Journey to the West: Starting by taking Sun Wukong as my disciple!-Chapter 376: God of Cookery Fabricates Again
Even though Sun Wukong had outdone him, given his reputation as the God of Cookery, the Immortal Officials still had high expectations when it came to guessing dish names.
Seeing the encouraging looks from the Immortal Officials, the God of Cookery grew even more confident.
Smacking his lips, he pretended to look profound and said, "Since ancient times, many dish names have contained the names of their creators, like Mapo Tofu, Dongpo Pork, and so on. Therefore, I guess that the name of this dish has something to do with Chef Wukong’s mentor, Shopkeeper Chen."
"That makes sense, it looks like the God of Cookery will definitely guess the name this time."
"Right, right, we didn’t think of it until he mentioned it, but now it does seem very plausible." 𝐟𝕣𝗲𝕖𝕨𝗲𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝗲𝚕.𝗰𝚘𝐦
"Nonsense, you all said Master Zhenyuan had a good point just a moment ago. You’re all fence-sitters."
These words were like encouragement to the God of Cookery, who felt that the dish name he had in mind must be very close to the actual one.
"The soup of this dish is golden, and there are quail eggs in it, plus Shopkeeper Chen’s name contains the character ’nuo’, so I boldly speculate that the name of this dish should be called Nuo Family Dish."
"Nuo Family Dish, good one, this name makes it clear that it’s a dish made by Shopkeeper Chen,"
"Exactly, and the name Nuo Family Dish sounds so lofty and high-end. It must be right."
Listening to the praises, the God of Cookery’s chin gradually rose, "How about it, Chef Wukong? Did I guess it right?"
Sun Wukong smiled at the God of Cookery, "You’re quite good at coming up with dish names; this one is really nice."
"Chef Wukong is also praising the God of Cookery, it seems he’s got it right. Indeed, the God of Cookery is worthy of his title, the professional work is still best left to the professionals."
"Yeah, Master Zhenyuan, you see, you’re no Vajra Drill, so don’t take on porcelain work. You’ve made a fool of yourself now, haven’t you?"
Master Zhenyuan was not convinced, "Chef Wukong just said that his dish name was good; he didn’t say the God of Cookery got the name right, did he? What if he’s wrong?"
"True, Master Zhenyuan also has a point. Let’s wait and see what Chef Wukong has to say."
So, the Immortal Officials turned their attention back to Sun Wukong, "Chef Wukong, how is it? You said the God of Cookery’s name was good, is it the right one?"
"I did say the name was good, but didn’t Master Zhenyuan just answer for me? I never said that was the name of the dish, did I?"
Sun Wukong shook his head at the God of Cookery and said, "Sadly, you’re still wrong, but I don’t blame you, because I’m sure you would never have guessed the name of the dish."
"Chef Wukong, you keep asking us to guess the name, and at the same time, you say we definitely won’t be able to guess it. Aren’t you just playing with us?"
"Guessing the name is just like that. I’ve let you eat the dish, so you can’t blame old Sun if you haven’t guessed the name."
Though it was true what he said—as the dish was right in front of them and they hadn’t guessed the name—it was indeed their lack of ability, so they really couldn’t blame Sun Wukong.
"Chef Wukong, you should stop keeping us in suspense. We’ve finished the dish and still don’t know the name."
An Immortal Official, whose curiosity was particularly strong but who couldn’t guess the name himself, found Sun Wukong’s silence unbearable. The feeling of not being able to satisfy his curiosity was like a burning in his heart, so he clamored for Sun Wukong to reveal the dish’s name.
Sun Wukong’s goal was not yet achieved, so how could he really reveal the name? He continued to keep them guessing.
"Here’s what, I’ll give you a hint related to the name of the dish. If you still can’t guess it even with this hint, then my dish is really wasted, like feeding it to dogs."
The God of Cookery, who had just thought he guessed correctly, was once again intrigued, "Speak up, Chef Wukong. We’re all ears."
"Alright then, listen closely," Sun Wukong spoke, his eyes drifting towards the Buddhism disciples, observing how they were all in agony. Sun Wukong almost couldn’t help but laugh out loud, wondering how much longer they could endure it.
"Please hurry up, Chef Wukong," urged an Immortal Official, seeing that Sun Wukong had yet to respond.
Sun Wukong came back to his senses, "Old Sun asks you, what do you think of when you see this dish?"
The God of Cookery stood up, "Just now, somebody already said, this dish contains a bit of everything. Creatures that fly in the sky, run on the ground, swim in the water, and grow in the earth—it’s all in there."
"So, what about it, God of Cookery? You still haven’t given us the name of the dish," Master Zhenyuan mocked him.
The God of Cookery rolled his eyes, "I wasn’t finished yet, was I? If it’s not related to containing a bit of everything, then it must be ’embracing all streams’ (海纳百川)."
The Immortal Officials were puzzled, "What does that have to do with ’embracing all streams’?"
"Please look," the God of Cookery approached the Buddhist side and bowed politely to a Buddhist disciple, "No offense intended. Since you cannot eat anyway, let me just demonstrate."
Sun Wukong watched with interest at the God of Cookery’s actions, thinking that he might not need to intervene after all. Perhaps he’d even manage to pass the buck.
The God of Cookery picked up the small bowl, "Look inside this bowl."
The Immortal Officials craned their necks to peer inside but saw nothing out of the ordinary besides the broth and ingredients.
Yang Jian let out a cold snort. While others found the situation amusing, he only found it noisy. He had no interest in such childish games.
Moreover, he detested the Buddhist crowd present there, feeling greatly disturbed by the additional moment spent in their company.
"Really, even now you still haven’t figured out what it is!"
The God of Cookery took up a soup spoon and stirred inside the small bowl, "If you consider this golden broth as the sea, isn’t my explanation clear enough? If there are still those amongst you who do not understand, then you really do not deserve the title of immortals."
The Immortal Officials paused for a moment and then had an epiphany, "Oh! Oh! Oh! So that’s how it is. Amazing indeed, to think of it on this level. The God of Cookery truly lives up to his name; we are thoroughly impressed."
"Hold on there, God of Cookery," Master Zhenyuan interrupted the proceedings, "So you’re not telling me the name of the dish is actually ’embracing all streams,’ are you?"
The God of Cookery replied with a triumphant smile, "Precisely. Why, are you feeling unconvinced because I guessed the name of the dish?"
"No, no, not at all," Master Zhenyuan touched his forehead, "I just wanted to tell you not to be too proud yet. If your answer is correct, I’ll eat the dish on the spot."
"What, so you came to eat and drink for free?" the God of Cookery replied, feeling offended, "The dish is so delicious I want to eat it myself. If I could, why would I give it to you?"
"No," Master Zhenyuan explained, "I didn’t come for a free meal, I’m just making a vow, that’s all."
The two went back and forth, and nobody else could get a word in.
Everyone then turned their attention toward Sun Wukong, seeking confirmation, "Chef Wukong, please tell us, is the name right or not?"
Sun Wukong shook his head again, "No, no."
Unable to guess the name correctly, some Immortal Officials started to doubt, "Chef Wukong, what do you mean by this? Is there not a name for the dish at all? Are you just fooling us..."
"Nonsense!" Sun Wukong suddenly grew angry, "This dish was named by my master; how could it not have a name? It’s just that you are all too dull. It’s only a matter of guessing a name and you can’t even do that right."
