Dinner is said to be a "foreign meal".

In the dining room on the second floor, the ceiling and walls are white, but the carpets, curtains, tables and chairs are all blue, and decorated with gold lace, which looks magnificent.

This house, Guan Zhuofan reported to the Queen Mother, "is renovated in the style of the French Palace". This is roughly the same, and it is indeed the contemporaneous French royal style. But the template is not the "Palais de France", but the "Blue Room" of the "national floor" of the White House in the United States.

When Guan Zhuofan first arrived in Washington, he went to the White House to meet the president, and Lin Dabeard received him in the "Blue Room", so he was deeply impressed by him. To decorate this room into a "blue room" is his bad taste.

The Queen Mother specially ordered that the "feast" of the Queen Mother should be closed. The Queen Mother's table was in the center, and another table was placed on the side, and Guan Beile sat down to accompany her. This pattern, and the Bai family entered the palace and accompanied the queen mother of the two palaces to pass the meal, but it is as if it is also what the imperial meal is above, and what is next to it, in duplicate, there is no difference.

Guan Zhuofan accompanied Cixi to eat this dinner, not to take the opportunity to marry me, but for the first time in her life, the royal sister entered a "foreign meal", what is the importance of the dishes and drinks, and how to dance the knife and fork, he has to "serve" with a good eye on the side.

In the palace, there are a variety of dishes for three meals a day, so you won't eat too much of each dish, especially Cixi, some dishes, just move one or two chopsticks and then take them down. Western food is a dish on the ground one by one, and I am afraid that the habit of the royal sister will not be changed, and I accidentally did not eat enough, therefore. Guan Zhuofan's menu, except for the soup, the rest of the appetizer, main dish, salad, and dessert are all two flavors.

Before serving. Guan Zhuofan personally tied a napkin for Cixi. Cixi tilted her head slightly, smiled, and accepted it calmly. In the room, there is still Yu'er waiting, but the two monarchs and ministers obviously regard her as a transparent person; And Yu'er herself is also smiling. A qiē seems to be taken for granted.

starter, first course, lobster mousse with caviar; The second course. Foie gras with mulled wine jelly, accompanied by white wine.

"Queen Mother, this 'lobster mousse' doesn't use many ingredients, but. The size of this 'lobster'. In fact, it is very large, more than a foot long; This 'caviar' is made from the eggs of sturgeon, which is caught from the rivers of the far north of Russia. ”

The royal sister was slightly surprised: "Oh, such a big shrimp? If you have the chance, you should see it. ”

The sturgeon fish is not unfamiliar, and Heilongjiang has to pay tribute every year, but it is extremely rare. There are only one or two at a time, and it is the king of fish.

"Yes. Lobster can also be braised whole. There is a dish. It's called 'Snow Seeking Dragon', and in a few days, please give the Queen Mother a try. However, if you want the meat to be extremely tender, this lobster is best sliced and eaten raw. It's just that the minister was worried that the queen mother would have a discord and didn't dare to eat this dish. ”

"Sliced raw? Well, I'm strong, and I shouldn't have anything to do with it. Back in Beijing, the Imperial Dining Room doesn't do this kind of food. ”

Guan Zhuofan smiled slightly and said, "Yes, the minister obeys the order." ”

Foie gras with mulled wine jelly was served.

"The goose used in this 'foie gras' comes from the coastal area of France, and it is especially fat, which is quite different from the geese raised in China. Foie gras is oily, and the sweet wine is jelly-sweet and sour, so you can get tired of it - this sweet wine, and the white wine that goes with the meal, are all from the same winery. ”

The appetizer is followed by a clear soup served on a large, shallow plate.

This soup has a name, called "French Pope's Soup". The name sounds really magnificent, Cixi took a small sip, but it is indeed clear and fresh.

Next up is the main course. The first, Argentine Philip mignon with morels and puff pastry cheese potatoes; The second course, quail stewed truffles.

Kwan said: "This 'Argentine Philip Mign' is made with the most tender piece of meat at the end of the beef tenderloin. Originally, the rule was to burn it until it was three or five minutes cooked, but the queen mother enjoyed this thing for the first time, and the minister was the master and taught the cook to burn it until it was 'ten cooked'. If the Queen Mother feels that she is 'too hot', she can try to give it a little bit next time. ”

What is "Argentina", Cixi doesn't know, and she doesn't bother to ask for a while, the attention of the royal sister is here for the time being: "Can beef be eaten raw?" ”

After receiving a positive answer, he began to "untie the cow". But the steak is not as soft and smooth as lobster mousse and foie gras, and the first time the royal sister makes a table knife, she can't help but look very strong.

Guan Zhuofan stood up, walked to Cixi's side, took her right hand holding the knife, held it in his hand, and gently forced, and the steak was "solved".

This astonishing bold move made the Queen Mother tremble slightly, and her face suddenly turned crimson. But she didn't say a word after all, and he was gentle and gentle.

Yu'er lowered her eyes, and her face turned red.

Cixi settled down, forked a small piece of beef, put it in her mouth, and chewed it slowly.

With this action, the mind of the Queen Mother calmed down.

"Well, it tastes good."

The steak was removed, and the quail stewed truffles came up.

"Empress Dowager, you must drink red wine when you enter truffles. Because of the aroma of truffles, red wine can bring out the best in it. This French 'Bordeaux' red wine, the vintage is very good, and it complements this dish well, please try it for the Queen Mother. ”

Sure enough, mellow and long, sweet aftertaste, Cixi couldn't help but smile and nodded.

The main course is followed by an assorted mushroom salad, followed by a sauce of aloe vera.

Lobster, caviar, foie gras, steak, quail, truffle, these greasy foods, come two refreshing and refreshing vegetable and fruit dishes, there are also a lot of cucumbers, lettuce and other "unfashionable things", Cixi has used it, only feel comfortable stomach, happy heart.

Finally, there are two desserts, one with candied berries; One is chocolate mousse with crispy hazelnuts and hazelnut sauce.

Sweets are Cixi's favorite, and these two desserts also have a unique flavor. It's just that at this time, the royal sister has unconsciously eaten eight or nine points full, and can only barely taste a piece of each.

After the dishes, knives, forks, and dishes were removed, another bottle of wine came up. The colour is crystal clear and pale yellow.

Cixi Qi said: "Do you still want to drink?" ”

Guan Zhuofan said with a smile: "Back to the Queen Mother, the rule of foreigners to eat, always drink a little wine after dinner, thinking that it is to consume." ”

After a pause, he glanced up at Yu'er, and said with a smile: "This wine is 'Champagne', the wine is very mild, and it is the most suitable for drinking after dinner." ”

Yu'er's face turned red again.

"However, this 'champagne' has bubbles inside, and when the bottle is opened, it will make a loud noise and even bubble out. The rules are like this, please don't panic the Queen Mother. It is because "champagne" has such a lively energy, so foreigners' festivals have to drink "champagne" to help the fun. ”

Cixi nodded and said, "No wonder all countries in the West have to use 'champagne' to break the big ships when they are named and launched!" ”

Guan Zhuofan was slightly stunned, and then said: "Queen Mother Shengming! ”

Cixi turned her head to Yu'er and said, "This 'champagne', you have been talking about since you came back from Baylor Mansion. Wait a minute, I'll treat you to a glass too! ”

Yu'er was overjoyed and asked for a peace: "Thank you, master!" ”

When the bottle was opened, there was a loud "bang", and although they had been prepared, Cixi and Yu'er were still startled.

Take a sip, only to feel clear and sweet, mixed with a little sourness, and small fine bubbles, constantly bursting, feeling very wonderful.

Cixi and Yu'er were very satisfied with this "champagne".

What they don't know is that the fate of this "champagne" and the people involved in it is much better than that of the original time and space.

In the original time and space, it was about the time when Dezong was about to become pro-government, and someone put a few "champagnes" into the palace. But this person didn't explain the abnormality of the champagne when it was opened, like Guan Zhuofan. When a meal was served, Cixi asked the eunuch to open one on a whim to "taste it". As a result, there was a loud bang, and everyone was bluffed. Dezong's courage is weak, and he is most afraid of the sound of thunder and golden gongs, and his face is white with fright.

And that's not all, the mouth of the bottle keeps pouring foam, like a fountain. The eunuch who opened the bottle was in a hurry, and he covered it with his hand, but the more he covered it, the worse it became, and the white foam sprayed indiscriminately, splashing Princess Rongshou next to her, and even the corners of Cixi's robe were stained.

Cixi was so angry that the eunuch who opened the bottle was beaten to death and beaten half to death.

What to do? The eunuchs pondered for a long time, and finally came up with a strange idea: if they wanted to drink this wine in the future, they would first drill a hole in the cork at the mouth of the bottle, drain the gas inside, and then open the bottle.

Without further ado, let's get down to business.

In short, this dinner, Cixi was satisfied, and she felt that she was "overwhelmed".

In fact, if you talk about the essence of drinking food, in modern times, although foreign devils have been catching up, how can their little stuff compare to my Celestial Empire? It's just that this time, the royal sister entered the "foreign meal" for the first time and ate a fresh meal; Second, the "warm fire" in the imperial dining room is not tasteful enough to be compared with the food served as soon as it leaves the kitchen; Third, Guan Zhuofan explained on the side, adding oil and vinegar, adding bricks and yards, and the five-point color was also said to be very good-looking. It is important to know that the role of psychological suggestion in this diet has long been proven by the science of the twenty-first century.

When the meal was withdrawn, it was already the second quarter of the first month, and this dinner lasted for most of the hour. It was completely dark, and the inside of the mansion was brightly lit; Outside the house, the lights in the garden were lit one after another—all gaslamps.

The glory was great, and the Queen Mother was in a good mood, so she changed into Da Mao's clothes, followed by Li Lianying and Yu'er, and slowly walked in the garden to eat.

However, Guan Zhuofan could no longer accompany the royal sister to stroll around the campus, he had to rush back to the Xiaozhan barracks, where two guests from Shanghai were waiting for him.

Of the two guests, one was Libin; The other one, an Englishman, was called La Cruz.

Kwan Zhuofan plans to set up a "Citigroup Mining Company" in South Africa, and this La Cruz will be the general manager of the mining company.

*(To be continued......)