After lunch, Feng Yifan coaxed his wife to sleep, said something to his mother, and pushed his father-in-law out.
After leaving the house, Su Jinrong was still a little excited.
"Yifan, I've been studying old recipes these days and have gained some new insights. It just so happens that this afternoon, my father-in-law and I will lead everyone to try some recipes together."
Feng Yifan couldn't help but feel curious: "Oh? Dad, do you have any new insights?"
Su Jinrong began to talk to his son-in-law.
When Feng Yifan heard what his father-in-law said, he couldn't help but think it was quite interesting.
Su Jinrong has been looking through some old cookbooks recently. Although they contain all kinds of old dishes, some of the cooking methods have given the old man some inspiration.
“In the past, when we cooked, we were always limited to those traditional methods, but in fact, many times, we can integrate them. For example, the broth we use can also be replaced with Western-style thick broth to make some improvements in taste.
In a cookbook, I also saw some dishes that were made using Western techniques, and the taste was adjusted to make them more suitable for the tastes of people in our country.
Yifan, I think this can be the direction for your improvement."
Listening to his father-in-law's words, Feng Yifan nodded as he walked and said, "Dad, your ideas are really good and very close to some of the new ideas nowadays. We really can't be limited to traditional methods. We need to make more attempts and more combinations."
Su Jinrong continued, "Yes, in the past, it was because of inconvenient transportation and poor transport, so the ingredients were often limited. But now that transportation is developed, transportation can also keep up, so we can't be limited to the dishes of one place, one school, or one style. We must use ingredients from all over the world."
On this point, the father-in-law and son-in-law are somewhat in agreement.
The reason why Feng Yifan was able to become a cooking god in his previous life was because of this kind of thinking.
He is not limited to a certain place or cuisine, but uses all available ingredients. His method of fusion is to harmonize the flavors.
After reading a lot of books over the past few days, Su Jinrong also had similar thoughts.
"Yifan, we now have a lot of ingredients available to us. We can use seafood like foreigners do, and we can use all kinds of rare vegetables from abroad. But when we use those ingredients, we must be able to apply them flexibly. We cannot copy other people's cooking methods, but cook them with our own seasoning methods."
Su Jinrong paused and said, "In this way, we can make the best use of everything and continue our tradition."
Feng Yifan agreed, "Dad, you're right. We just need to make some adjustments to the taste. After all, we are targeting domestic diners and we need to cater to their tastes. If we copy Western methods, there will inevitably be some discomfort in the taste."
Su Jinrong added: "Also, we can't serve food in the Western style."
Feng Yifan agreed again: "Of course not. We must continue our characteristics."
Su Jinrong was very happy. He felt that after his son-in-law came back this time, he and he had many similarities. He saw hope in his son-in-law.
It will not be limited to tradition, but it will not simply learn Western styles either.
You have to integrate and take both sides into account, only then can you truly create your own school.
Feng Yifan thought of several dishes he had improved and discussed them seriously with his father-in-law.
"Dad, for example, the original squirrel mandarin fish, I think we can actually use Western-style carving and plating to make the fish more delicate, and we can also make some adjustments in the seasoning. Instead of just using sweet and sour, we can actually use some fruits for seasoning."
Su Jinrong nodded: "Actually, your grandfather has tried this. In the past, your grandfather used pineapple to make squirrel mandarin fish."
Feng Yifan was also a little surprised when he heard this: "Oh? Grandpa has ever made it with pineapple?"
Su Jinrong told that story to his son-in-law.
The reason why Mr. Su Quansheng used fruit was because the people who ate it could not eat something very sweet, so in order to make the taste good, the old man used pineapple.
Su Jinrong sighed: "Back then, there were no advanced machines like today. At that time, we had to crush the pineapple, filter out the pineapple juice over and over again, and then season it."
Feng Yifan could imagine that for traditional domestic chefs, their era was indeed limited by the tools they had, so many times they could only find ways on their own and use some relatively crude methods to try to solve the problem.
Su Jinrong added: "Back then, your grandfather used a lot of fruit juice to cook."
Feng Yifan listened to his father-in-law patiently, and he admired his grandfather in his heart.
At the beginning, the old man not only used pineapple juice to make squirrel mandarin fish, but also used apple juice to make shrimp balls, and mixed various fruit juices to cook some delicious soups.
After listening to this, Feng Yifan said: "Grandpa is really amazing, his thinking is so advanced."
Su Jinrong said: "Of course it is ahead of the times, otherwise how can we stand out at the state banquet?"
Feng Yifan agreed with this.
Think about it, my wife's grandfather, although born in a small restaurant, was able to stand out at state banquets and even became the chef of state banquets. It really requires sufficient skills, especially in some cooking techniques, and he cannot stick to the traditional ways.
After all, state banquets are often intended for foreign guests.
It is also necessary to make adjustments in taste to adapt to others.
However, after the old man left the state banquet stage and returned to Su Ji, all he served were some traditional dishes.
Su Jinrong also sighed when he said this: "At the beginning, many people didn't understand why your grandfather only taught those traditional skills when he accepted disciples in Su Ji
In fact, if we don’t learn traditional things thoroughly, how can we talk about integration and innovation? "
Obviously, Mr. Su Quansheng is well aware of the importance of foundation.
So he insisted on teaching only traditional skills at Su Ji.
The purpose is to hope that the younger generation will first learn their traditional skills well, then go out of Su Ji, and then learn, integrate and innovate based on the traditions passed down by Su Ji.
Therefore, even later on, some of Su Ji's disciples parted ways with the old man.
But when they are old, as long as they are still working as chefs, they will be grateful to Su Quansheng for his teachings from the bottom of their hearts.
Feng Yifan felt that this might be the foresight of a true master.
When the father-in-law and son-in-law entered the ancient street and arrived outside the Lin family shop, there was already a long line in front of the shop.
I don’t know if it’s because the ancient street has been reopened, or because Lin Ruifeng and his friends started selling lunch again, so many people started coming here to eat lunch.
Of course, in fact, most of the people queuing up came for Su Ji.
Seeing that the ancient street is open to traffic, everyone wants to come and see if Su Ji has resumed business
As a result, we saw that Su Ji was still closed, but there was a fragrance coming from the Lin’s shop next door. When we saw the familiar figures busy in the shop, we naturally chose to go into the Lin’s shop to buy food.
The people in the queue soon saw Feng Yifan pushing Su Jinrong towards them, and someone immediately took the initiative to greet them.
"Good afternoon, Chef Feng."
"Chef Feng, Mr. Su, are you here?"
"Good afternoon, Chef Feng."
"Old Su, why isn't your Su Ji open yet?"
"Yes, Lao Su, when will your Su Ji open?"
…
Facing everyone's warm greetings, everyone also asked when Su Ji would open.
Su Jinrong smiled and responded: "As for Su Ji, I have now handed over the full management of the business to my son-in-law, so the specific time of opening will still need to be decided by my son-in-law."
Seeing that his father-in-law pushed the problem to him, Feng Yifan had no choice but to explain it to everyone again.
"Everyone, Su Ji has just been renovated and needs some ventilation. Our menu is also being customized, so we can't open for business yet. Once everything is ready, everyone is welcome to come. At that time, we will definitely present you with rich and delicious dishes."
At this time, some people raised more pointed questions.
"Chef Feng, Su Ji is renovating and re-setting the menu. Are you planning to raise the prices?"
Feng Yifan did not avoid the question, but said directly: "It is true that the price will increase. Su Ji will be a private kitchen restaurant in the future. If there are many customers, we may need to make reservations. But I can also guarantee that the price will not be very high, but the taste of the food will definitely be very good."
Hearing what Feng Yifan said.
I want to be a "private chef" again.
It is possible that there will be an "appointment" again.
Naturally, some people will have more doubts.
"Chef Feng, Su Ji used to be a small, affordable restaurant. Our neighbors just wanted to eat there for convenience. But if you do this now, won't we be unable to afford it?"
Feng Yifan looked at the other party and asked, "Everyone, what did you old neighbors mainly eat when you came to Su Ji in the past?"
Everyone was stunned at first, and then started talking at once.
"Order a few side dishes and a bowl of noodles."
"Yes, yes, or a small bottle of wine."
"I like to order a large plate of boiled dried bean curd from Su Kee, then have a few sips of wine, and finally a bowl of noodles."
"I like to have a lion's head with a plate of fried rice. I especially like the fried rice with crushed gold, it's super delicious."
…
Hearing what everyone said, Feng Yifan smiled and said, "Then everyone can rest assured that Su Ji will still maintain the supply of fried rice, noodles and side dishes at noon.
If you want to taste Su Ji's private chef's exquisite dishes, you can only come at night, and you may need to queue up or make an appointment. "
After hearing this, everyone thought about it and felt that Su Ji was pretty much the same as before.
In this way, people living around the ancient street can accept it.
Anyway, no one can eat out every day.
In most cases, people go to Su Ji for lunch to save time and avoid wasting too much time on having a meal.
Su Ji's main dishes for lunch are still fried rice, noodles and side dishes, which are naturally suitable for affordable diners.
But some people still asked directly: "Chef Feng, will the prices of fried rice and noodles increase?"
Feng Yifan felt a little helpless when faced with such a problem.
He could only say: "It's not up to me to decide on the price increase. It depends on the price of the ingredients. If the price of the ingredients increases dramatically, we at Su Ji can't lose money. Don't you agree?"
Having said that, most people can accept it.
Some old customers of Su Ji said: "Don't always focus on the price and think about Su Ji's cooking skills. Besides, isn't it convenient and delicious to eat at Su Ji? If you want to save money, why go to Su Ji? Just buy the vegetables and cook at home, it's cheaper than Su Ji anyway."
This statement was unanimously agreed by the majority of people.
Su Jinrong also said: "I still hope that everyone can understand that Su Kee still needs to continue operating. It is impossible to do business at a loss. We can only say that we will try our best to ensure that the price is reasonable."
When Su Jinrong spoke, he gained the understanding of almost everyone.
Seeing that no one had too many objections, Feng Yifan smiled and said, "Okay, everyone hurry up and line up and move inside. Otherwise, you will be blocked at the door. When will you be able to eat?"
After hearing this, everyone walked towards the Lin family shop together.
Feng Yifan and his father-in-law did not go in to join in the fun, but went to the wine shop across the street owned by Fan Chaodong and Wang Cuifeng.
Arriving at the door, Feng Yifan shouted directly to the opposite side: "Brother Fan, Sister Wang is busy? How is business?"
Fan Chaodong and Wang Cuifeng heard the sound and stuck their heads out.
Fan Chaodong smiled and said, "Uncle Rong is here. Our business is still the same. Although the ancient street is open, no one will come here to buy wine in the middle of the day."
Wang Cuifeng said directly: "Yifan, what are you doing standing at the door? Push Uncle Rong in first, it's so hot outside."
Feng Yifan smiled and said, "Aren't you just waiting for the boss lady to give the order?"
Wang Cuifeng immediately said, "Stop talking nonsense here. You are a free man, do you care about what I say?"
When Feng Yifan was about to push his father-in-law in, he was stopped by his father-in-law.
Then Su Jinrong grasped the crutch hanging on the handle of the wheelchair, stretched the crutch, slowly stood up with the crutch, and walked towards the shop step by step with some trembling.
Wang Cuifeng immediately said to Fan Chaodong, "Old Fan, what are you doing standing there? Go and help him up."
Fan Chaodong also ran out quickly and wanted to help Su Jinrong in.
But Su Jinrong did not let Fan Chaodong help him.
"No, I can do it myself."
Feng Yifan pushed the wheelchair from behind and said, "It's okay, Brother Fan, Sister Wang. My dad can walk now. He has been exercising and recovering well recently. Just let him walk by himself."
Although he walked slowly, Su Jinrong insisted on walking into the wine shop.
Seeing Su Jinrong like this, Fan Chaodong and Wang Cuifeng were also happy for him.
After entering the wine shop and sitting down, Wang Cuifeng immediately asked Feng Yifan: "Yifan, why haven't you opened Su Ji yet? Our ancient street has been repaired, but your house hasn't been renovated yet?"
Feng Yifan smiled and said, "Well, the decoration is done, but some things have not been purchased yet, and most importantly, our menu is not out yet. These things take time, but we will speed up the process, and I believe Su Ji will reopen soon."
Wang Cuifeng asked again: "What about your western restaurant?"
Feng Yifan replied: "That store may open first."
Fan Chaodong asked curiously, "Why did that store open first?"
Feng Yifan smiled and replied, "Because the menu of the western restaurant has been prepared, we just need to wait for all kinds of kitchen utensils and tableware to be ready, and then we should be able to open for business."
Wang Cuifeng asked: "So, you plan to run a western restaurant first?"
Feng Yifan shook his head: "I will definitely not take charge of the western restaurant. I will mainly let Catherine and the others take charge. Maybe I will let the chefs from Su Ji go there to practice."
Fan Chaodong immediately exclaimed: "Wow, what a big move, opening a western restaurant for employees to practice."
Wang Cuifeng curled her lips: "I still want to eat Su Ji."
Feng Yifan had no choice but to say, "Okay, we'll do it as soon as possible, as soon as possible."