"A Big Eater Competition? Finish within the time limit and it's free; otherwise, you have to pay for five bowls of noodles. That's quite interesting. Is this how they attract foot traffic?"
Looking at the words on the sign, Hoshino Sora nodded thoughtfully. This was indeed a very good way to make money, attracting traffic and boosting business.
However, if they were unlucky and encountered many big eaters, it would be hard to say whether they would profit or lose in the end.
But in today's situation, even if a true big eater came, faced with a dazzling array of delicious food, they probably wouldn't be able to resist the temptation, and by the time they reached this stall, they likely wouldn't have much room left in their stomachs.
"This beef Ramen smells so good." Rika's eyes sparkled with excitement as she wiggled her nose.
"Then, do you want to eat a bowl?"
"I can't eat anymore. I ate too much tonight, and if I eat any more, I'll get fat." Ya Xiang rubbed her slightly bulging belly, looking dejected. She had eaten too many high-calorie foods today; she needed to find a way to lose weight when she got back.
"But it really smells so good."
"Then let the three of us share one bowl. That way, it won't fill us up too much, and we can still taste the beef Ramen."
"Agreed!"
Hearing this, Ya Xiang and Rika immediately raised both hands in agreement. Share a bowl of noodles with their beloved younger brother? What a good thing!
"Boss, one bowl of beef Ramen, with two extra servings of beef, and three pairs of chopsticks."
"Alright, one bowl of beef Ramen with extra beef!"
They chose a secluded corner to sit down. The shop owner was a simple and honest middle-aged man. Seeing customers, he immediately came to serve them. When he heard Hoshino Sora only wanted one bowl of beef Ramen, he not only didn't show disdain but enthusiastically shouted out.
"Today was so much fun! The food festival is truly amazing!"
Her words were filled with excited joy. As she spoke, Rika stretched lazily, her good figure fully revealed. With financial freedom, participating in such festivals was simply fantastic!
"It's just a bit tiring. I feel like my feet are no longer my own."
"That's because you lack exercise."
"You're just too energetic!"
Looking at the two sisters bickering in front of him, Hoshino Sora had a faint smile on his face. In his previous life, he had no siblings and deeply envied such a family atmosphere. Now, it had finally come true.
"Here's your beef Ramen!"
With a shout, the beef Ramen was placed down. Hoshino Sora's gaze fell upon the beef Ramen in front of him. First, there were two sliced eggs, placed on top of the noodles.
Besides the eggs, there was also some char siu, placed next to the eggs. Further ahead was a super generous portion of beef, the result of Hoshino Sora asking for two extra servings of beef.
Finally, green onions were sprinkled on top of the noodles as a garnish, adding a lot of color to the entire bowl.
However, just looking at these, this bowl of beef Ramen was just an ordinary bowl of beef Ramen; it was absolutely impossible for it to attract so many people. Its true secret was...
He picked up a spoon, scooped a spoonful, and then put it into his mouth to savor it carefully. Beef, beef bones, chicken carcass, and various seasonings. The flavor profile inside was somewhat complex, but it wasn't unappetizing.
At least for ordinary people, that was the case.
"A taste isn't necessarily better the more complex it is. Although it does smell very fragrant and tastes good, if you taste it carefully, you'll find it lacks a clear direction. It's like it wants to dabble in everything, but in the end, it becomes a bit of a mishmash."
He fell into thought, looking at the beef Ramen in front of him. He needed to discover problems like Erina Nakiri did. This was also something he had to do to narrow the gap with her.
"The beef would probably be more tender if it were added a little later, but that doneness is hard to control. One mistake and the customer might end up with undercooked meat.
The noodles are also machine-pressed. It's truly a run-of-the-mill, utterly ordinary small shop, no wonder it has to rely on gimmicks to attract people."
He sighed softly. With his sense of taste, he could only discern this much, unlike Erina Nakiri's God Tongue, which could always give him incredibly precise feedback for improvement.
It's hard to imagine if her future partner had bad breath, would she vomit when kissing?
Fortunately, he didn't have bad breath.
Wait, what did that have to do with him?
Shrugging his shoulders, Hoshino Sora showed a self-deprecating smile, then finished the remaining beef Ramen in front of him, because the two sisters in front of him couldn't eat another bite.
"It's getting late. Let's go home."
Rubbing his slightly distended stomach, Hoshino Sora silently stood up. He was also nearing his limit. There was too much delicious food around, and even just tasting a little of each could easily fill his stomach.
"Should we go say hello to those two sisters?"
"Let's not. We're leaving anyway, so let's not disturb them. If we had met at the beginning, we could have gone shopping together."
Shaking his head, Hoshino Sora smiled as he watched Akame and Kurome, who were eating their 13th bowl of beef Ramen. Those two girls still had such huge appetites.
"Alright."
"Hold hands."
"Me too!"
They each held one of Hoshino Sora's hands, one on the left and one on the right. Even in the bustling market, the two sisters showed no hesitation about this. To be precise, they wanted others to misunderstand, hoping that if enough people misunderstood, it might just come true.
"I feel like I'm about to be killed by the surrounding stares..."
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"Phew, a little nervous."
The next morning, Hoshino Sora woke up early, slapped his face hard twice in the mirror. To be precise, the excitement of participating in the competition made him sleep restlessly, and he was up before dawn.
After getting up, he didn't stay idle. After a simple wash, he went to the kitchen and made a large table of food, all breakfasts he had eaten at the food festival yesterday, perfectly replicated.
"The taste is not bad, much better than a month ago, but... do you know what your cooking lacks?"
Looking up at his distracted son, Hoshino Tani Ren put down his chopsticks and suddenly asked.
"What's missing?!"
Hearing Hoshino Tani Ren's words, Hoshino Sora hurriedly asked. Although his father hadn't cooked for many years, his experience was still there, and he would definitely be able to offer useful advice.
"Flavor profile control. Simple isn't necessarily worse than complex, and complex isn't necessarily better than simple. Everything is for the ultimate goal of suitability. One flavor tendency cannot encompass everything."
Tasting the pan-fried bun in front of him, the filling had a savory base, with black pepper, and even a hint of Sichuan peppercorns and oyster sauce. Although the final taste wasn't bad, the flavor profile of this dish was already chaotic.
The correct way should be to only add a little salt, and then through the method of preparing the sauce, make this dish have countless sauce flavors, instead of omitting this step and fixing the taste.
Making things complicated isn't necessarily good, and keeping it simple isn't necessarily wrong. Of course, this only applies to dishes that need sauce to enhance their flavor. These types of dishes offer more choices and appeal to a wider audience.
However, the simpler the dish, the harder it is to do well. Knife skills and heat control are all tests of a chef's basic skills. It is not easy to get a delicious dish.
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