Mana's Admirable Visit to the Pub

Black.

Short hair.

Those eyes, like stars in the night sky, are deep and mysterious!

Upon closer inspection, that exquisite face seemed like a gift from heaven, radiating a healthy glow under the faint light.

The impression he gave off was one that brought joy to those who saw it.

No matter where he went, people were attracted by his handsome and gentle demeanor.

Mana, after sizing up Zane, squinted her eyes slightly, her gaze gradually turning cold. The imposing aura unique to top-tier individuals surged towards Zane like a fierce tiger!

Zane's expression changed, and he met Mana's gaze without flinching, his own aura equally imposing. At this moment, both parties inadvertently entered a stalemate.

For a moment, the atmosphere in the pub became eerie.

"Wow?"

"You can actually withstand this kind of pressure?"

Surprise flickered in Mana's eyes.

As the only Chief Executive of the WGO Gourmet Organization, possessing the talent of the God Tongue... ahem, lady.

Her inherent aura usually instilled fear and awe in many people.

However, Zane remained calm and composed in the face of this aura.

"Well done."

"As a chef."

"If you are fearful because of the customer's identity or status, it will be hard to achieve great things."

"No wonder your cooking has earned Anne's approval!"

Finally, Mana, who had actively restrained her aura, appeared quite satisfied.

With Anne's assistance, she quickly found a chair and sat down.

From her manner, even though the pub had closed, she seemed keen on staying for a while.

"You are called... Zane?"

Seeing Mana, who had just sat down, the first thing she did was to ask for his name, and Zane nodded.

"That family, huh."

"That's a prestigious name from China."

Recalling her travels around the world, Mana seemed to remember some past events.

Therefore, she shook the folding fan in her hand and chuckled, "The culinary environment in China is actually better than Japan. With a civilization history of several thousand years, the cuisine is profound!"

"Unfortunately, there are not many Chinese restaurants rated by the WGO as star-level establishments nowadays."

"I remember reaching three-star restaurants categorized under Chinese cuisine only... only..."

"Madam Mana."

"Only 2 have met these standards."

Anne interjected from the side.

"Yes."

"Just 2!"

Mana continued, unabashedly, "The quantity of these in the world's culinary scene is probably the lowest."

"China is a land rich in delicacies. Many intelligent chefs play around with various dishes. Still, those who excel in the culinary world are few."

"I believe that while some foreigners may not grasp the essence of Chinese cuisine, the overall environment there overly emphasizes profit and the commercial value behind cooking."

"I have visited China."

"And I have seen many excellent chefs there."

"Their talents are good, but they are solely focused on expanding and strengthening their restaurants."

"Even if it means cheating and deceiving, they never consider promoting Chinese cuisine globally."

"In them, I do not see this sense of mission or responsibility!"

"So."

"What do you think?"

"Have you chosen to operate a pub in Japan due to disappointment with the culinary scene in China?"

With that, Mana stared intently at Zane, who was still busily arranging bills.

...

"Great."

"Today's business at the pub has exceeded my expectations!"

After finishing the bills, Zane's face displayed a faint smile, as if he hadn't taken Mana's words to heart.

But eventually, he chose to respond to Mana's question.

"Chinese cuisine."

"It emphasizes practicality and lacks conceptual elements."

"Also known as culinary culture, which can make international status awkward."

"In many people's minds, Western cuisine is considered more upscale than Chinese, but Chinese cuisine does have culinary culture; it just simplified over the course of history."

"After enduring times of war and hunger, the populace was mainly concerned with filling their stomachs."

"And in terms of standards, I believe even you must acknowledge..."

"Sometimes, the crafting technique behind a Chinese dish can be exquisite."

"The handling details of certain ingredients require special methods, and ingredients' quality is also rigorously selected."

"A pot of century-old soup."

"An aged piece of ham."

"Behind these items, who knows how many stories and the efforts of generations of chefs are involved!"

"Therefore, Chinese cuisine has never lacked innovation."

"But you are trying to attribute issues to human greed, which I think is a bias against all Chinese chefs."

"In my eyes."

"The taste and texture of a dish."

"Are subjective to each individual's perspective!"

 "So when will the WGO Gourmet Organization have many executives who are from China, then we can discuss why Chinese restaurants have the fewest three-star ratings!"

Upon hearing this, Mana's eyes flickered with cold light.

She couldn't believe that this young chef, who looked around 20 years old, would have such sharp thoughts.

Indeed, the reason why Chinese cuisine has so little international influence is not just because all the WGO Gourmet Organization executives are foreigners, not even one is from China.

This inevitably means that in the evaluation of restaurant standards, all the executives have biases, so we can't expect them to give a relatively fair assessment.

Just think, if it were Chinese chefs making the rules. Probably many Western dishes wouldn't meet their standards.

Sigh!

It's really frightening.

This chef's name is Zane.

He might be even more extraordinary than what Annie described!

"I can't deny it."

"The WGO Gourmet Organization's restaurant assessments involve a lot of subjectivity from the executives."

"But there is one fact, which is that the standard and ability of all the executives are among the best in the industry."

"So, I believe that most of the restaurants that receive star ratings are well-deserving."

"For example, in Japan, there's a sushi chef who has continuously received three stars for 12 years. He often massages octopus with his hands for 40 minutes to bring out its peak texture."

After some thought, Mana looked up and said to Zane with a faint tone.

"And then?"

"I remember he seemed to be distressed by always making repetitive dishes, completely losing his innovative abilities."

"At the same time, deep down, he was extremely eager to make simple food like fried chicken and eventually voluntarily chose to resign from the stars, right?"

"What?"

"Resign... resign from the stars?"

Upon hearing this, Mana was stunned for a moment, thinking that Zane was playing a big joke on her.

"Yes, Madam Mana."

"He did indeed submit a voluntary resignation request to the WGO this year."

Annie stepped forward and explained.

Mana: ?????