At this moment, the news about Huang Tao's "live demonstration" of making "West Lake Vinegar Fish" spread swiftly...

It scattered across various areas of the food festival...

This news!

When it reached the ears of the chefs from each star hotel and well-known restaurant in the culinary exhibition area, they all showed a shocked expression like "Damn, is this really something I can hear for free?"

Damn!

Damn!

The dish that Boss Huang is demonstrating live is actually... West Lake Vinegar Fish!

Holy shit!

This is a classic "signature dish" of Zhejiang Cuisine!

No wonder it's Boss Huang!

The moment he starts!

It's a big surprise.

It shocked them so much that their eyeballs almost popped out, and their hearts couldn't calm down for a long time!

Head Chef of Dongling Stone Hotel: "Hey, did you hear? Boss Huang from the So Delicious booth is going to do a live demonstration of West Lake Vinegar Fish in a while!"

Head Chef of Yunding Hotel: "Heard it, just heard it. I specially ran over here to tell you about this! Didn't expect you already knew... Let me tell you! I was so shocked when I heard this news!"

Head Chef of Maideng Hotel: "Same here! You have no idea how shocked my expression was when I heard about this! It was more than those online memes with bulging eyes like copper bells!"

Old Qian from Taste Memory: "Hahaha~ The meme description is spot on! But I was really shocked when I heard it!"

Head Chef of Yunding Hotel: "Hey! Old Qian, isn't your Taste Memory booth right next to Boss Huang? Aren't you close to Boss Huang? Didn't he give you any hint beforehand? Did you ask him about it?"

Seeing the other chefs giving him a "Old Qian, you're not being fair" look, Old Qian shook his head helplessly: "No, no such thing! When Boss Huang left, those customers in line did ask him what dish he would demonstrate, but he kept it mysterious and didn't say a word!"

Uh...

This is the pace of not announcing until the last moment~

The Head Chef of Dongling Stone Hotel thought for a moment and expressed his doubts: "What do you think, Boss Huang is so young, can he really master this West Lake Vinegar Fish? After all, the more traditional the dish, the higher the demand on the chef. Without a hundred-year-old skill, you can't make an authentic traditional dish!"

Everyone was still excitedly discussing this, but with that sentence, they all fell into deep thought.

This dish seems simple, but it's very particular!

A good West Lake Vinegar Fish shouldn't be too showy in flavor.

It's like a fish hiding in the shallow waters, gradually revealing itself. The fins spread like wings about to fly, the fish is tender without any earthy smell, and it makes the grass carp taste like crab...

To achieve such freshness!

From selecting ingredients, to cutting, and then to blanching and seasoning, the heat must be well controlled.

First of all, the grass carp used must be "starved."

As the name suggests, once a grass carp is chosen to make West Lake Vinegar Fish, after being caught, it can hardly have a full meal, starved for days until there's nothing in its stomach, with no food, and even the earthy smell goes away naturally.

The fish meat becomes firmer, not loose anymore!

Once the fish is raised well, it should be killed fresh, and cut with seven precise cuts.

If these seven cuts are correct, then you're a qualified Hangzhou Cuisine chef!

The cutting technique not only influences the taste while cooking, but when done right, the fish meat and skin shrink evenly, the cuts expand outward, making the fins curl up, so that the dish looks lively and leaping when served.

After handling the ingredients, the cooking process must not be sloppy at all.

Speaking of which it's interesting!

Among the many famous fish in Huaxia, the West Lake Vinegar Fish is probably the only fish cooked without a drop of oil.

And the cooking process seems simple and fast, but actually, there's a lot to it.

Firstly, the order and technique when placing the fish in the pot.

Secondly, the amount of water in the pot.

Finally, the base color given to the fish before taking it out of the pot...

The sauce is especially crucial.

The success of this dish depends entirely on this moment!

In short!

Whether a plate of West Lake Vinegar Fish meets the fine and translucent standard mainly depends on whether the sauce is mixed uniformly.

No oil should be added to the sauce, or else the dish won't have that tender and refreshing texture.

And the thickness of the sauce must be just right, or else it would turn dull and unattractive.

If the sauce doesn't cling to the fish, not only will the mottled surface give the impression of the fish falling apart, but it will also taste bland and flavorless.

In short.

From selecting materials to cooking, it's extremely meticulous and a test of skill.

The Head Chef of Dongling Stone Hotel considers it hard to master!

And among the chefs present, few could master it!

As for whether Boss Huang from So Delicious can handle it?

They don't dare to make a rash conclusion. Only after he cooks it and they taste it can they tell.

After all, making cheap grass carp taste like crab is a bit difficult, a bit difficult, a bit difficult...

Old Qian from Taste Memory weakly said: "It should be fine, right? After all, Boss Huang's culinary skills are evident, right?"

Head Chef of Yunding Hotel: "That's hard to say, how about we go take a look and observe?"

Head Chef of Maideng Hotel: "That's a good idea, let's go see, maybe we can learn a thing or two!"

Old Qian from Taste Memory: "If we leave, what about the business at our booth? While Boss Huang is at the live demonstration, we should boost our efforts and sell more!"

That sounds so reasonable, it leaves one speechless!

But in front of Boss Huang's cooking, this business is nothing, damn it!

"Alright, Old Qian, you go back and take care of your three acres of land then!"

After saying this, the head chefs left, showing Old Qian only their determined backs.

Indeed!

In front of Boss Huang's cooking, everything else is just fluff!

Old Qian panicked: "Hey...wait for me! I didn't say I wouldn't go..."

He hurriedly followed them.

...

At the food festival.

Familiar diners gathered in small groups, each voice rising one after another.

"Hey! Let me tell you, I heard that Boss Huang from the So Delicious booth is going to give a live demonstration and make West Lake Vinegar Fish!"

"Oh come on~ Why is it West Lake Vinegar Fish? That instantly dashed all my hopes and expectations..."

"Every time friends from out of town come here, I always order two fish dishes, one West Lake Vinegar Fish and one prepared in another way. The server always asks, 'Sir, you've already ordered the West Lake Vinegar Fish, and you want more fish?' Yes, because the West Lake Vinegar Fish is so awful! After taking the first bite, friends would immediately take a second bite because they doubted themselves. They couldn't believe the West Lake Vinegar Fish could be so bad, until finally, they would all sadly say, 'West Lake Vinegar Fish really is awful!'"

"Hahaha! Brother, you hit the nail on the head! I've always wondered, is West Lake Vinegar Fish famous for being so disgusting?!"

"Yeah, it really is awful. I once ordered a plate of West Lake Vinegar Fish, took four bites... but there were five of us!"

"It truly is awful, I don't know why it's so famous. I've tried it twice, the first time was at a small restaurant, and it was terrible. I thought maybe the chef's skills were poor. The second time was at Louwailou, and it was still awful. It's probably the worst fish I've ever had. Whenever I think of disgusting fish, the first thing that comes to mind is West Lake Vinegar Fish! It's unforgettable!"

"Yeah, yeah~ Same reason with the shrimp and eel at Kuiyuan Restaurant getting worse and worse, you can't find authentic West Lake Vinegar Fish now!"

"Alas! It can only be said that no matter where you are now, traditional-flavored delicacies have lost their original tastes. The issue lies in the ingredients not being ecologically produced, so it's impossible to make authentic flavors."

"Brother, you make a lot of sense! West Lake Vinegar Fish demands high-quality grass carp, and when the farming environment isn't good, there is a strong muddy smell, which is already a flaw. Additionally, authentic West Lake Vinegar Fish should be cooked in boiling water, and if left for even one minute longer, it becomes tough and chewy; ordinary restaurants can't get the cooking timing right, so that's another flaw. Lastly, the many bones of the carp species add another flaw..."

"Exactly, exactly, grass carp needs to be kept resting for a day or two to get rid of the muddy smell. Now, 99.9% of picky restaurants will do that for you? So fundamentally, it's not whether West Lake Vinegar Fish is good or not, but rather a disregard and absence in the craze of fast-food-style grassroots modernization against tradition."

"Oh! It can only be said that the simpler the dish, the higher the demands on the ingredients and the chef! And we don't know how Boss Huang's West Lake Vinegar Fish will taste in the end? It shouldn't be too bad, right?"

"With Boss Huang's culinary skills, it shouldn't be so bad as to be unpalatable, but to what extent it will taste good, that's really impossible to judge since we haven't tried it ourselves."

At this point, everyone's attention shifted from the complaints back to the curiosity about Huang Tao's culinary skills, each one more curious than the other.

"Why don't we go to where the live demonstration is and have a look?"

As soon as this was said, many people responded.

"Sure! Let's hurry over then! If we go late, there might not even be a place to sit."

"Go, go, go, hurry, hurry..."

In an instant, the groups of diners gathered together moved towards the nearest exit.

...

This side at the International Hotel booth also got the news.

Ma Qingxiong, upon hearing from his staff, was slightly surprised: "What? West Lake Vinegar Fish? Boss Huang is going to make West Lake Vinegar Fish?!"

"I heard it from the live demonstration staff over there. The ingredients they prepared are precisely those needed for West Lake Vinegar Fish! This is definitely true, and now many other chefs at the booths also know about it, I've heard their head chefs are rushing to the live demonstration side to observe!"

"Alright! I got it."

Ma Qingxiong nodded, thought for a moment, and then said: "I'll go out for a bit. You all keep an eye on the booth, okay~"

"Ah? Head Chef Ma, where are you going..."

Before the question was finished!

They saw their head chef suddenly run off as if his feet were greased.

Uh...

What's so urgent?

Only after a moment of realization did they understand, their head chef was in a hurry to see Boss Huang's live demonstration!

Honestly, they wanted to go watch as well...

...

Inside a tall building on the commercial pedestrian street.

"Wow, Boss Huang is going to make West Lake Vinegar Fish, I must go and have a look!"

Old Qin couldn't help smacking his lips.

Indeed, he was thinking about Huang Tao's West Lake Vinegar Fish!

He wanted to go and taste a bit!

"Old Qin, wait for me, I'll go with you."

Wei Mingguo was also tempted and wanted to go!

Oh!

One more person means one less bite~

Though Old Qin wasn't too willing to go together, he couldn't say it outright, so he just smiled and made a welcoming gesture: "Alright! Elder Wei, let's go together then!"

The two were about to head towards the door!

When Old Zhu's voice came from behind: "Wait, wait, I'll go with you too..."

Great!

Another mouth to feed!

Old Qin: "..."

Wei Mingguo: "..."

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