chsdbacks Chapter 72 My dream is shattered, I have to go to school!
Chapter 72 My dream is shattered, I have to go to school!
Dubois's outburst of anger silenced the restaurant, and all eyes were on the table where Lucas was sitting.
The man with the mustache panicked. He was a veteran in the restaurant industry, but he had never encountered anything like this before. The head chef was actually having a conflict with a customer! He broke out in a cold sweat and was speechless, unsure of how to handle the situation.
Hannah jumped in fright, staring at Lucas in alarm, while Ellie stood up and glared at Dubois: "What are you doing—"
But Lucas sighed and pulled Ellie back.
"Mr. Dubois, I originally had no intention of criticizing you, but since you have accused me of my lack of professionalism as a chef, I can no longer remain silent."
Lucas slowly stood up, his body growing taller inch by inch, his red hair swaying like fire.
When he looked directly at Dubois, the boyish innocence vanished, replaced by a cold sternness in his pure hazel eyes.
It's like a top chef inspecting the kitchen, about to scold a clumsy apprentice!
Dubois gasped and involuntarily took a step back.
No, impossible...
Just a moment ago, he seemed to see the shadow of his strict teacher, who stood at the pinnacle of culinary arts, in this kid!
"you......"
However, before he could finish speaking, Lucas had already lightly touched the plate of "foie gras with figs" with his silver fork.
"This foie gras was seared at high temperature to lock in the outer layer, forming a beautiful caramelized crust, which is excellent. However, it was slightly overcooked; the heat penetrated too quickly, causing the fat inside the foie gras to melt excessively. While it's fragrant upon first bite, the subsequent delicate texture becomes overly rich, resulting in a slightly greasy feel. Authentic pan-fried foie gras should melt in your mouth, not be oily."
Dubois immediately took a small portion with clean cutlery, tasted it carefully, and fell silent.
Lucas picked up another bowl of soup.
"The bouillabaisse was cooked too hot. Didn't you learn that it should always be kept at a gentle simmer? You absolutely cannot be careless, otherwise the protein in the fish will be broken down by the high heat, resulting in a cloudy and unclear soup."
Dubois examined the fish soup closely, a sudden unease creeping into his heart. The issue of insufficient clarity that Lucas mentioned was indeed present, but it was practically imperceptible without close inspection, or rather, the average customer would never notice it.
He opened his mouth as if to say something, but Lucas only gave him a cold look.
"You don't hold yourself to high enough standards!"
"Yes!" Dubois stood up abruptly, cold sweat already pouring down his back.
"The third dish is French-style baked escargot. You chopped the parsley too finely, making its astringent flavor overpowering the escargot's natural aroma! Do you think the finer the ingredients are chopped, the better? Or do you only know how to use culinary magic and don't even have basic knife skills?"
Dubois bit his lip, his hands trembling, unable to utter a word of rebuttal.
Then, Lucas's gaze fell on the "white wine stewed mussels" in front of Hannah.
"As for this dish, in order to achieve the tender texture of the mussels, the white wine was not cooked thoroughly after being added to the pot, and the alcohol was not completely evaporated before it was served. Although the mussels were tender, their sweetness was slightly masked by the alcohol."
Dubois was deathly pale. Every word Lucas spoke was like a hammer blow to the very craft he was so proud of. These were extremely subtle flaws, the kind only a true culinary master could pinpoint with such precision!
Finally, Lucas sat down again, his gaze calm as he looked at the shaky chef.
"One last thing, Chef. Your scarf is crooked."
"As the head chef, maintaining a neat and tidy appearance when meeting guests is the most basic etiquette. You probably came out without even tidying yourself up because you think I'm young, or because of the hostility you felt towards me from that report."
"But no matter what, I am still your guest."
"Is this the quality of a head chef? Do you respect your profession?"
With a deafening boom, it was as if a thunderclap had exploded in Dubois's mind.
His mental defenses crumbled. In a daze, he seemed to be back in the kitchen of Paris, apprenticing under the extremely strict teacher who was now furious at his minor mistake.
"I...I...I'm sorry!"
Under the watchful eyes of a room full of guests, the renowned British chef bowed deeply to Lucas, his voice trembling with emotion.
"It was my negligence, I'm very sorry! Please forgive me!"
Everyone was stunned. The renowned Armand Dubois had actually been brought to tears by this red-haired boy!
The bearded manager, flustered, grabbed the limp Dubois and frantically tried to smooth things over: "Merlin! Mr. McGregor, you are truly a remarkable gourmet! Please don't be angry... By the way, about the question you just asked..."
"Only cooking magic can help us make dishes, but we've never heard of any magic that can make food more delicious."
"A truly delicious meal depends on the chef's skill. You may not know that our head chef, Dubois, concealed his wizard identity in his youth and spent seven years studying at the 'La Tour d'Argent' restaurant in Paris, France! He has mastered the art, and today's mistake was due to a momentary lapse in judgment. Please forgive him; to thank you for your guidance, we'd like to offer you a free meal..."
Lucas froze, staring at Beaumont in disbelief: "You...you said he went there for further studies?"
"The La Fenice restaurant in Paris! It's one of the most prestigious French restaurants in the Muggle world, with a history of over four hundred years."
Lucas nearly vomited blood. Yes, a famous restaurant, its reputation could be heard even in the Scottish countryside, but that was a restaurant in the Muggle world!
In other words, the magical world not only failed to figure out how to cook magical creatures and magical plants, but also lacked the magic to make food extremely delicious, and its culinary skills lagged behind those of the Muggle world.
Master chefs in the magical world even have to travel to the Muggle world to learn their craft!
Snap! Something inside me shattered...
Merlin, what have I been longing for all this time?!
......
As night deepened, Ellie and Hannah pulled the distraught Lucas back to the Leaky Cauldron.
"What's going on? Didn't you go out for a big meal?" Old Tom asked curiously.
Hannah looked at Lucas, whose eyes were vacant, with concern: "It seems Lucas isn't quite satisfied with the food..."
Ellie frowned: "That chef is suspicious."
"No, it's not that I'm dissatisfied with the food!" Lucas suddenly said indignantly, "I'm very dissatisfied with this magical world!"
He rambled on and on for a long time in an extremely unusual manner, until Tom finally understood. After thinking for a moment, he patted the table with a rag.
"Then let's go to Hogwarts! Hogwarts' kitchens are the most magical kitchens in all of England!"
Lucas looked up: "Really?"