Gourmet: From a Stall in Northern Europe

Chapter 270 184: Major Sad News—Cancellation of Employee Free Meals (Part 2)

"Who wouldn't agree? Western governments really ought to learn from Easterners. They're lazy every single day, and their efficiency is so low. Last time I had a fever and went to the hospital, they said I had to make an appointment. I had to wait a whole week, and by the time they got to me, I was already recovered."

"Hahaha, same here. Later, everyone don't rush, okay? There shouldn't be many people today."

"I have a relative working at the hotel, and they said there are dozens of employees. Every morning, whether they have a shift or not, they come in to eat the free breakfast. Without these people, the restaurant should be a lot more empty."

"Finally, we can sit comfortably and enjoy the food."

Hearing the guests quietly chatting among themselves, Wang Ziqin and Chu Yueyue exchanged a glance and laughed.

Within a few minutes, Nagishiro Sho also arrived at the restaurant entrance to queue up, and immediately spotted the two of them.

Seeing them dressed modestly, clearly not wanting to reveal their identities, he merely nodded as a greeting.

Even though the dishes this week were fixed, he still wanted to learn about their stir-frying techniques, and how they managed to get that special charcoal-grilled flavor in the dishes.

If he could master this technique, even the same dish could be made to taste completely different.

Like that seafood fried rice, he didn't find the ingredients particularly special. As long as the rice was cooked well, the frying process properly managed, and the seasoning just right, the rest was about mastering the flame.

Although he hadn't learned Chinese cooking, fried rice, being a globally popular dish, was something he had made before. His restaurant even sold boxed meals including fried rice, but none were as delicious as those freshly made.

At this moment, several business cars began to drive into the hotel entrance.

Wang Ziqin's eyes lit up. He quickly tugged on his wife's sleeve to signal her to look over, while pulling out his phone with the other hand to make a call.

One of the car doors opened for a moment before closing again without anyone getting out, then it turned towards the restaurant.

"Huh?"

The people getting out of the other cars looked puzzled.

"Where are they going? Aren't they supposed to register personal information and get their rooms?"

"I don't know, could there be another schedule?"

"Probably not. When we were chatting on the plane earlier, everyone's schedule seemed about the same, just the rehearsal later this afternoon and evening."

"Alright everyone, let's not block the entrance, let's go check in."

Two lines of youthful, beautiful young women poured into the hotel lobby, just as many tourists rushed out of the elevator, nearly colliding with each other, leaving both sides slightly bewildered.

"Sorry, sorry, didn't expect so many people in the lobby at just past six in the morning."

"Did we bump into you? Are you hurt?"

"No worries, no worries, didn't bump into anyone."

The nearby translator quickly stepped in to mediate. This was a French-speaking country, and French isn't globally widespread, so most wouldn't understand a word.

Some guests apologized while moving towards the door, their gaze sweeping over the girls, a bit puzzled.

These girls, who were clearly Asian, had a star-like aura about them?

So many pretty ladies, could they be from the legendary Kimchi girl group?

Appearing at this time and place, they were undoubtedly here for tomorrow's Kite Festival opening ceremony.

Word has it that Kimchi Country's group music is perfect for clubbing, and the live atmosphere is bound to be lively.

Some quick thinkers already started to pull out their phones, some asking for leave, while others were calling in reinforcements.

This is the Kite Festival, one of the most famous local events. Even if it's not official, it doesn't matter; having an occasion to celebrate is all that counts, with atmosphere being the main focus.

On the other side.

The business car that had left alone circled around before stopping at the restaurant entrance. Five girls with vibrant hairstyles jumped out.

"Yuqi's bro!!"

Chu Yueyue waved her arms excitedly, unable to contain the emotions surging inside.

"Huh?"

The blond girl among the five looked over and waved her arms openly: "Hello, hello, up so early, have you had breakfast yet?"

"This line is for breakfast, hurry up, or you won't get food when it's crowded!"

"Wow, this serious? By all means, 八里八里, let's go!"

Finding out it was a line for food, they rushed up to the back of the queue without waiting for the manager's words, moving quickly.

"See, I knew there was a reason they didn't let us get off the car suddenly. Food is good, I'm starving."

"I checked in the car just now; this hotel's head chef is amazing, especially the one who does Chinese cuisine. He even sets up a stall every day, and the business is booming."

"What! Chinese food! Is there spicy hot pot?"

"How would I know, I just got here too, don't ask me."

"Yuqi, Yuqi, ask that sister what's good to eat, she seems pretty familiar with the place."

"Sis!!!"

Without hesitation, Yuqi bro shouted: "The members want me to ask what's good for breakfast?"

The three guests caught in the middle scratched their cheeks, feeling a bit awkward, not knowing what to do, feeling somewhat redundant.

Wang Ziqin, quite perceptive, patted their shoulder directly: "Bro, wanna switch spots? Let you go first."

"Thank you!"

"Great, I've been waiting for that!"

Chu Yueyue was direct too, quickly stepping forward to Yuqi and Shuhua, taking out her phone, showing them dishes Lin Chen made in the past few days through the photo album, while whispering.

"I'll tell you secretly, don't spread it, this hotel is owned by my husband, if you need anything, just let us know. Can we exchange contact details? We can help in the entire European Region."

"Wow, rich lady!"

"Sure, sure, I love making friends with beautiful and wealthy sisters~"

Nagishiro Sho nudged Wang Ziqin with his elbow: "Did you invite them?"

"Yeah, I wanted to make the opening ceremony tomorrow a bit lively. Big stars are hard to invite, but small stars are easier."

It's not like he's short of money, but big stars have tightly packed schedules, requiring much earlier appointments, unlike girl groups which are more convenient to invite.

The main thing is, the entertainment industry in the Kimchi Country is very competitive, rates are low, talent is extensive, and the end result is fantastic, super cost-effective.

"I see."

Nagishiro Sho nodded thoughtfully. He had never considered the star effect before; it seems he can try it in the future too.

Not to invite stars for performances, but to have them come eat.

"Ding-ling-ling——"

With the crisp sound of the bell, the restaurant doors opened.

He immediately turned around, focusing back on the restaurant.

Last night, the twenty dishes Lin Chen made had truly given him a solid lesson, with almost all being unfamiliar methods and flavors he hadn't tasted before.

He was considering what kind of challenging task he should propose today.

While random dish creation could test a chef's basic skills and improvisation, the difficulty wasn't that high; it's harder to specify a theme.

He also wanted to see how many different dishes Lin Chen could create with just one fixed ingredient or method.

He chose beef yesterday mainly because beef is the mainstream in Western society, unlike Asia where poultry is common.

While he was deep in thought, unbeknownst to him, he had already entered the restaurant.

Dais and Helena already knew him, requiring no inquiry before letting him through, along with Mr. and Mrs. Wang Ziqin and the girl group invited as special guests.

Lin Chen was informed last night that there would be an extra three groups of guests today, along with accompanying staff, totaling at least several dozen people, so he should prepare more ingredients to avoid a shortage.

However, the number of queued-up patrons today was two-thirds less than before. Including these regular faces and the girl group's entourage, there were only about thirty people in total.

Dais and Helena peeked outside in confusion: "Weird, why are there so few people today?"

"Strange, many familiar faces aren't here, and the ones who always come to grab food, where are they?"