The caras had long since focused on that dessert; just looking at it projected on the big screen felt srizingly vibrant. Seeing it up close, it’s hard not to be dazzled!
But...
"Did he just say he was going to eat it?"
"What a waste! How could he bear to eat such a beautiful flower?"
"Just how bold must one be to destroy such a gorgeous dessert?"
Chen Guomin didn’t care about the thoughts of the audience below the stage. This Vegetarian Hangover Ice, although incredibly exquisite, was ultimately a dessert, and desserts are ant to be eaten. Not eating it would truly be a waste.
Three spoons appeared simultaneously, aiming directly at the pistil of the Vegetarian Hangover Ice.
The caraman was quite knowledgeable; he quickly ran to the opposite side of the three judges and aid the lens directly at the three spoons. On the big screen, you could see the three spoons growing larger, getting closer and closer to the Ice Crystal Flower.
"No, don’t!"
"Stop, for heaven’s sake!"
"I’m from Shu Road Mountain, stop right now!"
As the Sichuan desserts fans watched those ever-enlarging spoons, they felt as if they were being emotionally scraped.
"Snap..."
This wasn’t the sound of the Vegetarian Hangover Ice shattering; it was the sound of Sichuan dessert fans’ hearts breaking.
Such a dewy flower, just like that, had three scoops taken from it by the judges.
The pistil of the Vegetarian Hangover Ice was ruined, and several petals were broken, but this didn’t diminish its allure; instead, it gave it a tragic beauty.
The three gourt judges didn’t appreciate this Venus de Milo-like piece of art, but instead lifted their spoons to their noses for a sniff. A cool, sweet fragrance wafted straight into their nostrils.
"Oh my? Is that the scent of ginger and orange?"
When Wang Fan was making it, the judges’ table was far enough away that they couldn’t see clearly.
"I can understand putting orange juice and flesh into a dessert, and even candied orange peel. But to use fresh ginger and orange peel directly is quite daring. Wasn’t he afraid these two ingredients would ruin the overall flavor?"
As he pondered this, Chen Guomin had already put the spoon into his mouth.
"Hmm, he’s not afraid..."
The mont the dessert touched his tongue, Chen Guomin had his answer.
"lting in the mouth" could be a figure of speech or a realistic description, and this Vegetarian Hangover Ice was clearly the latter.
The mont the spoonful of pistil entered the mouth, it began to lt rapidly; it lted so quickly that the honey clinging on didn’t even have ti to react.
That refreshing sensation was like snowflakes landing on the tongue - light and wonderful.
The lting Vegetarian Hangover Ice was fine and smooth. The elegant fragrance and cool touch had no graininess at all, like a clear spring flowing in the mouth, soothing the throat and mouth, instantly relieving dryness.
At this mont, the flavors of ginger, orange peel, and orange flesh arrived fashionably late. Small granules soaked in the lted sweet water, prompting a gentle chew.
Originally spicy ginger and bitter orange peel, when enveloped by the sweet water, restrained their sharp edges.
A revelation!
As the teeth applied pressure, the ginger powder and orange peel, in the instant they broke, released the unique refreshing sll of plants, a rich scent rushing straight to the cerebrum. It felt as if soone had opened your skull for ventilation, feeling imnsely refreshing.
The aromas of Jing Rice, ginger, orange peel, honey, and ginger flower intertwined in his mouth. The unique texture made even an experienced industry authority like Chen Guomin shiver with comfort.
It wasn’t so much refreshing as it was a pleasing, comfortable sensation that left one craving more.
The beautiful host waited on the side, holding the microphone, waiting for the judges to start their review and explanation. But after a long wait, she found the three were still sitting with closed eyes, enjoying bite after sweet bite, and the gorgeous Ice Crystal Flower was nearly finished, yet they continued to scoop up the remaining sweet soup.
"You guys are going too far! Standing here is beyond awkward. Don’t just sit there with your eyes closed! Soone, say sothing, anything!"
Though the host scread internally, her face maintained a professional smile. Seeing the three still with no intention of speaking, she quietly inquired, "Teacher Chen, Teacher Chen?"
"Hmm?"
Chen Guomin slightly regained his senses, opening his sowhat dazed eyes, looking questioningly at the host.
"Teacher Chen, you seem utterly enchanted by this dessert. Does it an it perfectly suits your taste?"
"Oh? Uh..."
Chen Guomin finally ca to himself, hurriedly cleared his throat, and said, "Ah... yes, indeed, this Vegetarian Hangover Ice is certainly a dessert I am very fond of."
"Vegetarian Hangover Ice?"
"Are you saying the dessert’s na is ’Vegetarian Hangover Ice’?"
Chen Guomin nodded, "Yes, this dessert is recorded in Song Dynasty Lin Hong’s ’Mountain Ho’s Pure Offerings’. Flowers were commonly used in flavors during the Song Dynasty, and this dessert can be considered one of the highlights of the book."
The host, as if having a sudden revelation, said, "And how do you assess Mr. Wang’s execution of this dessert? Could it et the standards ntioned in the ancient texts?"
Chen Guomin looked at Wang Fan with a slight smile: "To be honest, I often make this dessert myself, but I never imagined it could be crafted to such an exquisite shape. Also, since it’s not in season, he replaced the winter plum with ginger flower, adding even more refreshing scent, creating almost an epiphany with each bite.
For a mont, I felt as if I had crossed the river of ti, conversing and drinking with ancient people."
The host was surprised: "Oh, I seem to hear a tone of admiration in Teacher Chen’s words. Does that an this Vegetarian Hangover Ice will earn a high score from you?"
Chen Guomin did not hide his appreciation and love for this dessert: "Whether in the, creativity, or completion, this dessert is undoubtedly top-notch. If it doesn’t get a perfect score, I believe all the audience will think we are biased."
Li Jiang and Dou Yueming nodded in agreent, evidently siding with Chen Guomin.
"To be honest, I didn’t have much confidence for tomorrow’s contest before, but after seeing this dessert, I suddenly felt filled with confidence."
Dou Yueming added: "Indeed, while modern desserts haven’t developed very rapidly, we have a history of thousands of years. The ancients have long achieved mastery in desserts. I hope to see a perfect fusion of ancient wisdom and modern dessert, and I hope Contestant Wang can create more excellent works in this competition."
Chen Guomin chuckled: "Shall we announce the result then?"
Li Jiang and Dou Yueming exchanged smiles: "Without a doubt."
"Perfect score."
The result was announced without surprise or dissatisfaction from anyone.
"Boss Wang bringing out such a masterpiece, I’d be shocked if it weren’t a perfect score."
"Exactly, it was made right in front of our eyes, cheating is impossible. Just the shape alone already wins big."
While the audience was there for entertainnt, the contestants felt genuinely shaken.
In their preconceptions, Western pastries were fluffy, sweet, with either cute or elegant or exquisite shapes, while Chinese desserts were outdated in shape, hard enough to use as bricks, crumbling into flakes with each bite, or soft, sticky, mushy pastries. No one imagined that traditional desserts could be this stunning!
These young pastry chefs felt neither discouraged nor resentful from losing; instead, they were quite happy.
It turns out our desserts can be this beautiful?
It turns out our ancestors have passed down desserts of this quality?
It turns out we can rely on our desserts to win against those French pastry chefs?
These pastry chefs suddenly felt joyous again.
Indeed, if it’s desserts of this caliber, perhaps we really can beat those French pastry chefs!
"Teacher Wang, give your best shot in tomorrow’s contest and bring so Chinese shock to those French pastry chefs with noses in the air."
"Teacher Wang, go for it! We’ll cheer for you from the sidelines!"
"Teacher Wang, keep it up! Tomorrow, it’s all on you!"
Faced with the blessings from fellow contestants, Wang Fan felt deeply touched.
"Rest assured, I’ll make sure the victory stays with us tomorrow."
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