CHAPTER 331: CHAPTER 331: I’M MAKING PANCAKES ABROAD!

On the China Internet, "Chinese Restaurant" released a teaser trailer announcing the regular guest lineup: Huang Xiaoming, Zhao Liying, Yeang Zi, Wang Junkai, and Jiang Feng.

When netizens saw the content, they doubted their eyes. It wasn’t until they saw the people on the poster and confirmed Jiang Feng was a regular guest that the excitement and discussion sparked immediately.

"Boss Jiang has made it! He’s hitting the variety show scene!"

"Goodness, ’Chinese Restaurant’ really suits Boss Jiang’s style, looking forward to it!"

"When does it start airing?"

"I want to ask where it’s being filmed, can I go there?"

"Seems there are leaked photos, but the program team’s confidentiality is tight!"

"Where are my internet spies? Go check out where Boss Jiang’s setting up shop now!"

The comment section was buzzing with activity.

Meanwhile, the program team was also working overtime on post-production editing, piecing together usable clips first, then adding some post-production subtitles and special effects. Sometimes the program team’s special effects are quite interesting.

「The next day.」

The sun shone down on Sicily Island, and the waves surged powerfully. Everyone got up early to head to the market to buy groceries. According to the rules of the program, after a hard day’s work yesterday, they earned a hundred euros in subsidies for some shopping, but shopping for supplies wasn’t without its issues.

Jiang Feng, being the main chef in charge of cooking, naturally hoped to buy more and better ingredients, but there just wasn’t enough money. Huang Xiaoming also looked somewhat troubled. With no money, there was nothing they could do. In real life, he never had to worry about money, but in the show, there was only so much money, and every penny had to be stretched as far as possible. Sometimes they even had to haggle with the market owners. The early stages of entrepreneurship were indeed tough.

For now, everyone decided to prioritize Jiang Feng’s ideas. Although this season’s team had known each other for less than two days, they were clearly meshing well. Moreover, Jiang Feng was different from other talented chefs. He had started from small street food, so even with ordinary ingredients, he could make delicious dishes and didn’t necessarily need top-notch ingredients. So he was very economical.

Along the way, there were disagreements and laughter. Jiang Feng took charge of selecting ingredients while consulting with Huang Xiaoming and Zhao Liying about finances; the three of them calculated expenses seriously. Yeang Zi and Wang Junkai were responsible for keeping the atmosphere lively, both quite joyful and often making surprising remarks. For instance, after visiting a few vegetable and seafood markets, Wang Junkai commented, "Don’t you think this place resembles Qingdao?"

Hearing his words, Yeang Zi laughed and nodded in agreement, expressing her approval. Both being coastal cities, there indeed was a resemblance. However, the budget for groceries was indeed small, hardly enough to buy much.

Jiang Feng started to rack his brains again. For stars, making money on the streets might be challenging, but for Jiang Feng, it was all too easy.

"I have an idea," Jiang Feng said. "I’ve checked our kitchen supplies. I can go out in the morning and set up a stall to make Chinese crepes and stuffed pancakes. I could even make roasted cold noodles. Just one morning, and I should be able to make quite a bit. If we do this every morning, we’ll have our money for ingredients, right?" Jiang Feng finished.

At his words, the others’ eyes lit up a bit. These past couple of days, worrying over money had really caused them a headache. Trading things here and there, using their connections, it was all quite tiring. But the program team was merciless, not providing any startup capital. They wanted to truly experience the difficulties of starting a business. However, running a small stall was something Jiang Feng was very familiar with.

"No problem, I agree! This is great; it perfectly solves our funding issue," exclaimed Huang Xiaoming. "When you’re not managing the household, you don’t realize how expensive daily necessities are. Money is spent too quickly; we need to find a way to make money fast."

"Won’t it be too tough for Jiang Feng, both running the stall and working in the kitchen?" Zhao Liying looked at Jiang Feng with concern.

"It’s fine, I’m used to it. Our Chinese Restaurant is situated in a prime location; I’ve seen a large number of patrons coming by our door," Jiang Feng replied with a smile. "We can just open a breakfast window there and sell Chinese crepes. The business will definitely be good."

This was a program about food and daily life, so a few kitchenware brands sponsored them, providing all sorts of kitchen equipment, including electric griddles.

"I’ll help with the prep work," volunteered Yeang Zi.

With the plan decided, everyone promptly started heading back to the restaurant with bags big and small of groceries. Back at the restaurant, some set up tables, others connected power strips, and the electric griddle was also set up. Jiang Feng went to fry crispy crackers, prepared batter, toppings, and other things. They were all busily engaged in their tasks.

Because of the Chinese Restaurant’s good location, there was a constant flow of passers-by. Many locals knew that they were filming a program and running a restaurant there, which quickly sparked their curiosity. Everything was ready. Jiang Feng stood at the stall, prepared for customers, while the others chatted with people around, attracting patrons.

"Welcome everyone to taste Chinese crepes, incredibly delicious."

"This is a specialty food from China, not available anywhere else."

They could also speak foreign languages, and if not, it was no problem—the program’s interpreters would help with translations. Being entertainers skilled in communication, soon enough, customers were drawn to the stall, which was right at the entrance of the Chinese Restaurant.

"We would like two Chinese crepes, thank you." Two foreigners approached the stall and placed their order. At the same time, their gaze was fixed on Jiang Feng. They were curious, as China’s cuisine had always been famous around the world, and "Chinese Restaurant" would often appear in films. The country’s culinary culture is both broad and profound. Bearing witness to it in person was something remarkable.

"Alright, just a moment." Jiang Feng let out a confident smile. All of this was far too familiar to him, so familiar it could not be more so. With practiced ease, he scooped a ladle of batter, used a spreader to create circles, and quickly, the batter was spread out into a perfect circular pattern, setting rapidly under the high temperature. Jiang Feng felt this scene could be a novel itself, called "Reborn: I Make Chinese Crepes Abroad".

Next, Jiang Feng cracked an egg onto it, using a brush to spread and even it out. Then came the familiar steps: sprinkling sesame seeds, flipping it over, brushing on the sauce, scattering green onions, topping with pickled vegetables, lettuce, a slice of grilled bacon, and half a grilled frankfurter. He lifted it with a spatula, folding it into a neat square, and halved it from the middle. One Chinese crepe was ready. He had just purchased disposable paper bags, perfect for holding the crepes. Jiang Feng handed the crepe to the customers, and the two foreigners were dumbstruck.

All of it was too magical. Food could actually be made this way. Incredible! In other countries, it’s just two slices of bread with meat and lettuce inside, then various sauces are squeezed on top. Very simple. But this spreading of batter, brushing the egg evenly, flipping, brushing on sauce, and adding toppings appeared to be a high-end operation in their eyes.

"This is absolutely amazing!" the foreigners exclaimed in admiration.

It was a middle-aged couple: the man bald and somewhat overweight but seemed kind, while the woman was thinner, wearing a duckbill cap. The man, enticed by the smell of the crepe, wanted a bite but realized it was hot. He waited a bit for it to cool and then tasted his first bite of the Chinese crepe. With the bite, he tasted the crepe and the crispy cracker within. The texture was very crunchy. The sauce was incredibly aromatic, and there were other indescribable, wonderful flavors. The crepe itself was soft, mostly due to the egg.

This foreign man, trying such a delicacy for the first time, exclaimed in astonishment repeatedly, "My God! It’s so delicious! What is this delightful taste! Can it really be made this simply and taste this good? It’s truly unbelievable!"

His expressions were quite exaggerated, but that seemed normal, as foreigners often express their amazement in such a way. While he savored the crepe, Jiang Feng had already finished making the second one.

One Chinese crepe for 8 euros. That’s about 62 yuan in Chinese currency. One crepe for 62 yuan wasn’t really overcharging. That’s just the price here. The average level is like this; it’s considered cheap. After all, there was no service charge.

The woman quickly had her share of the Chinese crepe as well. She, too, discovered its deliciousness. For such a snack to be widely recognized in China, it was a testament to its tastiness.

"My God!" The woman hadn’t expected the Chinese crepe to be so scrumptious. It felt more delicious than any food she had ever eaten. What had she been eating before!

Several other foreigners gathered around, intrigued by the process of making the Chinese crepes. Huang Xiaoming, being quite sociable, introduced the culture of Chinese crepes to the foreigners.

"This is a common breakfast in China. Many people are in a hurry in the morning, so they choose to grab a Chinese crepe for breakfast," Huang Xiaoming explained.

"Is it like McDonald’s?" one foreigner asked.

"Not quite," Huang Xiaoming thought for a moment and said. "It’s more like a kind of snack, a street stall. We also have many specialized breakfast shops with a wider variety of breakfast options."

The production crew was filming nearby, capturing every shot. The director was also not far away. He looked very happy. These were excellent materials. It was much more televisual than mundane chitchat in a shop. With some added text and the shocked expressions of the foreigners in post-production, the viewing ratings were sure to soar. In light of this, his decision to hire Jiang Feng was indeed very astute.

Soon, more and more foreigners arrived, one after another. Eight euros, then another eight euros. Subtracting the cost, Jiang Feng also made quite a sum. He could finally buy some better ingredients. After serving more than a dozen people, others continued to come non-stop. It was nine in the morning, and many had skipped breakfast. Seeing this, they all wanted to try China’s breakfast.

Who would have thought that the opening of the Chinese Restaurant would start with Chinese crepes? It was unexpected, but it all made perfect sense.