CHAPTER 583: CHAPTER 582: THE MEMORY OF FOOD

"Is that... a pancake wrap?"

The audience was stunned.

In the close-up shot, the pancake on Luo Ying’s plate was exceedingly delicate. Not to mention the vegetables and fruit inside, just the outermost layer of egg pancakes, which sparkled gold as if sprinkled with golden dye, glittering in everyone’s view.

The color was so magnificent that it made it hard to breathe.

"Green beans, what about the green bean flour from before, how come it’s only gold now!" the audience exclaimed dramatically.

The judges tasted Luo Ying’s pancakes first, one for each person.

After lifting the pancake from the paper, the warmth could still be felt through the palm of the hand.

No need to sniff, when they picked up the pancake, the vegetarian symphony of egg, grain, and vegetables vividly played out in the judges’ minds.

It was like deeply inhaling the scent of a bouquet given by a lover in the morning, refreshing and delightful. The faces of the five judges simultaneously revealed a hint of satisfaction.

Snap!

They bit into it eagerly.

As the egg coating broke and they reached the vegetable layer, snap, the crispness surged into their mouths. When their teeth crushed the inner layer of fruit and Luo Family’s sweet and spicy sauces spread over their tongues, the multicolored flavors brought happiness to the judges.

But suddenly, something unexpected happened.

The originally color-dappled view turned suddenly gloomy.

A high and mighty emperor sat silently on his throne.

In the Imperial Crown’s curtain of pearls and bath of jade, one could vaguely see a pair of majestic eyes filled with slight outrage at being violated.

"Boom—"

It was as if a black curtain was drawn across their view, and even the "Golden Wheat" could not resist the engulfment. The light completely disappeared from their sight.

The judges all looked down.

Andrea bit her lip, her expression complex as she said, "As expected..."

"Sigh."

A sigh.

Chief Judge Kogawa Shinyiro stared at the small bite of pancake wrap in his hand. "It truly is an innovative creation, a culmination of effort. And, not to mention anything else, just in terms of ingredients, this is probably the most exquisite and luxurious pancake I’ve ever tasted!"

No one doubted this comment.

The pancake made with "Golden Wheat" as the main ingredient was indeed exquisite, its appearance was far beyond the scope of traditional folk snacks, and it wouldn’t be questioned even at a high-end banquet.

"This texture, it’s very much like fried dough fritters..."

Luther spoke curiously and pulled a beautifully golden fried thin slice from the pancake wrap.

Crunch.

He bit down, and the fried thin slice broke crisply. Luther chewed and slightly relaxed his eyebrows, "What is this? The ingredient is ’Golden Wheat’ too, but what a pity!"

A pity?

Luo Ying’s smile had already stiffened, not as mild as when she first served the dish.

She composed herself slightly and said, "That’s ’guobie’, a thin crisp fried from the dough made from ’Golden Wheat’ flour."

"Guobie is dough, and besides, Jinmen pancake wraps also have another common way of eating them, by directly putting in ’you tiao’, which is commonly known as fried dough..."

The judges looked at each other.

Seemingly out of respect for the chef’s dignity, they lowered their heads and took a few more bites, then immediately put the remaining piece of pancake back onto the plate, losing all interest.

The audience, having already noticed the judges’ abnormal behavior, whispered among themselves.

Logically, the chefs competing in the finale should boast exceptional culinary skills. Coupled with "Golden Wheat" and other high-quality ingredients, this transcendentally traditional Jinmen pancake wrap should have delighted the judges and received high praise.

But aside from their initial impressed expressions, it’s like their hearts had locked up, their words and expressions revealing no fluctuations.

"This is bad!"

On the sidelines, Li Quan covered his face and sighed deeply.

Li Han, who had been playing a game, looked up upon hearing the audience’s comments and roughly understood the situation.

"Actually, we should have postponed at least half a day before holding the second round of the competition, but since international events have strict regulations, there is only a 30-minute break between each round..."

He shrugged his shoulders, "The last round’s dishes left such a deep impression on the judges that even Lin-level judges would find it hard to dispel the culinary memories from their taste buds and minds in such a short time."

Li Quan, who had also tasted ’Xia’s Seven Kingdoms United Fried Noodles’ before, felt the same way.

"Definitely! We should have delayed it at least half a day!"

Li Quan said helplessly.

In the team, the female Lin Giant, Lan Chuhai, suddenly said, "So, the focus of the second round and the third round isn’t on the dish itself, but on... how to conquer the ’value’ of ’Xia’s Seven Kingdoms United Fried Noodles’ resonating in the judges’ hearts?"

The Lin Giant pinpointed the key issue in an instant.

Everyone looked at each other, feeling both absurd and amused, that the first phase of the international competition finals had taken such a twist.

But at the same time, another question occupied their minds:

Who could conquer that unique ’value’ and completely erase the culinary memories left by the young chef in the previous round?

"Difficult, difficult, difficult!"

Another male Lin Giant from the White Jade Building Team lamented, "Luo Ying has already failed. Her ’Golden Pancake’, even with the addition of dreamy ingredients, couldn’t destabilize that ’value’."

"Don’t talk about the second or third rounds, I’m afraid the entire finals will focus on not being able to break that ’value’!"

The Lin Giant asserted.

The White Jade Building Team spotted the clue, and other competing teams also started discussing.

"This guy is almost like a Great Demon King, single-handedly affecting the pace of the finals; whoever can overcome his shadowy influence will be able to impress the judges and get a good review!" Aoki Motota, rubbing his bald head, Reiko Liangzi and Shinohara Shigetaro nearby looked at each other upon hearing this.

Luo Ying withdrew unwillingly.

"It’s my turn now—"

Dojima Yin confidently presented his dish, "Please enjoy!"

Arranged one by one in front of the judges were five large dark-colored pancakes; each pancake filled the entire plate, the surface covered with dark brown minced meat and bits of green basil and rosemary spices, adding a touch of green.

Unlike traditional Chinese snacks, Dojima Yin’s ’pancake’ was full of exotic charm.

"Is this pizza?"

"Don’t be silly, it looks like a Turkish pancake to me!"

"I think it’s a Mexican tortilla!"

A commotion ensued.

The topic ’pancake’ was actually quite broad, and globally one could find countless snacks with local flavors, such as American pancakes paired with butter and syrup. Among them, ’maple syrup’ is a specialty of North America and Canada, made from the sap of maple trees, and full of flavor.

Moreover, there were French crêpes, Indian flying bread, and many more that any foodie with some culinary background could name off the top of their head.

On Dojima Yin’s ’pancake,’ each foodie saw the shadow of what they longed for.

Those who loved pizza saw a pizza.

Those who craved Turkish baked pancakes saw exactly that in their eyes.

"Ha!"

Backstage, Xia Yu examined the ’pancakes’ on the screen and gave Dojima Yin a thumbs up.

Dojima Yin was truly clever.

This ’clever’ obviously referred to craftsmanship.

Don’t forget, Dojima Yin possessed a culinary heart called ’Pure White,’ which acted like a mirror; whatever the taster wanted to experience, that’s what they would taste.

And now, he was applying the ’Pure White’ concept even to the dish itself.

His ’pancake,’ resembling pizza and yet akin to naan bread, had the five judges not rushing to eat but looking on in surprise.

"Is there something inside?"

Using a dinner knife, Andrea prodded curiously.

"What kind of meat is on top?"

Sniffing the minced meat and spices on the surface, the judges’ faces finally showed a hint of relaxation.