36 Years Without Tasting the Family Reunion Dinner
After finishing with the lunch crowd, it was generally around 2 PM. The chefs took a brief rest to recharge their energy for the Year of the Dragon reunion dinner.
"Health and safety are the latest trendy elements in recent years," Wu Ziguì told reporters. "After eating too much fish and meat, a menu must include an organic blanched bok choy dish that is oil-free and low-salt to regulate the customer's digestive system. This way, we retain tradition while also adding health."
From entering the industry until now, Wu Ziguì has been working in the culinary field for a full 36 years. "I've made reunion dinners at Guangzhou Restaurant for 36 years, meaning I haven't had a reunion dinner with my family for 36 years," Wu Ziguì told reporters. "The income for restaurant workers isn't high, and the workload is heavy. When everyone else is enjoying the holiday, why do we persist? Without a genuine love for the job, it would be impossible to continue."
At exactly 4 PM, the reporter finally followed Wu Ziguì into the chef's "battlefield," immediately feeling a wave of heat. Wu Ziguì laughed, saying that because it was winter, the kitchen during the reunion dinner was relatively cool. In the summer, the temperature in front of the stove wouldn't be less than 45°C, "If you don't have a good physical condition, chefs simply can't handle it."
On New Year's Eve night, the kitchen turns into a battlefield. Share with: Welcome to post comments. Before the interview, the reporter thought that the reunion dinner, even if busy, would only take up one day. Unexpectedly, since the 27th day of the lunar year, Wu Ziguì hadn't had a moment of rest. "We need to prepare various raw materials three days in advance, and the reunion dinner menu is designed a month earlier," Wu Ziguì told reporters.
By the day before New Year's Eve, Wu Ziguì had to arrange for nearly a hundred masters at Guangzhou Restaurant to prepare anything that could be done ahead of time. "Of course, fresh ingredients like fish, shrimp, and seafood must be prepared on the same day," said Wu Ziguì.
In recent years, as customers' tastes have become more demanding, Wu Ziguì, who is over sixty, continues to come up with new ideas. "This year is the Year of the Dragon, so lobster can be used, and the same shrimp can be presented in various forms." Master Wu personally took charge of the wok to make the reunion dinner for the guests.
When tables of visually appealing, fragrant, and delicious reunion dinners were served, how many people could truly appreciate the annual joys and hardships experienced by those who prepare these meals? On January 22nd, which was New Year's Eve, the reporter went to Guangzhou Restaurant on Binjiang West Road in Guangzhou, following Master Wu Ziguì, the head chef of Guangzhou Restaurant Group, to experience a "chef's New Year's Eve."
In today's world where food safety incidents occur frequently, making guests happy is important, but ensuring they eat safely is even more crucial.
At 11 AM, as guests began to arrive one after another, the kitchen started to get busy. "Actually, the morning of New Year's Eve isn't the busiest part yet," Wu Ziguì stated, "The real hustle begins at 3 PM."
In the afternoon of New Year's Eve, the kitchen was indeed like a battlefield, with everyone on edge, racing against time. When talking about the hardest part of the reunion dinner battle, Wu Ziguì didn't mention how tired or busy he was, but rather worried about unexpected third rounds of guests, "then we have to rush to prepare ammunition (raw materials)."
Sometimes Wu Ziguì also feels quite exhausted. "For 36 years, I haven't spent a single New Year's Eve with my parents." However, satisfaction is also his greatest motivation to overcome fatigue. "If others can enjoy themselves here, I will feel very satisfied. Even if it's tiring and hard, I will still continue. It's a matter of professional ethics; my career requires me to be dedicated."
The preparation for the New Year dinner needs to start three days in advance.
How to ensure "safety"? Simply put, it's about controlling the quality of the raw materials. "In recent years, the hotly debated food additives, we absolutely do not use them," Wu Ziguì said. According to the Yangcheng Evening News,
From 6 PM to 9 PM, the climax of the three-day-prepared reunion dinner finally arrived. Due to the overwhelming business, turning over tables became inevitable. "Counting the second round of reunion dinners, we made over 200 tables of reunion dinners, approximately 200 roasted suckling pigs," Wu Ziguì said proudly yet somewhat tiredly, "This means that a team of fewer than 100 chefs averages more than two large tables per person."
Nowadays, the most fashionable trend is health and safety.
At 9 AM on New Year's Eve, Wu Ziguì put on his uniform, wore the chef's hat, held a daily meeting with the staff in the kitchen, and then strictly inspected the quality of the dim sum for breakfast.
At 10 PM, the reunion dinner battle concluded successfully. "I can go home now," Wu Ziguì hurriedly changed back into casual clothes after a busy day, wishing he could fly home.