Abnormal Gourmet Chronicle-Chapter 833 - 417: The Difference Between a Snack Master and a Master

Qin Huai and Zhao Cheng’an felt like interns in a medical drama, following Chief Physician Zhou, wearing white coats and holding medical records, understanding nothing, but still feeling a sense of borrowed prestige by being part of the team.

Everywhere they looked, they saw the awe in the eyes of the patients (apprentices). When their eyes met, the first reaction of the other party was to look away, then hand over the examination sheet (snacks), the chief physician mainly inspected, the interns tagged along to get some insight, listening to the chief doctor’s diagnosis results.

Standing behind the chief physician and eating snacks, Qin Huai thought he might have gone crazy from watching too many TV dramas.

Weird, he hadn’t watched that much TV anyway.

Well, actually, he had watched a little.

"What’s this? Could it be the legendary egg rice noodle roll? Having such an egg rice noodle roll in the Yunzhong Restaurant’s kitchen is like a godsend. This rice noodle roll’s skin is thick enough to use as a quilt. Did someone think it was too cold in the low-temperature area, so they made this themselves to send over?"

"Who made this Green Bean Cake? I’ve heard of Beijing style, Yunnan style, Suzhou style, and Yang style, but this style is a first. What is it? Sweet style? Is sugar free here? Or did your hand shake when adding sugar and you dumped the whole sugar jar in?"

"Has Yunzhong Restaurant received an order from some hospital? These snacks are a special supply for hypoglycemic patients. The Green Bean Cake is so sweet. Did you take money from one of my enemies, heard my blood sugar is a bit high lately, and specially made this batch of Green Bean Cakes to make it even higher?"

"Hey, what’s this? Brown sugar mantou? Life must be really good now, people are starting to reminisce about past hardships with sweet memories. I never thought one day I’d eat a white flour mantou that tastes like cornbread."

"This is..."

As Master Zhou’s words became increasingly sharp, escalating from pure sarcasm to an attack on the snacks, Qin Huai could tell that Master Zhou’s anger was steadily mounting, only a step away from volcanic eruption.

Scared, Qin Huai quickly stepped back two steps to distance himself, lest Master Zhou unleash an indiscriminate AOE attack on everyone, hitting himself in the process.

In contrast, Zhao Cheng’an remained unfazed, continuing to eat the snacks he wanted.

Qin Huai was also munching on snacks, gnawing on that overly sweet Green Bean Cake. To be fair, there are reasons why many apprentices at Yunzhong Restaurant are still apprentices, not even qualified to make snacks for sale.

If these snacks were put on the shelves, they’d surely ruin the reputation. Master Zhou’s words may be harsh, but they hold truth. This Green Bean Cake is so sweet it seems like it’s meant for hypoglycemic patients. One bite and the high calorie count is enough to make someone run two kilometers on the spot.

Compared to these apprentices, Su Qian’s skills are undoubtedly first-rate, no question.

"Zhao... Master Zhao..."

"Just call me by my name. The master already said so, we’re on the same level. No need to call me Master Zhao," Zhao Cheng’an said with a grin.

"Zhao Cheng’an," Qin Huai said obediently, not being used to addressing people he wasn’t very familiar with directly by name, "I have a question for you."

"Go ahead."

"You said Master Zhou only guides apprentices when he’s in a good mood, but why do I feel that he comes out to find stimulation, like critique Su Qian’s skills, comfort himself, and then go back to continue teaching Su Qian how to make snacks?" Qin Huai quietly shared his guess.

Zhao Cheng’an’s eyes widened in surprise, looking at Qin Huai a few times, full of approval and astonishment.

"You got some nerve," Zhao Cheng’an lowered his voice, "You figured it out. I think even our senior brothers and sisters aren’t that clear. I honestly feel the same way, but I don’t dare to ask."

Qin Huai continued munching on the Green Bean Cake. Although it was a bit too sweet, he found it barely acceptable. Among all the snacks made by this group of apprentices, it was the one he could tolerate the most.

This Green Bean Cake only had the flaw of being too sweet, whereas the other snacks might only have one aspect that wasn’t problematic.

Following Master Zhou along the way, Qin Huai deeply understood Boss Su’s painstaking intentions. Whether it was the apprentices previously sent to Huang Ji, or the ones later sent to Yunzhong Restaurant, they were indeed excellent and elite apprentices.

Ordinary apprentices truly are too ordinary.

"Does Yunzhong Restaurant have any standards for recruiting apprentices?" Qin Huai asked soulfully.

"There might have been in the early years, but lately they’ve relaxed a lot," Zhao Cheng’an explained. "Mainly because it’s been tough to recruit apprentices these years. You know, learning to cook is tough, and apprentices can’t usually be too old—the younger, the better."

"It’s not like the old days. Nowadays, those who start building a foundation in culinary arts from a young age are mostly from culinary families like Tan Wei’an. I’m quite an oddball myself. Back in my school days, it was popular to send children who didn’t study well to places like Yunzhong Restaurant to learn the ropes. Now there are other ways to toughen up."

"There are fewer people willing to learn cooking, so naturally, there are fewer promising talents, and the standards for recruiting apprentices have been lowered considerably. Anyone with a bit of basic skills, willing to endure hardships, and able to pass a basic review can become an apprentice at Yunzhong Restaurant. Those with very poor conditions are quickly weeded out—the rate of entering and being eliminated is fast."

"That’s why it’s hard to take on apprentices now. I don’t know if Tan Wei’an ever told you about my glorious achievements. Talented mavericks like me haven’t appeared in Yunzhong Restaurant for over a decade. Now, whenever a good seedling appears, several masters fight over them. Lucky for me, I’m not yet at the age of taking on an apprentice; if I haven’t been practicing, I wouldn’t stand a chance against anyone."