2297 There's no higher or lower
“So you’ve come personally. You’re too polite.” When Yuan Zhou heard Zhang Haisen introduce himself, he immediately felt more familiar with him.
Yuan Zhou was quite satisfied with his two registered disciples of Cantonese cuisine, especially Zhang Longquan. He was smart and knew how to make decisions. Even though he was old, he was not inferior to the younger disciples.
As the apprentice of Yuan Zhou’s Cantonese cuisine, although he had lost to Huang Gang in the fight for the position of Chairman of the Cantonese cuisine, he was still a pillar of the Cantonese cuisine.
Zhang Haisen was Zhang Longquan’s father. He was 70 years old, but he still looked very energetic.
The thing that he was most proud of in his life was that he had a son who had surpassed his teacher. As a person who had been cooking in a village for his entire life, he was still very famous in the surrounding villages. However, he always felt that it was difficult for a village chef to be of great importance.
Zhang Haisen’s dream was to be the head chef of a big hotel. He felt that this was the way to be successful. Of course, as an elder, he always felt that dignity was the best measure of a job.
Therefore, Zhang Haisen had been very strict with Zhang Longquan since he was a child. He had the idea that if he couldn’t fly, he would want his child to fulfill his wish.
Under the strict training, Zhang Longquan had not failed to live up to expectations. He had only been in school for a few days, but he was quite good at cooking. Coupled with his slight talent, he had already made a name for himself at a young age.
Zhang Haisen had been paying close attention to Yuan Zhou’s Yun Guichuan three province chef tournament ever since. If not for the fact that he was not from Yun Guichuan and had already retired, he would have wanted to join the competition himself.
It was also the first time that Zhang Haisen felt that a Country Chef was also a chef and had a high status. All the changes in his perception were brought about by Yuan Zhou.
Because of Yuan Zhou’s status and cooking skills, he also respected the local chefs. Zhang Haisen felt that he could finally vent the anger that he had been holding in for so many years.
At that time, Yuan Zhou wanted to select in-name disciples of various cuisines. Zhang Haisen was really whipping his son with a whip, hoping that his son would get the opportunity to be a professor of Yuan Zhou.
Hard work paid off. Although Zhang Longquan was not as good as Huang Gang, he and Huang Gang still got this rare opportunity.
Since then, Zhang Haisen noticed that his son’s cooking skills had improved. Therefore, he often said at home,”it’s all thanks to head chef Yuan that you have what you have today. What you need to do is to study hard and strive to carry forward Cantonese cuisine. That’s the most important thing.”
As for Zhang Haisen, he had long wanted to come here to personally see Yuan Zhou and express his gratitude. Of course, the main reason was to see Yuan Zhou.
It was no exaggeration to say that Zhang Haisen was in the mood for a “pilgrimage.”
In Zhang Haisen’s heart, this was the person who had changed his life’s obsession. Moreover, his cooking skills were so excellent that he was the God of Cooking in his heart.
He had brought his most precious thing to see his idol. Zhang Haisen was still a little nervous, afraid that he would lose face in front of his idol.
After having a few words with Yuan Zhou just now, his nervous mood gradually calmed down. He felt that Yuan Zhou was very approachable and didn’t put on airs at all.
“You’re welcome, you’re welcome. It’s only sincere if you come personally. That kid, Long Quan, has received much guidance from head chef Yuan. He’s become more successful now.” Zhang Haisen waved his hand.
“Why didn’t long Quan come with you this time?” Yuan Zhou changed the topic when he found Zhang Haisen was a little uncomfortable.
To be honest, Zhang Haisen wasn’t very tall. He had the figure of an ordinary person. Due to his age, his height shrank a little. His face was ordinary, but his eyes were bright. Zhang Longquan was already 50 years old, but probably because he trained with Wang Jike, his muscles were well-developed and he took good care of his skin. He still looked like a handsome uncle, unlike Zhang Haisen.
This was also the reason why Yuan Zhou didn’t recognize it at first. It probably looked more like his mother.
“Hahaha, he has been busy with some matters of the Cantonese cuisine association with President Huang recently. I think they are going to hold some kind of competition. It’s not like I can’t walk. I just wanted to come and see head chef Yuan. I used to be a chef too.” 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. I can tell that you’re a chef from your posture.” Yuan Zhou nodded his head and said.
“Hahaha, head chef Yuan, you have a good eye. However, I’m just a village chef. I can cook some village banquets, but I can’t do anything else.” Zhang Haisen said humbly.
“This piece of salty lime was marinated in my last year of working. It’s not expensive. Head chef Yuan, you must accept it. Try it. It’s a local specialty of our Guangdong Province.” Zhang Haisen added.
He retired at the age of 60. It was not that he was unwilling to cook, but that his physical strength could not keep up. Being a village chef was more physically demanding than being a chef in a hotel because he had to organize banquets, which were at least four or five tables high. It was already a great thing for Zhang Haisen to be able to cook until he was 60 years old. It was also because the old man was in good health.
“In that case, I must try it. But I also made some, but it’s just not that old. It’s only a year old. You can bring less back to try.” Yuan Zhou said.
“Of course, I’m looking forward to head chef Yuan’s dish.” Zhang Haisen was very happy.
He had been admiring 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.
Immediately after that, Yuan Zhou started to chat with Zhang Haisen about his previous work as a village chef. He was very interested and even asked him about many things.
It was mainly because Yuan Zhou had already thought about it. Based on the conclusion drawn by the village chefs of the three provinces, the village chefs were indeed different from the real chefs.
The focus was different. It wasn’t that a village chef didn’t have any redeeming qualities. The specialty of many village chefs was also a treasure in the cooking world. For example, the kimchi made by a village chef was rated by Yuan Zhou as “reflecting the essence of Sichuan kimchi”. It was said that a company had offered one million Yuan to buy the recipe.
Yuan Zhou didn’t know whether the recipe was for sale or not, but he knew that the same recipe would taste different in different jars and climates. The bidding company probably also knew that. They were buying this gimmick.
Good things couldn’t be buried. Since he wanted to carry forward China’s cooking skills, he not only needed to absorb new knowledge, but also master old skills. He couldn’t lose tradition, but he couldn’t lose innovation either. The best way was to do both.
Yuan Zhou wanted to launch a joint activity of all the village chefs in the country and unify the management. Of course, this project was huge and cumbersome. At present, it was only a prototype idea and not mature yet. Therefore, it was still in the process of brewing.
It was a coincidence that Zhang Haisen came over this time. He wanted to learn more about the country kitchen.
Zhang Haisen might be a bit timid when it came to other things, but when it came to what he had been doing for decades, he had a lot to say.
Although Zhang Haisen used to think that a Country Chef was a poor thing, his cooking skills were really famous in the countryside. Naturally, he knew more about it and talked about it non-stop. He knew more people, so he talked about it more.
When Yuan Zhou’s alarm clock rang, the two of them finally stopped talking. This time, Yuan Zhou had gained quite a lot. At least, he had some more perfections and new ideas in his mind.
“I’m sorry. Head chef Yuan is an old man. He’s talkative. I’ve really wasted a lot of time.” Zhang Haisen felt embarrassed when he came back to his senses.
He had heard from his son that head chef Yuan’s daily schedule was fixed and the time of his work was fixed. But now, he had ordered for two hours. It would definitely delay his work.
“No, I’ve gained a lot,” “It’s all about cooking skills,”said Yuan Zhou.
Zhang Haisen felt that what he said was nothing more than the common things in the countryside and would not be of any help to head chef Yuan. Thus, he waved his hand,””These are all countryside dishes. They’re just dishes that cost a little more than 10 yuan. I can’t really be considered a chef.”
“No, no, no. There’s only a difference between good and bad cooking skills. It’s the service, environment, and ingredients that make the difference between cheap and expensive.” Yuan Zhou said.
……