Seeing the scene before him, Dylan also felt a bit uneasy.
She was clearly a very capable young girl, yet because her inner strength wasn't sufficient, she had ended up in this state, even being mocked by those weaker than her.
"Perhaps, Megumi Tadokoro is the one who should be trained using the methods of the Dark Cuisine Society!"
Such a thought appeared in Dylan's mind and then became uncontrollable!
The strong should not be humiliated by the weak. Dylan had never seen a situation like Megumi Tadokoro's, whether in his past life or this one.
"Little Megumi."
As if having thought of something, Dylan took two steps forward, walking to Megumi Tadokoro's side.
"T-Teacher Dylan? Why are you here?"
Hearing the voice, Megumi Tadokoro flusteredly raised her hand to wipe the corners of her eyes, then realized the tears had already dried. So, she forced a smile and looked at him.
"Of course, I came looking for you. Why didn't you come to my class today? I haven't seen you all morning, and I quite miss you."
Dylan said, patting her shoulder, his face adorned with a sunny smile.
"I... I didn't get a spot in your class..."
Hearing Dylan's words, Megumi Tadokoro lowered her head and said in a small voice.
"Then use a Shokugeki to snatch one! Anyway, so many people dislike my class; even if you asked directly, they'd probably give it to you. That's no excuse."
Looking at Megumi Tadokoro, who had her head bowed, Dylan shook his head. He didn't accept her reason; it was too flimsy!
"Teacher Dylan, am I particularly useless? I can't seem to do anything right..."
Not daring to answer Dylan's question directly, she instead asked him another. Megumi Tadokoro lifted her head; her mood, which had finally calmed down, was stirred up again by his appearance.
"Your skill level, in a place like Tōtsuki, can at least rank in the top ten."
"So, there's no need to undervalue yourself, and even less need to care about others' opinions. After all, those people are not as good as you."
Thinking of what he had heard in the corridor earlier, Dylan looked at Megumi Tadokoro's face and said seriously.
This wasn't a lie. With her diligence, seriousness, and talent, among her peers at Tōtsuki, she was undoubtedly at a top-ten level!
However, her inner timidity made Megumi Tadokoro halt in her tracks, even regress.
Actually, the last time she attended his class, Dylan had already sensed it. The confidence this girl had painstakingly built was rapidly draining away.
Combined with what he heard when he came up just now, Megumi Tadokoro's lack of confidence most likely stemmed from the suppression by her classmates, being drowned by countless voices...
"Top ten? How is that possible? I'm not that amazing..."
Dylan's words startled Megumi Tadokoro. Then, a wry smile appeared on her face; she believed he must be comforting her.
"If I say you are, then you are! This is the assertion of a Special-Grade Seven-Star Chef. Are you trying to question me?"
Dylan's expression turned cold, feigning anger. This made Megumi Tadokoro flustered, and she awkwardly waved her hands in the air.
"I didn't mean to question you! It's just that I messed up my dish again today and received the lowest grade, even though I could have done it well..."
Thinking about what happened in class today, Megumi Tadokoro lowered her hands, pursed her lips, and her mood visibly dropped.
"Enough nonsense! What dish did you make in class today? Make it again now! Let me see your skills!"
The complex emotions brewing in a girl were too troublesome to handle. Dylan wasn't fundamentally good at comforting others, so he tapped the cooking station.
Since the problem arose from cooking, it should be solved with cooking.
To help someone who had lost confidence in their cooking regain it, one had to watch them make a good dish and firmly encourage them.
"Cook now?"
"That's right. Don't you like staying in the classroom after class to summarize your cooking experience the most? Then let's start now, today's summary!"
Looking at Megumi Tadokoro's slightly astonished expression, Dylan intentionally raised his voice a few notches, simultaneously looking at the remaining ingredients on the table.
"But there aren't enough ingredients left..."
Looking at the scarce ingredients on the cooking station, Megumi Tadokoro fiddled with the hem of her clothes, her expression embarrassed.
"Then let's modify it. This classroom has so many ingredients. If one ingredient isn't enough, there must be another that can replace it."
"And what you need to do is think! Think about how to use your own method to make this dish. This is also a chef's fundamental ability!"
Looking at Megumi Tadokoro's embarrassed expression, Dylan once again leaned his face close, meeting her gaze, and then said seriously, word by word.
The remaining ingredients in this classroom, besides those used in this lesson, also included some alternative ingredients to satisfy students' innovative ideas.
After all, Tōtsuki Academy was not an inflexible school.
"Modify? Modify!"
"Okay, I understand! I'll do it!"
Hearing Dylan's firm and decisive voice, and his intensely watching eyes, Megumi Tadokoro pursed her lips, repeating his words to herself a few times, then clenched her fists and shouted seriously.
If this was the expectation Teacher Dylan had for her, then she was willing to do it! Willing to perfect the dish to meet his expectations!
"Go all out! Let me see your skills, Megumi Tadokoro!"
"I understand!"
Hearing Dylan's fervent and impassioned voice, Megumi Tadokoro wiped away the lingering tears from the corners of her eyes and then began to tidy up the cooking station.
Discarding unnecessary items, placing the needed ingredients...
"The dish Professor Chapelle taught today was Red Wine Beef Tongue, mainly using onion chunks, celery chunks, carrot chunks, and bacon."
"First, fry the bacon in beef fat until fragrant, then add the vegetables in succession. After they too are fragrant, transfer to a stew pot."
"But now there's no celery or bacon left. If I want to innovate, I can only start from these two aspects..."
While taking stock of the remaining ingredients and explaining to Dylan what she had learned that day, Megumi Tadokoro quickly constructed a new dish in her mind.
Red Wine Beef Tongue, in essence, was about infusing fruitiness into the beef tongue.
The purpose of using celery and bacon was to add vegetable aroma and smoky fragrance, using these two flavors to highlight the fruitiness of the red wine.
Now that these two flavors were missing, she would use tomatoes and oranges as substitutes. These two ingredients had relatively rich and prominent flavors.
At the same time, they could also enhance the vegetable and fruit aroma of this Red Wine Beef Tongue!
Various flavor elements emerged in Megumi Tadokoro's mind, finally settling on tomatoes and oranges.
However... would such a dish really work?
Thinking of how she had messed up not long ago, Megumi Tadokoro's face showed hesitation and struggle—a sign of extreme lack of confidence.
Dylan, standing to the side, saw her thoughts the moment Megumi Tadokoro paused her actions. So, he raised his hand and patted her back firmly.
"Cheer up! No matter what you make, I'll eat it! So, show some courage and start cooking with confidence!"
Looking at Megumi Tadokoro before him, Dylan, standing beside her, felt a bit anxious, wishing he could grab her twin pigtails and control her to complete the dish.
"Hiss..."
Feeling the pain from her back, Megumi Tadokoro sucked in a cold breath.
Although Dylan had held back, he hadn't exactly been tender; the force of his hand was quite considerable. However, it also dispelled some of her hesitation.
At this moment, Dylan was like an animal tamer wielding a whip, and she was the beast being trained, gradually being tamed by him.
This feeling was so peculiar...
But she didn't seem to dislike it...
"If you perform well, I can make a dish you like, guaranteed to satisfy you both physically and mentally!"
"Moreover, this time, no one will be competing with you; you can enjoy it all by yourself!"
Seeing Megumi Tadokoro's expression soften, Dylan suddenly leaned his face close and whispered in her ear, his voice seeming to carry infinite magic.
"Teacher Dylan's cooking?! Only for me to eat!! All to myself!!!"
Thump.
Thump.
As Dylan's words fell, Megumi Tadokoro blushed; she could clearly feel her heartbeat accelerating. Her whole body felt a surge of energy, as if something were about to burst out!
There was no other reason; Dylan's words were simply too tempting! More effective than a myriad of encouraging words before, because this was a genuine benefit!
No one could refuse the cuisine of an Eight-Star Special Chef—it was food that could make one willingly sell their soul to a demon!
"I understand! I will give it my all! Please, I absolutely must taste your cooking!"
Tying the apron around her waist, Megumi Tadokoro's face showed a passionate expression. Then she began to work, her concentration at its peak.
Perhaps she too could succeed?
No! She must succeed!
Feeling Dylan's trusting gaze, this thought suddenly surfaced in Megumi Tadokoro's mind.
She unwrapped the butcher paper encasing the beef tongue. The tongue inside was still unprocessed, which was also part of the course assessment.
Megumi Tadokoro held a short-handled cleaver, and with extreme speed, removed the skin from the beef tongue, leaving only the tender meat within. Then, she secured it with straw rope.
Onion, tomatoes, carrots, and oranges were cut into suitable sizes. At the same time, she heated beef fat in a wok and successively added the ingredients to stir-fry until a caramelized layer formed.
On another burner, she also heated a wok, added beef fat, and seared the surface of the tied beef tongue to create a caramelized crust. In French cuisine, this is also called "sealing the edges," a favorite French technique for cooking beef.
The purpose of this step was to effectively prevent the flavor of the beef tongue from escaping, locking all the ingredients' flavors inside—an excellent cooking method!
She picked up the seared beef tongue and placed it directly into the stew pot filled with vegetables.
Without washing the pan used for searing the tongue, she poured in a ladle of the beef bone broth prepared earlier in class, simultaneously heating it to dissolve the charred bits, then poured everything into the stew pot.
Garlic, thyme, beef bone broth.
These ingredients were added to the stew pot in order, then the lid was covered, and it was simmered over low heat for two hours. This step required patient waiting.
"Phew..."
Looking at the stew pot in front of her, Megumi Tadokoro let out a long breath. Then, she glanced at Dylan out of the corner of her eye, noticing that apart from watching with his arms crossed, his expression hadn't changed.
Was it good or bad? Such thoughts arose in Megumi Tadokoro's mind until a large hand landed on her back, startling her awake.
"During the cooking process, don't overthink unnecessary things! It's useless!"
"You must remember, others' opinions are ultimately just for reference. You are the chef! And a chef needs to have absolute confidence in their own cooking!"
Dylan's voice rang clearly in her ear, the sonorous and forceful words compelling belief, so Megumi Tadokoro nodded.
"I understand!"
Refocusing on the cooking station, looking at the numerous ingredients on it, the remaining time was for preparing the sauce for the Red Wine Beef Tongue.
For French cuisine, the sauce could be said to be the key to the flavor!
Butter was cut into pieces and added to a pan, then flour was added, and stirred constantly with a spoon until it turned dark brown. Then, cold beef bone broth was added.
Cold broth with hot roux, hot broth with cold roux—this prevents the formation of small lumps, which would affect the texture of the sauce.
Then, an appropriate amount of salt was added for seasoning, a little red wine, lemon, orange, and apple—ingredients with strong fruit aromas—and simmered over low heat for 20 minutes, until the sauce could coat the back of a spoon.
Once the sauce was cooked, she took a sieve and roughly strained the sauce to prevent any small lumps from remaining and to filter out the fruit pulp.
After completing this step, all that remained was waiting. The beef tongue in the stew pot wouldn't be ready so quickly; it required constant monitoring and waiting...
"Don't be too tense. If that string in your head is stretched too tight, it will break sooner or later. If you can't manage the time, set an alarm."
Dylan could judge the state of the food by the aroma in the air, but others couldn't. Most of the time, they could only lift the lid and judge by experience.
How large a piece of meat, what level of heat to use, how long to stew—these were all based on experience and could be learned from recipes.
But, humans have limits.
There are so many recipes in the world; it's impossible to remember the details of every single one clearly. Therefore, individual ability becomes important.
Some people rely on extensive knowledge, some on sharp intuition, and others possess talent beyond ordinary people—these are all individual strengths of a chef.
The more individual strengths a chef has, the further they will go on the culinary path.
"But isn't it better to keep a close eye on it? You can react to its condition at the earliest possible time and deal with it promptly. That's the most perfect way."
Clearly, Megumi Tadokoro didn't quite understand Dylan's words.
When she turned her head, her eyes clearly showed fatigue—the kind that comes from staring at one thing for too long.
"Perfect my foot! Just listen to me, and you'll be fine! Cooking needs to be comprehensive; you absolutely can't do it well by constantly staring at one small point!"
"Also, don't think that once the stewing has started, there's nothing else to do. There are still two pieces of beef tongue over there; go try some other cooking methods!"
Dylan scolded unceremoniously. Staring at one spot while cooking was like obsessing over a certain detail in art—even if drawn perfectly, it held no meaning.
The emphasis was on the overall flavor!
"Other cooking methods?"
"Like grilling, low-temperature slow cooking, the principles are actually all the same."
"When making dishes, you can't be fixed on one method; that's too boring. We are human; what we need is to master methods, not be mastered by them."
Looking at Megumi Tadokoro's puzzled expression, Dylan decided to talk philosophy with her, something he had comprehended during his long travels.
As he spoke, Dylan walked to the window of the cooking classroom, turned his back to look outside, and assumed a profound and unfathomable posture.
"What's needed is to master methods, not be mastered by them..."
Megumi Tadokoro repeated Dylan's words, a thoughtful expression on her face.
"I understand! Grilling and low-temperature slow cooking, right? I'll start trying right away!"
Pumping her fist, Megumi Tadokoro looked at Dylan's back and shouted.
"You still don't understand what I'm saying."
"If you want, you can use steaming, smoking, deep-frying, and many other methods, not just do what I tell you to do."
"The purpose of cooking is to make ingredients delicious. Only by trying more can you improve. If you want to improve, you can't be afraid of failure!"
"'Knowledge from books is ultimately shallow; to understand something truly, one must practice it.' This saying tells us that only experience gained firsthand is the most reliable!"
"Eh... wait, I'll try it in a bit."
She said she understood, but she didn't really. His purpose in saying these things wasn't for Megumi Tadokoro to cook a few more dishes, but for her to broaden her thinking.
Compared to a chef's skill, their perception was the most difficult to improve.
After all, skills could be honed over time, but to improve perception, besides having an expert guide you, one also needed to travel.
This was the true reason for Dylan's travels.
Of course, a year was definitely not enough, but everything required a balance between tension and relaxation. He traveled, stopping and starting, resting when tired.
In that year, he passed through Fujian, Zhejiang, and finally arrived in Shanghai. In the Shanghai culinary world, he found the legendary cooking utensil, the Turning Dragon Pot, and gained its recognition.
At the same time, the Dark Cuisine Society was formally established in a skyscraper in the center of Shanghai.
By challenging various famous masters and detailing the shortcomings of their dishes, he showed them that by following him, they could still improve in the future.
Such temptation, no chef could refuse.
And as various renowned figures joined, some First-Class and Second-Class chefs also learned about the Dark Cuisine Society, but joining wasn't so easy for them.
Assessments, all sorts of assessments.
Only by proving they had the potential to become Special-Grade could they be qualified to join the Dark Cuisine Society and gain the possibility of further advancement!
Even Special-Grade Chefs, to officially become a member of the Dark Cuisine Society, had to first pass an assessment and finally get Dylan's nod to join.
As for the ranking system of the Dark Cuisine Society, Dylan continued the original Dark Cuisine Society's system, but appropriately lowered the requirements a bit.
Lin Chefs: A collective term for chefs at Special-Grade Three-Star and above after joining the Dark Cuisine Society, requiring at least one signature glowing dish.
As for those who couldn't produce such a dish, Dylan considered them worthless and naturally wouldn't grant them the status of Lin Chef.
Those with potential could be cultivated a bit; those without were sent down to earn money for the organization and collect rare ingredients.
This was Dylan's true purpose in creating this organization: to gather all the rare ingredients in the world into his own treasury!
At the same time, to establish his own network of influence, so that no matter where he was, a single phone call would have someone deliver the ingredients he needed to his door.
_____
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