Super Zoo

Upon hearing Mr. Seibel say so, the host seemed not quite to understand and asked, "Mr. Seibel, what do you mean by that?"

"I believe that an excellent chef should not only possess cooking skills but should also be able to distinguish the quality of the ingredients themselves. Let's take your fish for example, the same braised fish dish, cooked by the same chef and even under completely identical conditions in every aspect, would the taste necessarily be the same? No, no, high-quality ingredients have a natural advantage! As far as I know, in Huaxia, chef apprentices don't get to cook right away, they must first learn to select ingredients, and that's the reason."

As Mr. Seibel spoke, he deftly picked up a small slice of braised carp with his chopsticks, choosing not the boneless belly but a tender piece of flesh beneath the fish's eye.

"Hmm, just as my tongue tells me, this fish is delicious. Despite the use of many heavily flavored artificial seasonings, they can't possibly mask the natural delicious taste of the fish. The seasoning has perfectly integrated with the fish, and the freshness of the fish itself has been brought out by the seasonings. It is clear that this hotel has a highly skilled chef," he said, putting down his chopsticks.

After Mr. Seibel finished speaking, the face of the hotel lobby manager standing to the side nearly burst into bloom with a smile.

"But..." Mr. Seibel changed his tone, "there is a saying in the East: 'Learning has no end.' The same goes for gourmet food. Just because this dish tastes great, should we stop our pursuit of even more delicious food? No, no, no..."

The onlooking crowd widened their eyes at Mr. Seibel, unsure what this foreigner was trying to say—was he suggesting the fish was good, or not good?

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The manager of Yuleyu Restaurant was also feeling perplexed, what was this foreigner up to? Was he here to show support or to undermine them? He shot a plea for help toward the host, who could only shrug helplessly. Mr. Seibel's thoughts were always unique, sometimes even 'bizarre,' and he could indeed make some unexpected comments on the show that even she, as the host, couldn't control.

However, it was precisely because of Mr. Seibel's unique style that the viewership of the show had increased, which was very eye-catching. In reality, she, the host, was just an errand-runner and utterly incapable of interfering with Mr. Seibel's actions.

Unconcerned with those around him, Mr. Seibel continued, "Currently, from the aspects of culinary skills and seasoning, there isn't much room for improvement with this fish. Even if I were to cook it, I likely wouldn't do any better, especially since I'm more skilled with Western cuisine. But my tongue tells me that this is a pond-raised domestic fish. Therefore, in terms of the taste of the fish meat, it lacks a bit of the wild and spirited flavor..." Continue your saga on empire

After finishing, he nodded at the hotel manager, "Handsome manager, would you agree with my assessment?"

"Spirited flavor, for eating fish? Why don't you just eat it alive for guaranteed spiritedness, goddamn foreigner!" the lobby manager cursed inwardly, though he dared not show it on his face and hastily replied, "Oh, yes, it is domestic. However, it's not raised on feed. We've had a longstanding cooperation with our supplier, whose fish quality is absolutely no problem."

The lobby manager was also exasperated. These domestically raised fish were cheaper and when customers ordered fish, they usually got this kind. He'd never heard complaints about their taste. Did this foreigner have such a discerning palate that he could tell the difference with just one bite?

So, he quickly summoned a server to remake the dish. Before long, a new fish soup arrived, with several bright green scallion slices floating in the milky-white broth.

"Ah, this is much better!" Mr. Seibel didn't even try the fish this time; he took a sip of the soup and nodded in satisfaction, pointing at the fish soup, "This time, I taste a hint of nature and freedom, which is very important for the fish. If I am not mistaken, this must be a wild fish, right?"

"Yes, Mr. Seibel!" The lobby manager tried hard to keep up, wondering what this 'freedom' was about. He swallowed, flashed a thumbs-up, and said, "This is from the largest reservoir in Yangchuan City, the Huating Reservoir, which is very large and connected to the Yangtze River. It's practically a wild environment, and the water quality of the reservoir is extremely good, so the fish raised there are especially delicious."

After speaking, he added in his mind that it was also quite expensive—in comparison, the price of the same fish from the reservoir was 20% higher than the artificially raised fish from before.

"If I were to give a score, I would give the first fish I tasted 60 points, but for this fish, I can give 80 points," Mr. Seibel nodded, wiping his mouth with a napkin, looking ready to stand up and leave.

The host had come with a 'mission' and seeing Mr. Seibel about to leave, she hastily thought of a way to steer the conversation towards what Nangong Yan had instructed, but before she could speak, the manager of Yuleyu Restaurant took the initiative to ask, "Mr. Seibel, why only 80 points? You said this fish is very good and even lively and free. It should score at least 90 points, right? Could it be that our chef didn't do a good job?"

"Oh, no, no, it's not to do with you, but rather a certain insistence of mine, this old fellow," Mr. Seibel said with a chuckle, shaking his head, "I believe that only the finest ingredients deserve a score of 90 or above. Such ingredients, when tasted, give an extraordinary sensation. Of course, such superb ingredients are almost impossible to come by, hence, this isn't your problem."

"But the fish from Huating Reservoir are already the best in Yangchuan City. I think there might not be any better in the entire country. Your standard seems too mysterious," the lobby manager muttered, thinking to himself that now 'extraordinary' had been brought up, why didn't the old foreigner just say that eating it would grant immortality?

A server whispered a reminder, "Manager, didn't the zoo send over a hundred pounds of fish last time?"

"The zoo's fish are also lake-raised. People even row boats on the lake, so the taste of the fish is likely not even as good as the domestic ones," the lobby manager whispered back with a frown.

"Just try it, maybe it will meet the foreigner's taste," the server suggested.

After thinking it over, the lobby manager pulled the host aside to discuss, "We have another batch of fish here, but I have no confidence in it. If the foreigner doesn't like it, our reputation will be ruined."

The host, fully aware of the situation, understandingly replied, "No problem, we're not live broadcasting. Just prepare those fish, and if Mr. Seibel finds them unsatisfactory, we'll cut that segment before airing."