High-end Western cuisine emphasizes a 'return to basics.' Simply put, it means using fewer seasonings and trying to highlight the natural flavor of the ingredients during the cooking process.
So, can it be understood this way: the outcome is determined by the quality of the ingredients. Is the chef's skill good or bad, actually not that important?
"Let me tell you, don't let French cuisine fool you with its reputation; when it comes to actual cooking skills, you have to look at Chinese cuisine." As he added seasonings to the pot, Shi Xiaolei 'preached' to Stark, who was sitting beside him: "Think about it carefully, 'cooking' refers to the process of a chef turning ingredients into a dish, and the emphasis is on this 'process.' If there's no effort involved, just chopping it up and serving it directly, would that still be called 'cooking'?"
"Making already delicious ingredients taste delicious, isn't that just a given? If you ask me, turning the impossible into possible, making something nobody likes to eat taste good—that's true skill."
"Do French chefs have that kind of skill? It's not that I look down on them. Just take offal, for example; besides foie gras and caviar, what else can they make? Now look at Chinese cuisine; not to mention hearts, livers, stomachs, intestines, and lungs, they can even make brains, blood, bone marrow, kidneys, eyeballs, and even testicles taste delicious."
"So, just in terms of cooking techniques, it proves that Chinese cuisine is the best in the world. I'm not bragging, but no matter what ingredients you give them, Chinese people can make something amazing out of them."
"Take these crayfish, for example. As you know, their reputation isn't great in most countries… they reproduce quickly, eat anything, can survive in the dirtiest water, and they burrow, making them hard to catch. How many countries have declared them 'a formidable enemy that destroys local ecosystems,' but what about in China? Do you know what young people in China call them? They call them 'the most embarrassing invasive species.'"
"The wild ones have almost been eaten into extinction by us. To meet market demand, many people are now specially farming them… This only happens in China; if you were to go to a place with slightly less skilled cooking, say France, look at them. If their chefs had the ability to turn these things into a universally popular delicacy, would they still be afraid of them becoming a plague?"
"Besides, painstakingly preparing seasonings, then not using them when cooking… isn't that as stupid as farming without a hoe, insisting on digging with your hands? If you really don't plan to use them, why buy them? Do you think the bottles are pretty and buy them to decorate your kitchen…?"
While grumbling and instilling the idea that 'Chinese cuisine is the best in the world' in Stark, he was also busy with his work. Under Shi Xiaolei's careful stir-frying, the already fiery red shrimp tails in the pot emitted an intoxicating aroma.
"I don't know if Chinese cuisine is the best in the world, but this pot of yours smells really good." Carrying two chilled cans of beer to the stove, Rhode handed one to Stark, then, with his hands free, he unhesitatingly gave a thumbs-up: "Locke, among all the friends I know, when it comes to cooking, you're the best ~."
"Thank you," Shi Xiaolei said, accepting his can of beer from Happy, who had come with Rhode. He turned his head and gave Rhode a smiling reply: "This is nothing, just home cooking level. If you ever get the chance to travel to China, visit the provinces along the southern bank of the Yangtze River. In any small food street, you'll find at least a few vendors better than me at cooking crayfish."
"Really? Then I definitely have to try it."
"After my surgery, when I've recovered enough, let's go together," Stark said with a smile.
"Haha, that would be even better!" Raising his can, he clinked it with Stark's: "I'll be waiting; remember to let me know when you're leaving."
Chatting and laughing, it didn't take long for dinner to be ready.
Originally, the steak was supposed to be the main course, but once the plates were on the table, no matter how you looked at it, the crayfish stir-fried by Shi Xiaolei attracted more attention.
Because of this, Happy, who was in charge of grilling the meat, was depressed for quite a while.
Fortunately, the guy's frustration came and went quickly.
"Wow~, that's delicious! Locke, you're amazing~!" While using his right hand and teeth in coordination, busy peeling the shrimp shells, he couldn't help but raise his left thumb, giving Shi Xiaolei his heartfelt admiration. Well, after tasting the crayfish, Happy had already forgotten his earlier frustration and was completely lost in intoxication.
"Delicious, isn't it?" Shi Xiaolei chuckled in response, his fingertips nimbly twisting, and in a blink of an eye, he peeled out a plump piece of shrimp meat.
As a parent, he certainly wouldn't just look out for himself.
"Conna, ah~." With a flick of his wrist, Shi Xiaolei put the shrimp tail, coated in sauce, into the little girl's mouth: "Does it taste good?"
"Mmm~!" The delicious flavor burst in her mouth, and the little girl happily narrowed her eyes, nodding her small head like a pecking chick.
Who wouldn't want to eat more of something delicious? Especially since the little girl herself was a foodie who couldn't move when she saw good food.
Still chewing, her gaze had already turned to the large iron basin. Extending her chubby little hand, Conna picked up another crayfish and began her 'battle' with a slight effort.
"Let me peel it for you," 2B couldn't help but say, feeling a little sorry for the little one.
"No, I want to peel it myself." Although her movements were clumsy, Conna had already found joy in the process of peeling shrimp.
"Let Conna do it herself; just teach her. This stuff, it tastes better when you peel it yourself."
With Shi Xiaolei's words, 2B no longer insisted and instead began to guide the little girl.
"Is this how you do it?" While Conna had 2B as a teacher, the equally clumsy Stark sought out Shi Xiaolei: "How do you peel them so fast? I haven't even peeled one properly, and you've already eaten three."
"Practice makes perfect, what other reason could there be?" Shi Xiaolei replied with a grin, leaning his head over: "Let me see, ugh, you've got the order wrong. Come, learn from me, start here first…"
A meal of 'commoner's delicacies' that he had never encountered before allowed Stark to taste a fresh flavor he had never experienced.
Or perhaps it was Shi Xiaolei's unintentional remark during their chat, "You, you're just too rich, you live too high-class, that's why you miss out on countless delicious things," that touched Stark's heart… After this lively and warm bonfire feast, a tiny sprout emerged from the depths of Stark's soul.
Although it wouldn't immediately overturn his worldview, it was undeniable that this little seedling, which he himself had not yet noticed, would eventually grow and strengthen, leading to some visible changes in him.
In this sense, this road trip was truly not in vain.