The Cheat Emperor of the Culinary World

The short cooking time prevents the aroma from infusing into the fish meat, so how could the flavor be good!

It’s just for freshness, looked fun to watch!

When the fish entered my mouth, indeed, the texture was very tender, but it wasn’t entirely flavorless as rumored.

At first bite, it was quite delicious, but after a few more bites, the taste seemed overly bland, and beyond the flavorful fish skin, the deeper you got, the whiter and more tasteless the fish meat became.

But even with this average texture, Vice President Wang didn’t stop eating with his chopsticks.

He picked all the meat off the fish and piled it aside, leaving just the fish’s skeleton and intact head on the plate.

Yet, amazingly, the fish’s mouth was still slightly opening and closing.

From the time it was served to now, it had been over ten minutes, and the fish hadn’t fully died yet.

Looking at this spectacle, Vice President Wang quickly took out his phone, shot a video, and then posted it in his friend circle.

He added the caption: [The fish is alive, the meat is cooked, uniquely wonderful and endlessly entertaining!]

After posting, he still felt a bit unsatisfied, so he specifically left a comment under the post.

[The chefs at Shangshi Private Kitchen are truly amazing, making the live-cooked carp so perfectly, thank you for making an exception!]

As the child of a government official, Vice President Wang’s circle of friends was quite extensive, and nearly as soon as the video was uploaded, people started liking it one after another.

Before long, the comment section started to buzz:

[Wow! This fish is cooked yet still moving, how incredible!]

[It has to be President Wang, to get the chef at Shangshi Private Kitchen to make an exception and cook, so cool!]

...

These are acquaintances with whom he occasionally interacts.

Vice President Wang looked at the comments without replying to any, feeling rather smug!

Shangshi Private Kitchen is quite well-known; everyone knows you can’t order dishes there but can only choose from the menu of the day.

His gratitude for the exception was a clear declaration to everyone, letting them know he had such prestige that chefs would make exceptions when he dined there!

[Oh crap! You’re something else! You actually managed to eat live-cooked carp! It was worth the hype and really packed a punch!]

[Is there a place in Bei’an where they can make this dish? Where did you eat it? Next time, I have to try it.]

...

These are close friends, maintaining frequent contact.

Vice President Wang began replying to each one:

[Absolutely! I always keep my promises, what do you think! Did you get to eat it?!]

[Shangshi Private Kitchen, I have VIP vouchers for their place, without them, they wouldn’t take orders. I still have a few more, come and get them when you have time.]

...

After boasting with his friends and sending a few photos to buddies who were asking,

Vice President Wang felt utterly relaxed and satisfied with the meal!

After finishing the meal and leaving, the restaurant even gave him two bottles of wine.

Liu Yunong personally rushed from the kitchen to see them off at the door.

The warmth of the hospitality and the sincerity of the words completely satisfied Vice President Wang’s vanity.

Walking the few steps from the restaurant door to his car, Vice President Wang was practically floating.

Successfully seeing off their distinguished guest, Liu Yunong felt relieved.

Satisfied is good!

Liu Yunong had put a lot of effort into this meal, fearing Vice President Wang wouldn’t enjoy it.

Now that he was pleased, talking about it with Director Wang next time would naturally provide topics of conversation.

The live-cooked carp became the hot topic in the kitchen tonight.

As they worked, they chatted.

They were all particularly curious about how the carp was cooked to stay alive after being served for nearly half an hour.

On one hand, they were curious!

Even though the fish was deep-fried, it was still moving.

On the other hand, they were surprised that Liu Yunong had failed, but Fu Yu succeeded.

Next, it was time for the regular cooking orders, and just like usual, Fu Yu stayed by Liu Yunong’s side learning to cook.

Engrossed in work, before he realized it, it was almost time to finish work.

...

In the evening, Fu Yu took Liu Yunong’s car home as usual.

During the ride, Liu Yunong had a detailed discussion with Fu Yu about the techniques of cooking live-cooked carp.

There was really nothing to hide in this matter.

Mainly because this dish indeed held no value for keeping secret.

Although the method was novel and the presentation was astounding, the fish prepared this way wasn’t delicious or healthy.

From a flavor perspective, this method’s short cooking time prevents the fish from fully absorbing the flavors, and the proteins in the fish aren’t denatured and hydrolyzed by high heat, so the fish isn’t tasty.

From a nutritional perspective, the proteins in the live fish’s muscle tissues haven’t decomposed into amino acids, resulting in tougher meat that’s not easy to digest and absorb.

Unhygienic and unappetizing.

It’s just a trendy dish; after its trend passes, it won’t come back.

Liu Yunong was interested not in the entire cooking process but in how Fu Yu wrapped the fish heart with cotton.

In response to Liu Yunong’s inquiry, Fu Yu shared everything he knew.

And after spending a lot of time together, Fu Yu discovered genuinely that Liu Yunong was worthy of the title of a renowned female chef, knowing a lot and having profound insights into cooking.

In some culinary skills, her expressions were precise and articulate.

The two chatted throughout the ride, both gaining from the exchange.

Learning is endless.

This is particularly true for the culinary profession; though one might think their skills are advanced, there’s always more to learn and master.

...

After the Qianlima Restaurant was expanded and renovated, the kitchen was relocated to the side door of the original Dayu Mall location.

Although it is still located on a side street, it’s slightly farther than the original back door.

After getting out of the car, Fu Yu politely watched Liu Yunong drive away before turning and heading to the back door.

Back in the dorm, Fu Yu first sent a message to Liu Yuqing.

Liu Yuqing is a very considerate and understanding girl, knowing Fu Yu goes to learn cooking every night and returns at uncertain hours, so she always waits for him to contact her first.

After sending the message, Fu Yu prepared to wash up, but the phone rang as he reached the bathroom door.

Not in a hurry to wash up, Fu Yu cheerfully walked back, answered the call, ”You’re not asleep yet, right?”

Liu Yuqing, on the other end, replied with amusement, ”Nope, did you just get back?”

Fu Yu responded, ”Yeah, just entered the dorm.”

Liu Yuqing casually asked, ”It’s a bit late today, was the restaurant especially busy?”

Fu Yu chuckled, ”It was okay; tomorrow is Little New Year, so before we finished, my mentor gave a rundown of the preparations for tomorrow.”

Hearing Fu Yu mention her elder sister, Liu Yuqing felt a bit guilty and awkwardly changed the topic, ”When I left work today, I saw Sun Weiyun bring back a carload of seafood and left a few crucian carps for the kitchen. I heard from Chef Zhao that they’re planning to make fish soup noodles tomorrow morning.”

Upon hearing that, Fu Yu laughed and said, ”Nice, crucian carp makes a very delicious soup. Fish needs to be cooked properly to taste good. Like the live-cooked carp I made today, it’s just novel, but you know it won’t taste great.”

Liu Yuqing was suddenly intrigued, ”What? Live-cooked carp? What dish is that? I’ve never heard of it before.”

So, Fu Yu explained the whole incident with Vice President Wang dining at the restaurant.

After listening, Liu Yuqing sounded a bit disgusted, ”That’s too cruel! Eating fish should just be straightforward, really...”

As a cook, Fu Yu didn’t have many sentiments but was not a fan of the dish either.

”Indeed, it’s not a good dish. Takes time and effort but doesn’t taste good. Moreover, this method makes it difficult for the fish proteins to break down, which can leave parasites alive, making it unhygienic.”

That’s why some dishes silently make a comeback, while others gradually fade away.

Like this live-cooked carp, beyond the initial hype, there’s truly no reason for a second order.

It’s no wonder it gradually disappeared from sight.