In the original work, she could even use her lips to sense the temperature of the meat.
And this extremely subtle temperature control, even Erina, who possessed the God Tongue, would find it not to be underestimated.
In her eyes, if the inherent flavor of the meat cannot be fully brought out, it is a trampling of the meat!
It was this rigorous demand that made her movements, whenever she touched meat, always like an artist playing a piano piece: delicate, gentle, quiet…
Perhaps, in terms of meat ingredients, there truly was no one who could surpass her.
But those familiar with the original story know that during the Gaijin-fan Research Association incident, in that Shokugeki duel, Mito Ikumi actually ultimately lost to Yukihira Soma.
And the price she paid was being reluctantly forced to leave Erina and join the Gaijin-fan Research Association!
The reason for her failure was, on one hand, Sōma's strong ability.
But on the other hand, she was too focused on pursuing the quality and flavor of meat, thereby neglecting the importance of other ingredients.
This led to her beef Gaijin-fan dish having incredibly delicious beef, all of which was eaten cleanly by the judges, but the rice and scallions, among other things, were quite unsatisfactory.
…
"Actually."
"The quality of ingredients certainly affects the dish."
"But in terms of preparation, the main thing is still based on the diner's preference and the practical cooking needs."
"In other words, the higher the quality of beef, the better, but the deliciousness of a dish is not solely determined by the grade of beef quality."
"Take my Izakaya, for example. The diners I face every day are often people who live nearby."
"Most of them are office workers, students, housewives, teachers… These people will probably find it very difficult to ever eat a5 grade beef in their lifetime!"
"So, do they all just not eat?"
"No, in their perception, a common, inexpensive Scallion Stir-fried Beef or grilled meat might be the most delicious thing in the world!"
"Whether it's meat or vegetables, all ingredients have their unique characteristics."
"As chefs, what we need to do is to carefully cook them and make them into delicious dishes that diners will love."
"I think only this way can the ingredients' own maximum value be utilized, instead of being stubborn and having to apply all methods to only one type of ingredient."
These words were a bit verbose.
But for Mito Ikumi, they were profoundly impactful!
…
At ten o'clock at night, Totsuki Academy was exceptionally quiet.
In a cooking laboratory, Alice Nakiri, who had just finished a new dish, was visibly tired.
Then, she came to the window, gazing blankly at the night view outside, her eyes vacant, as if deep in thought.
It had been a while since she came to Totsuki, yet there was one person's image that constantly lingered in her mind, making her miss her terribly.
"Mom!"
Alice murmured, her doubts deepening.
She thought that her mother, Leonora Nakiri, would be worried about her these days.
She would call her to inquire about various situations at Totsuki, but… the mother and daughter had no contact at all.
After thinking for a moment, Alice reluctantly took out her phone and dialed a number.
The call connected, but no one answered.
Alice could only press the end call button and instead sent a video call invitation.
Soon, the video connected. Leonora Nakiri had just finished showering, her long silver-white hair still wet, her exquisite bare face dewy, and her entire body was only wrapped in a bath towel.
Unfortunately, this peerless beauty, besides the moon in the sky and Alice, no one else had the fortune to see!
"Oh? Alice, why are you calling me?"
Looking at Alice in the video, who seemed like she wanted to cry but was holding back, Leonora Nakiri chuckled softly: "Are you missing me?"
"Mom!"
"I've been at Totsuki for so long."
"You haven't called once? Am I still your daughter?"
Looking at her mother, beautiful like a lotus in water, Alice couldn't help but pout and whine.
"Well…"
"The research laboratory has been very busy lately, so…"
Leonora Nakiri replied apologetically while drying her hair with a hairdryer.
When she first let Alice Nakiri transfer to Totsuki, Leonora, as her mother, felt very reluctant.
But for her growth and for her to have more educational opportunities, she reluctantly let her return to Japan to study at the General's Totsuki Academy!
Originally, after the mother and daughter separated.
Leonora wanted to call Alice every day to understand her life there.
But as she said, she had indeed been incredibly busy lately, and besides, when the mother and daughter contacted each other, she didn't know what to say.
"Alice, have you had any interesting experiences since you arrived at Totsuki?"
Finally, Leonora had to take the initiative to find a topic.
"Mom, Totsuki is just a Totsuki Culinary Academy, what's there to talk about?"
"At most, I have relatives like Grandpa and Erina here. But there is an Izakaya, that place, and that Shopkeeper are both so interesting!"
With that, Alice began to talk endlessly.
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