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Cooking Saint Poll

With elections being in vogue, the latest one being in US and the less recent one in Malaysia which resulted in this partial lockdown, Gumihou had decided to get onto the game too!

Safely.

Behind a screen.

Haha…

 

Note: I’ve taken creative liberties with the editing and added details where I think would better the imagery and contribute to the flow of the story.

And yes, the indentation comes with the original translation.

 

Let me Poll right away! I know what I want.

 

Original Translation

Editing

  Because this was the Ninth Heaven, under the suppression of the Great Way and containing thin Spirit Qi, it was difficult for Cultivators on this plane to break through the Elixir Formation Rank. Most that Cultivated to Elixir Formation Rank – Great Perfection were forced to stop there for life (tl note: In Cultivation, ‘Great Perfection’ is the most complete state of a given Realm, that isn’t yet a ‘Half-Step’ into the next Realm). The same was true for rare medicine in this world, with the most advanced rank generally being Yellow Grade High Tier. Arcane Tier medicinal materials were absolutely priceless here, and they would cause competition among the Great Families whenever they appeared. This plane of existence she was currently living in now was called the Ninth Heaven. Under the suppression of the Great Way, the Spirit Qi of this world was very thin. Which was why it was difficult for cultivators of this plane to breakthrough and raise their ranks. Most Cultivators would hit a block once they reach the High Rank – Great Perfection stage, unable to advance their cultivation anymore. The same was true for rare plants and medicines in this world. Medicinal materials with the highest grade usually hit a glass ceiling at Yellow Grade – High Tier. Arcane Grade medicinal materials are considered priceless. Great Clan Families would rouse themselves and fight to own such treasures.

 

  Shi Yu saw that the person selling the invitation letter was a middle-aged man, well, a sloppy middle-aged man. There were red capillaries showing in his eyes, and his clothes were incredibly dirty. Who knew how long it had been since they were washed.

“Seller, your invitation letter is too expensive.” Someone next to him said.

“Don’t buy it if you can’t afford it.” The man looked impatient.

Shi Yu studied the man selling the invitation letter. He was middle-aged, sloppily dressed and incredibly dirty. There were red capillaries in the whites of his eyes and his clothes looked like they had not been washed for a long time.

“Boss, surely you know your invitation is too expensive, right?” someone said, voicing out the opinion of everyone.

“Can’t afford, don’t buy.” the man was incredibly terse.

        “But currently there is no effect after I eat them. If I refine them into Pill Medicine, my foundation will be made unstable (tl note: one’s Cultivation foundation can be destabilized by too much reliance on external help like Pills). I think it’s better for me to lay a solid foundation. (tl note: a stable foundation makes breaking through to higher Realms easier)” “But I won’t gain anything even if I eat them. If I refine them into Pill Medicines and take them that way, it would only destabilize my foundation. I think it’s better for me to just slowly build up my foundation instead of relying on these things.”

 

  Jewelry was definitely something that no woman could resist. After Shi Yu came out of the jewelry store, she was suddenly shocked to find that her wealth had dwindled to half of what it began as. But seeing the heap of jewelry piled in her space ring, she only felt an odd satisfaction.

 

What woman could resist the siren calls of jewelry? Rings, necklaces, bangles, bracelets, hairpins, and combs in all kinds of colours and precious materials. Shi Yu went a little crazy buying up this and that bit of sparkly that caught her eye. By the time she left the last jewelry store, she was shocked to find that her fortune had dwindled down a good percentage. However, when she thought of the jewelry piled up inside her space ring, an oddly satisfying feeling welled up inside her.
The middle-aged man didn’t expect that she would really take out a jade box. He faltered and then opened it, and a chill was released. This rich medicinal fragrance was indeed that of an Ice Lingzhi. Looking at the bands above, there were a full five rings. The middle-aged man never expected her to push a jade box at him. He faltered for a moment, but then mastered himself and opened the box. Chilled air rushed out of the opening, bringing with it the rich medicinal fragrance that was unmistakably that of an Ice Lingzhi. He then glanced over the top of the ganoderma and counted the banded pattern. There were five rings.
  On this day, Shi Yu was wearing a pink full-chested skirt, with a white silken attire overtop, and a porcelain pendant hanging to her breasts. The satiny pink long skirt on her lower body was embroidered with a dark pattern, with the embroidered pattern only visible in the swing of the skirt.

Her body was not very old, so she didn’t overdo it. Her hair only had the simplest cloud-trailing updo (tl note: done up with hair cascading down the back), and a light pink hibiscus peony was pinned to one side of the updo. Judging this outfit by its appearance, it didn’t quite count as being able to conquer nations and cities (tl note: through beauty), but it succeeded at being elegant and vivacious.

 

For the banquet, Shi Yu had chosen a pink Upper Chest Ru Qun [1], with a thin white cotton muslin top. A mutton fat jade tucked discreetly into the lapel of her clothes. Her long pink skirt looked fresh and pretty, fitting for a young girl. Between the pleats of her skirt were embroidery done in dark threads that could only be seen at the swing of her skirts, giving a more edgy and mysterious impression to her fresh young look.

Her current body was very young, so it was better to keep everything simple. Her hair was done up in the simplest trailing cloud bun [2]. She had chosen a hairpin decorated with a light pink peony made from rose quartz. With this kind of make-up, though her beauty was not the level that could conquer nations or devastate cities, it could be described as elegant and lively.

 

Shi Yu cut off a small piece with a dining knife, noticing that the inside of the meat was actually a golden brown color. The meat possessed a bright clarity, and it flowed down her throat without even needing her to chew. It really melted in her mouth.

What kind of animal’s meat is this?

 

There was a serving knife next to the plate, so Shi Yu used it to cut a small slice off the block, and saw that the inside was actually a brilliant golden color. When she picked it up to look at against the light, it was as though she was looking at a limpid crystal. A trembling limpid crystal. Unable to resist it anymore, she popped it into her mouth and it instantly melted against the heat of her tongue. There was no need for her to chew the meat at all.

Just what kind of meat is this?

  Upon the thought that the little girl was dressed plainly and had an ordinary face, the waiter didn’t bother puzzling over it. Once the stuff was packed up, he was going to go back to eat at noon. As for the leftovers, he would never tell the cooks in the back.

 

However, when he thought of the girl’s plain face and ordinary clothes, the waiter did not bother to puzzle over the matter anymore. Instead, he packed up the leftovers, keeping it for his lunch. He had no intention of telling the cooks back in the kitchen about this unusual amount of leftovers either.
  Seeing the waiter’s bewildered look, Shiyu suddenly had the thought that all of her emotions these past days had been performed for a blind man (tl note: the waiter didn’t have a clue what was going on and didn’t catch any hints from her behavior), and she laughed. Shiyu looked up at the waiter’s suspicious face and thought back to her behaviour these past few days. Had she been wasting her time and money on the blind? Amused, she broke out into laughter.

 

  ”I just took a single bite because it wasn’t delicious.” “I only took one bite because it’s no good, that’s all.”
  An apprentice near him was immediately dissatisfied, and shouted: “Don’t you see that we’re busy? You actually had to inquire about this small matter, just throw her out! She doesn’t feel that it’s delicious, so let her go and find something more delicious!”

 

A nearby apprentice cook was immediately upset, he shouted, “Did you not see how busy we are? Must you come and disturb us over such minor things? Throw her out. If she thinks our food is bad, she can go and find something better!”

 

Although the tastes were different, there were certain similarities. For example, the culinary means were simmering for both, and the seasoning was the same, but the second iteration contained more sauce in order to increase the savoriness. But also due to this, the umami had nowhere to hide, so she could taste the individual ingredients of the dish…

 

She could tell that though the flavours ended up being different, it has a lot of similarities. Both were made using the double boil method. The seasonings used were the same. However, this version has more of this secret sauce applied to it than the original version. The additional sauce gave it more of a savoury mouthfeel, making it closer to junk food than real fine dining cuisine. Though fine cuisine often looked fancy, the key difference is in the food preparation. Application of thick sauces and seasoning is more restraint in fine cuisine so that guests could taste the individual components of a complex dish and enjoy the experience as a whole…

 

Poll here!

Please leave some comments and let Gumihou know your thoughts. Gumihou may be an introvert, but the lockdown and subsequent partial lockdown since March 2020 has left even a cheerful introvert kind of lonely…

Let Gumihou know what you think ~

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