February 2008. It's the annual Valentine's Day again. Every year at this time, wagashi (Wagashi: fruits made by traditional Japanese methods. Dry fruits with a water content of less than 20 percent. Raw fruits with a water content of more than 40 percent. Half-raw fruits in between. fruit.) The business of the shop is obviously weaker than that of the pastry shop, because everyone flocks to the chocolate specialty shop.After all, on February 14th, no girl would give wagashi to her crush.Besides, if boys receive gifts like hot spring steamed buns and glutinous rice snacks, they may be troubled!

Boxes of snacks placed in the display cabinet are anxiously waiting for customers to come to their door.Dried fruit (dried fruit: also known as dried fruit, such as senbei), roasted fruit (burned fruit: baked snacks. Such as wagashi chatong, chestnut buns, etc., foreign fruit biscuits, cakes, etc.), yokan, etc. , each of which is a high-end dessert for gift giving.Among them, the Shangsheng fruit in a lacquer box (Shangsheng fruit: more expensive, delicious, and beautifully shaped raw fruit.) The sample is the most eye-catching, which is equivalent to the gorgeous cake in the pastry shop. Wagashi is characterized by an elegant design themed around the scenery of the four seasons.Although the color is soft and not as gorgeous as pastry, it is simple and elegant, but it is lovely.

As the clerks of "Fuku Sakurado", we wear gray-green kimonos and buns every day, waiting for customers to come to our door. This "Fuku Sakurado" is the Kobe branch of a long-established wagashi shop in Kyoto. In addition to its signature products, it also accepts Chadaojiayuan (Chadaojiayuan: a master of a certain ancestral skill, a direct school.) Commissioned to make fresh confectionery.Relying on word-of-mouth and referrals, there are more and more regular customers, which is enough to maintain a certain level of revenue, and there is no need to deliberately adopt a complex operation like the general pastry shops nowadays.Of course, the number of new customers will increase and decrease with the seasons, for example, it is the off-season now.

Mina, who was visiting the shop with me, frequently looked at the clock on the wall, looking restless.It's no wonder she is like this, because there are really no guests.So I offered to suggest, "Shouldn't you go to lunch too?" Mina's eyes sparkled and she said, "Is it okay?" "Anyway, there should be no guests at this time. I can handle it by myself." "Great! I'm just thinking about going to the chocolate store next door!" To be precise, this chocolate specialty store named "Chocolat de Louis" (Chocolat de Louis), which just opened in early January, is still two stores away from us. Currently, because of the arrival of Valentine's Day, a grand chocolate limited-time sale is held Activity.

In addition to a variety of sandwich chocolates, French desserts such as cakes and biscuits are also sold, and there is also a cafe attached.The most popular chocolate sundae in the store is delicious, and I heard that it is sold out at two o'clock in the afternoon on weekends and holidays.Because the ice cream and chocolate are made of special ingredients, they are only available in limited quantities. This is a very unique store, and there has been a long queue since the opening day.Although the father, who is the head chef of Fu Ying Tang, said to the old master indifferently: "We have our own way of survival." But the young master is very interested in this chocolate specialty store, except for the boys who discuss this store enthusiastically It's so popular and you must take your girlfriend there, the girls are also willing to comment on how the taste is.Even though we opened a wagashi shop, it would be a lie to say that we don’t care. After all, we can feel the unprecedented atmosphere of a chocolate specialty store through the window.

"Miss Ayabe, would you like to buy it for you?" Mina asked, "What should I buy? I heard that the store has a lot of types of black tea and fruit juice!" "I want to see for myself. You go first!" "Okay! Then I'll go!" Minahi walked diligently through the staff-only door and disappeared at the end.She probably wants to change clothes and go to that chocolate shop before lunch! Recently, the meaning of Valentine's Day is different from the past. Expensive chocolates are no longer just gifts for girls to give to boys they like, but they are also bought for their own enjoyment.For girls who are busy with work and life, chocolate is not only a good medicine for self-healing, but also a reward for themselves. Even if it is a little expensive, they are willing to pay for it, which is the same as buying designer bags and shoes.

Pastry companies are also happy to advertise that "gifts are suitable for both personal use and personal use", and spare no effort to expand the market. In our store, we also make some creative raw fruits to meet the occasion of Valentine’s Day. The display cabinets are colorful and look like modern works of art. into.) and Jintuan (Jintuan: stuffing made of sweet potatoes and the like.) Fruit made.These top-growing fruits, decorated with pink and turkey blue, are still quietly lying in the corner of the display case today, waiting for customers to love them.This is a new product conceived by the little boss of Fuyingtang.

However, regular customers seem to have little interest in these pastel pastries, and only buy products they are familiar with. Only those young girls who read magazine reports and want to try new ones will favor these new products, and most of them come only once. New customers who will not regularly come to buy fresh fruits on the signboard. When I was young, I couldn't understand why my father was a wagashi master.I still remember that when the whole family went out to eat, while eating dessert, I complained why my father didn’t make cakes, because being a pastry chef was definitely more airy.In fact, my father's craftsmanship is excellent, and he won the wagashi competition, so making cakes is absolutely no problem. Wouldn't it be better to switch to a pastry shop?How much face the whole family has!It is also more lucrative.

My father didn't get angry, just said casually as usual: "What are you talking about!" while munching on the cake on the plate.Seeing me, my mother didn’t think so, and leaned closer and whispered: “Your father! He only loves Jinghe confectionery in his life (Jinghe confectionery: also known as “Jinghe confectionery”, that is, Kyoto’s wagashi.), I’m not interested in other pastries... " I later found out that when my father was young, he hesitated between being a pastry chef or a wagashi chef.The road of professional masters is not easy to walk, the ups and downs involved are beyond the comprehension of outsiders, and how can we survive without enthusiasm.Which path should you choose to keep your enthusiasm forever and never regret it?The birthplace of West Point is Kobe. If you choose wagashi, of course go to Kyoto.For the father who was born in Banshu, Hyogo Prefecture, no matter which one he chooses, he must leave his hometown to study art, so of course he must carefully consider it.

It wasn't until the aunt who taught the tea ceremony brought the leftover Fukusakodo fruit from class that my father made up his mind.This is the beginning of the relationship between my father and Fuyingtang Dim Sum. The moment my father took a bite of the Ascension Fruit, he thought that there was such a pure and delicious thing in the world, and realized that this was the path he had to take.My father told himself from the bottom of his heart: I want to make such a fruit, and I want to stay in this industry and work hard. The aunt told the excited father that Jinghe fruit not only pays attention to the taste, but also has a profound meaning.She cited a waka describing sweets in the "Manyoshu" to explain that her father was deeply attracted by Fukusakudo's sweets.

The upper raw confectionery in Kyoto can be called the most beautifully shaped wagashi.Not only that, the pastry itself is also a metaphor for seasonal changes or chapters of classical literature, so people who like Jing Guozi not only appreciate the taste when eating, but also enjoy the hidden meaning in it.Whether it is a producer or a taster, if you have a casual attitude, it is difficult to understand the mystery.This is where Jinghe fruit is interesting. In terms of subtlety, wagashi is not the same as the pursuit of rich flavors and gorgeous shapes. In fact, my father knew very well that wagashi could not become the mainstream of today's Japanese dessert industry, but he still couldn't help falling in love with Kyowaga.Rather than making sponge cakes and whipped cream, he prefers to use red beans, kanten, and Sanbonto (Wasanbonto: light yellow fine sugar native to the eastern part of Shikoku, such as Kagawa Prefecture and Tokushima Prefecture in Japan, is regarded as a precious Specialties.) For company. I think my father is happy. Even if he failed to become the world-famous dessert leader, his father would still make wagashi silently.Based on this alone, my father's heart is freer than anyone else's, so no matter whether it is heavy work or highly skilled homework, it can't break my father's heart. I don't have the enthusiasm and persistence of my father, and I don't plan to stay in Fuyingtang forever.After graduating from the short college, I worked outside for five years, but the company closed down.When I was forced to stay out of work, my mother asked me, "Would you like to help Fuyingtang temporarily?" In this way, I became an employee here. Although it was hard to adapt from a simple office worker to a kimono shop assistant, for me who suddenly lost my income, at least it relieved my urgent need. I never asked my father what he thought of me doing this job.What would he think of his daughter who didn't seem to have made up her mind to enter this line of work?I thought there might not be any good comments, so I didn't have the courage to ask.