Abnormal Gourmet Chronicle-Chapter 863 - 429: Craftsman’s Spirit (Part 3)

"Now it seems that your Master Cao is more skilled than I am, and he understands you better. You can only use this method."

Qin Huai: ?

"Huh?" Qin Huai was confused, his mind filled with, "No way, not again."

Previously, his Knife Skills were only at a Basic level, so starting over was fairly easy. Now his Finger Skill is at an Advanced level. How could he forget an Advanced Finger Skill? Knock him out to make him amnesiac?

But Finger Skill is more about muscle memory, right? Even if the brain forgets, it might not be erased.

Seeing Qin Huai completely baffled, Master Zhou explained, "I know this is difficult, but to make significant progress in a short time and to correct those bad habits—of which I don't know how many you have—you need to avoid getting stuck like Lao San. Using this method, it's still possible."

"You don't want to end up like Lao San in a few years, do you?"

Master Zhou's words were quite heavy.

Of course, it wasn't meant to imply that Zhao Cheng'an was inadequate, but Qin Huai clearly understood Zhao Cheng'an's current situation. Unless Zhao Cheng'an received sudden enlightenment, it would be difficult to break through.

Well, Zhao Cheng'an may not have a system, but he does.

Qin Huai thought for a moment, then said, "Master Zhou, I actually understand what you mean."

"You're saying that imitation can be very useful in the early and even mid-stages, but once you want to pursue higher and better things, imitation becomes a stumbling block on our path. Both Zhao Cheng'an and I have developed similar habits, making it harder for us to change compared to others. So our initial learning in culinary arts was smooth, but breaking through is harder than for others."

Master Zhou nodded with satisfaction.

"Then what do you mean by starting over? There's no way I can forget all my Finger Skills."

"You don't need to forget everything. Your fundamentals are pretty decent; these are things you can't forget even if you wanted to."

Qin Huai: ?

"Then what should I forget?"

"Aesthetics."

Qin Huai: ??

This time, Qin Huai's head was truly filled with question marks.

Aesthetics???

Could aesthetics even be forgotten?!

No, Master Zhou, are you saying my aesthetics are faulty?

Qin Huai almost wanted to dig out his elementary, middle, and high school art assignments to show Master Zhou; his aesthetics were actually quite... well, okay, his drawing wasn't great.

But his sense of aesthetics should be decent... right?

"Your aesthetic sense is too utilitarian," Master Zhou said. "No matter what I've asked them to make in recent days, you always prefer Lao San's work. Even if I asked them to make something like assorted fruits or peacock displays, which require certain aesthetic and creative skills, that would be fine. But I asked them to make relatively rigid and basic designs."

"The other snacks, although flawed, clearly have more soul. You don't like them; you prefer Lao San's snacks, which look flawless at first glance, as if ripped straight from a textbook—methodical and uninspired."

"Techniques can't be reshaped, but aesthetics can."

"However, techniques still need practice. You know why I've had you practice these basic snacks these past few days? I wanted to see if there were any obvious issues with your fundamentals."

"It seems there are no issues with the fundamentals, but there are significant problems with your aesthetics."

With that, Master Zhou pulled out a thick stack of books, about seven or eight of them.

Qin Huai peered closely and found that these books were: "Overview of World Aesthetics," "The Journey of Aesthetics," "Step-by-step Guide to Making Exquisite Snacks," "Aesthetics," "Aesthetics and Art," "The Freedom of Beauty," and "A Grand View of Pastries."

The thickness of the books made Qin Huai feel lightheaded.

"Read them carefully, and every morning during our early meeting, tell me your insights from the reading."

"We'll continue practicing; you'll work on these basic snacks, and I'll have them make more challenging snacks for you to critique."

"Lao San read these books, too."