"Mom, love can’t be forced. It’s my brother’s freedom to choose whom he wants to be with. You should stop ddling!"
"What do you little girl know?" Mrs. Lin glared at Lin Xiang impatiently and waved her off: "Go, go, get out of here!"
Mrs. Lin pushed Lin Xiang out of the woodshed.
The sky was still early; rain seed imminent but hadn’t started yet. Lin Xiang was pondering about the state-run restaurant hiring for western chefs as ntioned by that couple. She couldn’t stay idle at ho, "Mom, it’s going to rain soon, there must be plenty of mushrooms growing on the back hill, I’ll go pick so."
"You know it’s going to rain, yet you want to go out! At least take your raincoat!" Mrs. Lin shouted from the main room, but Lin Xiang had already disappeared.
Lin Xiang was lucky; at the village entrance, she caught sight of Mr. Sun Sr., who was driving a cattle cart to town. She had one di from selling antibiotics in her pocket, so she paid and got on the cart, enduring a bumpy ride for nearly half an hour until she finally arrived in town.
The state-run restaurant was easy to spot—a three-story building with a red sign, standing out amidst the gray surroundings.
There’s a notice at the restaurant’s entrance sincerely seeking a western cuisine chef. The notice had been posted half a month ago and still there, indicating they had yet to find soone suitable.
Lin Xiang leisurely entered the state-run restaurant.
It wasn’t alti yet; a few tables were sparsely occupied inside. The waiters and cashiers were chatting while sitting on stools. When they saw Lin Xiang walk in, the waiter rely lifted her eyelids, with an attitude that was casual and sowhat arrogant, "All that’s left now is noodles, a bowl for one dollar and eight cents with a food voucher."
"I’m not here to eat," Lin Xiang pointed at the notice pinned on the wall outside, "I heard the restaurant is looking for a western cuisine chef. I’ve co to try my chance."
"You?" The waiter sized Lin Xiang up and down, disdain almost spilling from her eyes, "Comrade, I don’t an to look down on you, but do you even know what western cuisine is? I bet you’ve never even heard of it before you ca to apply, quite bold to puff yourself up!"
Lin Xiang knew that in this era, anyone with a secure job tended to look down on those from rural areas. She left ho in a hurry today and hadn’t changed her clothes, which still had two patches on them, so being underestimated was expected.
She didn’t get angry with the waiter and spoke frankly, "Western cuisine is not just a specific dish. Like we have the eight major cuisines in Hua Country, western cuisine is also divided into six major types, mainly characterized by the tastes of several countries. But what we generally think of as western cuisine mainly includes steak."
The waiter wasn’t expecting Lin Xiang to be so knowledgeable and not soone rely trying her luck, so she didn’t dare to delay any longer and hurried to the kitchen.
After a brief mont, a middle-aged man with an iron spoon and a chef’s hat erged from the kitchen, "Who said they could make western cuisine?"
Lin Xiang quietly raised her hand, "That would be ."
The chef, unlike the waiter, didn’t look down on people, nor did he think Lin Xiang as soone luck-seeking just because she was young and poorly dressed. He quickly beckoned her to the kitchen, "Co, co, comrade, co on in, make us a steak to try!"
Lin Xiang entered the kitchen and imdiately noticed the beef placed on the cutting board; it was a piece of rib steak, small and unevenly cut.
Chef Shen handed Lin Xiang a freshly edged kitchen knife, "Start by making a steak for us to taste."
Lin Xiang pointed the knife tip at the rib steak, "Rib steak can indeed be used to make steak, but its taste is sowhat inferior. The best part should be above the beef shoulder blade—tender and flavorful."
If conditions allow, one can select beef based on its marbling at formal western restaurants, where each steak’s price depends on marbling and cut position.
But Lin Xiang knew that during the late seventies, cattle were considered farm tools and weren’t allowed private slaughter. The cattle from the production team were only killed for at in cases of illness or natural death.
Chef Shen clearly hadn’t grasped that selecting steak parts was important. Fortunately, the restaurant had a whole cow, with most of the rib used up, but the shoulder blade was still intact.
"Hold on, I’ll get it for you!"
While waiting for Chef Shen, Lin Xiang also asked other kitchen helpers for spices.
"Star anise, cinnamon, bay leaf, scallions, ginger, soy sauce, and brown sugar—get so of each."
Marinating steak also requires oranges, rosemary, and oyster sauce. Lin Xiang knew these three items weren’t available at the state-run restaurant in town, so revealing it and putting people in a difficult spot wasn’t worth it; it’s better to use substitutes.
Once Chef Shen returned with the beef shoulder blade, Lin Xiang swiftly cut off a perfect steak.
She evenly spread the mixture of seasoning she’d prepared onto the beef.
"You need to marinate beef? It’s not like pork that can be cooked directly?" Chef Shen queried.
Citizens of Hua Country rarely had chances to eat beef in past years, thinking all at was similar, and preparing it the sa way with little variation from pork. Unless making a major dish, pork wasn’t usually marinated, thus Lin Xiang’s move was surprising.
Lin Xiang explained, "Beef and lamb, unlike pork, have a sowhat gay taste. Moreover, foreigners consu relatively bland food compared to our Hua Country’s vast array of spices, so it’s best to marinate beforehand to ease flavoring."
Chef Shen noted down the ratio of marinating spices silently in his notebook, "No wonder my steaks tasted off, it’s because I didn’t marinate!"
After approximately ten minutes of marination, Lin Xiang began frying the steak.
Online tutorials mostly suggest using butter for frying steak, but after trying, Lin Xiang felt butter was more suitable as a flavoring, and using it for frying could be greasy, affecting taste.
Fortunately, the kitchen had corn oil, which could perfectly replace butter.
"Once the pan is hot, pour so oil—but not too much, just enough to cover the bottom evenly—then put the marinated steak in, searing back and forth to ensure the best taste and lock in the juices. Additionally..."
Every step Lin Xiang executed, she explained to Chef Shen. By the ti the steak was done, Chef Shen was impatiently reaching for chopsticks.
"Heard foreigners eat steak with a knife in one hand and fork in the other, cutting the at before eating—what a hassle! I say, biting into a whole piece is far better."
Despite his words, Chef Shen grabbed scissors to cut the steak into several smaller pieces. He eagerly picked up a piece with chopsticks to eat first, taking his ti to chew and savor.
After swallowing, Chef Shen finally spoke, "It does taste different, and I must admit, quite tasty."
The kitchen helpers each took a bite as well, showering Lin Xiang with praise for the steak she made.
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