Universe Infinite Canteen-Chapter 576: The Guest Usurps the Host

The waitstaff approached Sun Mei's cooking station, carefully lifting each of the 13 Green Porcelain Moonlight Plates from the table and cautiously carrying them to the judges' panel.

Even for painting, completing 13 paintings in merely an hour and a half is an insane task, let alone handling ingredients as Sun Mei did.

Her cooking speed was indeed astonishing; she showed no signs of having been out of practice for over a decade, appearing entirely like a seasoned expert.

However, finishing the cooking was only the most basic requirement of the competition; what mattered was how many qualification cards the dish would receive.

"Ladies and gentlemen, now presented on the table is the creation from cooking station number 11—'End of the World.'"

"The hostess introduced, "A very elegant and beautiful dish, just like an oil painting, depicting Sanya's famous tourist attraction—End of the World. Such a beautiful dish resembles a piece of art, almost too heartbreaking to eat."

Her words resonated with many, and the expert judges on site started taking pictures with their phones to capture the moment.

As top chefs and gourmet critics, they had seen many dishes that incorporated artistic elements on the plate but those were usually limited to sauces or side dishes.

This was their first encounter with a dish transformed entirely into an oil painting.

Sun He, the team leader, was the first to speak, "It is indeed a bold attempt to use ingredients as paint for visual effect, achieving breakthrough in presentation, for which I can give full marks.

"But grinding all the ingredients into a paste, destroying their natural structure in exchange for so-called aesthetic appeal, is, to me, missing the forest for the trees, prioritizing form over substance.

"After all, cooking isn't about painting. Taste matters most, not visual representation."

The other judges nodded slightly in agreement.

Sugihara Oyum, the food critic from "ELLE" magazine, tried to lighten the mood, "Regardless, let's give it a taste first."

As he spoke, he scooped a spoonful of 'beach' into his mouth, then let out a soft exclamation.

Then he took another spoonful, tasting it even more carefully this time, even closing his eyes.

Moments later, he reopened his eyes and exclaimed in admiration, "Indeed, the same color can embody different flavors. In this patch of yellow sand, I detected flavors of mango, potato, and pineapple.

"In this way, the arrangement and ratio of ingredients have addressed the issue of a monotonous taste, enriching the flavor experience.

"Furthermore, not knowing what ingredient the next bite might contain creates a kind of 'blind box' surprise."

"Not only that," chimed in Julian Roy, the head chef from Odette restaurant.

"At first glance, it seems the contestant brutally ground all ingredients into a paste; however, different foods were processed with varying degrees of coarseness. For instance, the 'rocks' I just tasted were made from brown mushrooms.

"Deliberately retaining larger chunks during the grinding process helped simulate the gritty texture of rocks, further enriching the layers of taste in the dish—a very imaginative approach."

"But if you ask me, the real highlight is the sea," added Hong Kong's master chef Rocky Chen.

"Using Hainan's Wenchang Chicken to brew a rich chicken broth not only allows it to be appreciated on its own but also, as it soaks into the 'beach' over time, it imparts varying flavors to the beach."

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"In short, this dish may seem on the surface to be chasing visual impact at the expense of taste, overshadowing the essence. However, it actually maximizes the variation in taste to an extreme—a work of genius."

"As for this dish, apart from offering my qualification card, I have nothing more to say."

"Perfect score," stated succinctly by Gaggan Anand, the head chef from Gaggan restaurant in India.

Sun He scoffed, but in the end, he also produced a qualification card.

Eventually, the dish "End of the World" received unanimous approval from the panel of judges and collected all thirteen qualification cards.

Sun Mei wasn't surprised by the result at all. When faced with the female host's congratulations, she didn't show much excitement.

To her, she had participated in countless similar competitions during her childhood, and the trophies and medals had nearly filled Sun He's bookcase.

Apart from deliberately losing the final of the World Youth Chef Contest, she had never settled for second place.

For this God of Cooking contest, she was also determined to win.

Sun Mei then turned to Ma Lu, frowned, and said, "You've been lingering around long enough, haven't you? Isn't it time to properly cook?"

"Why does everyone refuse to believe I've already finished?" Ma Lu glanced at the Traveler's Bracelet on his wrist.

"My Roasted Steamed Bun just finished proofing and has been put in the oven, still needs to bake for 17 minutes. I have nothing else to do but wait.

"But since you've finished, come with us to check out the other contestants' creations. We could really use a host who can provide a professional perspective."

"Ah, do we really need one?" the female host said timidly.

"I won't go," Sun Mei shook her head, "There's nothing interesting there. A chef just needs to stick to their own path; others' paths, even if better, have nothing to do with you."

"Oh come on, this isn't about whose path it is, you'd just be bored going back to your room now. Plus, I noticed you barely ate breakfast. Why not join us and see if the other contestants have any leftovers we can share?"

"Hmm?"

"There must be some who made too much, or have leftover scraps, like Jirimutu's Stone Roasted Whole Sheep. The judges won't be able to finish it all, we could get a piece to try.

"Aren't you curious about what sheep meat cooked in a sheepskin container tastes like?"

"That cooking method is too crude, and stone isn't really suitable for heating. In my view, it's more of a gimmick than practical. Also,"

Sun Mei paused, "Sanya is already warming up, and this season isn't really suitable for eating roasted sheep meat."

"You have to consider the season when cooking?"

"Ordinary restaurants don't, but to succeed in winning this contest and earning the title of God of Cooking, one must consider the customers' needs and feelings comprehensively."

"How professional," the female host exclaimed.

"See, I told you our hosting team needed a professional," Ma Lu said.

Convinced, the female host responded, "Then let Chef Sun Mei explain the upcoming dishes to our viewers at home."

While they were talking, another contestant had finished their preparation. This time it was Long Po Sen, a master from Thailand, who made vegetarian meals quickly as they required less cooking.

When the plate was served, it resembled a miniature vegetable garden, containing squash tips, sugar snap peas, watermelon, hot peppers, green beans, pumpkin, bamboo shoots, and various other vegetables commonly found on the Hainan market this season, paired with a soup base of vegan milky herbal broth.

Master Long Po Sen called this dish the "Early Spring Bowl."