Who gave this heretical practitioner permission to cook?

Chapter 69 Since it's a matter of flipping the table, everyone should be treated equally. Zhang Yong's final score was...
Indeed, Xia Ming's use of classifiers is not exaggerated.

The soup was much saltier than the seven judges had expected.
"The spiciness numbs the mouth for a short time, and the kaolin in the noodles sticks to the throat. These two barriers combined cause the mouth to misjudge the taste."

"The original saltiness has been greatly reduced, resulting in a more normal taste. But eating so much salt will make you thirsty."

Xia Ming could easily imagine the dilemma of most of the judges. They were already feeling dry, and now they had to deal with pastries that were both "dry" and "greasy." How could they possibly give them a good look?

Of course, if that's all there is to it, then the plan still has flaws.

After all, this is an 8-person free-for-all, so Xia Ming cannot be completely sure that Luo Luo will be the next to enter the arena.

Therefore, this is a series of interconnected schemes.
"Eight people compete in a free-for-all, and the judges need to eat at least eight dishes."

"Although the cooking styles are different, whether it's vegetables or meat, it's inevitable that you'll fill your stomach."

"Therefore, to ensure fairness, the judges will subconsciously eat less of the food, leaving room for the contestants who come after them."

"But faced with the extremely spicy noodles, they chose to drink a lot of salt water, almost half a bowl of water. Elders like Li Shanghu and women like Luo Yumin should be almost full by now."

"When a person is almost full, their senses will be diminished no matter what kind of food is served next."

Xia Ming said from the beginning that he wanted to "flip the table," so naturally he would flip it on an equal footing.

It can only be said that Luo Luo's dish was served relatively early, even though it was still humming and groaning. If it had been served any later, and the judges had eaten two more dishes, the problem would have been even bigger.

As for why he didn't go first and overturn everyone's tables, but instead left two survivors, a dark horse and Chef Li, he didn't.

It's simply because serving this bowl of noodles would be more effective given the limited time remaining in the game.
"Judges' Room"

Nicholas Tse has realized that there is something wrong with his condition. When he eats "Sweet Dilemma", he feels that what comes to his tongue is not the crispy texture, but the thirst that comes through after the water in his mouth is absorbed by the pastry.

He was certain that he wouldn't be able to eat the pastry in front of him now without taking it with water.

But the problem is, he's almost full.
Thinking back, I didn't eat much before: a crispy chicken leg, a small bowl of thick sesame paste, and a small bite of noodles.

He did drink a lot of water, but because he exercises every day, it's common for him to drink more than 3000ml of water daily.

Although the large bowl was indeed quite large, with a capacity of over 1200ml, Xia Ming didn't fill it to the brim. So, theoretically, he only drank a maximum of 900ml of water.

Based on a 560ml bottle of mineral water, plus the water used for rinsing, it's barely enough for two bottles.

He didn't know about others, but for him, two bottles of mineral water shouldn't normally have much of an impact on him.

But he felt like he had just finished a large meal and was being forced to eat dessert.
"No, I need to take a break."

Just as Xie Tingfeng had this thought, two bells suddenly rang in his ears.

"Chef Wang Qingrui has finished cooking and is now requesting the judges to taste his dishes."

"Cooking name."

"origin"

"Chef Shuai Xiaojian has finished cooking and now requests the judges to taste his dishes."

"Cooking name."

Kung Pao Chicken

As the host announced the program, all seven judges looked somewhat embarrassed.

They were all more or less influenced by Xia Ming's bowl of noodles, and were now in a state of confusion.

I wanted to take a break, but the people behind me had already finished cooking.
It's fine if it's a cold dish, but if it's something like Kung Pao Chicken, it's unfair if Shuai Xiaojian has to wait too long and the dish gets cold.

"Inside the waiting room"

"As a judge, unfairness is the greatest incompetence."

Xia Ming smiled.

"A bunch of people behind them forced them to taste the food on the spot, then rinse their mouths, then taste it again. They had no choice but to accept this outcome."

"Like now, they clearly feel that they can hardly understand this 'sweet dilemma' from an objective perspective, but they have to give it this score."

"In this situation, they can only try to compensate for the lower scores in the most objective way possible, to achieve a so-called balance."

To be honest, Xia Ming knew that Luo Luo had put a lot of thought into this dish.

First, there's the flaky pastry. He smelled the aroma of white tea, which must be related to her background. Then there's the filling, which must have been made with overripe durian.

"Overripe durians naturally have a bitter taste, which eventually develops into a flavor similar to bitter coffee—long-lasting and becoming increasingly bitter in the mouth." "From this perspective, it perfectly fits her theme. Of course, provided you can't drink water."

After observing these factors, Xia Ming increased the amount of soil and salt used.
If a soup dish had been served right after him, then Luo Luo would have escaped unscathed, but that wasn't the case.
The current situation is that the judges can indeed taste the flavor inside the pastry, but due to their physiological instincts, they won't let that flavor linger in their mouths for too long.

Simply put, it's because "there's no time or inclination to savor it."

This will inevitably lower the rating of Lolo's cooking.
Thinking of this, Xia Ming chuckled and rubbed his nose before looking up.

"Of course, this round wasn't entirely won based on the food's score; there was also the story behind it, but...hehe~"

"Judges' Room"

The four judges who came up later had already discovered the problem, but the thing is, it had already happened, and realizing it too late was of little use.

Because there were people waiting behind, the production team immediately let Luo Luo come in, humming and hawing, after the tasting was finished.

After entering, Luo Luo hummed and exchanged a glance with Luo Yumin, then began to tell her story.

If one receives too much care and attention but lacks the ability to match it, it will ultimately lead to bitter consequences.

To be honest, Lolo's talent was quite good, and he was well-trained afterward, avoiding the situation of "a wasted talent". But people are most afraid of comparison.
After the sweetness came the high demands, and during this period, her cousin became a persistent nightmare for her.

Everything she does is subconsciously compared to her cousin by her family—their culinary skills, the speed at which they master techniques, and even their talent.
During this time, she deeply understood the saying "unrealized talent is not worth mentioning." She wanted to prove her strength and wanted to take the exam, but she was stopped again.

Her family had other plans for her. She was restricted from participating in China's ranking system for a short period of time, but she could take overseas exams, though her ranking couldn't be too high.

Therefore, she had no way to prove herself, and as she got older, the sense of oppression she felt deepened.
She had participated in several smaller competitions, but ultimately failed to win first place. She understood that this might not have anything to do with her ability. After all, these were just small competitions; those who know, know.
But she really wanted to win and prove herself, so she ultimately chose to challenge her cousin after she returned home.

The result was obvious; she was thoroughly humiliated, but what hit her hardest wasn't the failed cooking.

"Cousin, to be honest, you're still quite a distance from being a top contender in the [New Chef Competition]. If we're talking about my year, you probably wouldn't even make the top ten. Keep it up, practice more."

These words ignited her passion. She had never longed for victory so much, nor had she ever been so eager to prove herself and refute her cousin's words with concrete actions.

"Therefore, I use this dish to represent my life. This is my life, sweet on the outside, but full of lingering bitterness on the inside."

After hearing her words, the seven judges present fell silent. After a long while, Luo Yumin picked up the microphone and slowly began to speak.

"Lolo, have you ever considered that perhaps your cousin's words weren't malicious, but just a statement?"

Sui Wubai smiled and picked up the microphone after hearing this.

"It's normal for young people to have some troubles. When I was learning my craft under my master, I was also strictly required to do so. There are very few invincible geniuses among chefs. In the end, everyone needs to be tempered and honed."

Li Shanghu just smiled and didn't even comment, but Zhang Yong gave Luo Luo a lot of recognition and encouragement.

After some hesitation, Tan Zhifeng ultimately pointed out the minor issues with the dessert in a relatively objective manner, and the other judges also offered their comments to varying degrees.

Just as Xia Ming thought, no matter what the specific story was, Luo Luo's whining must have stemmed from personal feelings, and compared to the masses, it must have been inferior.

However, after reading her account, Xia Ming was unsure whether she had known the exam questions in advance, because from his perspective, the story could have been much more exciting.

Although it still can't compare to his "great love," it will definitely be much better in terms of how it is perceived now.

"Of course, whether she knows or not doesn't affect whether she's the final crown prince. However, even as the crown prince, she has to get through this round first."

Following Xia Ming's words, the judges began to score.

[Nicholas Tse: 85]

Zheng Yongqi: 80

[Tan Zhifeng: 78]

[Luo Yumin: 70]

[Sui Wubai: 73]

[Li Shanghu: 72]

This score is clearly not high. It's better than a dark horse, but there isn't a single 90-point score. Even if you pass, it's extremely uncertain.

After all, there are still four chefs waiting to be selected, and if you don't get 550 points, you'll easily be eliminated.

Finally, Zhang Yong, the last one remaining, also broke out in a sweat. After hesitating for a long time, he gritted his teeth and wrote down the score on the board in front of him.

As his score was revealed, the viewers in the live stream immediately erupted in an uproar.
(End of this chapter)