BXBX NOVEL Chapter 59 - 59: The New Highest Score
“Respectable judges, greetings.”
Qin Lang took the microphone, bowed slightly, then started unloading plate after plate of the meals he had prepared from his kitchen cabinet car, delivering each to the judges before him.
He didn’t bother introducing anything.
But as each serving of deep chestnut-colored Vegetarian Braised Pork appeared under the sunlight gleaming enticingly without displaying a hint of oiliness, yet an irresistible charm prompting onlookers to taste it immediately, the audience erupted with exclamations of astonishment.
Not just the audience, even the thirty senior judges present widened their eyes with some unable to resist leaning forward to scrutinise the dish before them.
Having already seen the diverse designs of vegetable dishes presented by the previous twenty-four competitors, they thought they wouldn’t be surprised by the appearance of a dish again.
But was this…
Meat?
A meat dish appeared under the theme of vegetables?!
No, impossible.
Everyone knew very well that such a situation could not occur.
All ingredients would have been sent to the competition organizers for inspection prior to the competition.
And Spirit Chefs couldn’t bring any ingredients into the kitchen when they enter, otherwise, it’s considered a foul.
The very fact that this young Spirit Chef dared to openly serve this dish meant there was no issue with it.
This was a meat dish made from vegetables!
On the Players’ Spectator Seats, the expressions of astonishment showed on the faces of the competitors.
Tang Xie closely observed the perfectly crafted replica of pork belly, drawing a cold breath involuntarily while his eyes revealed anticipation.
Great!
No wonder he is a Spirit Chef who has beaten me twice!
He was eagerly awaiting the final score of Qin Lang’s dish.
The tens of thousands of audience members in the spectator scats started discussing eagerly.
Under the close-up on the big electronic screen, they weren’t able to tell that it was a vegetable dish.
So how will this vegetable dish that closely resembled a meat dish taste like?
They naturally shifted their gaze towards the judges in anticipation.
As the audience couldn’t taste the dishes in the competition, they could only rely on the evaluations of the judges to understand the dish better.
After serving the last prepared Vegetarian Braised Pork dish to the last judge, Qin Lang calmly returns to his original position.
“Vegetarian Braised Pork, please enjoy.”
Even in a cooking contest, Qin Lang maintained his succinct style similar to a Food Fight.
However, the host did not intend to let him go easily.
As the judges began the tasting section and Qin Lang remained silent, the host actively approached him.
“Thank you, contestant Qin Lang, for bringing us this spectacular Vegetarian Braised Pork.”
His face revealed a curious and probing expression, “I believe many people in the audience, including myself, are extremely curious about this dish. I want to know if this dish that closely resembles meat has a meaty taste. Qin Lang, have you tasted it yourself?”
“Of course, I have tasted it.” Qin Lang nodded.
“And how does it feel?” The host asked with a smile.
“During the cooking process, I used the traditional seasonings and special cooking techniques common in meat cooking, like Star Anise and Cinnamon.” Qin Lang thought for a moment before answering, “I preserved the original taste of the vegetables and layered on top of that flavours that are similar to meat dishes.”
“I believe, compared to vegetables, there should be more food guests who enjoy meat dishes. Preparing vegetarian dishes that taste like meat will make it easier for them to accept vegetables.”
“But you will only know that you are eating vegetables if you retain the original taste of the vegetables.”
“Well said!”
Before the host could start speaking, a voice rang out from the direction of the judges’ seats.
Zhang Hua, with his chubby figure, turned on the microphone before him, speaking as he slowly rose from his seat.
Before him, there was a plate with only a small bit of gravy left.
The Vegetarian Braised Pork that was initially neatly placed in the center of the plate had all entered his stomach.
“This is a dish that surprised me a lot.” Taking a deep breath, he looked at Qin Lang and spoke in a deep voice, “When I first tasted it, the dish was salty, umami-rich, and the taste felt as soft as pork belly, but upon closer tasting, there was a fragrant soy taste from the tofu and a refreshing taste from the winter melon.”
“It did indeed have a unique meaty flavor, and this flavor wasn’t just superficial, I believe it must have been cooked for a long time for the taste to completely seep into the ingredients.”
“This dish…”
Zhang Hua looked at Qin Lang, his eyes contained a hint of appreciation.
For someone who enjoyed meat dishes like him, tasting such a dish under the theme of vegetables, it indeed brought immense joy and feelings from the tip of his tongue.
“I really like it!”
“Thank you, Judge Zhang Hua, for your evaluation!”
The host spoke out loud after Judge Zhang Hua had returned to his seat.
Meanwhile, Qin Lang also made a slight bow towards Zhang Hua, showing gratitude.
“I also want to say something…”
Another judge got up and briefly shared his opinion of the dish.
Then, it was the next one’s turn.
Many judges appeared to be interested in Qin Lang’s dish and more critiques appeared compared to other competitors’ dish tasting sections, with some even excitedly asking Qin Lang a few questions.
Such interaction didn’t usually happen often.
Eventually, the tasting and evaluation section came to an end.
After the one minute scoring time, the host looked at the electronic screen in his hand, with a flash of surprise in his eyes.
“Let’s give the warmest applause to congratulate contestant Qin Lang, after removing the highest and lowest score, his final score is…”
“93.0!”
As the host finished speaking, the audience broke out into cheers and applause.
Hearing this score, Qin Lang let out a sigh of relief, bowing towards the judges before leaving the stage.
Noticing the trio waving at him, he didn’t head to the Players’ Spectator Seats but instead went towards the VIP Spectator Seats where they were.
“You got the highest score!” Qi Xiaoyu’s face was full of excitement, she cheered and patted Qin Lang’s shoulder, “How come I never noticed how good your cooking skills are when we were in the training class!”
“There is still one competitor yet to take the stage.” Qin Lang humbly replied, “Before the final score rankings are released, everything is unknown.”
Dan Bao standing obediently by the side had glowing eyes and a hopeful smile.
The first place will surely be ours!
“As I expected, you’re my worthy rival!” Zhao Chen crossed his arms, “But I won’t be envious of your accomplishments in the culinary world, for I will defeat you on the training path someday!”
“As long as you’re happy.” Qin Lang encouraged in his usual manner.
Standing to the side, Du Weiwei remained silent, her eyes held a hint of envy.
It had been over a month since she opened her Second Star Vein.
But a second Food Spirit had yet to emerge.
If only she had Qin Lang’s culinary skills, how great would that be..