But no matter what, "Zhang Dashao's" pursuit of raw materials cannot compare with the effort he puts into the production process.
To be honest, even though the chef stands still in front of the stove and handles the spatula like a celebrity on stage, it is a wonderful moment that takes one minute on stage and ten years of work off stage.
But this wonderful minute, which only takes ten years to develop, only accounts for a very small part of the success factors of a dish.
Because a real celebrity chef not only knows extremely superb skills on the stove, but also knows how to properly handle raw materials.
After "Zhang Dashao" gets the raw materials, there are a lot of things he has to do seriously.
How to clean, how to wash, how to select, how to cut, how to make, in order to achieve the best results.
During the production process, should it be boiled or steamed, fried or fried, and what kind of heat is required.
Use high or low heat, or alternate low and high heat.
Even what pot to use, what knife to use, whether to use firewood or coal, almost all are related to the details.
That is knowledge that ordinary people neither understand nor can see.
For example, it’s because Ning Weimin and Zhang Shihui always hang out every Monday.
As time goes by, they will inevitably feel embarrassed.
Sometimes he would take the initiative to help "Zhang Dashao" with some chores, act as a kitchen worker, and so on.
Unexpectedly, their good intentions hit a snag every time.
The old man just said that they only need to pay for the food.
They were not even allowed to wash the dishes or wash the dishes.
At first, Ning Weimin and Zhang Shihui thought it was quite beautiful, thinking that the old man took them seriously and was unwilling to work for them.
But as time went by, they slowly figured it out.
It turned out that the old man actually disliked their use of soap-washed hands to wash vegetables, which would contaminate the vegetables with an undesirable smell.
In addition, I don't like that their hands can't stand hot alkaline water, and they worry that the temperature is not enough to clean the dishes and the greasiness will not be removed.
This is something "Zhang Dashao" can never stand.
Look, they can be so harsh.
According to Zhang Shihui's private words, "This "Zhang Dashao" must have mysophobia. A cook treats hygiene issues more excessively than a doctor. Isn't there something wrong with that?"
But the problem is, it takes exactly this kind of weirdo who is determined to go to extremes and do things to the extreme to create amazing delicious food.
Just in April this year, "Zhang Dashao" asked Ning Weimin for help in urgently obtaining pine branches from the Temple of Heaven Park for fire use. The more the merrier.
It was rare for the old man to speak, so Ning Weimin certainly wanted to help.
So I informed the person in charge of the garden at the Temple of Heaven Garden, and within two days, mountains of pine branches were transported from the garden, filling a quarter of the space in the small courtyard of Huanghua Gate.
Ning Weimin originally thought that "Zhang Dashao" was for making food, so he filled it into the stove and burned it fiercely with steaming flames.
Unexpectedly, the guess was only half correct, and "Zhang Dashao" turned out to be burning slowly in the courtyard, emitting only smoke but no fire.
And the food he makes is also somewhat unexpected.
It was an iron grate placed on a pine branch, and on the grate were placed the meat sausages he had made.
Completely different from the sausages sold on the street, the sausage stuffed with "Zhang Dashao" is cooked in a pot before being smoked with a grate, and it can only be smoked with pure pine branches.
Calculated based on time, a batch of sausage needs to be slowly smoked for at least three or four days before it takes on the flavor.
This job sounds like a lot of trouble, and it's very tiring.
Although there is no need to worry about them, the intestines are in the smoke, just let nature take its course.
But because we have to make fifty kilograms of sausages at one time.
Watching the fire, adding branches, and fumigating it day and night all require people to watch and watch.
It turns out that this Zhang Dashao is a man with a fiery temper and a quick temper.
He actually just sat in the courtyard watching the sun and moon, patiently roasting by the smoke and fire, watching his loose intestines being completed.
Nearly a hundred hours of curling green smoke completely blended the fragrance of pine branches with the meat sausage.
In gratitude for the favor, "Zhang Dashao" gave Ning Weimin and Qiao Wanlin two pounds of pine sausage each.
They ate like heavenly delicacies.
Even Kang Shude tasted what Ning Weimin brought back and said it was a good taste, thinking it was a rare and rare taste in the world.
How can such a method make people dissatisfied?
Soon Ning Weimin was even more surprised to learn that "Zhang Dashao" had also made great contributions to "Polar Bear" with this batch of sausages and helped the factory a lot.
I bet the cause of this incident is all the "Polar Bear"'s official business.
If the factory wants to expand its production workshop and buy more advanced cold drink equipment, it will need a lot of foreign exchange.
However, the application of "Polar Bear" collided with the foreign exchange application of its sister unit Yili Food Factory.
The superiors can only approve one, and the other one can only use domestically produced equipment.
So the two factories started competing for public relations.
Of course it's inevitable to send gifts and cultivate relationships in private, but that's where the difficulty lies.
The gift is too heavy, but the superiors dare not accept it for fear of taking responsibility.
You may even think that there is some evil going on below and you are trying to corrupt the leadership.
But the courtesy was too light, and it was a bit hard to use.
The people below are also worried about whether their superiors will feel guilty.
Moreover, it is also very particular about who should give more and who should give less. If you don't do it well, you will offend the person.
So the director of "Polar Bear" was really worried.
Thanks to "Zhang Dashao" who volunteered and came up with such a good idea, he had this batch of pine intestines to give away.
Needless to say, this thing is perfect as a gift.
It's not something you can buy outside, but it's still a meat product. It seems sentimental and has just the right value.
The key is that it tastes amazing, and no one will say good things about it after eating it.
So many leaders who had tasted it took the initiative to call and want more.
There are even people who accidentally got a taste of it and came here admiringly after tasting it.
For this reason, "Zhang Dashao" had to work again for a few days, smoked a batch and sent it out as a favor to the factory.
Fortunately, the pine branches are enough.
In this way, "Polar Bear" finally got his wish and added a production line, while Yili Factory could only look on with envy.
"Polar Bear" has even changed the factory's promotional slogan. Now the factory's propaganda direction is to sprint towards the 100 million yuan mark in output value.
This cannot but be said that the homemade pine sausage made by "Zhang Dashao" is the public relations tool of "Polar Bear".
Yili Factory probably never dreamed that they were actually defeated by a cook.
However, the most amazing thing is that as a chef, "Zhang Dashao" not only knows how to use his hands, he can also use his mouth.
Whenever you sit down after cooking, the charm of "Zhang Dashao" will not disappear, but will double.
Because the old man has a deep understanding of food culture and has rich life experience.
He is well aware of famous chefs and restaurants in various places, and he is very knowledgeable about delicious food.
He can tell you a lot about the origins and historical origins of various famous dishes.
These real things in the stomach can indeed make people learn more and gain insights.
Even the philosophy of life, this old man can point out with the help of food and witticisms that amuse the bored child.
For example, if you take fried dough sticks, he would say that if you don't suffer, you won't mature. If you always suffer, you will become an old fried dough stick.
Where are the steamed buns?
When you are small, you are more fulfilled. When you are great, you become empty.
Noodle?
If you want to succeed, you have to rely on others to help you.
dumpling?
Being too thick-skinned is not a good thing.
Soda?
If you have to be careful, there will always be time for you to bubble up when the time comes.
Steamed crab?
A red day is a time of great sorrow.
Tofu?
The critical stage requires enlightenment.
Wotou?
It's better to be careful as a human being...
To be honest, these jokes are not just listening to Coke, but if you think about it carefully, they are quite in line with the world.
Think about it, for such a chef, even if you haven’t seen him cook precious delicacies from the mountains and seas with your own eyes.
But who can say that he is not an expert in the kitchen? He does not have the style of a master?
But then again, the biggest problem is that it is difficult to persuade such an expert to help.
Because the temperament that achieves his or her skills determines that such a person must be stubborn, resigned to death, have a bad temper, and be confident and proud of his or her skills.
To put it bluntly, it means that you have your own backbone, and if you identify it, you will find your way to the dark side, and you are not easily swayed by money.
So if the old man is willing, of course everything will be easy to talk about.
But if you are not willing, you will definitely be hit by a soft nail. I am afraid that eight horses will not be able to pull you back, and it will be useless even if you try hard.
How on earth can this god be moved? Ning Weimin was really unsure.
You must know that understanding a person is like wading into a river. Only after you have waded through it can you understand the nature of water.
There must be a lot of hidden things about "Zhang Dashao".
But he neither dared to ask, nor could he ask, so he was naturally unable to respond in a targeted and effective manner.
The only feasible solution is to be affectionate and treat them with sincerity.
Ning Weimin could only hope that his sincerity and the long-term friendship would soften this strange old man.
