While Ning Weimin's fruit offensive was effective, the power of his pastry offensive was equally gratifying.
Westerners originally like sweets and have the habit of drinking afternoon tea and visiting cafes.
So every time you raise your cup, you can't do without the exquisite cookies and cream snacks, or pudding.
Of course, when it comes to sweets, we have to admit that French chefs are the best.
French desserts are world-famous, and it is recognized that they are so delicious that they scream deliciousness.
Almost all the most famous desserts in Western countries come from France, so much so that France is known as the "Kingdom of Desserts".
As a result, French bakeries have opened in famous cities around the world, and have also brought croissants, baguettes, puffs, macarons, Napoleons, crepes, butterflies, apple pie, cheesecake, and crème brûlée to the world.
Every corner.
Therefore, the French not only love to eat desserts, but also know how to appreciate the quality of desserts.
However, it must be said that as a country with great food, China’s dessert standards are no less than those of France.
It may even be the only country in the world that can challenge France.
Without mentioning anything else, let’s start with the eating habits of Chinese and French people who like tea and snacks.
Don’t forget, drinking tea and coffee with small snacks is something that has long been practiced by Beijing residents in their old age.
Isn’t this just “advancing”?
In the Internet age, our young people call it "little hunger".
What does it mean?
Actually, that means around 10 a.m. or around 4 p.m.
It makes people feel a little hungry but not too hungry, and they want to eat some snacks.
Speaking of which, we still have one meal more than Westerners.
As a Chinese person, especially a person from the capital city, the first choice for supplementary food is definitely glutinous rice cakes.
Yes, the French are good at dairy products, and their milk cakes and mousse puddings are beautiful and delicious.
However, in addition to dairy products, Chinese pastries also make better use of grains, flowers and fruits and pay attention to fillings.
The raw materials are far richer and more diverse than Western pastries, and they can also distinguish the seasons. This is something Western pastries cannot compare with.
Even in the modeling of sugar art, China has its own unique skills, which can still make Westerners stunned.
Therefore, Ning Weimin combined the current season and selected yokan, pea yellow, poria cake, lotus cake, jade dew cream, mung bean cake, rose cake, fire paper tube, and jujube pastry from Tan Gong Restaurant. The nine flavors are delicate and unique.
, a palace pastry with beautiful shape and suitable for summer eating.
And according to the French pastry method, they are placed in the room of the French star twice a day in a metal basket.
Then use a small glass bottle as a container, four-color liquid food of palace cheese, almond tofu, dried fruits and poplar nectar chilled in crystal ice.
At the same time, he also placed blooming lotus flowers from Tongzi River in the rooms of the two celebrities.
To be honest, he decorated the star's room like a pastry buffet.
Not to mention the placement, the butler at the Great Wall Hotel who served the two French stars in their daily life felt infinite admiration and admiration.
I would brag to my colleagues later - "You are such an international celebrity, that's really a show...".
Even the two French stars themselves were secretly surprised when they returned to the room and saw such sumptuous food.
Everyone can't help but feel honored by this unexpected and extraordinary treatment.
In addition to having the illusion of being treated like a king and queen, I was even more surprised by Ning Weimin's thoughtfulness and knowledge.
Not surprisingly, my view of him naturally changed.
And at the same time, those things that originally tasted good became even more delicious because of the improvement in mood and the freshness of exotic flavors.
Just like this yokan, pea yellow and almond tofu.
One is made of adzuki beans, one is made of peas, and the other is almond agar.
The taste is as delicate as pudding, and the aftertaste is also long.
But unlike Western pudding, there is no cream or butter at all, only the unique plant fragrance.
The contrast is too strong.
The novel taste that the French people feel on their tongues is probably as amazing as the Chinese people tasting Western pudding for the first time.
There is also Yulu cream, a naturally cooling pastry, which has the effect of clearing away heat and relieving fire, and soothing the irritable and thirsty heart.
It's perfect to eat in the summer. It tastes sweet but not greasy, and it melts in the mouth with a cool feeling.
But this thing is not mint, and its shape is as white as jade, just like snow frost, and translucent like jade. Even if I look for Western pastries, there is no pastry with this texture.
Naturally, it greatly subverted the perception of the two French stars.
Not to mention foreign devils, even serious Chinese people, there are not many people who have tasted this food without smacking their lips in admiration, it is really a fairy in the world.
In comparison, things like lotus cakes and jujube cakes are also very beautiful and delicious, and their appearance and taste are very outstanding.
But the highlights are all superficial and can be seen at a glance. There are no surprises. Instead, they are made ordinary.
As for rose cake, poria cake, mung bean cake and dried fruits.
Although it is no stranger to Beijing residents, it is a taste that foreigners have never tasted. It also opened up a new world of taste buds for the two French stars.
Even the dairy products such as royal cheese, fire paper cones, and poplar nectar that Ning Weimin provided specifically for his liking were very different from those that the two French stars often ate.
at.
You must know that palace cheese is a dairy product invented by our ethnic minorities. Although it is also called cheese, the production method, taste and texture are not the same as Western cheese.
This is a semi-solidified food made from glutinous rice wine, milk, and sugar, freshly baked and then iced.
Smooth and tender, cool and light, overflowing with milky fragrance, it has the name of elegance and elegant style.
During the Republic of China, Cheese Wei, which introduced palace cheese to the people, became famous because of this. Cheese Wei was reported by World Journal in the United States and Japanese newspapers.
The Chinese in Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan even take what they like and take it away after eating.
This shows that international people recognize this flavor food.
And that fire paper cone, it's a brioche roll invented in the Yuan Dynasty.
The time of appearance is similar to the history of the Tumusu Gun in the Southern Song Dynasty.
It got its name from the shape of a kindling made from paper strips coated with saltpeter, just like the capital city's trousers burning.
There are two types: thick and thin.
The thick ones are thicker than your thumb, and the thin ones are as thin as chopsticks. They are all baked with butter and are crispy and fragrant.
It is said that people in the Yuan Dynasty drank milk tea when they were recovering from serious illness, which could not only nourish the body but also strengthen the body.
In today's society, there are people selling this stuff in Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan, and the sales are quite good.
In the future, an international brand supermarket will also use this butter egg roll and Swiss roll as best-selling products.
But despite this, no matter how proud people from Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan are to call this kind of Hong Kong-style dim sum.
How can the Western world boast about this thing as a Swiss pastry?
But if we have to trace it back to its origins in history, I'm afraid we will have to trace it back to the capital of the Yuan Dynasty.
The pastry shops in Beijing are the ancestors of making this stuff, and the natural flavor is different from those of their disciples.
As for Yangzhi Manna, Ning Weimin stole it from the south and copied it himself based on his experience in his previous life.
However, this kind of Cantonese dessert has a very wide audience. It seems that no one has said that it tastes bad and everyone doesn’t like it.
Moreover, the format is very similar to Western punch, making it unforgettable once you taste it.
All in all, these pastries carefully prepared by Ning Weimin are both special and novel to the two French stars. Almost all of them are desserts that they have never tasted before.
But each of them is a classic taste that has been passed down through generations and has been loved by countless people.
They will naturally feel the difference and beauty of Chinese and Western refreshments, which will create stimulation and excitement that touches their souls.
So subtly, this undoubtedly changed their prejudices about Chinese food.
From the initial disdain, I became surprised and curious, and even a little obsessed, wanting to explore more things.
And this is the most shrewd thing about Ning Weimin. He used an honest conspiracy to catch the two foreign devils in the palm of his hand.
Because food, although it can be felt directly through the senses, is also a process of gradual upgrading from simple to complex, from simple to complex.
For example, when Ning Weimin took Kang Shude to Jinmen to eat Shilin, the old man once told him this.
The same is true even for Chinese food. When it comes to the specialty food of any place operating in another place, it often takes time for big dishes to be accepted by people.
However, snacks are the easiest to take root in other places and gain recognition.
Why?
Just because the snacks are simple and straightforward, and the prices are low.
Later, Ning Weimin went to Tokyo to open a store. Based on what he saw and learned, the more he thought about it, the more he realized this.
Not to mention other things, the reason why American burgers, French fries, milkshakes, hot dogs, British fish fillets, Italian pasta, pizza, and French desserts can be marketed around the world and accepted by people everywhere is that they are essentially snacks.
?
Not to mention Japanese food, ramen, sushi, and tempura are all not worthy of being served as the main course on a Chinese banquet.
Isn't it just a snack?
This seemed to solve a lot of problems he couldn't figure out at once.
Why is it that while we have such a strong foundation in Chinese food, we become acclimatized when we go overseas?
Why do all the profitable Chinese food categories overseas have to rely on mutated fake Chinese food?
There is no doubt that there is a major problem with the business methods and promotion model!
Yes, because of cultural barriers, when it comes to Chinese food overseas, the more extensive and sophisticated it is, the worse it is.
To put it bluntly, there are different levels of food and different audiences.
If you don’t know what five-flavor blending is, and don’t even know how to pick fish bones, or crack melon seeds, if you come directly to the “Eight Major Cuisines”, why don’t you find yourself in trouble?
In fact, the foreigner is just a kindergarten kid who can only eat sweet, sour, salty and savory food.
Their tongues are not yet civilized and cannot accept other higher-grade tastes.
If you compare them with the traffickers and lackeys in our country, they are overestimated.
Isn’t it easiest to get fooled by some candies, pastries, fruits and the like?
Facts have proved that what Ning Weimin did was right.
The success aroused the curiosity and thirst for knowledge of the two French stars.
Only then can these two French stars be introduced to Chinese cuisine in primary school to receive enlightenment education.