Jessica tasted the fresh cabbage and drank the delicious soup, and said sincerely: "Okay Elena, I have changed my mind. I agree with your point of view now, my previous prejudice against Chinese food is only due to My own ignorance."
"This dish completely changed my perception of Chinese food."
Elena also nodded slightly: "This dish also surprised me. I know that there may be this dish in many Chinese restaurants, but there are very few that can achieve such an extreme."
"Thank you Lucas, your explanation has added a lot of color to this food, and my understanding of food has also inspired me."
Jia Nuo smiled slightly: "Actually, I don't have a deep understanding of food. I just complete my work according to the requirements of the store manager and present the details of each dish to customers."
Obviously, this is the meaning of Lin Canrong's arrangement of explanations.
Except for a very small number of gourmets who are extremely sensitive to taste, it is difficult for most ordinary people to judge how much effort the chef has put in to achieve this taste just by taste.
Most people have very few adjectives for food, nothing more than delicious, fresh and so on.
At this time, explaining the details of each dish to customers is not only about popular science knowledge, but also creating an environment and atmosphere for customers and establishing a kind of "empathy".
The food in high-end restaurants is to improve the taste of that little bit at all costs. If the details cannot be explained clearly, the customer's impression will not be deep.
Obviously, Lin Canrong's meticulous preparations had the desired effect at this moment.
Elena said, "Lucas, I want to discuss with you about Chinese food and Western food, okay?"
Jia Nuo thought about it: "I'm afraid my knowledge reserve is not enough to answer this question. However, I can ask the store manager to come over."
Elena: "Thank you very much if you don't disturb the store manager's work!"
Jia Nuo left the private room, and after a while, returned with Lin Canrong.
Lin Canrong smiled and asked, "My surname is Lin, and I'm the manager of our restaurant. Are you two satisfied with our food and service?"
Although Lin Canrong is also learning English, after all, he is very old and busy at work, so he has not been able to communicate with foreigners without barriers.
Therefore, it can only be translated by Jano.
Fortunately, Jia Nuo has already done simultaneous interpretation work, and it is a piece of cake to make a guest role in this level of translation.
Elena nodded: "Very satisfied! This is the most wonderful meal I've ever eaten. Whether it's Western or Chinese food, I'm impressed by your attention to detail."
"I am a food lover. I have been confused for a long time. I would like to discuss it with the manager Lin. I wonder if the manager can solve my confusion?"
Lin Canrong said humbly: "I don't dare to explain my doubts, I am willing to talk about my views."
Elena asked: "The seasoning of the food is getting heavier and heavier, and many of the food can no longer taste the taste of the food itself. I wonder what Manager Lin thinks about this?"
Lin Canrong thought for a moment and replied, "This is indeed a trend in the development of world cuisine."
"I think there are two main reasons for this."
"First of all, competition is the reason. The food industry is very cruel. Even the top restaurants in the world must constantly develop new dishes, even provide a lot of fun things in the restaurant, and work hard on the environment. It is seen as not aggressive. After all, the attention of diners is easily attracted by other restaurants.”
"The second is the demand of diners. Under the deception and temptation of many catering brands, diners have too many choices, too strong contrast, and too much stimulation, resulting in many diners losing the ability to appreciate some flavors, and the threshold of taste is constantly being changed. Pull up."
“When the entire food and beverage industry is stimulating diners’ taste buds with heavier delicacies, there is a natural cycle. For diners, it’s true that 'more delicious' things are eaten, but … I don’t think that’s the case. It is in line with the Chinese food philosophy.”
"Chinese food pays attention to the big taste and must be light, one dish, one style, one hundred dishes and one hundred flavors, the taste makes it out, the tasteless makes it in, the food has no fixed taste, and the palatable is precious..."
"In simple terms, it means that each ingredient has its own unique taste, and the combination of ingredients should take into account the fusion of different flavors, rather than forcibly changing with seasoning. Even the same food, its taste should not be forever It remains the same, but according to the special needs of the diners, the food can be adapted to his taste.”
"So, our restaurant has been striving to find a balance between the two. It is necessary to maintain the original taste of the ingredients, not to abuse flavorings and additives, to make the food nutritious and healthy, and at the same time to continuously improve the taste under this premise. ."
"It's like the boiled cabbage that the two of you ate today. There is a saying called 'a hundred dishes are still fragrant with cabbage'. Although it is a very common ingredient, as long as it is cooked carefully, it can achieve an effect that completely surpasses those rare ingredients. "
Jia Nuo translated Lin Canrong's meaning completely and accurately, which caused the two guests to nod frequently.
Jessica listened with relish.
If it was before today, she would have completely sneered at these theories and would not listen to them, thinking that it was a sophistry of Chinese food when the taste was not as good as modern Western food.
But after eating today's dishes, she was able to understand these philosophical concepts.
Because the dish "Boiled Cabbage" is completely in line with what Manager Lin said, "the taste must be weak", without adding any modern seasonings, it looks like a clear soup with little water, but it contains the ultimate deliciousness.
Elena nodded: "Manager Lin's words are very philosophical and very helpful to me, thank you! So how does Manager Lin see the difference between Chinese food and Western food? Which is better or worse?"
Lin Canrong smiled slightly: "Food is inherently very subjective, and everyone has different tastes. I don't think it is necessary to force a distinction."
"Each meal is rooted in its cultural heritage. Although Western food is more widely accepted around the world, this is mainly because the cultural heritage of Western food is more widely accepted."
"And many people have only tasted Chinese food, and judged whether it is delicious only by whether it is strong or not. This is obviously putting Chinese food into a wrong system to evaluate, and naturally it is impossible to draw the correct conclusion."
"The delicacy of Chinese food needs to be understood in a specific cultural context. It is not only an appetite, but also an expression of ideas and philosophy."
"It's like a very common dish, Dongpo Pork. If you don't know its historical background, then it's just an ordinary braised pork, but if you know the story of Su Dongpo, know the background of his invention of this dish, and even see it Spring Dawn at Su Causeway in the Ten Scenes of West Lake... Then the meaning of this dish is completely different."
"If you have read Su Dongpo's poems, if you have read Su Shi's calligraphy, you will eat Dongpo pork; otherwise, it's just an ordinary piece of braised pork."
"Many Westerners don't understand this, and are accustomed to using Western standards to evaluate Chinese food. Of course, they will come to the conclusion that it is not as good as Western food, but this is obviously unfair."
"Back to your original question."
"I don't think it's wrong for modern western food to pursue the ultimate taste through precise control of the amount, nor do I think that the food culture of Chinese food is wrong. Our restaurant does not exclude any style, but strives to understand every style. Provide diners with their favorite and most suitable flavors while offering a single meal.”
Under Jia Nuo's translation, Lin Canrong's long series of speeches were translated in a succinct and elegant manner, and not every word was translated just right.
Elena nodded frequently.
In the end, she said convincingly: "So it is! Manager Lin's understanding of catering is really deep, which is really amazing!"
Jessica also sighed: "I will never have a prejudice against Chinese food in the future. It turned out that the Chinese food before was not delicious, just because the quality of those Chinese food was not enough."
Lin Canrong smiled: "Where, in the broad and profound food culture, I am just a student who is struggling."
Elena said: "Manager Lin, I'm actually a food blogger, can I write about today's experience on my food blog? Your unique insights into the food industry have provided me with a new kind of perspective."
Lin Canrong smiled and nodded: "Of course."
…
After sending off the two foreign friends, Jia Nuo wiped the sweat from his forehead.
"Store manager, these two don't look like ordinary people. Fortunately, you usually let me memorize these contents, otherwise I might have been timid."
"However, your last paragraph about the different views on Chinese and Western food culture is really very precise. I can see that these two international friends have been conquered."
Lin Canrong was silent for a moment and said, "Actually, this is something I've come across recently, and it happened to be used."
Jia Nuo was stunned for a moment: "Occasional insight? Store manager, your occasional insight came too timely, right?"
Lin Canrong's expression was serious: "It seems to be a coincidence, but in fact... it is also a necessity."
"I went to Mr. Pei before and wanted to open a branch, but Mr. Pei refused. So I have been thinking, for Mr. Pei, what kind of positioning is Mingyun Private Kitchen?"
"Later I understood that Mingyun Private Kitchen should be a unique restaurant. What it pursues is not quantity, but quality, and it is to provide the most extreme experience for diners."
"And this kind of extreme experience cannot be replicated. That's why President Pei emphasized that Mingyun Private Kitchen cannot open a branch, but it needs money urgently, and the details have been improved."
"I work hard to find deficiencies and strive to perfect every aspect. Our restaurant does not treat foreign friends preferentially, but treats all diners equally and provides the most perfect dining experience."
"Today, although we only received two diners who were a little picky about their tastes, it was of great significance, because we have withstood the test. We only need to treat every day as the first day of opening, and treat every diners as the first. A diner, we value every diner's feedback, and we can do our best."
"Including thinking about the difference between Chinese and Western food, and reflecting on the development of the modern catering industry, are also the insights I have gained during the process of repeatedly pondering President Pei's deep meaning during this period of time."
"I think that only by working hard to achieve this level can we meet President Pei's expectations for Mingyun's private kitchen!"