Food Stall: Customers Chase Me across the Country

Chapter 430 - 428: Take Down the Level of French Cuisine!

While the tomatoes were slow-roasting, they might have been held in place with molds to make their shape more rounded.

There were some ingredients on top as garnish, making them look small and cute.

The champagne by my hand was a pale yellow, exuding an enchanting allure through the crystal-clear glass.

Bringing the champagne close to my nose, a refreshing fruity aroma wafted in, intertwining the scents of ripe grapes, fresh lemon, and delicate flowers.

Sipping a little, the subtle bubbles danced on the tongue, refreshing, slightly sour, and slightly sweet, perfectly stimulating the taste buds.

Picking up the slow-roasted tomato and putting it in his mouth, its taste was a bit sweet but more sour, with a soft texture somewhat reminiscent of candied fruit, further stimulating Wang Fan’s appetite.

To blend in with the local customs, Wang Fan had crammed on the steps of French dining etiquette before coming, so at least he didn’t feel embarrassed.

He didn’t have much of an opinion about these steps; he thought the etiquette some people constantly praised was actually just that.

The Huaxia dining etiquette, often looked down upon by some, could easily outshine the rest if taken seriously.

Even a pair of ordinary traditional chopsticks could surpass these Western etiquettes by a mile.

The shape of chopsticks is round at one end and square at the other, representing the roundness of the sky and the squareness of the earth, embodying the ancestors’ worldview of the unity of heaven and man.

Square on top and round on the bottom, not only are they convenient to hold, but also, square refers to Qian, and round refers to Kun, representing being tactful externally but principled internally, providing flexibility and principles.

The standard length of chopsticks is 7.6 inches, signifying the seven emotions and six desires of humans, implying the need to control one’s emotions and desires.

While using chopsticks, the thumb and index finger on top, the ring and pinky fingers on the bottom, and the middle finger in between, symbolizing the triad talents of heaven, earth, and man, expressing the philosophical thought of harmonious coexistence between man and nature.

My charming ancestors!

With such a cultural background, Wang Fan would not feel like Grandma Liu visiting the Grand View Garden.

To put it bluntly, he was here to eat, and in the end, it was the taste of the food that mattered.

The waiter returned, holding a plate of baguette bread with dipping sauce.

"Are you two here in Gaul for a vacation? How many days do you plan to stay?"

"Yes, here for a vacation, planning to stay for about a week."

Zhuo Qianqian responded politely but casually, as there was no need to broadcast their true purpose everywhere.

Casual chit-chat was indeed a feature of French dining, something every waiter had to master.

Zhuo Qianqian took a bite of the bread, freshly baked baguette, still soft, and biting it made a crisp ’crack’ sound. As for the taste, being in a Michelin restaurant didn’t make it much better than ordinary ones.

However, if this baguette were left for a day, it would become the best jaw exerciser and handy weapon.

The waiter seemed to be secretly observing the dining pace of both, bringing a bowl of soup after the baguette was finished.

Different from Huaxia’s hot soup, this was a cold soup made with tomatoes and basil.

Zhuo Qianqian took a sip, and her charming face almost scrunched up.

The soup was also meant to whet the appetite, and since it’s meant to stimulate, it’s naturally related to sourness. This soup was even more sour than the previously slow-roasted tomatoes.

After this soup, it was time to get to the main event.

Before serving each dish, the waiter would first remove their current utensils and then serve a new set, which, while adding a touch of elegance, also prolonged the dining time significantly.

The first course was a dish Wang Fan didn’t know how to translate; anyway, the main ingredient was lobster.

A small bowl made of herb and olive oil cream was placed upside down on a plump plate.

The waiter quietly explained the main ingredients and how to eat it. Wang Fan used a spoon to break the cream and found three pieces of lobster meat at the bottom of the bowl.

Placing it in his mouth, the cream had a mixed fruit flavor, and the lobster was simply boiled, relying on its natural sweetness and the cream’s flavor to attack Wang Fan’s taste buds.

Wang Fan remarked that such an attack wasn’t enough to break through his tastebuds.

"The lobster was a bit overcooked, losing some of its sweet flavor and tasting somewhat hard,"

Wang Fan whispered to Zhuo Qianqian.

Zhuo Qianqian nodded vigorously, "Not as tasty as the boiled prawns made by the boss."

The subsequent dining left Wang Fan somewhat speechless, mainly because the drawn-out affair.

Just a lunch, yet by the time they reached the last course, a whole three hours had elapsed!

Given the small portion sizes, by the end, Wang Fan and Zhuo Qianqian exchanged glances, only feeling a bit hungry again.

As for the food, it wasn’t that Wang Fan was belittling French cuisine; the taste could only be considered passable.

And as for wanting to find it astonishingly delicious, that was simply impossible.

The second dish was mushroom cheese sauce with buckwheat pancakes, crispy on both sides and with a strong dairy aroma.

But putting the ingredients and the Michelin filter aside, Wang Fan thought it was at most on par with Sha County snacks.

The next dish, which the waiter introduced as a chef’s masterpiece, Wang Fan took one look at, feeling it somewhat spoiled his appetite.

On top of the frothy white sauce was a main dish as bright red as chicken blood; yes, it was chicken blood.

The bright red color was really something Wang Fan couldn’t appreciate.

According to Zhuo Qianqian, the translation was supposed to be Italian dumplings, with the bright red color made from beet jelly, and the filling inside was made of crawfish.

The overall taste and texture were not bad, but the appearance really took away many points in Wang Fan’s mind.

Then came turbot with caviar, slow-cooked lamb shoulder confit, truffle cheese...

The entire seven courses mainly consisted of cold dishes, along with quite a few desserts.

After finishing, Wang Fan sat there pondering, wondering how this legendary French cuisine could be on par with his own home cooking.

"The shattered filter of French cuisine really owes a big thank you to Great Huaxia; French cuisine has its three treasures: foie gras, truffles, caviar, things that once cost a fortune, now made common by Great Huaxia."

Zhuo Qianqian couldn’t help but mock as she finished eating.

Can’t help but mock, who else eats for a full three hours and still ends up hungry?

She now wanted to gnaw on a few pieces of naan to fill her stomach!

However, her sarcastic remark reminded Wang Fan, thinking Zhuo Qianqian made too much sense.

Setting aside these dining procedures and services, the primary advantage of French cuisine might only be the rarity of its ingredients.

But due to the various farming and breeding industries popping up in Huaxia over recent years, practically all the precious ingredients have depreciated and become extremely common.

In this way, French cuisine in his eyes was a bit like Northeast cuisine.

Both losing their status due to changes in ingredients, except Northeast cuisine ended up in legal trouble and had to find substitutes, whereas French cuisine just became less rare.

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