Chapter 44: Result Of The First Round

The competition in the kitchen was still ongoing, but by this point, everyone's thoughts had shifted from when they first entered the kitchen. When they had first arrived, no one believed George could outshine the chefs here in terms of culinary skills. Even Calista, who supported George, had her doubts about his ability to win. However, after witnessing George's extraordinary knife skills, the spectators' initial confidence began to waver. While they might not have had Chef Liu's keen eye for detail, they could tell that George's knife work was far beyond what one would expect from someone without formal culinary training. Could it be that his culinary skills were truly remarkable, enough to challenge Chef Liu's expertise? Such doubts began to grow in many minds. However, Elijah and Manager Terry still had great confidence in Chef Liu. Firstly, they were not culinary experts. While they acknowledged George's impressive knife skills, they also believed Chef Liu's knife skills were on par. Moreover, the taste of the food isn't determined solely by knife skills. Secondly, Chef Liu had been working as a chef here for some time, and the guests who had tasted his dishes consistently praised them. Chef Liu's skills were reliable, and while George’s knife skills might be impressive, his overall cooking could not surpass Chef Liu's. For the third dish, both Chef Liu and George decided to prepare a simple vegetable and radish soup. Although this kind of soup might not stand out when made by an ordinary cook, someone of Chef Liu's caliber would naturally make it exceptional. This dish was also a favorite among many guests—light yet flavorful. With all three dishes now prepared, the kitchen was filled with the enticing aroma of top-quality cuisine, causing the onlookers to swallow their saliva instinctively. "Since everything is cooked, let's choose some guests to serve as judges," Manager Terry suggested. This had been agreed upon from the start, and George had no objections. The difference was that Chef Liu didn't stay in the kitchen but, like the others, stepped out to see if the food he had prepared could win against George's. Previously, Chef Liu wouldn't have taken a random challenger seriously. However, after seeing George's knife skills, his confidence had waned. Although it was past mealtime, the restaurant still had several guests. Manager Terry proposed that George select the guests to serve as judges, and George agreed without hesitation. He scanned the dining area and pointed to a table, saying, "Let's have them judge." "Alright," Manager Terry nodded and called over a waitress. "Take these two portions of braised pork to that table and tell them they've been selected for today's special event. They'll receive two free portions of braised pork and will need to taste both to decide which one is better." "Understood, Manager Terry," the waitress responded, carrying the two plates of braised pork over to the table George had selected. "George, when you lose, you should apologize publicly to Manager Terry and Chef Liu right here. Don't worry, I'll record it on my phone," Elijah said. "Mr. Elijah, how do you know I'll definitely lose?" George responded nonchalantly. "I'd also like to remind you to have that $1,500 ready. If it's delayed, I'll be charging $100 in interest." "Ridiculous. You think you can beat Chef Liu?" Elijah scoffed. "Why not?" "I'm eager to see how long you'll keep up this stubbornness!" Elijah retorted. Soon, the waitress returned with the guests' evaluations. "How did it go? Did the guests say the braised pork in the red bowl was better, or the one in the white bowl?" Manager Terry asked. Despite Chef Liu's contentious nature and their frequent clashes, Manager Terry had great trust in his culinary skills. This trust was why Terry felt no need to manipulate the competition, so he genuinely didn't know the outcome of the first round. The others also turned to the waitress, eagerly awaiting her response. Unaware of the competition's context, the waitress reported honestly, "The guests said the braised pork in the red bowl tasted better." Red? Everyone, except George, was stunned. The braised pork in the red bowl, prepared by George, had won the first round. "Red? Are you sure you didn't mishear?" Manager Terry asked, unwilling to accept the result. "I'm sure. The guests said the braised pork in the red bowl was better. The white bowl's pork was also good, but just slightly inferior to the red bowl's," the waitress explained, feeling a bit nervous as the crowd's expressions were strange and Manager Terry seemed anxious. She conveyed the guests' words accurately. "There were four guests at that table. How many of them chose the red bowl?" Elijah quickly interjected, sensing the situation. "If only one or two guests chose the red bowl, the result is invalid." After speaking, Elijah attempted to signal the waitress, but Calista, knowing Elijah well, stepped forward to block his signals from reaching her. "All four guests chose the red bowl. They all thought the dish in the red bowl was better," the waitress said, unaware of Elijah's attempt to influence her. There was no more suspense. George had decisively won the first round. Manager Terry's face darkened, and he felt a pang of regret. He hadn't anticipated that Chef Liu would lose to this young man. Had he known this, he might have discreetly instructed the waitress to claim that the guests preferred the braised pork in the white bowl. But now it was too late; no amount of regret would change the outcome. "However, there are still two rounds left. George definitely won't win them!" Manager Terry thought. He was ready to use unconventional means to ensure George's defeat. "I should never have trusted Liu so much. Turns out, besides being confrontational, he has no real skills and can't even beat a young man," Manager Terry muttered to himself. Manager Terry and Chef Liu had never had a good relationship. If it weren't for wanting to embarrass George, Manager Terry wouldn't have humbled himself before Chef Liu. Now, Chef Liu couldn't even win against George, which only deepened Manager Terry's disdain for him.