[ ] Harvard Department of Culinary Archaeology
X.x.X.
The key to a successful business especially with something as ubiquitous as a restaurant was to stand out of the crowd. There are many ways to do this like having a famous celebrity chef, a special atmosphere or an interesting food concept.
Unfortunately, Tiffany doesn't have any of that.
True, she has the skills to make a killer fried rice, but that's not immediately marketable.
And time was the one thing she was short of.
So, after shopping for the appliance Tiffany went back to her alma mater - Harvard. Without a doubt, Harvard is one of the most prestigious universities in the world. More importantly, its Department of Culinary Archeology has become quite decorated recently.
Even Tiffany who hardly paid attention to culinary news knows the department's recent discovery. Apparently, the department of Culinary Archeology together with the Culinary Sects of China has managed to crack the secret of ancient wok making. Though, the quantity they can make was still limited - about a hundred a year, the important part was the fact the ancient woks were now reproducible.
Such woks would normally be a pipedream for Tiffany to have but the system came through for once.
Karmic Point Encountered!
User could use earned positive karma (lifespan) to nudge fate to favor you. As it was the first time the user was using it, the system would give a 90% discount.
Cost: 1 day lifespan
Though, it pained Tiffany to use her precious lifespan like this. Sometimes you have to spend a bit of money to make money.
Activate Karmic Point System
Immediately 24 hours were taken from her lifespan. Her Lifespan counter went down to 256 hours 42 minutes and 22 seconds and she felt a sense of vertigo as reality shifted a nanometer to the left with everyone none the wiser.
Did it work, system?
User, be assured that fate is now in your favor.
X.x.X.
Entering the red brick building reserved for the Department of Culinary Archeology. Tiffany walked to the receptionist table wherein a young man was busy surfing on his phone.
"Hello. I'm Tiffany Gonzales. I would like to do the take the test for the ancient wok please."
Not taking his eye from the phone. "ID."
Tiffany twitched but she held out her school ID.
The rude boy barely glanced at Tiffany's ID before rejecting her. "You're not qualified."
Tiffany tried to smile politely. "The rule says that all Harvard students -past or present with sufficient skill on the wok are allowed to do the test."
"You're a business student."
"Hey! That's classist!"
"Just let her try Samuel," A soft voice interrupted the brewing argument. Tiffany looked around for the voice and noticed the smartly dressed old man sitting at the lounge, slowly sipping tea.
"But, Master. She's just another one -"
"Let her try, Samuel." The old man "I saw a windmill on my tea."
The boy sighed. "Ok. Master."
X.x.X.
Tiffany tried not to look too smug as she finished making the fried rice and watched the rude boy devour the dish with gusto.
That's what you get for being classist.
"It appeared that you passed marvelously Miss Gonzales." The old man remarked, on his hand, the fried rice was still untouched except for a small bite.
"Really?" Tiffany asked. She knew she has the assurance of the system but wasn't this a bit too easy?
At the same time, the rude guy also exclaimed, ready to object to the old man's decision. "Master?! What about ---".
"Samuel," The old man's voice turned a touch sterner.
Samuel immediately stopped protesting and meekly sat back into his chair. Tiffany was amazed at the transformation. Its like watching a german shepherd turning into a chihuahua.
"Now Ms. Gonzales, would you like a tour of our facilities? I want to make up for my apprentice's lack of tact."
The old man is the rude guy's master? They're worlds apart. Still, Tiffany knew goodwill when she sees it.
"Thank you, Mr.?"
"Just call me, Professor He. Miss Gonzales.
X.x.X.
They were currently on some sort of wok exhibition when the Professor asked. "Do you know how a wok works Miss Gonzales, scientifically speaking, I mean?"
"Not really Professor."
"Then, I hope you don't mind if I give a little lecture."
"Of course not." Tiffany assented.
In a soft voice, Professor He explained. "Wok cooking, in my opinion, is one of the purest forms of cooking. The intense heat and the unique shape of the wok allows it to cook food uniformly. The fire of the wok locks the moisture of the food and seals it in." The professor turned to her. "As a chef, you must know that when cooking food, the faster you seal the moisture the more nutrient it obtains."
"Of course!" Answered Tiffany who faintly remembered hearing and knowing this information in another life.
"Still, the hallmark of Wok Cooking is the Wok Hei - the breath of the wok in English." At this, the professor pointed toward an illustrated chart at the side of the room.
"Long ago, It is found that the so-called Wok Hei is simply caused by intense heat brought about by the cameralization of sugars along with the Maillard reactions of food with the patina and the smoking oil. That complex combination allowed the food cooked with a wok to have the elusive charred aroma and complex taste which all chef's sought after."
Professor He smiled. "And that was how the wok works scientifically, Miss Gonzales."
"Sounds a bit complex," Tiffany commented.
"It was quite simple actually. Too simple. If that was all there is to ancient wok cooking, we would have easily mass-produced it by now. You'll see when we go to our next stop."
Walking quickly, the pair went to the next room.
The first thing that Tiffany noticed was the 20-inch wok in the center of the room, proudly displayed in a glass showcase illuminated by two spotlights. Two red security light noticeably blinking at the base.
Pointing at the wok, Professor He proudly presented it. "This is an ancient wok that I help borrow from one of the sects of China."
User, the system has detected a legendary cooking tool. Please touch them to begin system analysis.
Tiffany paused at the sudden interjection and rejected the suggestion immediately.
System, if I do that I might get arrested.
...
Meanwhile, Professor He continued. "We traced its ancestry to the Zhou dynasty approximately 770 to 700 BC at the reign of King Ping. That is about 2720 years ago."
"This particular ancient wok was passed down from sect leader to sect leader and it's one of the few that still works even today. More miraculously, our statistics and blind test-tasting say that any food cooked by this came out better! Even when the food and the chef were identical. It was simply inconceivable!"
"The researchers of the time thought that there might be something unique about the wok itself."
"Is it the metal professor? Was it made from the meteorite like the wuxian legends?" Tiffany asked. There was no end of books of magical equipment made from rare metal from space.
"No, the analysis came back repeatedly and it shows the metal was made from ordinary cast iron."
The professor laughed. "That stomped everyone. Still, we did get a clue when the carbon dating result was finished. All the ancient wok came from the same time period and from the surviving manuscript we pierced together they might have come from the same place - a small village near the Hukou waterfall."
"We then found the place and confirmed that there was once a village there. After that, we hit another research dead end. We tested everything - the water of the yellow river, the soil composition and many more. It was only when we tested the surrounding fauna that we noticed an anomaly in the carps at the yellow river. Some of them carry an unknown biomolecule on their fats."
"Looking back, that finding was quite surprising and perhaps a bit apt."
"Apt?" Tiffany asked confused. She didn't know how carps could have anything to do with the ancient wok.
"Miss Gonzales, have you heard of this legend? When a carp successfully swims upstream and leap above the waterfall; they will transform into dragons?"
"Wait, that was true?" Tiffany exclaimed. Despite herself, she was excited to know if dragons actually exist. The system exists after all.
"Not exactly. But, I have learned that even the most outrageous myth has some substance."
"Our current working theory was the craftsman who created the ancient woks used the fish oil to form the first protective patina perhaps for the lack of other sources. And after testing it ourselves... "
"What happened, Professor?" Tiffany asked, despite herself.
"When the carp's oil was used as a patina, the unknown seemed to seep into the cast iron and remain unactivated under normal condition. It only activates in the presence of intense heat, cannibalizing some of the new patina introduced in the wok."
At this, the Professor shook his head. "We still don't know how the biological material worked but we know that it retains the faint flavor from whatever it cannibalized. And from our previous test, the food became a bit healthier as well, kinda a bit like probiotic bacterias. And considering that a patina naturally forms every time you cook with the wok..."
"It meant the more the wok was used to cook food the better it is?" Tiffany exclaimed.
"Exactly! Well, that is the current theory, at least. It explains why the ancient wok is so miraculous and how the sects of China have distinctive flavor in their cooking unable to be replicated elsewhere."
Professor He sighed. "The only problem we have now is the fact that the organism is only found at less than 1% of the carps near the yellow river waterfall."
"Laboratory testing is a bust. But, we were thinking of growing the carps here in the United State…. "
X.x.X.
It was already evening when the Professor He finished talking with the young Miss Gonzales. He was making another pot of tea while contemplating the whole encounter when his apprentice barged unexpectedly into his room.
"Master!"
"Samuel, decorum please." Gesturing to his apprentice to sit in front of him.
"Master, why did you give her one of your wok quotas?" Samuel exclaimed.
"Hmmm… all of my students already have one. What will I use for an extra one?"
"A lot of things! Master please!"
Robert He contemplated Samuel's outraged form and decided to answer less obliquely. "Miss Gonzales, she's very interesting."
"I admit that her fried rice is amazing, but…"
"Not that Samuel. I meant her cooking form. Don't you think it's like a textbook?"
At that, his student's brow knotted.
"All perfect rote and none the passion."
Robert He calmly sipped his tea.
"I wonder what she will make of that wok?"
Miss Gonzales, I hope that you remember my words.
All cooking must be born from the heart.
X.x.X.
Congratulations! Got an Epic Wok!
But, before I generate the wok stats. Please vote accordingly.
As your primary cooking tool and Tiffany's best form of exercise please pick the size of your wok:
[ ] 14-inch wok
Gives 1d15 xp for stamina and 1d5 xp for strength per week.
This wok serves about 4 people and drains normal amount of stamina.
[ ] 16-inch wok
Gives 1d10 xp for stamina and 1d10 xp for strength per week.
This wok serves about 6 people and drains 25% more stamina per use.
[ ] 18-inch wok
Gives 1d5 xp for stamina and 1d15 xp for strength per week.
The wok serves about 8 people maximum and drains 50% more stamina per use.
Every chef has a unique signature dish. With this wok, you have taken the steps towards finding yours. Please pick the oil for your patina.
[ ] Peanut oil - A Proclamation of Passion
Peanut oil is a bold oil that has a strong aroma and odor. It will certainly make your dish stand out if you managed to perfectly blend it in.
[ ] Grapeseed Oil - A Proclamation of Comfort
Grapeseed is a mild oil that surprisingly doesn't taste like grapes or smell like one. This oil would easily blend into most dishes, easily making them harmonious
GM Notes:
Hahaha! Finally finished. Note that the above is mostly scientifically accurate. Mostly. lol
As for how the stat works. Well, once we're done setting up, we are going to do things by weekly basis. The logic of the stats is the lighter the wok, the more you can use it and thus train your stamina. Meanwhile, the heavier the wok is the more its like lifting weights and thus train your strength.
