Legend has it that after the once-invincible Spanish Armada was defeated by England, King Philip III, in order to control the increasingly severe alcoholism among soldiers and sailors, issued a decree that taverns must provide snacks when selling alcohol.
Thus, tavern owners invented Tapas, which consisted of bread as a base, drizzled with olive oil, and topped with Spanish ham.
Translated, it means:
Tapas!
Just by looking at it, one could deeply feel the endless creativity of the Tapas made by Sosuke.
Then, a small bite instantly brought a rich and layered deliciousness, and when paired with a shochu characteristic of the Izakaya, it became even more mellow and fragrant.
As the signature dish of restaurants and bars, Tapas always stand like models, staying in the closest proximity to the customers.
When a diner orders a drink, the server must bring it out and quickly plate it.
Therefore, the ingredients must be fresh and reliable, and easy to process and move.
Those ingredients that are too delicate or too wild are often very difficult to use.
As for Tapas with a better appearance, they naturally present themselves in spherical or block shapes, no larger than a palm, and can be easily picked up with two fingers, just like what Sosuke is making now.
In short, it should not drip, not be structurally loose, not be bulky, and not be too hard or fragile.
Even when served in a bowl, there are rules for its form!
...
"Finished?"
"The portion is a bit small!"
Swallowing, Kakizaki Taki, who had slightly recovered, found that all the Tapas in front of her had been eaten clean.
"Sigh, if only I could have made a dish like this back then, I wouldn't have lost so badly."
After a few thoughts, she could only whisper a sentence.
In fact, judging from the original plot.
At Totsuki Culinary Academy, the Elite Ten, who represent the highest combat power, often attend high society events, cooking dishes and making gourmet food for a group of wealthy people.
It is evident that even if the Elite Ten do not consciously intend to, they will be subtly controlled by capitalists.
This presents another problem that few people can detect:
Class distinction!
Why did Erina insist on the noble cuisine route from the beginning?
One reason, of course, is that only people of her class have the qualifications, the money, and the time to taste so-called noble cuisine.
Ultimately, it is the differences between people that lead to differences between cuisines!
And the more terrifying fact is that in Totsuki, people like her are not necessarily few.
Eishi Tsukasa, the First Seat, specializes in French cuisine that brings out the original deliciousness of ingredients, thus requiring extremely high-quality ingredients. The dishes he makes, whether in terms of ingredient selection or labor costs, must be very expensive.
Kobayashi Rindo, that goes without saying.
The rare ingredients she excels at, the emphasis is on the word 'rare'.
The rarer the ingredients, the less likely they are to be cheap. For example, the last time she came to the Izakaya, she was able to bring out precious bear paws!
Akikubo Momo, the Fourth Seat's desserts, and Saito Soumei, the Fifth Seat's sushi, also follow a high-end route.
As for Nene Kinokuni, the Sixth Seat's cuisine, although it doesn't look that expensive, due to her noble family background, her family education behind her also tends to make her conservative.
And Eizan Etsuya, the Ninth Seat, he is even more of a naked capitalist, full of thoughts on how to make money with cooking.
Therefore, in the original plot.
When facing Nakiri Azami's Totsuki coup.
Those few antagonists, like the Third Seat Nekogami, the Seventh Seat Isshiki Satoshi, and the Eighth Seat Kuga Terunori, all have another characteristic:
They do not take the noble route. Although they may also come from privileged backgrounds, their culinary philosophy still represents popular cuisine.
To put it simply, the later chaos in Totsuki was nothing more than a debate about noble cuisine versus commoner cuisine.
But this opposition of values has never been mentioned by anyone.
...
Then, from Nakiri Mana's perspective.
Regardless of whether it's noble cuisine or commoner cuisine, any dish that cannot conquer her God Tongue is not a good dish.
Because of this, before Sosuke appeared, she was very disappointed with the entire culinary world.
Constantly fighting tooth and nail for a mere Elite Ten seat, spending all day either in a Shokugeki with someone or on the way to a Shokugeki, hmm, what's the point?
In her heart, she deeply desired this group of young people, who could lead the future culinary era, to set their goals further.
Therefore, she planned to secretly support the Midnight Chefs.
However, with Sosuke's cooking being able to completely conquer the God Tongue, this made her see hope again, and she even once abandoned that plan.
On the other hand, she also knew that even if the WGO Gourmet Organization did not interfere, the future culinary era would eventually arrive in some way.
Instead of quietly waiting, it would be better to use her meager strength to accelerate all of this.
Finally, under her covert manipulation, the Midnight Chefs incident occurred prematurely, causing a huge sensation throughout the culinary world.
"It's ridiculous to think about!"
"Back then, I always tried my best to compete for all resources in Totsuki, believing that as long as I worked hard, I would inevitably be rewarded."
"But looking back now, I was too naive."
"In front of the powerful Midnight Chefs, everything I possessed was ultimately like a wisp of smoke, which could instantly dissipate with a gentle puff from them."
"A new era!"
"A new leader!"
"Could it be that it is about to arrive and appear?"
"All future chefs will no longer debate the distinction between noble and commoner cuisine, nor the distinction between traditional and Molecular Cuisine."
"Instead, it must represent two different worlds, opposing each other, right?"
At this moment, Kakizaki Taki, who had finished the Tapas, couldn't help but fix her gaze on Sosuke over there: "Will it be you?"
"That chef who can defeat the Midnight Chefs, that person who can integrate the strength of all chefs in the surface culinary world, that strong person who can lead a new culinary era, will it really be you?"
...
Inside the Izakaya, under the soft lighting.
The diners' chatter and the clinking of tableware constantly intertwined, creating a warm and comfortable atmosphere.
Although she was working as a kitchen assistant, Kuguchi Sonoka would occasionally help serve dishes.
Every time she saw her constantly moving between tables, busily serving delicious dishes to every diner, Kakizaki Taki's face would turn exceptionally grim!
Who would have thought?
Back then, she was at least a Totsuki graduate.
What's more, Kikuchi's self-operated Chun Guo Ting Restaurant was even recognized as a one-star restaurant by the WGO Gourmet Organization.
Yet, such a person was doing service work at the Izakaya, performing chores like serving dishes, mopping floors, wiping tables, and entertaining diners.
Just at this moment, Kuguchi Sonoka was seen carrying a steaming plate of char siu rice, walking briskly past Kakizaki Taki.
Sliiiip!
Her foot slipped, and her entire body suddenly lost balance.
She inwardly cried out in alarm, trying to steady herself, but realized it was too late!
"The more I look, the more annoyed I get."
"Can someone as clumsy as you... can you do these tasks?"
In the end, it was the sharp-eyed and quick-handed Kakizaki Taki who stood up and firmly supported her back, then pulled her back.
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