The Onion-Cutting Ninja's Secret Crush

3 The Happiness of Cooking

Xiao Ming gestured to the ingredients that were already lying on the counter, clearly separated into what he needed for each dish. He always prepared it this way for the streams so he'd have everything at hand and wouldn't need to stumble through the kitchen while cooking. A few almost-disasters at the beginning of Bright Yellow Water had etched that into his mind.

"Since the mango pudding will need some time to cool after preparing it, I will start with this dish. Normally, I'd explain each individual step at the side. Today, I am only going to highlight a few important points because there is something special I want to tell you about.

"We've already covered the dishes we're doing today another day though. So if you are unsure about how something works, you can just look for the older videos and listen to the more detailed explanation I gave back then. Qian Huang will link the relevant videos in the description and post them on Weibo. Now, let's go for it!"

He picked up the mango and the knife and started to prepare the dish while getting to the main point he wanted to talk about today. "I've already mentioned briefly before that I was invited as a judge for a new cooking show that's due soon. Today was finally the press conference so I can give out some more information now. The show is called 'Golden Spoon'."

Qian Huang broke out laughing, startling Xiao Ming into looking up from handling the mango. Normally, his so-called assistant was the most professional one among the three of them so he really didn't understand what was going on that he would suddenly behave like this when he had just started giving out the most vital information for today.

Qian Huang raised a fist and coughed, trying to stifle his laughter. "I'm sorry. Nin Sha just sent you a golden spoon."

Xiao Ming stared blankly for a moment before he chuckled as well. He turned to look directly at the camera, his eyes sparkling with a teasing light. "Nin Sha, I wasn't asking for gifts. 'Golden Spoon' is the title of the cooking show. I've heard that it's because the trophy that will be given to the winner will be in the form of an actual golden spoon."

Qian Huang once again interjected: "Nin Sha doesn't care. He sent another one."

Xiao Ming shook his head, looking a bit indulgent. "Well, our Nin Sha has always had his own ideas. Thank you very much. We really appreciate it.

"Anyway, the show is going to start running next month. Up until then, everybody who wants to is eligible to enter. You can register on the website of the show. Qian Huang will put the link in the corner of the screen and in the description as well. There are some more details on the rules given on the website so you should definitely read those first but in general, as long as you're eighteen or above, you can join in. You just need to give some information and then go to the casting in four weeks.

"Now, maybe you're wondering if you should even take part. Maybe you're worried if you're good enough for this. It's a national TV show, after all.

"Well, let me tell you that I think that — as long as you are interested in cooking — the show will definitely be beneficial. Even if you can't make it to the finals, you will be given feedback by professional cooks. Even if you just take part in the casting, that is something of a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, wouldn't you say so?

"Furthermore, if you do manage to get further than that, you will be given feedback by the panel of judges. Other than me, the other fixed judge will be Mister Yu. I'm sure that quite a lot of you will have heard of him. He is a Michelin-starred chef with a very popular restaurant in Beijing. He had gotten famous early on in his career and nothing has changed about that.

"To be honest, Mister Yu is my own idol, so I kind of wish I would be able to get some feedback from him on my own. So, I'm not lying when I say that it will be a great opportunity for you to take part in 'Golden Spoon' just to get a sentence or even just a word from him. I'm sure it would benefit you a lot.