distressed?
That's an understatement.
What does this guy know? Does he know how hard it is for me to support a studio with nearly a hundred people?
Tsukada Satake was disdainful of the chef's pretentiousness, but he didn't show it directly and ordered a side of cold buckwheat noodles.
"I'm hungry, whatever. After eating the noodles, go home as soon as possible." Tsukada thought like this.
He felt that the people in this store were a little weird, but because of his unbearable hunger, he didn't want to care too much. He just wanted to finish his supper quickly, then go home and take a shower and take a short nap. There will be more important things tomorrow.
The work is waiting for him to do.
"Guest, please wait."
The chef opposite nodded to Tsukada politely.
Then, two more uniformed waiters came over and gave Mr. Tsukada a serving of edamame and a glass of draft beer.
"This is a gift from our store, please enjoy it," the waiter said.
"Does a store with such a small area need so many people?" Tsukada became even more confused.
Although the staff in this soba shop have decent service attitude, they are just weird.
Tsukada twisted a piece of edamame and squeezed the emerald-green beans into his mouth.
The edamame soaked in salt water is just right, and the draft beer is refreshing and sweet.
Pairing snacks with wine can relieve people's fatigue.
However, the feeling given to Tsukada Satake is just like that. As the operator of the studio, he is also considered a rich man. He has eaten all the exquisite and high-end food. Once he gets used to it, it feels like this.
The food from the roadside shop didn't give him too many surprises.
Tsukada is too busy, and the time in life is too short. He only seizes the day and night. In a person's day, he must invest time in trivial matters such as eating and sleeping. But after excluding these time, how much time is left to truly invest in life?
What about meaningful things?
Therefore, sleep and appetite are just the lowest needs that humans need to survive.
There is really no need to enjoy it.
In fact, in Tsukada's opinion, food should be convenient and quick, satisfy hunger, supplement the nutrients needed by the human body, and run like a well-oiled precision machine. The taste is really not that important.
"I think I walked into this store just because I was really hungry, so I had to waste some time."
Tsukada ate a few more edamame beans and drank two sips of draft beer.
At this time, the chef in the open kitchen opposite finally started cooking.
The other party's expression was serious and pious, and he was very devoted, as if he was trying to carve out some unparalleled work of art.
When he started to do it, the waiters around him gathered around him, and there were two more people in the kitchen who were probably helpers.
Mr. Tsukada looked around and found that there were nine people in this store in total.
"What a strange group of people." He continued to think.
"The process of cooking soba noodles is the same as life." The chef said slowly, as if giving a lesson.
The waiters and kitchen helpers around them all looked like serious students, gathering around with their hands down and listening carefully.
Gudu Gudu——
The hot water in the pot is boiling, and the steam is rising under the warm yellow light.
The chef carefully puts a handful of soba noodles into the pot and carefully stirs them with chopsticks.
Brown noodles curled and tumbled in boiling water.
"The water temperature must be appropriate and the cooking time must be appropriate. If it is overheated or cooked for a long time, the buckwheat noodles will become distressed. The more distress accumulates, the noodles will become loose and soft, thus losing their original flavor." The chef said.
While stirring the pot with chopsticks, he continued talking.
His words seemed to be spoken to the apprentices, and also to Tsukada.
"The cooked noodles should be put into cold water to cool down. Letting go of the pressure caused by high temperature and soaking in cold water is a process of finding yourself, which can help the soft noodles find their toughness."
The chef scooped up the noodles from the pot.
A waiter immediately brought out a large bowl of cold water with ice cubes.
"You need to wash off the starch on the noodles. After these impurities are washed away, the buckwheat noodles will become clear and clean, returning to nature. Without impurities, it is the true nature of a human being." The chef added.
The surrounding chefs were still listening attentively, as if they wanted to take the chef's words as some golden words and keep them in their hearts.
But Tsukada Satake just felt that it was ridiculous and sneered: "What are you doing? These people are pretending, it's really funny."
Making soba noodles is very simple.
After the noodles are cooked and cooled, sprinkle with chopped seaweed and sesame seeds.
Mix light soy sauce and mirin, add bonito fish sauce and chopped green onion to stimulate the flavor and make a sauce.
Pair the two together and you're ready to eat.
In addition, the chef also made an extra portion of white radish puree.
He put the three ingredients on wooden plates and pushed them in front of Tsukada Satake who was sitting at the bar.
"Guest, please use."
"Um."
Tsukada Satake picked up the chopsticks impatiently and ate with the sauce.
The taste was just as he expected.
How delicious can a simple soba noodle be?
Hurry up, fill your stomach and leave.
I no longer want to deal with these weirdos talking to themselves.
The chef opposite smiled and stared at Tsukada without saying a word. The apprentices around him were also watching him eat noodles.
This weird atmosphere made Mr. Tsukada irritated for no reason. He finally couldn't stand it anymore and put down his chopsticks: "What's wrong?"
"Guest, how long has it been since you calm down and taste the delicious food?" the chef asked him, and at the same time began to take off his uniform.
"This has nothing to do with you, right?" Tsukada became even more impatient.
The chef didn't reply to him, he just smiled.
Then he walked into an ajar door in the store, probably going to the employee rest area. The chefs and waiters followed him, leaving Tsukada sitting alone in the store.
"What a bunch of idiots."
Tsukada didn't want to pay attention to those people anymore and continued eating noodles.
In order not to waste time, he ate very quickly whenever he ate, and this time was no exception.
After finishing the meal, I saw the chef walking out from behind the ajar door, surrounded by a group of apprentices.
It’s different from the image just now.
The chef completely changed his clothes and put on a crisp suit. He also held an expensive-looking leather briefcase in his hand. He looked like a professional elite.
He hugged or shook hands with other people in the soba shop, and seemed to be performing some kind of solemn farewell ceremony.
Finally, the "chef" walked up to Tsukada, who looked suspicious, and bowed slightly to him: "Guest, you will also find yourself here, just like me."
With that said, the other party walked straight towards the door.
When I was at the door, I took a few deep breaths before carefully opening the door.
jingle--
The bell on the door rang, and the scene outside the door was hazy and unclear.
"Take care, Kurahashi!"
People in the store reluctantly said goodbye.
The gentleman named Cangqiao nodded and strode out of the store, as if he was going to welcome his new life.
"What are you doing? It's so disgusting, these people."
To be continued...