Life!
Death!
These are the process and the end of life.
Perhaps for a foodie like Rindo, the biggest test is whether she is willing to taste a dish with a "resolve to die"!
And clearly, the highly poisonous pufferfish was the most alluring touchstone!
But when the pufferfish Sashimi was served, Sosuke, as the chef, naturally had to be the first to eat it.
Under Rindo's gaze, he used chopsticks to pick up a small, thin slice of Sashimi fish, then began to chew it slowly.
"Shopkeeper."
"There's no need for the pufferfish tasting part, is there?"
"Heh!"
"I'm not testing for poison."
"But rather the confidence and skill a chef should possess!"
"Don't flatter yourself, I'm not a coward either. How could a mere pufferfish Sashimi make me flinch and retreat?"
With that, Rindo shot Sosuke a glare.
Immediately after, she actually made a prayer gesture with her hands clasped together. Although she is an extreme adventure-loving rare ingredient expert, who enjoys hunting wild animals like crocodiles, snakes, and elk!
But in fact, she is still very kind-hearted, and something as cute as a pufferfish…
Cough, cough!
In short, cute is cute.
When it's time to eat, you still have to eat!
So, after finishing her prayer, Rindo eagerly picked up her chopsticks, took a small piece of pufferfish Sashimi, and chewed it slowly.
…
The pufferfish meat, completely unseasoned, always maintained its original flavor.
And the exceptionally plump pufferfish meat, the moment it entered the mouth, quickly enveloped a burst of freshness, directly stimulating every part of the tongue.
The texture was quite wonderful, and very resilient, making one instinctively want to bite into it fiercely with their teeth.
Its flavor, truly, was just two words:
So refreshing!
Under the wave of the fast-food era, various dishes are actually trending more and more towards heavy flavors.
Therefore, the light and refreshing pufferfish Sashimi inevitably appears even more precious.
Perhaps the "flavor of no flavor" is not necessarily the taste that the public pursues.
But the glutamic acid, glycine, and other umami amino acids, as well as inosinic acid, guanylic acid, and other nucleotides, rich within the pufferfish meat, are indeed a powerful explanation for its delicious taste.
Especially at the moment she was struck by the deliciousness of the pufferfish, Rindo could even better understand the obsession and courage behind "eating pufferfish even if it means death."
"Mmm!"
"The texture is extremely springy and resilient!"
"That freshness and elasticity are completely different from the feeling of other Sashimi in the mouth."
As she ate, Rindo became immersed in it, unable to extricate herself for a long time.
Fresh and clean!
Chewy and springy!
That wonderfully unique taste sensation.
It felt a bit like the rich, tender live meat from a fish's belly.
Just a gentle press with the tongue, and the pufferfish meat seemed to "come alive," constantly wriggling in the mouth, and also seemingly hiding a hint of ethereal moisture, incredibly plump!
Finally, the entire plate of pufferfish Sashimi was devoured by Rindo at a whirlwind speed, leaving nothing behind!
If a full score is 10 points.
Then for this plate of pufferfish Sashimi, Rindo would absolutely give it 10 points.
In her impression, she no longer knew what kind of Sashimi dish in this world could compare to Sosuke's pufferfish Sashimi!
…
"Shopkeeper."
"Why can the inherent flavor of the pufferfish alone make me find it delicious?"
Coming back to her senses, Rindo, delighted by the delicious pufferfish meat, couldn't help but blink her bright eyes at Sosuke, asking curiously.
"Ingredient selection!"
"Sashimi inherently pursues the original flavor of the ingredients, so the quality of the ingredients is definitely very important."
"Then there's knife work. The thickness, size, and shape of the ingredients, and so on, will all directly affect appetite."
"Theoretically, the thinner the pufferfish meat is sliced, the more delicious it will taste, and the more springy and resilient the texture will be!"
Upon hearing this, Sosuke could only reply indifferently.
Honestly, his explanation was a bit perfunctory, a bit vague!
But Sashimi is like that. If you really eat a few proper "high-end" Japan Sashimi dishes, you'll find they're not as good as when combined with rice to make sushi.
And even sushi itself, it's more about pursuing a sense of ritual; the enjoyment brought by the taste is truly just so-so.
Therefore, chefs from the Celestial Empire like Sosuke often disdain Japan cuisine's concept of overly pursuing the original flavor of ingredients.
Isn't a whole alfonsino steamed with scallion oil, sweet and springy, not fragrant?
Bluefin tuna belly, cured with coarse salt and air-dried, then stewed with peppercorns and eggplant, or directly pan-fried with garlic, wouldn't the neighboring kids cry from craving?
Also, wouldn't it be very enjoyable to braise this pufferfish directly?
What's the result?
People from Japan insist on making Sashimi out of them!
…
Grumble!
Grumble!
Just at this moment.
Rindo, who had just finished the pufferfish Sashimi, found her stomach rumbling again.
She quickly rubbed her belly, thinking that an entire plate of Sashimi only made her one or two-tenths full, which was far from satisfying!
Thus, she awkwardly said to Sosuke, "Shopkeeper, can… can I have some more pufferfish Sashimi?"
"Hmm?"
"Still eating?"
Sosuke almost burst out laughing at this.
"Look!"
"I ate 1!"
"Aren't there 9 left in that aquarium?"
Rindo pointed to the large aquarium in the corner and said.
"There are still a lot of scraps left."
"How about this, I'll just make you a full pufferfish feast, like pufferfish hotpot, pufferfish zosui, fried pufferfish, braised pufferfish…"
Hearing that she was even thinking about the other 9 pufferfish, Sosuke quickly stopped her.
"Okay!"
"I'll do as you say."
When Rindo heard the last part, knowing that Sosuke was going to use the leftover scraps of pufferfish to make a full pufferfish feast, her eyes lit up.
"OK."
"Then you wait a bit longer."
After saying that, Sosuke returned to the cooking counter.
…
At the same time.
At the entrance of Totsuki Academy.
A black sedan, like a mysterious beast, came to a stop.
Immediately after, two students preparing to take the Totsuki entrance exam stepped out of the car.
One was Ryō Kurokiba, with dark circles under his eyes, always looking listless; the other was Alice Nakiri, a beautiful young girl with fair skin and an exotic mixed-race charm!
"Young Lady."
"Is this Totsuki Academy?"
Ryō Kurokiba, standing behind her, gazed at the Totsuki gate for a few moments.
He seemed to be awestruck by the scale of this Totsuki Culinary Academy and the towering buildings faintly visible in the distance!
"Yes."
"This is Grandpa's Totsuki Academy."
Alice just nodded.
As another young lady of the Nakiri, Alice Nakiri also possessed striking beauty and unique talent!
However, unlike Erina, who had always lived within Totsuki Academy, she had lived with her mother in Northern Europe for a long time since she was a few years old.
Now, perhaps Erina had long anticipated it, or perhaps she had never thought of it.
Her distant cousin would be transferring to Totsuki Academy with the impending arrival of the Totsuki new semester.
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