"Mr. Liu Mang, I am a reporter for the Chicago Times, when are you free, can you accept my interview?"

"I'm sorry, I'm really busy right now. Pen Fun Pavilion www.biquge.info"

"Mr. Liu Mang, I'm from the Overseas Chinese Newspaper, can we have a chat?"

"I'm sorry, I'm not available today. Liu Mang pointed to the group of people around him and said apologetically.

Yesterday, Liu Mang's production of fried buns to help Olika treat anorexia was filmed by a good deed and posted to Werther under the title of "Food and Love".

Although this period of time is long, it is full of positive energy, and the twists and turns of the video screen instantly stimulated the tear ducts of Americans, and it has received more than 8 million views in just one day, and this number is still rising in geometric form.

No, today's food festival is getting 10 times more people than usual, and more people are coming here. In addition to wanting to taste the raw fried buns that can heal the soul on the video screen, everyone is more here to see the producer.

"Lao Liu, it's over! Another group of people are looking for you. Lin Xiao gloated a little: "There are a lot of sexy girls among them, you are busy." ”

"No, you can take my class, I'll rest today. Looking at the crowd rushing towards this side, Liu Mang stuffed the frying spoon in his hand into Lin Xiao's hand: "Everyone, this gentleman is also a Chinese god of cooking, you can find him if you have any questions." ”

After speaking, Liu Mang took Li Ruonan's hand and hurriedly ran away from behind.

"Hey, hey, hey, don't take someone like you!" Lin Xiao took the frying spoon and jumped straight behind him angrily.

"Liu Mang, where are we going?" asked Li Ruonan after escaping from the convention and exhibition center.

"I don't know, but we've been in the U.S. for a month, and we've never been out, so let's take a vacation for ourselves today." Liu Mang took off his chef's uniform and said.

"Well, I've wanted to hang out together. Li Ruonan happily hugged Liu Mang's arm.

The two called a taxi, left the convention center, and stopped on a busy street in Chicago.

"Liu Mang, this neighborhood is called the Magnificent Mile, and it is a must-visit place in Chicago. Getting out of the car, Li Ruonan introduced.

"Are you familiar with Chicago?" asked Liu Mang.

"It's not very familiar, anyway, when I was studying in France, I traveled all over the United States. ”

"You're alone?"

"No, with a couple of my French classmates. ”

"It's really amazing, I guess I didn't even visit Jiangdong at that time. ”

"What's that, we'll travel the world together in the future. Li Ruonan said with a smile.

"Definitely. ”

The two walked and strolled, and before they knew it, they were strolling until more than five o'clock in the afternoon.

"Shouldn't we go back? It's almost time for dinner, and everyone must be waiting for me to cook." Liu Mang asked.

"You, you're too good at taking care of people, a large group of chefs, many of them are chefs who have been in the business for decades, don't they know how to do it themselves?" Li Ruonan raised his hand and couldn't help poking Liu Mang's head: "Today, we don't have to think about cooking, let's eat outside." ”

"Well, well, almost forgot. Hearing Li Ruonan say this, Liu Mang laughed.

During this time, everyone was raised by Liu Mang's craftsmanship, and they were used to Liu Mang's cooking, and he usually made dinner.

"Where are you going to eat? Chinese or Western?"

"I'll take a look. Li Ruonan took out his mobile phone and clicked on an APP: "Here is the ranking of famous restaurants in Chicago, I see which one is closest to us." ”

"How about this one-star Michelin restaurant, there is a vacancy today, so I will book it immediately. Fingers swiped across the screen for a while, and Li Ruonan said.

"Okay, I'll listen to you. Liu Mang nodded.

So, Li Ruonan took Liu Mang through several blocks and came to a restaurant facing the street.

The restaurant's façade is small, tucked away at the end of a street, and it's hard to notice that it's a one-Michelin star restaurant without a fork sign on the door.

"Good evening two, do you have a reservation?" a waiter asked politely as Liu Mang and Li Ruonan pulled them apart.

"Oh, yes. Li Ruonan raised his mobile phone.

"Okay. The waiter checked the reservation information on Li Ruonan's mobile phone, and then led the two to a table: "The luck of the two of you is really good, there are few vacant seats in our restaurant, and we usually have to book three days in advance." ”

"Really?"

"Yes, there is a Chinese food group in Chicago these days, and probably people have gone to see the chef. ”

"Hee-hee. Li Ruonan covered his mouth and smiled, and glanced at Liu Mang.

"What's so nice to see, just an ordinary person. Liu Mang touched his nose and said stupidly.

"Two, this is the menu, the first page is our chef's recommendation. The attendant handed the menu to Liu Mang and Li Ruonan respectively.

"Ruonan, you can order it, I don't understand. ”

"Okay. Then let's start with Caesar salad, Italian borscht soup, and main course...... I eat steak, what about you, Liu Mang?"

"Me too. ”

"Then the T-bone steak with pan-fried asparagus, both servings are seven ripe. For dessert, make a creamy mousse apple pie. Finally, open another bottle of Air Force No. 2 dry red, 86 years old. ”

"By the way, are you Chinese?" After ordering, the waiter asked.

"Yes, we're from China. Any questions?"

"Oh, no problem. The squire withdrew.

After chatting for a while, about 20 minutes later, the attendant brought a large tray and placed the food on the plate in front of the two of them.

"Sir, you're not mistaken, we didn't order this dish, did we?" Li Ruonan said in surprise.

The two portions of food in front of me are very small, probably only two bites and three, but if you break it down, it is actually similar to China's Yangzhou fried rice, which is fried with rice mixed with other ingredients.

"Two, because you are Chinese, our chef has preferential treatment, and this appetizer is given for free. The squire replied.

"Huh, this is rare, are your chefs Chinese?" Liu Mang said in surprise.

"No, he's black, but that tradition has been preserved since our restaurant opened. Every Chinese who comes to the restaurant will give such a meal, and the meal fee can be discounted by 20%. ”

"Interesting. Li Ruonan laughed: "Could it be that the chef of this restaurant is still a fan of Chinese food?"

"Well, this dish is clearly a parody of Chinese fried rice, but it doesn't feel like it. Liu Mang picked up the dishes on the plate with a spoon, and then scooped a spoonful into his mouth.

"How's it going?" asked Li Ruonan.

"The chef of this restaurant must have studied Chinese food, and the average Western chef doesn't use fried rice in a pot. Liu Mang replied.

"Well, the ingredients of fried rice are very simple, only soy sauce and minced pork are put in, if this is Chinese fried rice, will it be a bit of a class axe?" Li Ruonan laughed again.

"As far as the taste is concerned, it can only be regarded as average, there is too much oil used in fried rice, and the rice used is not an overnight meal, it is too hydrated, and it is not dry in the mouth. Liu Mang commented very pertinently.

After eating this meal, the attendant went on to bring the other dishes one by one.

One of the biggest differences between Western food and Chinese food is that it is very particular about the order of serving, and after eating one dish after another, it will never fill the table like Chinese food.

The meal lasted for more than an hour, and after tasting the last dessert, Li Ruonan wiped his mouth with a napkin: "Liu Mang, how are the dishes in this restaurant?"

"Well, except for fried rice, the other dishes are not bad. This chef still has two brushes, and he has put a lot of effort into the combination of ingredients and the grasp of the heat of the food. ”

Although it is just a good sentence, in the eyes of a picky person like Liu Mang, this is already a great praise.

"Hello!" At this time, a black chef wearing a snow-white chef's uniform and a tall chef's hat walked out of the back kitchen of the restaurant: "My name is Johnson, and I am the head chef of this restaurant, and I am very happy to meet the two. ”

"Hello!" Liu Mang and Li Ruonan stood up and shook hands with him respectively.

"Both, are you happy with the food in our restaurant?" Johnson asked.

"Very satisfied, I think we will definitely come back a second time if we have the chance. Li Ruonan replied.

"That's good. Johnson smiled and showed a mouthful of big white teeth: "I don't know what the two of you think of my first dish?"

"Do you mean that fried rice?" asked Liu Mang.

"Yes, because you are Chinese, I specially made a Chinese dish. ”

"Mr. Johnson, have you ever been to China?" Liu Mang did not answer directly, but asked.

"I didn't, and although I always wanted to go, for various reasons, it never happened. ”

"Then who did you learn how to cook Chinese food?"

"Oh, I consulted a lot of Chinese chefs in the U.S. to learn some techniques for making Chinese food. Johnson replied.

"Mr. Johnson, with all due respect, this fried rice dish is not pure Chinese cuisine. There are a lot of things that Chinese food pays attention to, and it is not enough to stir-fry with oil and condiments. ”

"This gentleman, you also cook Chinese food?" What Liu Mang didn't expect was that his words made Johnson excited and couldn't wait to ask.

"I'm Chinese, of course I do, and I'm also a chef in China. ”

"That's great, so do you know the name of the dish?"

"Mr. Johnson, don't you know what this dish is called?" Liu Mang and Li Ruonan said in surprise.

"No...... No...... Don't ......," Johnson waved his hand: "I mean the name of this dish in China." ”

There are so many Chinese dishes, even if it is a fried rice, there are dozens or hundreds of kinds, such as Yangzhou fried rice, kimchi fried rice, jade fried rice...... Wait a minute. And your fried rice is not authentic, I can't guess its original name. ”

"That's right......" Johnson said with a disappointed look on his face.

"Mr. Johnson, who did you learn this fried rice from, and why don't you even know the name?" Li Ruonan said curiously.

"Hey!" Johnson let out a long sigh and pulled over a chair and sat down, "Do you want to hear my story?"

"Okay. The two nodded.

"I grew up in a ghetto in Chicago, and for as long as I can remember, it was full of violence, drugs, ...... Most people do nothing every day, earn a little money through crime, buy drugs or spirits, and then live a life of drunkenness. I've been thinking for as long as I can remember that if it hadn't been for the accident, I would have been one of them for many years, and I would never have been able to be a respectable chef, let alone have my own restaurant. ”

"So who changed you?"

"It's my mother. My mother was a strong woman who knew that if she stayed there any longer, it would ruin my life. So she wanted to change, to get out of this life. At this moment, Johnson has completely fallen into his own memories.

So, she got a job at a Chinese restaurant in an affluent area and learned a lot of cooking skills. I remember the happiest thing I did when I was a kid and that was waiting for my mother to come home, because as soon as she came home, there was definitely a delicious food waiting for me. Sometimes it's grilled chicken, sometimes it's fish, and more often it's a special kind of rice. This kind of rice is sprinkled with minced pork and has a lot of fat, so it is very smooth and delicious in the mouth. ”

"Mr. Johnson, is that the kind of rice we tasted today?"

"Of course not. Johnson shook his head: "That kind of rice is an extra working meal that my mother gets in addition to pay, and it is made by the chef of that Chinese restaurant, but my mother will pack it back and eat it for me every time." ”

"Where's that restaurant, isn't it gone anymore?" asked Li Ruonan again.

"It's long gone, and my mother is gone. Johnson's face was sad: "Thirty years ago, there was a fire in that restaurant, and my mother happened to be in it, and she didn't escape. ”

"I'm sorry, Mr. Johnson, for touching your heart. Liu Mang said apologetically.

"It's okay, it's been a long time. ”

"I understand, and then you want to replicate that fried rice dish back then to commemorate your mother?" Li Ruonan seemed to understand something.

"That's right!" Johnson nodded: "When I got a little older, I also found a part-time job in a restaurant, and gradually became a famous chef and opened my own restaurant." However, I couldn't reproduce the taste of the fried rice in my memory, and I didn't even know the real name of the fried rice. ”

"So as long as a Chinese person comes to your restaurant, you send a dish, hoping that those Chinese who are lucky enough to taste it can say the name of the dish, and then you can find a way to make it?"

"Yes! That's it!" Johnson became excited: "But I was too young to know what cooking was, and my memory is very vague, and the rice you are tasting now is created by me out of thin air, and it is not the original taste at all." ”

"I see......"