Black.
Short hair.
His eyes were like a night sky studded with stars, deep and mysterious!
Upon closer inspection, his exquisite face seemed like a gift from the heavens, radiating a healthy glow under the soft illumination of the lights.
The impression he gave was one that brought joy to those who saw him.
No matter where he went, people would be drawn to his handsomeness and gentleness.
After sizing up Sosuke, Nagiri Mana narrowed her eyes, her gaze gradually turning cold, and the aura of a supreme expert, like a fierce tiger, lunged directly at Sosuke!
Sosuke's expression changed, and he met Mana's gaze without backing down, his aura equally as grand as mountains, and at this moment, both sides fell into a stalemate.
For a time, the atmosphere in the Izakaya became eerie.
…
"Oh?"
"He can block this aura?"
Surprise flashed in Nagiri Mana's eyes.
As the only Special Executive Officer of the WGO Gourmet Organization, and as a… cough cough, a young woman with the God Tongue.
Her innate aura usually filled many people with fear and awe.
Yet, in the face of this aura, Sosuke remained so calm and composed.
"Not bad."
"As a chef,"
"If one is afraid due to the diner's identity or status, it will be difficult to achieve great things."
"No wonder your cuisine received Annie's approval!"
Finally, Nagiri Mana, who was the first to retract her aura, looked very satisfied.
Then, with Annie's assistance, she quickly found a chair and sat down.
It seemed she intended to stay there for a while, even though the Izakaya was already closed.
"Are you… Sosuke?"
Seeing Mana, who had just sat down, ask for his name first, Sosuke nodded.
"The Sosuke surname, huh."
"That's a major surname in the Heavenly Dynasty."
Nagiri Mana, who had once traveled the world, seemed to recall some past events in her mind.
Thus, she swayed the folding fan in her hand and chuckled, "The culinary environment in the Heavenly Dynasty is actually better than in Japan, and the Heavenly Dynasty has thousands of years of civilized history, so its cuisine is even more profound and extensive!"
"It's just a pity that there aren't many Chinese cuisine restaurants that have been rated with stars by the WGO nowadays."
"I remember those that reached three-star restaurant status and also belonged to the Chinese cuisine category, it seems there were only… only…"
"Lady Mana."
"There are only 2 establishments that meet both of those standards."
Annie, who was beside her, quickly interjected.
"Right."
"Just 2!"
Nagiri Mana continued, unabashed, "Anyway, their number is probably the lowest among all national cuisines in the world."
"Originally, the Heavenly Dynasty is a country full of gourmet food, and various dishes can be played with many tricks by many smart chefs, but it is precisely those who can excel in the culinary world that are extremely rare."
"I think there are certainly reasons, such as foreigners not understanding the essence of Chinese cuisine."
"But I believe even more that the overall environment there focuses too much on profit and desire, too much on the commercial value behind the cuisine."
"I've been to the Heavenly Dynasty."
"And I've met many excellent chefs."
"They are all talented, but they only want to make their restaurants bigger and stronger."
"Even if it means resorting to deceitful means, they never think about promoting Chinese cuisine to the entire world."
"I don't see this mission in them, nor do I see this sense of responsibility!"
"So."
"What is your opinion?"
"Did you choose to come to Japan to run an Izakaya because you were disappointed with the culinary world of the Heavenly Dynasty?"
After speaking, Nagiri Mana stared intently at Sosuke, who was still busy organizing the bills.
…
"Not bad."
"Today's Izakaya business has again exceeded my expectations!"
After finishing organizing the bills, Sosuke's face showed a faint smile, as if he had not taken Nagiri Mana's recent words to heart at all.
But in the end, he still chose to answer Nagiri Mana's question.
"Chinese cuisine."
"It emphasizes practicality more and lacks conceptual elements."
"That is to say, the so-called culinary culture, so it becomes very awkward when discussing its international status."
"In many people's impressions, Western cuisine is of higher caliber than Chinese cuisine, but in fact, Chinese cuisine is not without culinary culture; it has simply been simplified over the long river of history."
"After all, during times of war and hunger, the general public was more concerned with filling their stomachs."
"And if we talk about standards, I think even you should admit."
"Sometimes the craftsmanship of a Chinese dish can also be as intricate as a blooming flower."
"The details of ingredient processing for some dishes require special techniques, and even the quality of the ingredients is subject to extremely strict selection."
"A pot of century-old broth."
"A piece of aged ham."
"Behind them, who knows how many stories there are, how many generations of chefs' efforts!"
"Therefore, Chinese cuisine has never lacked innovation."
"And yet you attribute the root of the problem to people's greed; I think this is a prejudice against all chefs in the Heavenly Dynasty."
"In my eyes."
"The taste and texture of a dish."
"Are inherently subjective, with different people having different opinions!"
"So, when the WGO Gourmet Organization has many Executive Officers who are from the Heavenly Dynasty, then let's discuss why the number of Chinese restaurants receiving three stars is the lowest!"
Upon hearing this, a sharp glint flashed in Nagiri Mana's eyes.
She hadn't expected this young chef, who looked to be around 20 years old, to have such incisive ideas.
Indeed, the reason Chinese cuisine has so little international influence is precisely because the Executive Officers of the WGO Gourmet Organization are all foreigners, without even a single person from the Heavenly Dynasty.
This inevitably leads to prejudice among all Executive Officers when evaluating restaurants, and one can hardly expect them to provide a relatively fair assessment.
Just imagine, if Heavenly Dynasty chefs were to set the rules.
Perhaps many Western dishes would not even meet their standards.
Alas!
This is truly astonishing.
This chef named Sosuke.
He might be even more extraordinary than Annie described!
…
"I cannot deny."
"That the WGO Gourmet Organization's assessment process for restaurants involves a lot of subjective input from the Executive Officers."
"But one fact is that the standards and abilities of all Executive Officers are among the best in the industry."
"Therefore, I believe that most of the restaurants that receive star ratings are well-deserved."
"For example, in Japan, there is a God of sushi who has received three stars for 12 consecutive years; to extract the peak texture of octopus, he often massages it for 40 minutes with his hands."
After some thought, Nagiri Mana looked up at Sosuke and said calmly.
"And then?"
"I remember he seemed to be troubled by constantly making repetitive dishes, completely losing his ability to innovate."
"At the same time, he also deeply longed to make simple foods like fried chicken, and ultimately chose to voluntarily give up his stars, didn't he?"
"What?"
"Give… give up his stars?"
Upon hearing this, Nagiri Mana was stunned for a moment, thinking Sosuke was playing a huge joke on her.
"Yes, Lady Mana."
"He did indeed submit a request to us, the WGO, this year to voluntarily give up his stars."
Annie stepped forward and explained.
Nagiri Mana: ????
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