Abnormal Gourmet Chronicle
Chapter 334 - 204: Practice

Chapter 334: Chapter 204: Practice

Qin Huai wandered around the kitchen again for a while and found that the six people at Zhiwei Restaurant practiced in a very uniform way, which was to repeatedly make the same snack.

This is a very traditional method of practice. When Qin Huai practiced Crab Dumplings before, he did it this way as well. However, when Qin Huai was practicing Crab Dumplings, Huang Shengli and Zheng Da were watching over him, pointing out obvious problems promptly. For less obvious issues that Qin Huai might discover himself, Zheng Da and Huang Shengli would wait to see if he would make the same mistake next time.

However, the six people at Zhiwei Restaurant did not have any master guiding them, so when problems occurred, they could only rely on themselves to reflect and discover them. Perhaps they would have to wait until they couldn’t resolve something to find an appropriate moment to consult the master chef.

This way of practicing means their culinary skills improve very slowly. Problems are not immediately pointed out but rather recur and persist. By the time the chef himself realizes them, bad habits have already formed, and it takes a lot of time and effort to correct them, wasting enormous amounts of both.

At this moment, Qin Huai realized the importance of the master role in the chef’s learning process.

No wonder everyone wants to apprentice under a good master.

Well, that’s not quite right. I didn’t have a master early on, and I got by somehow.

The value of the "Snack Encyclopedia" is still increasing.

Qin Huai continued to hold his teacup, looking around, casually pointing out if he saw someone with an obvious issue.

"The proportion of your filling is clearly off. Adding so much spice has overshadowed the original flavor of the ingredients. Whether it’s steaming, frying, or boiling, a good snack shouldn’t have such heavy spices. And this is still a pork-filled snack."

"Kneading isn’t done like this. Kneading is two actions. When the dough reaches this stage, what you need to do is expel the air through repeated kneading. Look at Guli; his kneading method is the right one."

"What are you making now? Four Happiness Dumplings? Are these four types of filling supposed to be Four Happiness Dumplings? What’s the problem... No, I’m just surprised. Let me know when this batch is steamed, and I’ll try it. I haven’t had such authentic Four Happiness Dumplings before."

"You this..."

Qin Huai initially hadn’t intended to comment much.

He couldn’t resist saying a few words when he saw Guli practicing because Guli’s fundamentals were simply outstanding. Textbook-grade basics, a correction notebook-like technique—if he didn’t say a few words, it would be a disservice to the "Snack Encyclopedia."

Qin Huai just wanted to talk, not expecting that Guli not only listened but also immediately made changes. Although the modifications weren’t very effective, the determination to improve was touching.

Then when Qin Huai, holding his teacup, strolled in front of another person, he remembered that this assistant had poured him tea in the morning and couldn’t help but say a word.

He changed quickly.

Looking at another, this one also poured tea.

Say a word.

Instantly changed.

The next one, this one made tea. Say a word.

Not only changed, but also added: Thank you, Master Qin.

Truly deserves to make tea.

As for the one after... this one hadn’t made tea, nor poured tea; this was Tan Wei’an.

Qin Huai hesitated for a moment but spoke anyway.

Tan Wei’an did not immediately change but discussed with Qin Huai, explaining the method, technique, effect, and principle of making snacks, emphasizing how his late grandfather, Master Tan, made them and how his current ones compared, seeking Qin Huai’s advice.

Qin Huai suggested more practice.

Tan Wei’an was the most skillful among the group, being the direct grandson of a famous master with solid fundamentals and having learned many techniques. In terms of major issues, there really weren’t any; minor issues, sure, every chef has them when cooking.

Qin Huai thought Tan Wei’an couldn’t reach his grandfather’s level simply because his skills weren’t polished enough and suggested practicing more like himself.

Though a rather empty suggestion, Tan Wei’an agreed enthusiastically and immediately began practicing more.

At this point, Qin Huai realized that the people at Zhiwei Restaurant were genuinely receptive to advice.

Especially the regular apprentices—whatever you say, they do, as if having him point out two flaws beside them was like celebrating the New Year.

Qin Huai felt this might be related to the competitive nature at Zhiwei Restaurant where there were many highly skilled master chefs but also many seemingly average chefs who actually had at least one unique skill.

These masters usually didn’t take disciples, but neither did they hold back; teaching apprentices directly in the kitchen, those observing from the corners could learn as much as they could catch.

For those masters who could take disciples, this was a way to evaluate the apprentices. The apprentices observing from the corners were their potential disciples, and everyone noticed who learned fast, who had good character, and who worked diligently.

The apprenticeship period was the evaluation period, lasting as short as one or two years, or as long as three to five years; very few apprentices persisted for more than five years. After all, apprentice salaries were too low to support a family, making it an arduous task with little payoff and much struggle.

For ordinary apprentices without any background, impressing the masters was their threshold to leap the dragon gate, humility their prime requirement, and diligence their virtue.

This model was very traditional, resembling the apprenticeship teaching methods of the last century and even during the Republic of China period. Apprentices trained under this system were all prime candidates for being good disciples.

After discovering that everyone there would make great apprentices, Qin Huai decided to use the people at Zhiwei Restaurant for practice.