Therefore, the accumulation of initial traffic is very important!
"Then we'll go out and hand out flyers. Guests should enter the park in about half an hour."
Kitagawa Marin and Yui Yuigahama each carried a thick stack of flyers, dressed in zongzi girl cosplay outfits. This was Kitagawa's suggestion, and Hoshino Sora found it interesting and allowed it.
"Be careful on the road. The accumulation of the first wave of customers depends on you two~"
"We'll do our best!"
Watching the energetic Kitagawa Marin and Yui Yuigahama, Hoshino Sora instructed them while wrapping zongzi. At this time, the first batch of zongzi was already in the pot, ready to be eaten when the guests arrived.
"Would you like to try our zongzi?"
"Of course, our zongzi are also almost ready. You can rest here for a bit, and then take a few zongzi back later."
On the other side, Soma Yukihira walked over from not far away with a dozen zongzi. A hint of purple was visible inside the emerald green zongzi leaves, emitting a rich, fresh fragrance.
"This is made with purple yam, no, this smell is yam. Did you add yam to it?"
Hoshino Sora said, then unwrapped the zongzi leaf in front of him, revealing the true appearance of the zongzi inside. As the zongzi leaf (lotus leaf) opened, the aroma of the yam inside completely burst forth.
Purple yam zongzi, this type of zongzi uses purple yam paste instead of traditional glutinous rice, adding various fillings, then wrapping it in lotus leaves and steaming it. It has a delicate and smooth texture and a unique flavor.
"That's right, it's purple yam, filled with red bean paste. We also chose to use lotus leaves as the wrapping, so these purple yam zongzi will have the refreshing fragrance of lotus leaves."
Takumi walked in behind Soma Yukihira. As the zongzi was unwrapped, a rich aroma filled the air, and Takumi explained the preparation method to Hoshino Sora.
There were no fancy tricks, just a very simple combination of elements. Now, let's see how it tastes. I just didn't expect Soma and the others to make sweet zongzi.
"Give it a taste."
Soma Yukihira urged him. Hoshino Sora didn't hesitate and took a bite. Because of the addition of purple yam paste, the sticky rice became more delicate and soft, making the texture sweeter and more fragrant.
The addition of red bean paste increased the layers of texture and sweetness, making the whole zongzi more delicious. At the same time, the lotus leaf wrapping also added to the aroma of the zongzi.
As someone with a sweet tooth, no one can refuse such a zongzi. Out of the corner of his eye, he looked at Akanegakubo Momo, who was eating with great relish; the girl finished one and immediately grabbed another.
And if even Akanegakubo Momo was like this, there was no need to mention the others.
"A clean and pure taste. Purple yam, sticky rice, and you must have added locust flower honey to the red bean paste, right? The flavors are very harmonious. Less is not necessarily worse than more. This zongzi is very well made!"
While peeling another zongzi and explaining, Akanegakubo Momo, as an expert in sweets, had a lot of authority here, and her actions proved the deliciousness of this type of zongzi.
That is indeed the case; less is not necessarily worse than more. Although top-tier cuisine values a complex aroma, it depends on the occasion. For sweetness, it is better to be clean and pure.
"It's indeed very good. I suggest adding a little milk to the red bean paste; that would be even better. It doesn't need to be much; 2 grams for every 10 grams of red bean paste is enough, revealing a hint of milky aroma."
Carefully evaluating the deliciousness of the zongzi, Hoshino Sora gave his answer. This zongzi was great in every aspect, but it would be even better with a hint of milky aroma.
"Of course, this is just my humble opinion. How you make it is up to you, so don't take it too much to heart."
By the end, Hoshino Sora suddenly felt he was being a bit meddlesome. He awkwardly waved his hand, telling them not to take his words to heart. However, his words sparked some thought in Soma Yukihira.
"I will try it."
Indeed, adding a little milk to the red bean paste could add a milky fragrance and enrich its nutritional elements. At the same time, milk has a mild nature and would not overpower other flavors.
Soma Yukihira built a flavor model in his mind. The more he thought about it, the more he felt that what Hoshino Sora said made sense. If he really did that, it could indeed enhance the taste of the zongzi.
Let's go back and try it!
"By the way, how did you manage to set this up so luxuriously? To achieve such results in such a short time, you guys are really impressive."
This wasn't sarcasm, but genuine amazement. In just over half an hour, with a dozen people working together, they had quickly set up this venue.
If they hadn't seen it with their own eyes, they wouldn't have believed it.
"It's just because this place is too remote. We had to resort to this to attract traffic. If we had opened in the Central Area, we would only need to care about the taste of the zongzi and the speed of wrapping them."
Facing this question, Hoshino Sora replied helplessly.
"Indeed, compared to the competitions held by the Oriental Academy, competitions outside are fairer. I heard that in the Guangzhou Dumpling Competition, all contestants are gathered in one circle."
"However, they only invite famous shops in the industry to participate. Ordinary people who want to sign up need to pay a high entrance fee. Compared to them, the Oriental Academy seems much more generous."
"At least there's no such thing as limiting the number of spots."
Takumi added at the end. However, starting out in such a remote place was indeed tough, but students from Totsuki were not afraid of difficulties. They would rely on the taste of their cuisine to turn everything around!
That's easy to say, but where to start is another question.
"Alright, my zongzi are finished too. Take them back and eat. If nothing goes wrong, the first batch of customers will arrive in half an hour. Seize the opportunity."
Although this was to drive traffic to his own shop, the passing customers couldn't possibly be absorbed by his shop alone. After all, zongzi are divided into sweet and savory camps; he couldn't force people who liked sweet zongzi to eat savory ones.
Strictly speaking, Soma Yukihira and the others could just absorb all the customer flow he couldn't.
It just depends on whether their speed can keep up with the rhythm. After all, the upcoming customer traffic should be terrifying; he had ten people wrapping zongzi here at the same time.
Looking at Erina Nakiri and the others who were still wrapping zongzi, everyone occupied a corner of the kitchen. Almost every minute, ten to twenty zongzi were produced. In a short while, the zongzi piled up into a small hill.
"Got it, we're heading back."
Taking a deep look at Hoshino Sora, Takumi and Soma Yukihira got up and left his small shop with the zongzi. Hoshino Sora and the others also entered a state of high alert, waiting for the arrival of customers at any time.
Half an hour later, figures appeared in the distance.
"The environment here is quite nice. It should be very pleasant to eat zongzi here. Huh, there's actually a shop selling zongzi here too? Will anyone really come to such a remote place?"
A young couple came to the back mountain, originally thinking of doing some sneaky things after eating zongzi. However, they discovered several shops in the back mountain, which made them feel a bit awkward.
However, one of the shops caught their attention because it was so unique!
"It's so beautiful over there. Why don't we go and take a look?"
The boy among the two spoke up. Lanterns caught his eyes, and groups of beautiful women were visible. This was Hoshino Sora's small shop. Such a scene was truly pleasing to the eye, which made him want to go over and find out more.
"Are they holding some kind of event? Let's go over and see."
An interested expression appeared on her face. Because the other shops selling zongzi all looked the same, she had some aesthetic fatigue from seeing too many. Now, seeing Hoshino Sora's shop decorated so beautifully, she pulled him along to go there together.
"Boss, are you holding some kind of event here?"
Looking at the man standing at the shop entrance, the girl among the two asked curiously, with an unusual glint in her eyes.
"For the Dragon Boat Festival, guess the lantern riddles to get free zongzi. Take a photo with the zongzi here and post it on your social media, and you can receive an exquisite souvenir provided by us."
Seeing customers approaching, Hoshino Sora actively went up to meet them. Facing the customer's question, he explained carefully, and then he took out a souvenir woven from straw rope and bamboo leaves.
"Is this souvenir hand-woven from bamboo leaves and straw rope? It looks really nice!"
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