章節 46: I lost
"Nobody said that being a teacher means you can't have good culinary skills," Jake said calmly while looking at Dirk. Dirk gave him a slightly surprised glance, not expecting Jake to dare to argue back.
"Indeed, teachers can have good culinary skills," Dirk nodded, "but it also depends on who they're compared to." It was clear that Dirk's implication was that even if Jake had some cooking skills, compared to Alan, he was nothing.
"How does Dirk know that my culinary skills are not better than everyone else's?" Jake asked.
"Haha, quite arrogant," Dirk laughed, not showing any signs of anger. His expression seemed to suggest that he found something amusing.
"Confidence is arrogance when you have the skills, but arrogance is overconfidence when you don't," Jake replied.
"So, are you confident or arrogant?" Dirk asked.
"Well, Dirk, you'll know when you taste the two dishes in front of you," Jake said.
Dirk looked at the two similarly colored dishes in front of him, smiled, and said, "Alright, I'll taste them." Bill watched Jake with a smug look, thinking that Jake was digging his own grave. In Bill's opinion, Dirk's impression of Jake would undoubtedly be poor, and it would only worsen when Jake lost. Once the news spread, Jake would not be able to survive at Princeton University or even in the entire J City.
"Jake, you brought this upon yourself, thinking that having some skills would make you so arrogant," Bill thought to himself, feeling pleased.
Verna looked at Jake anxiously, wondering how she could say a few good words for him later. Amidst the complicated emotions of everyone, Dirk picked up his chopsticks and took a bite of the squirrel-shaped mandarin fish on the white plate. A look of enjoyment appeared on his face.
"The one in this plate must be from Chef Alan. The taste hasn't changed; it's still top-notch. Taking a bite of it leaves a lingering aftertaste. In J City, when it comes to squirrel-shaped mandarin fish, haven't had any better than what Chef Alan used to make," Dirk said.
Every chef has their signature dish. Although their other dishes might not be bad, especially chefs like Alan, who can make any dish taste great, there will always be a difference compared to their signature dishes. And clearly, squirrel-shaped mandarin fish is one of Alan's signature dishes.
"Thank you for the praise, Dirk," Chef Alan's face brightened a bit. He was still bothered by losing to Jake on the first dish, and it weighed on him until now. Hearing Dirk's compliment finally lifted his spirits.
"The customers at that table clearly don't know how to appreciate fine cuisine. Only someone like Dirk, who has tasted a variety of delicacies, is qualified to be a judge," Alan thought to himself, casting a triumphant glance at Jake.
Initially, Alan didn't pay much attention to this competition, but losing to Jake on the first dish had left him feeling resentful. It also rekindled his competitive spirit.
Jake didn't pay attention to Alan's gaze but instead started to worry about Dirk's integrity. What if Dirk, due to his familiarity with Alan, made an unfair judgment? Jake would end up losing, and that would be incredibly unfair.
"If only I hadn't spoken so bluntly earlier. Still so hot-headed," Jake thought to himself. "Now, I can only hope that Verna chooses a fair person for the third dish."
Amid Jake's concerns, Dirk's chopsticks had already reached for Jake's portion of the squirrel-shaped mandarin fish. Before eating, Dirk glanced at Jake, but he couldn't discern any change in Jake's expression.
In reality, Jake had already concluded that Dirk would make an unfair judgment due to his connection with Alan. Jake had given up on this round, so he was somewhat indifferent about it.
Dirk placed the fish meat into his mouth, and while his face initially remained composed, he suddenly froze, as if he was completely still. His expression stiffened, and the only movement was the chewing of his mouth, chewing, and chewing.
Confused by Dirk's behavior, the others couldn't understand what was happening. Dirk's brow furrowed, and his chewing became faster. Then he took another piece of fish meat, still frowning while chewing, displaying a look of disbelief.
Everyone was puzzled by Dirk's actions, wondering what he was up to and why he had such an expression. Could it be that Jake's dish tasted so terrible that it was hard to swallow? At least, that's what Bill, Don, and Verna thought, and Verna became even more worried about Jake.
Dirk didn't torture everyone for too long. He put down his chopsticks, looked at Jake, then at Alan, and slowly said, "The squirrel-shaped mandarin fish made by this physical education teacher has a better taste!"
Though Dirk's words were not loud, they felt like a thunderclap in everyone's ears. Even Jake hadn't expected Dirk to give such an evaluation.
"This can't be!" Alan, Bill, and Don almost simultaneously exclaimed. Especially Alan, who had thought that victory was guaranteed. After all, it was his signature dish, and the one tasting it was Dirk, someone who frequently enjoyed his culinary creations. There was no reason for him to lose!However, he did lose!
Unable to accept this fact, Alan disregarded whether his behavior was impolite and picked up a pair of chopsticks from the nearby table, taking a piece of fish meat from Jake's bowl and putting it into his mouth. His actions mirrored Dirk's earlier behavior; he froze, then felt somewhat dejected and put down his chopsticks, saying, "I've lost."
After personally tasting Jake's dish, Alan felt the gap between them. Jake's dish was indeed more delicious than what he had made, and the disparity between their skills was glaringly apparent.
No wonder the customers at that table in the dining hall unanimously agreed that Jake's dish tasted better. The difference in flavor was so evident that even those who were not adept at discerning taste could detect it.
Seeing Alan voluntarily admitting defeat, both Bill and Don became anxious. It wasn't about the ten thousand dollars for them; that amount of money meant nothing. What they cared about was their reputation. Reputation was the most important thing for the two of them. They had been confident and emphatic in their belief that Jake would surely lose. But the unexpected happened,Alan was the one who lost, and they couldn't accept it.
每周推薦票狀態
-- 推薦票
榜單 
-- 推薦票