My name is Liu Mao Xing. More commonly known as Mao.
After challenging Shou An, I defeated him by recreating
the taste of my Mom's mystery Mapo Tofu, which I remembered from my childhood.
I won the position of the head chef of Kikkaro,
which is the most renowned restaurant in all of Szechuan.
I did it!
Now I've finally been accepted as my Mom's successor...
... Or so I thought.
Mao.
Yes, Sir?
There's one more condition before I recognize you as the new head chef of Kikkaro.
You must go to Canton, the City of Food, for culinary training...
... And be certified as a "Super Chef".
Super Chef?
Go For It! Super Chef!
The Super Chef status is the pinnacle of the Chinese cooking world.
The licensure examination gathers the best of the best of each respective region, and is held once every four years.
Of all the exams held in China, the test in Canton is known to be especially difficult.
There are many who have challenged this ordeal time after time.
And many have spent a lifetime trying in vain to pass.
Those who do pass this ordeal, and earn the honor of becoming a Super Chef...
... can even become the Imperial Chef for the Emperor.
Go study in Canton, and earn the Super Chef License.
Do not set foot on Szechuan again until you've done so!
So this is Canton! What a big city!
So it's true what they say.
The best food can be found in Canton, and they're all fresh to boot.
Seek out this chef in Canton.
He could bring out the taste of vegetables to their limit in his dishes.
He is the great chef of Yosen Shuka, the best restaurant in Canton - Master Lou.
Master Luo it is. But where is this Yosen Shuka... Yosen Shuka?
Ahh! Someone catch him, catch him please!
Hey, it's a gamecock!
You there! Please! Catch him for me!
Sure, leave it to me! Hold it!
Now I've got you! That's it, be a good boy.
Hey! Stop!
That was very clumsy!
I expected more from a boy. Shape up, will you!
Stop right there!
Ah! Owwwww!
Ouch, Ouch! Owwwwww!
Wow, what should I do? I don't even know where to start.
Where in Canton is this Yosen Shuka anyway?
Hey you!
Huh?
What do you want at Yosen Shuka, the best restaurant in Canton?
It's no place for a kid like you.
My name is Mao. I'm the head chef at Kikkaro in Szechuan.
What? Stop joking around!
Kikkaro is where Pai, the Fairy of Szechuan cooking, used to be!
You knew about it!? Pai is my Mom.
I see, so a brat like you is a chef. Szechuan must be full of junk food.
What!?
Come with me, Shorty. I'll show you the cooking here in Canton.
So this is Yosen Shuka?
Whoa... Just look at all the customers...
But of course! The best cooks in Canton, like myself, work here.
Yosen Shuka is the best restaurant in Canton... No, the best in all of China!
Wow, so you work here?
Yeah. Come on, the kitchen is over this way.
Here it is!
Get me some barbecued pork!
I need three more large plates!
I don't have enough oil here! Hurry it up!
I'm coming!
Wow, this is really busy.
Hey, where is Master Chef Luo?
Master Luo doesn't come here often. It's Mr. Chouyu who runs the show.
A-amazing!
Plate.
He's amazing! All right then!
I'm Mao, from Szechuan. Please allow me to learn from you!
Please!
Oyster oil.
Please! I'll do anything!
You idiot! A country boy like you can't just barge inside the kitchen of the best restaurant in Canton!
Now get out of here!
Wait! I have a recommendation from Admiral Lee right here!
A recommendation!? From Admiral Lee?
THE Admiral Lee?
Who is this kid?
I'm not just any kid.
It's supper time for us now. You can cook a dish for us!
Perhaps some stir-fried bok choy.
Certainly!
Bok choy, popular in Chinese cooking, is used for its smell and texture.
Cooking it should be the same in Szechuan or Canton.
One pan is used to boil water. A second one is heated until it starts to smoke.
First, we place the bok choy into the boiling water.
Otherwise it's too hard to cook all the way through.
Boiling is complete, and now...!
I'll make a good impression with Szechuan's powerful flavors!
Stir-fry roughly, and it's finished!
Just watch! One bite and Szechuan's flavors will blow you away!
Care to try some?
Here, please try this.
- Hey! - Yes?
Who made the bean stalk stir-fry today?
That'd be Wong-Fu. He's getting better.
Is that so? This is good enough for customers to eat.
Hey Sanche, please try some of this.
Huh? Like I could eat such a thing!
What are you doing? You didn't even take a bite!
How long are you planning to eat here? Get back to work.
Why didn't they eat my dish?
Were the flavors of Szechuan too strong for people from Canton?
No, I've done it exactly as Mother had taught me to.
Mom's dish in Kikkaro was also popular among soldiers from Canton.
Bok choy is the most basic vegetable used everywhere!
Does this mean I can't even cook something that easy?
Damn it! Why? Why is this?
What's so wrong about this stir-fried bok choy?
Damn! He can still eat a tasteless steamed bun, but he won't even touch my food.
Try putting these between those buns.
You still don't get it.
If your nostrils aren't working, then plug them up like that!
My nostrils... aren't working?
I get it! It's the aroma!
The aroma is very slight, but it smells like mud!
I can smell it clearly outside here!
Kitchens are filled with many smells, yet everyone noticed just a tiny hint of mud in my dish.
Cooking is not only about taste.
You always start eating food by smelling it.
Who would even think of touching food with a bad aroma?
Aroma... But when I made it in Szechuan, there was no smell...
Of course not.
Canton and your home are different in every way!
If you don't even understand that, then your skills are useless here in Canton!
What?
I suggest you go back to Szechuan.
I suppose it must be easy to be a chef in Szechuan.
Even Szechuan's fairy, Pai, is insignificant here in Canton.
Don't you badmouth my mother!
If that's all you have to say, go home.
Everything is different between Canton and Szechuan?
What did he mean by that?
It's finally raining.
Better hurry or we'll get wet.
Move it! Move it! You're in my way!
Out of my way!
You there!
Get that wine bottle for me!
It fell into the river.
Wine bottle?
There, that one over there.
Would you mind getting it for me? If you hurry...!
Sure.
You can do it! Don't just stand there!
Wonderful, wonderful.
Sorry about that. Thanks, Sonny.
Here, Grandpa.
Ah, thank you. There's still a lot in here.
The wine is coming out!
It can't be helped. I'll just offer my wine to the river.
But...
Look at that. The beauty of flowing wine stands out in the water.
You're right. The flowing wine looks so much cleaner...
You know what they say, "A river churns with dirt."
Ugh! It smells like mud!
Smells... like mud?
Canton and your home are different in every way!
So that's it. I got it! I got it now, Grandpa!
Grandpa?
I wonder if that kid from yesterday gave up and went home.
He must have. Many come here each year, but it's never easy for anyone.
What is it, kid? Here to get some leftovers?
Please, let me stir-fry the bok choy again.
It doesn't matter how many times you try. Rome wasn't built in a day.
That's right, get out of here!
Can you do it?
I can!
Big deal, it's no different from yesterday.
Everything is the same up to this point.
The difference starts here!
This is my trump card!
Help me out, Magic water!
Please eliminate the muddy smell!
All right! Now to boil the bok choy.
And fry! Fry!
Here you go, Mr. Chouyu!
It looks no different from yesterday.
I hope your nose is working today.
I-I believe so.
He ate it.
This empty plate is the answer.
Yes, Sir!
Well done, kid. I didn't sense a hint of yesterday's smell.
The son of Pai, the Fairy of Szechuan, certainly takes after his mother.
Yeah, that had a magnificent taste.
I did it!
I'm surprised you learned it in one day.
Yes, the difference between Szechuan and Canton is the water.
In Canton, particles of yellow dust are found in the water.
That's why the muddy smell seeped into the bok choy when it was boiled.
And so?
I tried many ways, but I couldn't completely eliminate the muddy odor.
So I changed my tactics.
I tried boiling it without it touching the water.
What you put into the water must be the secret. What is it?
It's an oil.
I know it's an oil. But it can't be just any oil.
Right, this oil is a mixture of chicken fat and peanut oil, combined in a certain proportion
This makes it a very light and smooth-tasting oil.
First, oil is placed in a pot, forming a layer on the water surface.
When the bok choy is dropped in, the oil is coated around it.
This makes it possible to boil the vegetable while keeping the water away.
That's why the muddy smell didn't seep into it like it did yesterday.
This oil mixture also matches well with bok choy's taste and aroma,
I've tried many ways, and found that this works best.
You found that out in one day?
Yes, Sir!
I see. Now I know why Admiral Lee recommended you.
I will strive to do my best. Please allow me to stay here!
Your name is Mao?
Yes, Sir!
We train people hard in Yosen Shuka. So be prepared!
Huh? Ah! Yes!
Hey, Chouyu!
Yes.
All of the wine is gone from the cellar.
Oh! You're the drunken man from yesterday!
That man is our Head Chef, Master Luo!
What? You mean he's the Master Luo that Admiral Lee spoke of?
Hmm?... Hey!
You're the boy from yesterday. Let's see...
What are you doing here?
Master, he wishes to train here.
I see... So Chouyu, did this boy undergo the yellow soil trial?
Yes. And he solved it in a mere day.
All thanks to the hint you gave me, Master.
Oh? Did I do something?
Well anyway, you've solved the yellow soil trial in one day...
Canton's yellow soil colors the ground in yellow one day...
...and turns the East China Sea into a sea of yellow the next.
Thanks to that, cooking in Canton has been a constant struggle against water.
But you know what they say, "The wise play with water."
If you can learn to enjoy the muddy waters of Canton, then you've earned a seat in here.
Chouyu!
Yes. Mao.
Yes?
I'm assigning you as a fourth-level cook, in charge of vegetables.
Yes, Sir!
You will be training under me for a while, so beware!
Yes!
Bok choy is just the beginning. Use the many vegetables here to hone your cutting and cooking skills.
Someone, catch him!
Hold it right there! Not there! Stop, I say! Oh, just come back here!
What are you doing, Mei Li? Don't let that gamecock in here!
I'm sorry, Father.
Oh? You're the girl from yesterday!
Oh? Hey!
Let me introduce you to my daughter, Mei Li.
I'm Mao. Nice to meet you.
And so, my training in Yosen Shuka had begun.
Wait!
Come on! Hold still!
"In the Bluest Sky, I Can Meet With You"
I felt a signal pass through me today
As I went out to meet up with you
In this crowded cityscape, an enlightening wind
Is blowing hard into my face
Up in the clouds, above the Earth, where the Angels' ladders reach with grace
I stretched out my arms, and climbed right on. Now I can go...
Everywhere, gently riding a white wispy cloud
In the bluest sky, I can meet with you
No matter what the time, where the place The path to take, I want to see it through
I will never give up until the end
I want to gather up all pieces of the dreams that shine with seven rainbow colors
Ahh… perhaps the answers that I want
Are there all along in front of me