Food Wars: Tavern

In the early morning, as the birds woke up and chirped crisply, a new day began!

At Totsuki Academy, in a tall building that emerged towering above the others.

Inside, there was an exceptionally spacious kitchen, which was the personal kitchen of the current Tenth Seat of the Council of Ten, Erina.

Walking into the kitchen, one would see various everyday kitchen tools - stoves, ovens, microwaves, steaming cabinets, slow cookers, refrigerators, freezers, and more. Under the meticulous care of her secretary Hisako, these items gleamed as if telling stories of the kitchen!

Erina, now in her chef's uniform, took a deep breath.

Then, she started to follow Zane's method, mixing the rice bran bought from the grain station with her own blend of coffee and plum sauce.

"Miss, is it worth researching this commoner's cooking?" Hisako asked, puzzled.

"No!" Erina replied firmly.

"Hisako, I intend to find all the flaws in Zane's cooking and then improve upon them. When the time comes, I'll use these upgraded dishes to completely overturn his culinary philosophy!" Erina expressed her determination.

"But even if you win against him, what then?" Hisako scratched her head, puzzled.

She felt Erina was taking this matter too seriously! But at the same time, she was curious to see how this noble young lady with the God Tongue talent would elevate Zane's cooking to a whole new level.

Would she stand on his shoulders and surpass him? Or would she be completely crushed under his feet, forced to accept defeat no matter how hard she struggled?

"You don't understand. His cooking already makes me doubt myself. If I can't outshine him my way, my path in life will collapse completely!" Erina's gaze sharpened like a sword as she began making chocolate brownies.

Time passed by.

The green plants on the windowsill brought fresh air to the kitchen.

On the cutting board were displayed beef burgers, fish and chips, and chocolate brownies -- three Western fast food items. Interestingly, they looked almost identical to what was seen last night in the tavern!

"So amazing!"

"Truly, it is Miss Erina."

"In this world, no one's cooking can escape your scrutiny." Hisako marveled at Erina's ability to perfectly recreate Zane's dishes using her God Tongue talent.

"I knew it. His cooking is nothing special." Erina said, satisfied with her work.

However, she was aware that taste was more important than appearance in cooking. Even if the appearance was spot on, if the taste did not impress, it was all in vain. Just like in the culinary world, the No.1 dish of China's cuisine, despite its plain appearance, offered a rich taste!

Similarly, what shook Erina was not how well Zane's dishes were made but the fact that they were just too delicious!

So, Erina picked up her beef burger to taste it.

"Oh!"

At that moment, she felt a wave of nausea as she bit into it, making her face turn pale and unpleasant. She quickly covered her mouth, making distressed sounds.

This worrisome situation alarmed Hisako, who immediately fetched a disposable vomit bag for Erina!

In the end, Erina had to spit out what she ate.

"Are you okay, Miss Erina?" Hisako asked with concern.

"I'm fine, it just tasted too much like toast. I have an aversion to that flavor!" Erina explained, trying to calm down.

"Why did it taste like that?" Hisako was surprised that Erina's beef burger tasted like toast.

This meant that Erina was unable to uncover all the secrets of Zane's cooking with her God Tongue talent! Unthinkable, right? In this world, something overpowering the God Tongue was already far-fetched!

In conclusion Zane's cooking not only conquered the God Tongue but also made the God Tongue fail to function?

"Hisako, is there a way to surpass Zane's cooking without using the God Tongue talent, relying on other means?" Erina asked seriously.

"Forgive my bluntness. If even with the God Tongue's ability you can't surpass him, the only one who can defeat him in this world is him himself." Hisako replied.

The God Tongue ability wasn't just a superpower; it also represented Erina's culinary experience and knowledge! 

From a young age, under the strict training of her "demonic father," she had honed her God Tongue ability to perfection. 

Her culinary expertise and knowledge were unmatched by ordinary people.

Therefore, any dish Erina tasted, she could perfectly replicate it after just one taste, even improving upon it. 

In the original storyline, she improved Soma Yukihira's "Grilled Squid Tentacles Dressed in Peanut Butter" directly defeating Rindo and Eishi Tsukasa.

However, when facing Zane's cooking, her God Tongue ability seemed to fail.

This outcome naturally left Erina deeply disheartened!

"Why?"

"I... I could clearly remember the taste of his dishes!"

"And at the tavern, I saw every move he made at the cooking station, the entire process, very clearly."

"But why am I completely unable to replicate his cooking?"

"What kind of person is he, really?"

At this moment, Erina felt deep fear in her heart towards Zane!

—------

Desserts have always held a special place in the culinary world.

They are not just a type of food, but also a form of culture and art that people love for their unique taste, color, and shape.

In another kitchen, a just-baked soufflé dessert had a fluffy and airy appearance like a cloud. However, within just one minute, it began to collapse. All the hard work put into making it lasted for only a short tasting period. It was like a blooming firework, beautiful but fleeting.

"It's still not working. As soon as it's exposed to air, it collapses due to cooling!" Momo said helplessly, looking at the completely collapsed soufflé.

"Momo! Are you there?"

At that moment, Rindo appeared behind her and greeted her.

Momo turned to look at her, frowning, and asked, "Rindo, what are you doing here?"

"I just missed you and came to see you," Rindo blinked and smiled.

Throughout the Totsuki Culinary Academy, there was intense competition and a "survival of the fittest" educational model. This led to continuous struggle and conflict among students in their efforts to climb to the top and pursue their own interests. To address this irreconcilable conflict, the academy authorities had established a rule called "Shokugeki"!

While the Top Ten were seen as a cohesive unit, they often had conflicts and disagreements due to their different ideologies. For example, the current 6th seat, Nene Kinokuni, and the 7th seat, Akira Hayama, each represented prestigious families with the titles of Eastern Kinokuni and Western Hayama. However, due to their different beliefs, they had completely diverged.

Momo, as the 4th seat of the Top Ten, was almost invincible within the academy. She liked to give people nicknames, which was a sign of her contempt for those with lower culinary skills.

Despite her formidable ranking, there were still three individuals ahead of her. Rindo was one of them. Although Momo didn't fear these three psychologically, she also couldn't do anything about them. She also felt a certain fondness for Rindo and considered her a good friend.

Rindo, who had a carefree personality, got along well with Momo. Their relationship, while not as close as best friends, was much better compared to the hostile behavior often seen among the other members of the Top Ten.

"Missed me? Everyone knows you're out on the town every night," Momo retorted skeptically. "Besides, you didn't even stay for long after becoming the 2nd seat. You left all the work to Eishi Tsukasa and made us endure his long monologues at the Top Ten meetings."

Hearing Rindo words, Momo was annoyed. She had just thrown all the soufflés she made into the trash can. However, Rindo, who was quick and observant, quickly grabbed them and began eating them voraciously.

"Mmm... Momo, I didn't expect your culinary skills to be so improved recently," Rindo said happily with her cheeks bulging from the excessive eating.

Momo was speechless. "I thought you were going to throw them away?"

"Well, I'll help myself and fill my stomach. That way, it won't go to waste!"

Taking another big bite, Rindo, feeling content, spoke to Momo in this manner.

"Fine. Do as you wish. If you have nothing else to do, please leave!" Momo's voice was always gentle and soothing like that of a little girl, but from her final words, it seemed she did not want to deal with Rindo at that moment.

"Okay! I shouldn't have come to bother you!" Rindo said. "I just wanted to invite you to a tavern tonight. Their food is delicious."

"I don't want to go. I'm not in the mood," Momo refused straightforwardly.

"Are you sure you won't go? The owner is really handsome! I dare say, even many popular young celebrities today can't compare to him. And you've always thought that this type of cute guy is adorable, right? If you don't witness his charm in person, you might regret it for the rest of your life!" Rindo deliberately said things to provoke her emotions.

After hearing this, Momo did feel a bit tempted, but ultimately shook her head in refusal. "No, I'm busy right now, so I won't go."

"Do I have to say that only if he can help you solve the long-standing problem in your heart will you be willing to go?" Rindo finally spoke frankly when she saw Momo still not getting it.

"What?" Momo was surprised.

Then she quickly realized, "Rindo, are you talking about the owner of that tavern? The one who can help me delay the collapse of soufflé dessert without affecting its taste and texture?"

"Yes, although I've never seen him make desserts, my intuition tells me that he can create a soufflé dessert that will even amaze you!" Rindo said firmly.

In fact, from a perspective of physical chemistry, soufflé, a French dessert, will definitely start to collapse right after it's baked! The principle is like inflating a balloon.

When the beaten egg whites are evenly mixed into the batter, the gasses and water vapor in the egg whites expand once they reach a certain temperature, lifting up the soufflé. After leaving the oven, as the temperature drops, the gasses contract, and the soufflé collapses!

The cooking temperature can also increase the pressure, causing the soufflé to collapse even faster. The texture of the mixture also plays a role; dense soufflé mixtures cannot rise as easily as thinner ones.

This is why soufflé deserts are among the most challenging in all dessert cooking!

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This was a 2-in-1 chapter, meaning there is 2 different chapters in this 1 chapter. Make sure to give more power stones!