept rubbing his shoulders. "I am still old, not as good as I was when I was young. Back then, we went to Beijing to cook for the emperor. Four of us spent two days without sleep and cooked a total of 100 dishes. The quality of each dish had to be guaranteed to be the best, otherwise my life would be in danger. If I didn't have sufficient physical strength to support me, I'm afraid I would have died in the imperial city that year."

Xu Qing nodded repeatedly after hearing this. It was indeed true. Cooking one or two dishes might not show much, but once the time was extended, it was not just a test of skills, but more of endurance and physical fitness.

Without sufficient physical strength, no matter how powerful the skills are, they cannot be displayed.

Physical fitness is like the roots of a big tree. If the roots don’t grow well, the branches and leaves will naturally not be able to flourish.

Master Luo Tian said: "Now you understand, I let Jidi be the head chef early, not because I was lazy, but to give the young man more opportunities to practice."

If he hadn't added this sentence, Xu Qing would have truly believed what he said.

But when he saw Master Luo Tian slacking off with his own eyes, he felt a little distracted.

The majestic figure of Master Luo Tian, ​​which had just been built from the ruins in Xu Qing's mind, collapsed again with a small collapse.

(End of this chapter)