The Age of Discovery: Chinese cuisine swept across Europe

Yun Ji had just delivered the cups and plates to the kitchen when another guest came in. This time it was a woman with two children under ten years old. Judging from their clothes, they should come from a very wealthy family.

As soon as the woman came in, she asked, "Excuse me, is that bowl-shaped snack from your store? We just saw it in the hat shop next door, and they said it was sent by you, and the children wanted to eat it."

Gale said hurriedly: "Madam, please take a seat. You should be talking about egg tarts, which are the desserts in our store. Do you want to eat here or just buy some desserts? We are a Chinese restaurant, and all the dishes are Chinese food. The taste is very special. Would you like to try it, Madam?"

The older boy said, "Mom, it smells so good. I'm hungry. I want to eat."

The woman said, "Well, let's eat here. What dishes do you recommend?"

Gail hurriedly read out today's menu. The young man was very smart and had a good memory. He quickly memorized all the dishes for today.

The woman ordered a mushroom clam soup, lamb and steamed fish, as well as baked buns as a staple and the desserts the children wanted.

The children had been out for most of the day and were growing up, so their appetites were particularly good. As soon as the dishes came up, they captured the stomachs of the two little boys: "Mom, this is so delicious, you should try it."

The woman tasted it and found that it was indeed extraordinary. Although it was light except for the mutton, the freshness and sweetness of the ingredients were fully brought out. The two boys almost forgot about dining etiquette and dove into the bowl to gobble it up. They saw that the three dishes were swept away. Fortunately, the staple food was also served. They ordered a medium portion, which was six. The two boys took a bite of the baked bun and quickly grabbed another one in their hands, fearing that they would run out if they ate slowly.

The woman hurriedly stopped her son: "You can't grab it with your hands. Have you forgotten what your mother taught you?"

The two boys said, "But mom, the waiter said that you should eat the steamed buns with your hands. That's how you eat them in China."

The woman lost to her two sons, but she had to admit that the baked buns tasted really delicious. As soon as she finished eating one, her two sons started arguing about who should get the last one.

The woman was very embarrassed, but she couldn't scold the child outside. Fortunately, Gale came out in time to rescue her. He came up with a freshly baked egg tart: "Madam, your egg tart is ready. It's just out of the oven and very hot. Please enjoy it slowly."

The brother who didn’t get the last steamed bun saw the egg tarts and stopped fighting for the steamed buns: “There are six egg tarts too, I want to have one more.”

The woman was relieved to see that there was no quarrel.

Gale took the opportunity to say, "Madam, we also offer take-out service for the main dishes and desserts in our store. They are packed in boxes like this, and each serving is also six, and the price is 25 Rees."

The two boys hurriedly shouted: "Mom, buy some. I also want to eat baked buns and egg tarts. Bring some for Dad to try, too."

The woman hesitated and said, "You must promise not to fight over it, and not eat it all. You must leave some for Dad."

"I promise to keep it for Dad!" the elder brother quickly expressed his opinion.

The younger brother nodded when he heard this: "Yeah, leave it for dad."

So the mother and her two children took out some main dishes and desserts, spending a total of 218 Reeses, which was 174 Reeses after the discount.

The mother felt very sad, but the two children were extremely satisfied. When they left the house, they kept saying that they would ask their father to come over for dinner next time.

The curious people outside watched the mother and her two children eating and taking things, and they knew that the taste must be right, especially the aroma of the baked egg tarts, which was so fragrant that some people could not resist the temptation and came in.

There were two or three tables in total, and Min Xi was almost overwhelmed. Fortunately, there were not many people at each table, just one or two people, and they only ordered one or two dishes. The staple food and egg tarts were baked separately, and Yun Ji could help cook and keep an eye on the heat, so his burden was reduced a lot.

By the time the Baron and others in the private room upstairs came downstairs, four tables were already occupied in the hall downstairs.

Fernando entered the kitchen and said to Min Xi with a smile, "Today's dishes are excellent and we all like them very much. If you can maintain this standard in the future, I believe that it won't be long before people from all over Lisbon will come to patronize your business. Don't worry, we will bring guests to eat with you every day in the future."

"Thank you, Your Excellency the Baron!" Min Xi thanked sincerely.

Fernando said, "What else do you have?"

Min Xi said: "We have a lot of dishes, but they may not be the same every day. We hang the daily menu here, and customers can order what they want to eat according to the menu."

Min Xi and Yun Ji followed the method of Daming Restaurant and wrote the names, pictures and prices of the dishes on small wooden signs. They hung the dishes offered every day at the front desk of the hotel. When guests came, they ordered according to the menu.

Fernando said, "What if I want something that's not on the menu?"

Min Xi said: "Then you have to make a reservation one day in advance, because the ingredients for that dish may not be prepared."

"That's a good idea!" said Fernando.

Min Xi served out the prepared dishes while talking.

Fernando said, "It's hard enough for you to cook by yourself."

"It's okay, Brother Qi will help me, and I'm planning to hire someone else to do odd jobs."

"It's time to hire him. We can't save money on this." Fernando said, "You guys go ahead and do your work. I'll leave first."

"Take care, sir." Min Xi was busy cooking, so naturally she wouldn't be polite with him.

After the baron left, they received three more tables of guests, and a total of 11 tables of guests were served throughout the lunch hour, which was a very good result for a newly opened store. In addition, according to European habits, lunch is a casual meal, and dinner is the most important, so the evening should be busier.

Little Diego was very considerate. After finishing his meal, he rushed to help wash the dishes. Although Min Xi didn't let him do it, he was very proactive and insisted on washing it.

When Sanvis left, he also said, "Let Diego wash it for you. Just remember to come back to the tavern in the evening."

Diego quickly agreed: "I'll be back before the pub opens."

Diego had been washing cups and plates in the pub all his life, so he was very good at it.

When Min Xi finished cooking the dishes, he looked again and found that all the dishes had been cleaned and placed on the rack to drain. Min Xi smiled and said, "Diego, you are so capable. You washed them quickly and cleanly."

Diego smiled shyly: "Thank you sir, this is what I should do."

Min Xi took out four egg tarts from the bakery and said, "These are leftovers from today's lunch. Take them back and eat them." He knew that these things were very tempting to children.

Diego quickly waved his hands: "No, no, I can't have it, I've already eaten!"

Min Xi put the food in a box and handed it to him: "Here, take it home and return the box to me after you've finished eating. The cost of making a box like this is not low." Although he charged the customer 1 reis per meal, it was not even enough to cover the cost.

Diego held the box tightly. "Thank you, sir! I'll come and help you again when I'm free."

Min Xi smiled and said, "Come and play when you are free."

"Yeah!" Diego nodded vigorously.

After the guests left, Gail cleaned up and lay down behind the counter to rest, while Yun Ji and Min Xi went upstairs to rest.

Min Xi asked: "How much did you sell at noon?"

Yun Ji said, "There are 11 tables in total, 20 guests, and the average price per person is 52 Swiss francs, and this is the discounted price."

Min Xi said: "That is to say, if there is no discount, the average price per person is more than 60 reais. If all the 80 seats are full, there will be a turnover of about 5 reais. It depends on how high the turnover rate can be."

Yun Ji said: "Actually, I'm not too worried about the table turnover rate. I'm worried about whether you can handle so many customers. You are so thin. Can you bear standing in front of the stove to cook every day?" His eyes were full of worry.

Min Xi flexed his arms, looked at his biceps, and said, "It's okay. I eat more and sleep more now, and my body is much stronger than before."

This was not a lie. Since arriving in Lisbon, he had never treated himself badly in terms of food. He could eat whatever he wanted and even drink some milk. This was much better than the days when Min Jiu was hungry before. He didn't have to stay up late. No matter how busy he was at night, he would go to bed at eight or nine o'clock and get up at dawn. His sleep time was no less than eight hours a day.

Yun Ji stretched out his hand and pinched his little muscle: "You are still very thin. Teach me how to cook, and I will cook with you, then it will be easier for you."

Min Xi looked at him and said, "You have helped me a lot. Let's see the situation first. If the business is good, we can hire two more people, one to help me and one to wash vegetables and dishes. I'll find a smart and honest assistant. If he has good character, I can teach him the skills. You still have to keep an eye on the front desk. We two bosses can't stay in the kitchen all the time. We need to know the feedback from the customers."

Yun Ji nodded: "You are right, but it is hard work for you."