Universe Infinite Canteen

Thinking back, Tang Rijie experienced a moment of trance, but he didn't linger on the past.

Losing the simple joy was regrettable, indeed, but the financial gains that came with fame were substantial.

Given the chance to choose again, he'd certainly opt for fame.

After greeting his fans, Tang Rijie and his videographer-cum-assistant approached a table that had been previously reserved.

Two dishes were already served at the table, which the person in charge of reserving hadn't touched at all.

The videographer set up the tripod and turned on the camera, signaling Tang Rijie that he could start.

Tang Rijie cleared his throat, "Alright, here comes another episode of Spicy Detective Critique, I'm your old friend, the always honest Old Tang. Today, we're at the Universe Infinite Canteen, a place many netizens have recommended in recent times.

"It's said that before opening this restaurant, the owner had a food stall back at his alma mater. It was pretty famous online back then; I even heard about it and was ready to have a taste, but then he unexpectedly stopped.

"He didn't skip town, he opened up this place. Just like his previous food stall, this restaurant has been the talk of the online town since day one.

"Before coming here, I did my homework. I heard they only sell four dishes per day, and they change the menu every week, never repeating a previous dish.

"What does that mean, eh? In other words, the dish you enjoyed this week, next week it's history."

The assistant chimed in on cue, "Teacher Tang, have you ever seen a restaurant that operates like this before?"

"No, absolutely not. This is the first, and I doubt there'll ever be another."

"Why is that?"

"Creating a new dish isn't hard. Let's say you get a whim to go to the market, buy some chicken, grab a couple of bananas, mix them up, and fry them together to make Banana Chicken. But it tastes weird, right? It's fine if you eat it yourself, but you couldn't serve it if you had a restaurant.

"The more prestigious the restaurant, the more cautious they are about new dishes, and their standards are even higher, because a bad dish could ruin their reputation. Plus, a lot of people visit because of a specific dish on the menu; if they can't get what they came for, they are bound to be disappointed.

"So the new dish must be stunning. I once visited a famous restaurant in France while studying French cuisine. They had a whole team developing new dishes, but it still took two to three months to come up with one new dish—not because the chefs lacked creativity.

"Quite the opposite, their standards were just too high. And the chefs you're trying to surpass are also very skilled. You pour your heart into making tasty dishes; you obviously want more people to taste them, not just sell them for one week."

"Are you saying that selling a dish for only one week is just a gimmick?"

"I haven't tried their food yet; I can't jump to conclusions now. From a chef's point of view, if I were their chef and the boss dared to make such a demand, I'd probably have to show him a move or two."

The tablemates were all amused by Tang Rijie's statement.

His light-hearted humor was one of his magic weapons in social media. Besides solid content, his videos would sprinkle in jokes to close the distance with the audience.

"Alright, enough chit-chat," said Tang Rijie. "It's time to eat. For this meal, I barely touched my lunch."

After speaking, he picked up the chopsticks and grabbed a bit of green vegetables, casually putting them into his mouth. At first, it seemed routine, but the next moment, his expression changed.

He was frozen there for a good four or five seconds.
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The assistant reminded him, "Teacher Tang, say something."

"Oh," Tang Rijie came back to reality and told the videographer, "Cut this part; let's shoot it again."

"Okay."

Tang Rijie picked up the vegetables again and placed them in his mouth. This time, his expression was much more normal, and after finishing, he said, "The side dish is good, quite refreshing, but…"

Tang Rijie paused again. He meant to pick out some faults but after trying, realized he couldn't find any.

The dish exceeded his expectations completely. From a professional standpoint, it was flawless.

Although it was just a simple appetizer, precisely because it's so simple, making it stand out and better than others is more difficult.

How did they achieve this?

For the first time in his field of expertise, Tang Rijie felt a sense of bewilderment, unable to fathom the reason. He could only say to the videographer, "Let's do it again."

"...The side dish is not bad, really refreshing. It's just a bit small on portion; didn't quite satisfy, maybe the owner wants us to save room for the dishes to come."

Tang Rijie seemed to revert to the humorous but ruthless Old Tang, yet only he knew that in this round, he had lost.

Despite being a fellow food vlogger, he looked down on those in the same field like Magic Seal, who relied on goofiness and exaggerated eating with no real content, recycling the same few banal phrases.

Tang Rijie believed that even if one is to critique, there should be substance and hit the mark.

But now, he could only silently thank Magic Seal for setting the precedent, leaving him the price point as a potential critique, because besides the price, he couldn't find anything else to fault.

And to a professional like Tang Rijie, the taste and this price were not expensive, it was even quite a good deal.

However, considering Mike's hint, he still said so.

Fortunately, viewers who hadn't tried it themselves couldn't tell.

The videographer, having worked with Tang Rijie for a long time, immediately got the hint and zoomed in for a close-up of the pitifully small side dish.

Because Tang Rijie had to reshoot twice, the already sparse vegetables in the plate were further reduced.

After trying the side dish, Tang Rijie ladled a spoonful of Four Treasures Beef Tail Soup.

It was a cooking method he had never heard of, but it tasted fantastic, and more importantly, it left a pleasant warmth in his tailbone, even significantly easing the discomfort in his increasingly troublesome lumbar spine.

Tang Rijie could understand the taste aspect being within his expertise, but this warming effect entered into his blind spot again.

How did they do this?

Tang Rijie was baffled once more, but this time, he didn't freeze; his movements were continuous, spooning one after another, gulping down almost half a bowl of the Four Treasures Beef Tail Soup, making the videographer anxious.

"Say something, Teacher Tang, don't just eat."

"Oh, oh, oh, let's shoot that again... wait a minute, let me think about what to say."

While Tang Rijie put down the spoon to think, Xiao Chen, who came to reserve the spot, couldn't help prompting, "Teacher Tang, this is your last chance. If you redo it again, we'll have to order anew."

"I know," Tang Rijie took a deep breath. "Let's go again."