The more Ning Weimin thought about it, the more excited he became, and he quickly told Kang Shude what he had realized.
I really want to ask Master for advice on overseas Chinese restaurant management to see if my thinking is correct and if there are any misunderstandings.
This surprised Kang Shude.
He also didn't expect Ning Weimin's brain to move so fast and his thoughts to jump such a large distance.
It was actually possible to jump from domestic to overseas in one fell swoop, from operating a restaurant to a global catering landscape.
But the old man is a cautious man and he is not willing to make judgments easily about things he does not understand.
He thought about it seriously and could only tell Ning Weimin this way.
"I have never been to a foreign country, so I don't know if it is really like what you said. When I was young, I heard Mr. Song chatting with Mr. Jiang next door about things overseas. It seems that Chinese food is very popular overseas.
It looks like you can eat well. Whether it’s America, Europe, or Oriental Fuso, there are many Chinese restaurants. And it’s said that there are restaurants with excellent taste.”
"The Founding Fathers also said back then, 'Our country has lagged behind others in everything in the evolution of modern civilization, except for the progress in diet, which is still beyond the reach of other civilized countries.' So is the actual situation as you say, not even one family overseas?
It’s hard to find authentic Chinese restaurants, which is where I have my doubts.”
"But having said that, there is no doubt that it is difficult to operate a Chinese restaurant overseas. In addition to the lack of seasonings and ingredients, the biggest problem is probably the lack of professional chefs. And without the cultural atmosphere, overseas Chinese food is just water without roots. Good.
The chefs can’t keep up and are anxious to make a buck. It’s not surprising that they cater to foreigners and come up with such weirdos as Li Hongzhang’s offal and General Tso’s chicken.”
"Let me analyze the two dishes you mentioned for now. This General Tso's Chicken is not Chinese food at all. The method of over-frying and adding sweet sauce is obviously just in the name of Chinese food. This is
It represents the most common taste that local people like most. Stir-fried chop suey is a Chinese way of cooking. Although it is messy to stir-fry such a bunch of things, the advantage is that it is fast and it is very fancy. "
"Actually, this is just like our children's favorite "mixed mix" during the Chinese New Year. It not only gives the sense of surprise of unexpectedly discovering favorite ingredients. It also caters to people's mentality of "spending a small amount of money to do big things". It is mixed with all kinds of ingredients.
We are together. Maybe foreigners think that eating this dish is equivalent to eating all the stir-fried dishes in Chinese food, and it is easier to feel satisfied."
"Anyway, in my opinion, these two dishes have the characteristics of 'snacks'. The cooking is simple, straightforward, no need to wait, and the price is not expensive. The taste is constant. These should be the reasons why they are popular with foreigners. But
It is precisely because it is too simple and has no technical content that our Chinese people will not like it."
"This has nothing to do with taste. Think about it, these two are just things that our people can make if you just pick their brains. Who is willing to spend money to eat them? So if the situation outside is really like what you said
. I think Chinese food still has great potential overseas."
"Because the environment, service, decoration, and furnishings are easy to learn. But cooking methods and techniques are difficult to learn. If we learn from them, we can not only learn well, but even become better than others. In fact, compared to the fake Chinese food popular among foreigners, we can westernize Chinese food.
Let’s make fake Western food, and it’s much more advanced to use Western food as a Chinese version. Even foreigners like to eat it.”
When Ning Weimin heard this, he knew the key point was reached.
He quickly raised his ears and killed the old man's army.
"Old man, I'm all ears to hear your opinion. But it's just empty talk. You'd better come up with something practical."
However, Kang Shude was not embarrassed at all and just smiled calmly.
"Practical? That's too easy. You probably didn't expect that the second half of the meal I had when I went to Shilin was still part of the meal. That's the practical example you want. During our trip to Shilin,
It’s not just a matter of having some foreign food. Especially Li Li, who was so heartbroken after eating it, he was the most thoughtful.”
"Ah? And the second half?" Ning Weimin was confused again.
"Li Li? The guy who ordered three Germans? What could he have in mind?"
"Haha, then you really underestimated him. This friend of mine has many shortcomings. He always wants to take advantage and loves to take advantage of others. But let's face it, his mind is extremely smart. In fact, you are very similar to him in some ways.
"
Kang Shude stroked his beard. In return for Ning Weimin's attack on his army, he also made fun of Ning Weimin before he continued.
Daqing Li Li has been performing in the capital for a long time, but he has not even found a serious teacher.
No real opera singer would accept him, probably because he thinks his voice is limited and he can't bear the hardship.
Moreover, people are too opinionated and restless.
After hanging out for a long time, once the novelty wore off, even Li Li realized that something was wrong.
Not to mention that if he actually goes to the sea, he may not be able to earn gold and silver under his conditions.
Even with his identity as an actor, it would be inconvenient for him to enter the mansion to find his father and a few friends.
Because we cannot have relatives of actors at the gate of a big house, and we don’t want actors to come and visit the house all day long.
So he has been thinking about what to do in the future.
As a result, it was this trip to Shilin that deeply touched him, and could even be said to have greatly changed the trajectory of his life.
Not long after returning to the capital, only three months later, Li Li became the owner of "Li Ji" wine shop.
The small wine shop he opened is located on Dongsi Street. It occupies a small area, only about thirty square meters.
The door is also very small. Even if you look for it deliberately, you may miss it if you are not paying attention.
The unusual thing is that it has a scholarly style and is not the "big wine vat" style that people in the capital are familiar with.
Outside the shop he made a cast-iron cover and hung a wine gourd.
Let the owner who frequents the tavern look fresh.
The shop is full of small tables covered with patchwork tablecloths.
Not to mention the big wine vat, it is definitely higher class than Shilin, which is nothing more than a white tablecloth at best.
The tablecloths used by Li Li are all appliqued and made by his mother and sister.
There is also a MENU with prices clearly marked on the table, which is labeled Erguotou, Hengshui Laobaigan, Bamboo Leaf Green, Mixed Shredded Tofu, Flowering Beans, Peanuts, as well as Dutch Water and Rotten Pork Noodles.
The Dutch water is from the cold drink shop in the east, and the rotten pork noodles are from the small noodle shop in the alley.
Whenever someone orders something, just shout through the door and it will be delivered over there.
In addition, Li Li, like the shopkeeper in Lao She's "Teahouse", also hired a waitress with a perm.
The waitress wore a lacy white apron and held the wine bottle on a plate instead of holding it, flying around the shop like a butterfly.
Just this small wine shop is called a fire!
Not long after it opened, it outperformed other wine shops.
But other small wine shops looked jealous, but they couldn't learn his method.
Because I have never been to Qishilin, I can't figure out the rules and regulations, and I feel dizzy when I see his strange moves.
The second is that they are thinking about changing it the way he did, but they are also afraid of losing their old customers.
As a result, for a long time, Li Kee Wine Shop was a standout.
It is quite popular among some small company employees in Dongdan Dongsi and some small clerks in yamen.
Even Mr. Song visited several times with great interest, and even taught Li Li how to make Japanese tamagoyaki.
Although the "July 7th Incident" soon happened and Peiping fell, the small wine shop had nowhere to stock its goods and it soon closed down.
But just by relying on these two years of prosperous business, Li Li saved a lot of money, and then used the money to learn to drive a car.
In this way, he became the driver of Master Sun of the Ma family.
However, even after becoming a driver, Li Li, who had tasted the benefits of foreigners, did not give up on doing business.
Because he often drives Mr. Sun of the Ma family out, and he is also good at speaking.
Not only did his relationship with Mr. Sun of the Ma family get better and better, but he also saw more big scenes.
In 1938, he actually persuaded the young master of the Ma family, Miss Yu, the daughter of the mayor of Peiping, and the fourth daughter of Mr. Jiang, a tenant of the Ma family garden, to jointly contribute 6,000 yuan to open a restaurant for him.
Then, he opened a more formal small restaurant between Dangui Shopping Mall and South Garden in the old Dong'an Market, named Ji Shilin.