Chapter 17
Hearing the words Mineo spoke, Erina's heart was once again pricked by a sense of displeasure.
This guy—why can't he ever give this Young Lady any face!
Regardless of everything else, I am the owner of the God's Tongue, and I am a beautiful girl!
How hard would it be to say something sweet just to make me happy?
Even if you said directly that you sped up the cooking process because you didn't want to keep me waiting too long, that would have been fine!
But no, you had to say you didn't want to let a "guest" wait too long!
In your eyes, is someone as grand as Erina Nakiri really just a common guest!?
Erina felt incredibly annoyed.
What Alice said was true; this Mineo was exactly the kind of "Steel Straight Man" people talked about on the internet!
Truly irritating!
Since she was feeling out of sorts, Erina decided to transform her frustration into an appetite.
Mineo, prepare yourself to receive the sharpest critique imaginable under the influence of my God's Tongue!!!!
In an instant, Erina focused her gaze intently on the dishes Mineo had brought out.
The moment Mineo lifted the silver cloche, Erina's pupils suddenly contracted!
"Th-This!"
"Th-this is impossible!?"
"Mineo... you actually used Molecular Gastronomy!!?"
Upon seeing the dish before her, Erina was utterly shocked.
Mineo had only prepared three servings, but the presentation of each dish was breathtakingly exquisite!
The processing techniques for the ingredients and the plating style were incredibly concise and efficient, yet they radiated an aura of elegant luxury.
It appeared simple, but it actually contained a wealth of depth within!
Th-this is clearly the core concept of Molecular Gastronomy aesthetics!
Mineo's level of skill was truly staggering!
To be honest, Erina wasn't particularly well-versed in the field of Molecular Gastronomy, but one had to remember that she had a cousin who was obsessed with it!
Since they were children, Alice had constantly surrounded herself with Molecular Gastronomy. Having seen and heard so much about it, Erina naturally had a solid grasp of the concepts involved!
Furthermore, Totsuki Academy even had a specialized department that taught Molecular Gastronomy.
Because of this, Erina could recognize immediately just how formidable these three Molecular Gastronomy dishes—cooked personally by Mineo—really were!
Even setting the taste aside for a moment!
The most amazing thing about this field was its ability to alter the molecular structure of ingredients!
Broadly speaking, this discipline allowed ingredients to undergo chemical or physical changes at the chef's will!
Several of the most prominent key points were:
Molecular Gastronomy could transform ingredients that were originally solid into an emulsion, or reshape them into spheres through spherification, or turn them into gels through gelification!
Spheres, emulsions, and gels were common techniques used in the field.
However, those were only the basic levels!
If one ventured deeper, a chef could even transform solid ingredients into a mist or even a gas through this branch of science!
In short, Molecular Gastronomy was a magical science capable of turning ordinary ingredients into forms you could never have imagined!
And now, these three dishes created by Mineo provided Erina with a massive visual shock!
At the very least, even if the haughty Young Lady of the God's Tongue was unwilling to admit it, she had to acknowledge that the three dishes before her were the most beautiful creations she had ever seen in her entire life!
Without exception!
Seeing Erina staring intently at his creation, Mineo gave a faint smile and began to explain:
"This dish is called Low-Temperature Slow-Cooked Longjing Tea Scented Salmon with Lobster Bisque, Spinach Jelly, and Strawberry Coconut Fog."
"The main ingredient is salmon, accompanied by several other side components!"
"The greatest charm of Molecular Gastronomy lies in its ability to look past the surface of the ingredients and directly process the essence of the deliciousness within!"
"As you can see, I've turned these strawberries into a gel, and the coconut milk—which is originally a liquid—has been shaped into a mist... The Longjing tea water was processed using the same principles..."
"Erina, would you like to taste it!?"
"I... I will certainly t-taste it!"
Erina immediately picked up her cutlery.
"My purpose... in coming here... is... is to test... your cooking skills, Mineo-kun!"
"Even though... even though the appearance of this dish is very beautiful... if... if the taste cannot satisfy my God's Tongue... I... I still won't... show you any mercy!"
Despite her harsh words, Erina's slender throat couldn't help but swallow hard!
She didn't know how Mineo had managed to turn liquids like coconut milk and vanilla sauce into a mist, but she had to admit that the aroma radiating from the dish alone was enough to trigger an urgent craving for deliciousness deep in her heart. A feeling known as "Desire."
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