Chapter 14 Chapter One

What's the best thing you've ever eaten in your life? Do you think you've eaten a lot of good food? According to the survey, there are tens of millions of ingredients in the world.Ordinary people don't even get a fraction. The following story I tell is about "eating", about the most mysterious and weird thing I have ever eaten in my life, and the horror experience it caused. This story happened in two thousand years. ——Murray (senior gourmet) Mr. Murray, as a senior gourmet, you have almost tasted delicious food from all over the world. I am very curious, and I think the audience must also be very curious——the best food you have eaten so far What is the thing? "

At the recording site of the chef competition finals, Murray just criticized the "ancient fried abalone" made by a famous chef who thought everyone expected it, which made the famous chef miss the championship.Amidst the voices of regret from the audience, the host posed this question with a hint of provocation.But Murray understands that this is a but program after all, and it needs ratings. As the hostess said, this question is indeed very appealing to the audience.But this kind of problem is not difficult for Murray.He smiled and replied calmly: "There are countless delicacies in the world, as far as I have eaten so far-wild puffer fish, French foie gras, white truffle mushroom, Alaska snow crab, Kobe small Beef, Russian black caviar—these are all delicious delicacies that you will never forget after eating once. But if you want to say the most delicious, I don’t think it may be on this list.”

"You mean, these aren't the best delicacies?" the hostess asked with wide eyes. "No, they all count, but because the ingredients of these delicacies are extremely rare and delicious, chefs often don't need too complicated cooking methods to make them easily. From my understanding of gourmet food, if a It is really admirable that the chef can make the same wonderful taste with the ingredients.” Speaking of this, Murray became interested and talked endlessly: “I ate tofu nao in a small shop in an old street in Emeishan City, Sichuan. A bowl of yuan money; (the owner said that now a bowl of fat sausage is fifteen yuan) Standing on the roadside in Zhaotong City, Yunnan, I ate a kind of baked tofu with shredded cabbage, fifty cents a piece; I was still at a roadside stall in Chongqing I have eaten two yuan a bowl of 'small noodles' - the raw materials of these folk snacks are very common and can be bought in any dish, but after some careful production and cooking, the deliciousness presented is a bit more orderly Neither truffles nor black caviar bring me any less enjoyment.

"And the biggest advantage of these snacks is that they are cheap and can be eaten frequently. Unlike the high-end delicacies just mentioned, many people may never have the opportunity to taste them once in their lives. If a kind of delicacy cannot be enjoyed by most people, it is only for the nobles And the patent of the rich, I think the significance of its existence is obviously much smaller than that of ordinary food. But then again, even if you are rich, it is best not to eat black caviar as a meal, and eat half a handful of it for each meal Jin—this kind of thing is done by old and fat people without style and taste."

The audience laughed and nodded frequently, expressing their approval of Murray's words.The hostess obviously also thought that Murray's words had a good effect, and continued to ask: "Then Mr. Murray, after all, what is the best food you have ever eaten?" Murray said solemnly: "The food made with 'heart' is the best. Just like the snacks I mentioned just now, they can be found everywhere in the local area, but why are there only one or two that make the best food? What? That’s the difference. So, my answer to your question is—the best food I’ve ever eaten in my life can be summed up in the same way—food made with ‘heart’.” Audience Thunderous applause erupted on the floor, and even the famous chef who was criticized by Murray just now for not caring enough could not help but applaud, with a look of complete admiration.

After the recording of the program, the director told Murray excitedly that this program has won the appreciation and love of the audience because of his wonderful shop and reasonable words, and the ratings are expected to increase again by 0.5-1.5 percentage points. The director hopes that In the future, Murray can say more words representing the standpoint of ordinary people, so as to solidify the mass foundation of the show. Murray agreed with a smile, and walked alone to the lounge in the backstage of the program group, heaved a long breath, and felt ashamed of himself and the hypocritical words just now.God, what I said was untrue, and the audience agreed with it.Murray closed his eyes and shook his head slowly, saying that "food made with heart is the best" - it's a lie.After this show is broadcast, it will definitely attract ridicule from colleagues, even those who have never eaten it, but how can those old foodies not know that a bowl of street noodles can’t be cooked according to their wishes Kobe calf man compared to white truffle.But what can be done?With the high salary of the program group, you can only do what the director wants.

I am already a fifty-seven-year-old man.But he still has to say such things against his will on the show.Murray sighed secretly.This enviable job as a food critic is not so easy to do.After resting for a while, Murray estimated that the audience who participated in the recorded program had already left, so he packed his things and prepared to go home. After walking out of the TV station, Murray looked at his watch. It was already eight o'clock in the evening.He was about to walk towards the parking place when someone behind him shouted, "Mr. Murray." Murray turned around and saw a middle-aged man he didn't know. He asked, "Are you...?"

"I'm an audience member who participated in the recorded program just now." The man said with a smile, and at the same time put his business card on the ground. "My name is Liang Heng, and I work in a stationery company." Murray took the business card, glanced at it, and asked, "What do you want from me?" "To tell you the truth, I'm here to wait for you after recording the show, and I want to tell you something." "What's up?" "That's right, Teacher Mu, although my occupation has nothing to do with food, I consider myself a person who loves and knows how to eat. Although I can't compare with a famous gourmet like you, I also have a little research on food from various places. I have eaten all the delicacies you mentioned in the show just now." Liang Heng scratched his head in embarrassment.

"I have a wish, I hope to taste all the delicacies in the world in my lifetime-in order to achieve this goal, I have been working hard." In fact, Murray also had such a wish, and he listened carefully to what the man said. "Mr. Mu, you said just now that 'food made with heart is the best' - how should I put it. This is not wrong, but I do have some different profiles, so I am waiting here to discuss with you .” Is this person here to provoke?Murray's heart was slightly shocked. He saw that I was talking against my will just now? Liang Heng didn't notice Murray's thoughts, and said, "Teacher Mu, in fact, if you said these words half a year ago, I would absolutely agree with them. It must be able to present almost the same delicacy. But after tasting a private kitchen recently, my concept was completely overturned-it turns out that there really is such a super delicacy in the world, which is incomparable to other delicacies.” Liang Heng’s words Murray's curiosity was aroused, and he asked: "You mean, the food made by this private restaurant is even more delicious than the gourmet food I just mentioned in the show?"

"Yes, and it's not only delicious, it's simply...incomparable." Murray narrowed his eyes and looked at him for a few seconds, "Is what you said too exaggerated?" "Absolutely not! Teacher Mu, you will know once you eat it yourself. The taste of that private kitchen is unbelievable. After I tasted it, I even wondered how such delicious food exists on earth?" Seeing that the man was getting more and more exaggerated, Murray waved his hand lightly and said, "Okay, I'll go eat and see. Where is the private restaurant you mentioned?" "It's in Yuechuan Ancient Town, Langping County, our city. It's not a restaurant on the street, but in a courtyard in an old street called Shanpinju - it's antique, simple and clean. Sitting in the courtyard Or eating in a wing room, it’s not like eating out in the city, but rather like visiting a friend’s house, it feels kind and comfortable.”

It sounds really good, Murray nodded slightly, but was puzzled, "If the food there is really as delicious as you said, it stands to reason that this private restaurant should be famous, why have I never heard of it before? ?” Liang Heng said: "This restaurant has only been open for half a year, and it is located in a relatively deserted old street in the ancient town. If you don't search deliberately, it is difficult for ordinary people to find it. Moreover, this restaurant has many strange rules, which can be said to be very difficult for diners. Almost harsh requirements - those who cannot accept it will not be accepted. Many people are discouraged when they hear these rules, so I guess there are not many people who have eaten there." "What's the rule? Let's hear it." Murray seemed very interested. "First, this private restaurant is only open on Mondays and Wednesdays every week, and it only serves one table, and it is limited to dinner. Those who want to eat need to make reservations in advance. Second, there are also regulations on the number of people who eat. No less, no too many people - only between 6 and 8 people, third, there is no ordering, the arrangement of the dishes is all up to the chef's pleasure, what to eat, diners can't raise objections, Fourth, and the weirdest point, no matter what dishes you eat there, you can’t ask about the source of ingredients and cooking process of these dishes.” Murray was stunned to hear these rules, it seemed that they deliberately kept people away thousands of miles away, but it added to the mystery of this private restaurant. He secretly speculated that the chef who could stand out from these weird rules might be a The strange talent of Fang Kuang, the food made by this person may really have something special. Liang Heng saw that Murray was moved, and said, "Mr. Mu, after listening to my introduction, do you really want to go to this private restaurant to taste it for yourself? Actually, I just want to tell you this information today. You go After eating, if you feel that it is extraordinary, with your influence, you will definitely attract everyone's attention to this private restaurant, so that more people can taste the delicacy there." Murray smiled and said, "Hehe, what is your relationship with that private restaurant? You are so keen to recommend it." Liang Heng also laughed: "Don't worry, I'm definitely not Tonger. That restaurant is very proud, so I wouldn't think of such a mistake." "I know, it's just a joke." Murray said, "Does it need to set those rules if it wants to do business well?" Liang Heng said at the shop head: "Actually, I also had a private message. You think, if the business of this private restaurant is booming in the future, wouldn't it be difficult for me to have a meal? But the sentence you just said on the show 'If food can't be enjoyed by most people, the meaning of existence will be much less' affected me, making me feel that good things should be shared with everyone." "That's..." Murray was a little embarrassed. The audience really listened to such high-sounding words, and he changed the subject: "How did you know about this company at the time?" "A friend of mine, like me, is a glutton. He went to Yuechuan Ancient Town and found this private restaurant by accident. He was very curious, so he invited me and a few other delicious friends to make up six people. Went for a meal - the taste is something I will never forget." Murray nodded and asked: "By the way, you said that you can't order food there, and what to cook that day depends on the chef's preference, which means that the price of each table is different?" "should be." "Is it expensive?" Liang Huan thought for a while: "How should I put it, the price is indeed not cheap, but it is not outrageously expensive. And... After the six of us finished eating, we felt that this meal was worth it no matter how much we paid. The few of us were all immersed in the wonderful enjoyment brought by the delicious food, and felt that such things as price were not important at all." Murray Wen: "How much did the six of you eat?" "More than eight hundred." fine.Murray wondered.is within the acceptable range.He asked, "What's the phone number and address of this private restaurant?" "It was written on the back of the business card I gave you just now." Liang Heng said with a smile. Murray turned over the business card and looked, sure enough.He laughed and said: "It seems that you have decided from the beginning that I will definitely go." "You are a famous gourmet, how can you not be interested in this kind of place? To be honest, if you have never eaten in this private restaurant..." Liang Heng stopped at this point, as if he had said something wrong smiled awkwardly. "Are you trying to say that if I haven't eaten, I'm sorry for the title of 'Gourmet'?" Murray said with a smile, "Then thank you for your recommendation, I will definitely find a chance to go there and taste it." "Okay, okay, I won't bother you, Mr. Mu, goodbye." The middle-aged man waved his hand politely and walked into the crowd. Murray pinched the business card, looked at the address and phone number written on the back, and suddenly felt that he hadn't felt this way for a long time. After the age of thirty, Murray became a full-time food writer and food critic, traveled around the world, and served as a guest on several TV shows.Tasted countless delicacies.Now, he is nearly 60 years old, and he thinks that he has eaten the most delicious things in the world, and his interest in food has gradually declined. He only regards tasting food as a job, without the passion and curiosity of his youth . Therefore, now that many media and individuals recommend food to him, Murray cannot mobilize too much enthusiasm.But this time, he found a novelty that he had not seen for a long time-the "Shanpinju" recommended to him by this man actually gave him an urge to taste it immediately.If it weren't for those complicated rules, he really wanted to go tomorrow. I hope this private restaurant is really as good as he said, and don't disappoint me.Murray thought to himself, I am getting old and my taste buds are beginning to degenerate. Before that, can I find the taste in my memory? Murray has a son named Mu Dongcheng, who is 39 years old and still unmarried. He said that he has never met a suitable one. In fact, he has not played enough and does not want to be bound by marriage.Murray didn't bother to care so much, it was up to him. Mu Dongcheng was influenced by his father since he was a child, and he also ate all over the world with his father, and he is full of love for food.He is also an expert in eating, and is now the editor-in-chief of a food magazine.Mu Dongcheng is close to the water, and often invites his father as a special guest to recommend food.Murray will also offer some advice and guidance on his son's magazine.With the cooperation of the two fathers and sons, the gourmet magazine is flourishing and thriving.Mu Dongcheng is naturally highly valued by the leaders. After learning about the place "Shanpinju", Murray's first thought was of course his son.He first called Shanpinju to make an appointment - next Wednesday.Call my son again and ask him if he has time to go to Yuechuan Ancient Town with me next Wednesday.But Mu Dongcheng said that he was going to Vietnam next week to produce a program about Vietnamese food, and he couldn't go, so Murray had to call a few old friends and invite them to taste the food together. Murray's friends are all veterans in their fifties who have studied food culture.Of course, like Murray, they are euphemistically called "gourmets", and all of them are extremely influential figures in the catering industry, among which Murray is the most famous.When they learned that Murray had found a new place to eat, and it was a mysterious private restaurant, they expressed their willingness to go there without hesitation.Six people quickly got together. On Wednesday morning, after Murray and five friends got together, they drove two cars and went straight to Yuechuan Ancient Town, Langping County. In the car, a few old friends chatted.One of them, a fat man known as Lao Su, was obviously looking forward to this trip.Shaking his head, he said, "Although we haven't gone to this private restaurant, I can tell now that the owner must be a person who knows how to eat." "How do you know?" Old Chen asked. "It can be seen from one rule he made - there must be between 6 and 8 people to eat." Old Su analyzed, "A table of dishes must have a complete structure. From the cold appetizers at the beginning, After stir-fry and big dishes, there are dim sum and soup, like a very complete drama, this drama cannot be watched by one person, only one scene can not understand the meaning of it, 6 to 8 people are just right." "It makes sense." Lao Chen agreed, "In this way, it's probably for a similar reason that ordering is not popular there. A truly skilled chef, if a proud artist, must follow the mood and inspiration of the day and do whatever he wants. The best work can be created, if something is done, the work will only have craftsmanship and no aura.” Murray was driving the car, listening to the two friends in the back seat talking loudly, he couldn't help laughing and said: "What you said is sound, but it's just a guess. Don't blame me." "I don't blame you, who do you blame?" Old Su said with a smile, "Old Mu, let's agree, let's eat a few dishes from that restaurant, and if we find that the exaggeration is exaggerated, we will go home immediately and invite you again." "Okay, if you don't want to eat it, I'll buy a bucket of instant noodles for each of you," Several people in the car laughed together. Langping County is not far from the urban area. It takes half an hour to arrive. The ancient town is more than 20 kilometers away from the county seat.This place is different from the extremely commercialized Lijiang and Fenghuang ancient towns. Yuechuan ancient town has no bars, handicraft shops, and crowded tourists. You can’t even buy a newspaper. There are only fresh air, simple aborigines and people here. Idle and slow-paced life, people who can settle in this kind of place and endure leisure and loneliness, naturally have a character and charm that are detached from ordinary people.Opening a private restaurant here is obviously not the main purpose of making money, which makes its owner look more like an expert in a paradise. Murray and his party wandered around the ancient town, and ate something casually at a small restaurant at noon, without making any comments, and the evening was the focus. In the afternoon, Lao Su proposed to go to a private restaurant first, but Muller disagreed. He said that in this way, the sense of mystery would be weakened, and he had to wait until dinner time to keep the freshness and anticipation until the end. At last. The rest of the people also had the same intention, so they found an old teahouse, made a cup of green tea each, sat on the bamboo chairs to enjoy the coolness, chatted, and stared blankly. At six o'clock, Murray found a private restaurant in the old street of the ancient town according to the address written on the back of the business card.This is an old house. The courtyard walls with mottled blue bricks and the vertical and horizontal flagstone floors show the vicissitudes of time. The three characters "Shanpinju" engraved on a wooden board above the gate reveal the atmosphere in a restrained manner. A few people walked into the courtyard, and a middle-aged woman in her forties and plain clothes greeted her politely, with a gentle attitude, and asked in a neutral manner, "Are any of you the guests who made the reservation before?" "Yes, my surname is Mu." Murray responded politely. "It was ordered by Mr. Mu. Please invite some of you." The middle-aged woman led a few people into the main room in the north of the courtyard. There was a wooden round table and eight rattan chairs in a circle. The room was not decorated in a gorgeous way, but it was antique, fresh and elegant, and looked pleasing to the eye. . The six of Murray sat down, and the middle-aged woman brought a beautiful purple clay pot, and filled the teacups in front of everyone next to each other, saying: "Please drink water first, and the dishes will be served in a while." "Okay, thank you." Murray nodded in thanks. The woman left the main room and probably went to the kitchen. Old Yu wearing glasses whispered, "Is she the chef here?" "I don't think so. I guess he was responsible for greeting the guests and serving the dishes. The chef was in the kitchen and didn't show up." Lao He said. The lean old man nicknamed "Food Immortal" looked at the white water in the teacup, took a sip from the cup, and said: "This one is a bit interesting. The purple sand pot is paired with teacups, but what is poured out is not tea, but boiled water." Murray said: "Plain water is the right thing to do. I wrote an article before that it is best not to drink any tea before meals. Whether it is the slight astringency of clear tea or the full-bodied black tea, it may affect the taste of the following dishes." "According to what you say, this restaurant is really exquisite." Lao Yu said. "Don't talk about tea, I've been drinking all afternoon, and I want to eat now." Old Su couldn't hold back his anticipation for so long, "Don't worry, you can't rush if you want to eat delicious food, especially don't rush the chef, the heat is almost too late The taste is not right." Lao He said. "Of course I know that. How could I urge you? It's just talking." While speaking, the middle-aged daughter came in from the outside, holding the first dish in her hand, and put it on the wooden table, "Please enjoy the cold appetizers," she turned and went out. Liu’s eyes were fixed on this cold dish—it turned out to be a plate of very ordinary cucumbers. Pick cucumbers of uniform thickness, cut off the head and tail, and leave the skin unpeeled. A dozen cylindrical cucumbers are like uncarved cucumbers. Stacked in triangular log-like yards, they appeared to be raw, without any cooking or seasoning. Lao Yu was dumbfounded: "This first dish is actually raw cucumber? Isn't this eaten for fun on a hot day? How could it be served as a dish?" "Yeah, even though it's just a cold dish, it's a bit too perfunctory for the guests." Lao He said, "How can such a dish reflect cooking skills?" Murray was somewhat embarrassed. Old Su was really hungry at this time, so he didn't use chopsticks, so he directly grabbed a piece of cucumber with his hands.Said: "Never mind him, it's better than drinking plain water." As he spoke, he took a bite of the cucumber and chewed a few mouthfuls. His movements slowed down and his expression gradually froze. "What's wrong?" Old Chen asked. Lao Su didn't speak, and took another bite of the cucumber. After a few seconds, he opened his eyes wide as if he had just woken up from a dream, and said loudly, "It's so delicious! You should try it soon." The other five people looked at each other, wondering if Lao Su was joking, how delicious would a raw cucumber be? But out of curiosity, everyone picked up a piece of cucumber and put it in their mouths. Murray's teeth were stuck and he took a bite of the cucumber. The crisp taste and the following sunny day filled his mouth with a delicious fragrance. Only then did he realize that this plate of cucumber was not raw, but made with Salted.It's easy to say, but the taste and taste are just right, but it's not simple! Unpeeled cucumbers will be a little raw and taste a bit hard, but after pickling in salt water, because the concentration of salt water is greater than the concentration in the cucumber cells, the cucumber will lose water and become soft, affecting the crisp taste But this plate of cucumber has a good taste, neither soft nor hard; the salty taste is just right, neither bland nor salty, and there is no other sensational seasoning, only relying on the fragrance of the cucumber itself and the combination of salt to achieve the most delicate balance, the largest Guide the deliciousness of the ingredients themselves to the greatest extent.This dish is as wonderful as an unworldly, fresh and refined girl!But when you think about it carefully, the specific pickling method, how much salt to put in, how long to pickle, and the selection of the cucumber itself are all extremely important. If it is different, the degree of absorption of salt water will be different, resulting in a difference in taste. Thinking of this, Murray couldn't help but marvel in his heart—it was just a plate of salted cucumbers, and after careful speculation, he discovered that there was such knowledge and mystery hidden in it.A few of their so-called gourmets were fooled by this plain appearance, thinking it was just a plate of raw cucumbers that hadn't worked hard.In fact, on the contrary, the time and effort the chef put into this dish may exceed the imagination of ordinary people!If ordinary people eat it, they may only praise "delicious, delicious!" They will never appreciate the charm and truth of it. At this time, several gourmets at the same table also tasted the deliciousness of this plate of cucumber.They seemed to have traveled from a fantasy to return to reality, and they were full of praise.While picking up and tasting again, discuss how to make this dish. Lao He said: "In my opinion, the whole cucumber is marinated in light salt water, and the head and tail are removed before eating, so that the salt can slowly penetrate and the cucumber will not become soft." Lao Yu said: "But with this method, it is estimated that it will take several months or even more than a year to marinate the whole cucumber to taste. This plate of cucumber is as fresh as it was just picked. How to do this? ?” Lao Chen said: "The method of pickling must be very important. You can't use ordinary pickles, and you can't be as casual as diving pickles. It may be very particular." "In my opinion, the selection of the cucumber itself is the most important thing." Shi Xian said, "Didn't you notice? The sweet taste of this plate of cucumbers is not the same as the ordinary cucumbers on the market that cost a few cents a catty. The origin of the ingredients must be different.” At this time, a middle-aged woman just came in with another dish.The Immortal Food immediately asked: "Excuse me, where did you buy the raw materials for this dish of cucumber?" The woman said: "I'm sorry, there is a rule in our family that guests are not allowed to inquire about the source of any ingredients and the cooking process." Only then did Shi Xian remember the weird rules that Murray had mentioned to him before—it seemed that it was true. He could only shut up resentfully.