TWOD 08
Chapter 8: The True Taste
Kelton and Master walked over to Su Ye, looking at the milky white, fresh concoction in the four bowls with cuhttps://orangenuna.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/woman-traveling-in-france-2023-11-27-05-16-47-utc_Easy-Resize.com_.jpgsity. Kelton’s suspicion vanished, and Master’s anger dissipated. They had indeed never seen this kind of food before. Although its appearance wasn’t particularly appealing, it seemed fine, and under the light of the crystal lamp, it had a unique beauty.
“What is this?” Master asked eagerly.
Su Ye smiled. “Have you heard of salad?”
Kelton spoke first. “Of course. It’s a Persian thing, just some raw vegetables with a little salt and spices. There’s not much to it.”
“I don’t like it,” Master said.
Su Ye was taken aback. He hadn’t realized salad existed at this time. He had thought that salads and salad dressing had appeared simultaneously, but it seemed ancient Greece already had salads, albeit more like the simplest form of cold dishes or mixed vegetables. Salad dressing was a product of two thousand years later.
Su Ye quickly smiled again. “This is called salad dressing. It’s a substance that can transform tasteless salad into a gourmet meal…”
Before Su Ye could continue, Master impatiently grabbed a clean knife, dipped the tip into a bit of the salad dressing, and put it in his mouth.
He smacked his lips as he tasted it, but his face grew more and more displeased. Seeing this, Kelton knew something was wrong. He quickly dipped his own knife tip into the dressing, tasted it, and spat it out after a few bites.
Kelton put down the knife and looked down at Su Ye, his smile gone. He gently twisted the snake-head ring on his left ring finger.
“Master, what’s your evaluation?” Kelton’s voice was cold, as if it came from the wintry north. The five people who had made the dressing flinched, their bodies stiffening.
Su Ye still smiled.
Master didn’t reply immediately. He picked up a little of the salad dressing from the second bowl on the tip of his knife, held it up, and observed it under the crystal lamp. It had an alluring luster and a smooth, thick consistency.
“Did this bowl succeed, too?” Master asked.
“It’s just okay; it’s still a bit far from perfect,” Su Ye replied honestly.
Master put the dressing from the second bowl into his mouth, tasted it carefully, and then tasted the other two bowls as well. With everyone watching, Master slowly said, “The texture is very unique, with the fresh aroma of lemon, but it’s a bit too rich. It clearly lacks something special. It’s not worth ten Golden Eagles.”
Kelton took a long, deep breath and let it out. He looked at Su Ye coldly and said in a calm, almost detached tone, “Su Ye, do you know the cost of deceiving me?”
Su Ye looked innocent. “I do.”
“Then why…”
“The basic salad dressing is complete, but it needs other ingredients to be truly edible. I didn’t tell either of you to taste it. I hadn’t finished speaking, and Chef Master tasted it. How is that my fault?”
Kelton was stunned. Instead of getting angry, he looked at Su Ye with surprise. He realized that Su Ye had been in control of the conversation all along.
“What else needs to be added?” Master asked Su Ye eagerly. He had felt that something important was missing from the dressing.
“A suitable amount of honey.” Su Ye regretted that there was no white sugar here, which should have been added in the first step with the egg yolks, but honey was a perfectly good substitute. In ancient Greece, honey was a very important seasoning.
“Of course! I knew something was missing! With honey, it will be completely different!” Master’s expression suddenly became fanatical.
Kelton’s eyes widened with delight. Master only lost his composure when he tasted something truly exceptional.
“How much do I add?” Master grabbed Su Ye’s shoulders, his eyes shining brighter than the magic lamp.
“That’s why I asked you to come,” Su Ye said.
“Thank you, generous Su Ye!”
Master was ecstatic. This meant he could participate in the creation of a brand new dish. He suddenly closed his eyes, and when he opened them again, he had regained his usual calm, but the light in his eyes was even more intense.
He tasted the salad dressing from the four bowls again and finally selected one. “This bowl has the most balanced color and texture. I’ll use this as the base for my调味.” He then carefully took some of the dressing with a clean shell, put it into another clean clay bowl, added a suitable amount of honey, and mixed it evenly himself.
He tasted it, frowned slightly, tasted it twice more, then added a little more honey and stirred it again. After his final taste, his frown disappeared, and his face broke into a look of indescribable joy. It was as if there were molten lava bubbling in his eyes.
“A divine creation! A divine creation! It’s simply a gift from the gods! Su Ye, I apologize for my rude and rash judgment earlier! You are right, salad dressing is enough to change the culinary landscape of all of Greece! No, the entire world! I can foresee that gourmands all over the world will go crazy for salad dressing! Su Ye, thank you for giving me the opportunity to add honey!”
Chef Master’s hands once again grabbed Su Ye’s shoulders.
“You deserve it,” Su Ye said with a smile.
Kelton looked at Master and suddenly realized that he seemed to have been ignored by Su Ye. He immediately picked up a clean knife, took a little of the sweet salad dressing, and put it in his mouth. His eyes lit up. The dressing with honey and without it were like two completely different foods.
“Even so, it can’t be worth thousands of gold,” Kelton said stubbornly.
“What do you know! You’re slandering salad dressing!” Master glared at Kelton.
Kelton’s expression stiffened. Although Master had criticized him before, it had always been with a certain calmness, never with the kind of fury he was showing today.
Su Ye coughed lightly. “You’re being too harsh on Mr. Kelton. He only tasted the salad dressing. He can’t imagine how it tastes with the salad. How about we work together to make the world’s first salad with salad dressing?”
“You’re too generous!” Master burst out laughing.
Kelton silently watched the old man and the young man start making the new salad. His dissatisfaction gradually faded, and his gaze focused on Su Ye, lost in thought.
Su Ye was never worried that the salad dressing wouldn’t suit Greek tastes. In fact, even before salad dressing existed, Greeks were very fond of salad. And the origin of salad dressing was in the Greece of the future! Egg yolk mixed with olive oil and lemon juice was the most basic combination for salad dressing.
The geographical location of ancient Greece was very special. To the north was Europe, to the east was Mesopotamia, and to the south was Egypt. Situated at the crossroads of three civilizations, it was a melting pot of cultures, not only giving birth to a world-influencing civilization but also possessing the world’s most diverse range of goods, including food. The main ingredients for salad, such as lettuce, carrots, and cucumbers, were all available in the room.
Su Ye effortlessly created a visually appealing and delicious-smelling salad.
.
.
Support me on :
Post Comment