NOVPUBChapter 881: Chapter 881: Like a Cup of Milk Cap_1 Chapter 881: Chapter 881: Like a Cup of Milk Cap_1 “Since Cindy Clarke is already the CEO’s wife of Pingla, can Adrian Zhekova let her be eliminated so easily?” someone commented sarcastically.
“Plus,” another person chimed in, “if Cindy Clarke’s cuisine is really that good, what difference would it make if Jenny Kirk targeted her?
Would she blatantly lie?
In the face of real strength, everything else is superficial.
It won’t work even if Jenny Kirk wants to harm her.”
“If Cindy Clarke really loses, it just means her skills are not up to the mark.”
“Your words are wrong; this competition strictly depends on the judges’ scores.
We, the audience, can’t taste it, so we can’t vote,” someone pointed out.
“So only the judges know whether it tastes good or not,” the person said, “What if it tastes good, but Jenny Kirk says it doesn’t, insisting on giving a low score to Cindy Clarke?”
“Do you think the other judges are foolish?
...
If the other judges give high scores, but Jenny Kirk gives low scores, wouldn’t it further prove that Jenny Kirk is targeting Cindy Clarke deliberately?” someone countered.
“Then the error lies with Jenny Kirk.
Who sent Jenny Kirk here?
It was the International Culinary Competition organizer.
Though the mistake could be on Jenny Kirk’s part, the organizer wouldn’t be able to absolve themselves.”
“Can Jenny Kirk withstand such a huge responsibility?”
“That’s not certain,” someone else stated, “What if Cindy Clarke’s dish is not tasteful, and Jenny Kirk is merely telling the truth?”
“Don’t you forget, you just said that Cindy Clarke is married to Adrian Zhekova,” someone mentioned, “What if the other judges, due to their connection with Adrian Zhekova, give high marks to Cindy Clarke?
What if they favor her?”
“All these can’t be proven since we can’t taste Cindy Clarke’s cuisine, we can’t determine who is telling the truth.” the person talked.
“You’ve been gloating the entire time; do you have such little faith in people?” someone rebuked.
“Am I gloating?
I’m just stating a possibility, how does that count as gloating?
You can’t just look at Cindy Clarke through rose-colored glasses because she married Adrian Zhekova and think she is perfect.
You are actually bootlicking, do you realize that?”
“We think Cindy Clarke is good, and you think it’s because of the rich filter?
I think there’s something wrong with your worldview!” someone argued back, “Why don’t you see how hard Cindy Clarke had to work in the past?”
“Her inspirational experience is a good lesson for many young people.” someone said, “This has nothing to do with her marrying Adrian Zhekova, it’s because of her strong personality that inspires admiration.
The fact that she met and married Adrian Zhekova can only be attributed to fate.”
“It goes to show that those who strive in life are never treated unfairly,” that person said, “I see optimism and ambition in this, yet how come you see only the negative and distorted aspects?”
“You!”
The audience was about to start quarreling.
Someone intervened, urging, “Alright, alright, calm down and watch.
Cindy Clarke is about to present her dish.”
Upon hearing this, everyone looked over.
Naturally, those who hoped for Cindy Clarke to do well were very concerned.
Moreover, those who harbored different intentions, hoping for Cindy Clarke to slip up, were also keeping a close eye.
They saw Cindy Clarke bring out six small European-style double-eared white glass cups.
The petite cups were no larger than the size of a palm.
Cindy Clarke poured the tomato soup into the cup first, then took the piping bag filled with mashed potatoes, and squeezed it on the surface of the soup.
Incredibly, the mashed potatoes lingered on the surface of the soup and didn’t sink, due to her fine preparation.
From a distance, the soup Cindy Clarke made resembled creamy coffee.
The tomato red paired with the milky yellow mashed potatoes made for a surprisingly nice color combination.
Even within a glass cup, the colors were displayed more vividly.
“Time’s up!” With Grace Green’s announcement, the countdown on the big screen cleared to zero.
“Now, in the order from left to right on the cooking stations, judges will taste the first round of soups prepared by contestants.”
On the cooking stations, the contestants’ names are displayed.
They weren’t arranged according to ranking.
Instead, they were arranged alphabetically.
As such, Cindy Clarke, whose initial is Y, ended up second to last.
The very last position belonged to Leon Hernandez, whose initial was Z.
As it had just been New Year, the weather was still cold.
Therefore, the major competition was held indoors at the gymnasium.
The heating in the gymnasium was cranked up high, and everyone had taken off their coats.
There were even people who wore only shirts or short sleeves.
In these room conditions, it was guaranteed that the soup wouldn’t cool down in a short amount of time.
The organizer had specially hired waiters to serve the dishes during this round.
Six waiters went up together, first bringing Bartholomew Bailey’s soup to the judges’ table.
We have now entered the top ten.
And nine of them were students from under Pingla Academy.
Naturally, there would be no mistakes in their dishes.
We are only looking to see whether they will outshine others.
Bartholomew Bailey made Tom Yum soup.
“The taste of this Tom Yum soup is sour and spicy, very appetizing, suitable for drinking before a meal,” Rosaline Parker commented.
“The unique taste of lemon leaves and citronella is very prominent, and it’s less spicy than what I’ve previously tasted,” Michael Greene mentioned.
Bartholomew Bailey nodded, “Since it’s supposed to be consumed on an empty stomach before the meal, I was afraid that too much spice would stimulate the stomach.
Therefore, I used less chili, just enough to enhance flavor without setting your mouth on fire.”
Wesley Gordon agreed, “It’s very comfortable to drink. 𝖓𝖔𝖛𝔭𝖚𝖇.𝔠𝖔𝔪
Moreover, the coconut milk acts as a buffering agent.
Amidst the acidity and spiciness of the lemon leaves and citronella, the scent of coconut milk is also perceptible.”
When it came to Jenny Kirk, she remarked, “The taste is good, very close to what I had in Siam Country, but I feel that it lacks a bit.”
As to what was lacking, Jenny Kirk didn’t specify.
Peggy Lewis chuckled lightly from the stage, “She can’t name it, yet she still insists on appearing knowledgeable.”
Jenny Kirk had been targeting Cindy Clarke just now and Peggy Lewis was already restless.
The other judges raised an eyebrow at Jenny Kirk’s comment.
Charles Dean rather bluntly said, “I also stayed in Siam Country for a few months and had extensive dialogues with local homegrown chefs.
I believe that Bartholomew Bailey’s soup has completely captured the essence.
The ‘missing taste’ Miss Kirk spoke of may well be the spiciness.”
“And this spiciness was exactly what Bartholomew Bailey adjusted, considering our current circumstances.
This indicates that it is not that he cannot produce a more authentic taste, but that he is tailoring the taste for us, as diners.”
“This thoughtfulness is more valuable than the authentic local flavor,” said Charles Dean.
Jenny Kirk smiled, “Chef Charles Dean indeed makes a valid point.”
