Chapter 23

Chapter 23

Second New Menu

The bet where Lord Crookes takes the referee, and I have to make the two judges Mr. Tesla and Mr. Edison admit defeat with cooking.

But it seems I took the first point first.

"Heh! Th-this is a British restaurant?!"

"Hmm...! The interior is amazing."

...I overwhelmed them with something other than cooking.

As soon as I unlocked the front door and let them in, groans and exclamations burst out!

I shrugged my shoulders. I had secretly expected this kind of reaction. People entering here for the first time, even the gentry, were amazed.

The First Impression Effect mentioned in psychology.

The impression formed in the first meeting or first experience greatly influences subsequent positive evaluations. I thoroughly designed it from the start aiming for this.

On the outside you don't know. It's just an ordinary wooden building bought and remodeled. That's where the reversal comes out.

But the splendid and exotic atmosphere that unfolds the moment you enter inside, honestly speaking I am confident there is no place comparable no matter which country you go to in the current era.

Various statues praising the Roman and Greek eras, chandeliers reflecting the light, and a solidly finished marble floor.

On top of that, reflecting the deep interest of the British upper class in Orientalism, various Eastern artworks were exhibited without omission.

When I first discussed the interior with Mr. Henry and told him this kind of story, that uncle was also quite shocked. Saying no one would have thought of such an idea.

Is there a concept? Well, roughly a traditional lifestyle museum?

In fact for a modern person like me exhibiting and viewing various cultures is a natural idea, but in this era it was treated as an awesome idea. Thanks to that I was briefly treated as a genius.

"Hehehe, how is it? Isn't it cool? Look around comfortably! Look at that statue a bit too! Do you see those elegant curves and traces of time? How is it, huh? Tesla you also say something! Don't just open both eyes wide saying it's too amazing!"

"What... Yes, hmm. Hmm..."

That guy Tesla was confident but completely froze.

...But why is the grandfather excited as if he's the owner? The owner of this restaurant is me?! And those statues are all fake imitations! No matter how much money Mr. Henry has, there's no way he would fill this large space with only real antiques! Of course most are fakes for interior!

Anyway, thinking that the first impression was roughly overwhelmingly imprinted at this level, I slowly guided the three people further in the deeper direction.

"This is the central hall. For now sit here and catch your breath. I'll soon show you my special British taste cooking. It won't take long."

"Thank you. It's still early for dinner so prepare slowly. Meanwhile we'll take out some bread from that bread basket and tear into it."

The destination was the table in the exact center. The very seat where the Duke of York sat. Shall I stick a label saying the seat of honor here?

Unlike Lord Crookes who frequently came and went to my restaurant, Mr. Tesla and Mr. Edison who were here for the first time looked around in all directions with dumbfounded expressions.

"...It's a wider space than expected. Piercing up to the second floor, if that reporter bastard saw this he couldn't have written such nonsense."

"Hmm, Tesla you also saw that trash-like writing of the New York World? I didn't believe it from the start. Those guys are full of idiots who don't know the true value of things. Anyway, this place is amazing. Rather I'm even more looking forward to what kind of cooking will come out. It seems I can accept whatever comes out. Jean-Paul Durand, you're the owner of this place? You were really an amazing chef!"

Mr. Tesla and Mr. Edison also each threw a word. Are these the first Americans to enter my restaurant? No, last time the diplomat Mr. Henry brought saying it was an important guest also seemed to be an American... Joseph? Choate? It seemed to be a similar name.

That uncle also made an uncomfortable expression seeing Chicken and Chips, then ate like crazy after tasting one bite. After that he seems to visit very occasionally.

I was curious what kind of reaction these two would show again, and waited a moment for them to discover the various details of this place.

This is literally a top-grade restaurant gathering only the trends declared as high-class in early 20th-century British high society.

It's full of things that Americans would marvel at.

In fact 1901 Britain and America did not emotionally confront each other as much as modern people imagine. There was a stereotype that they would dislike each other due to past events like the Boston Tea Party or the War of Independence, so I thought so too.

But living directly in this era, the British actually have no particular thoughts about America, and only the Americans are always making a fuss.

It seemed to be because of emotions like awe? Inferiority complex? Something like that.

At this time America was not yet the superpower of modern times, and Americans were inwardly jealous of the point that their cultural roots were in Britain.

So the higher you go in high society, the standard of success depended on how accurately you followed the lifestyle of British nobles.

Social culture and etiquette, formal banquets, social clubs, fashion, architectural styles, starting from education, hobbies, leisure activities, horseback riding, fox hunting, sports like cricket and tennis, even enjoying poetry and plays, mystery novels like the Holmes series.

They tried to follow all of it.

So I thought these two Americans would fall into more shock seeing this genuine British-style restaurant...

"That's the phonograph I invented! It's the 1899 Concert model! Why did you put that here? Were you trying to use it as a decoration? Isn't it too big for that?"

"Yes? Of course I brought it to play background music. Don't they use it like that in America...?"

"Background music...? Background music? You mean playing music in the background? Using my phonograph for that purpose...?"

This uncle, the point of surprise is somehow a bit different from what I expected?

"Background music... Background music... Hahat! How did I not think of such a simple idea?! Not just using the phonograph for music appreciation at home, but if you play music in commercial places like this... Hmm, for example a department store or something... It can also be utilized in marketing... Mo-money, big money will be made!!"

What kind of situation is this again? Mr. Edison is thinking of making money here? For now let's pretend I didn't hear it.

On the other hand, Mr. Tesla seemed excited from a completely different side.

"You... Did you just turn on all the lights in this hall by pressing just that one switch?"

"Yes, well... That's right?"

"H-how did you do it?!"

"Well, just by attaching a switch to the fuse box connecting all the lights...?"

"You attached a switch? And that to the fuse box? You put a separate control panel in the middle and controlled everything? Heh... With such a simple idea this electrical efficiency... Wait a minute, an idea?!"

Uh uh, why are you analyzing there?!

Central control lighting system. I thought an idea of this level would be fine to introduce, but surely this was also a new concept here?!

No, somehow all the lights were made to be used only with individual switches. It was too inconvenient so I went to the workshop and asked them to make one.

The basic concepts of wiring or electrical circuits were already sufficiently established even in this era, so after hearing my explanation and tinkering a few times they quickly made it. At that time too the workshop owner uncle's expression was a bit strange...

"Right. This is a really innovative idea! Changing the direction of inducing energy resonance to central concentration, and further subdividing the range... Hmm, then I'll have to change all the facilities of the Wardenclyffe Tower... No, not this method but redesigning the direction of the coil..."

[Nikola Tesla: This place is really a tremendous lump of inspiration! Can't I research here? / Emotion: Excitement / Satisfaction: -]

Uh, wait a minute, aren't you spreading the wings of imagination too widely just from seeing the lights turned off and on once?!

Moreover, if I left them for a moment, the two started tearing each other down with the momentum of grabbing collars.

"Tesla! The commercial patent I thought of here is mine first! Absolutely don't think of making money with the phonograph usage method I muttered just now!"

"Hmph, don't try to interfere with my research. I'm in the middle of materializing this ecstatic idea right now! Jean-Paul Durand! By any chance do you have paper and pen?! If you do please bring them!"

"Me too please bring just one sheet!"

Excuse me, you two, why are you squeezing out ideas in someone else's restaurant right now?! This makes me feel like I've become an earthling spreading modern civilization in another world!

"Puhaha! Didn't I say you guys would like it if you came here! When I pestered a few days ago you should have chased right away! How is it? Is scientific inspiration springing up wildly?! That's why this is the best restaurant in Britain! I also stop by here to cool my head before writing papers! Viva la Clana Divina! vere optimum est!"

Lord Crookes, what is that twisted language again? Surely it's Latin? Please, use English in Britain!!

Anyway, if I got swept up in this atmosphere I felt like even I would become strange, so I decided to leave these people as is and immediately flee to the kitchen.

###

Creative thinking and complex thinking.

A way of thinking that fuses various information and ideas to derive new solutions or innovative results.

This is not a completely unfamiliar concept in modern times. From the start it's included in the education curriculum.

But that doesn't mean people of the early 20th century were absolutely ignorant of this concept either.

From the start there are many historical examples. For example, like Archimedes discovering the concepts of volume and buoyancy while scrubbing in the bathtub.

Newton also got hit in the face by a falling apple while napping under an apple tree and discovered gravity.

It wasn't strange that the two creative genius inventors Mr. Tesla and Mr. Edison faced completely unfamiliar and new modern concepts in my restaurant and gained another inspiration. For them that would have been daily life.

Thanks to that I also came up with the concept of this cooking. Since I confirmed they like creative thinking, shouldn't I prepare the cooking accordingly?

There is also a cooking lineage in Korean food with 'creativity' as the concept.

It's 'fusion Korean food.'

Various branches of Korean food born from the fusion of Western cooking methods and Korean ingredients. In a way my Chicken and Chips can also be called fusion Korean food.

The corridor heading to the kitchen. I slowly walked while organizing my thoughts on how to unfold the cooking with the concept of 'fusion Korean food.'

"After the concept, what's needed next is storytelling, right?"

In fact, this bet looks like a competition between Mr. Tesla and Mr. Edison on the surface, but in reality it could be said to be a fight between me the cooking expert and Mr. Tesla.

Mr. Tesla is a very rational and logical person even by the standards of this era. He clearly won't try to lie about the taste of my food.

Then for me to win here, I have to lay the basis for him to evaluate it as delicious in advance.

Taste is originally a subjective realm. Taste is something where likes and dislikes differ from person to person.

But the moment storytelling intervenes, the meal becomes an experience of a story that goes beyond the stimulation of the five senses.

For example, for a person who values tradition and authority, laying a story in advance that I used this and that ingredient to provide a new taste along with luxury, and cooked in this way.

The so-called 'customized sincerity.'

Unless you're a cold-blooded person of my level, you can't openly say it's not delicious when they've done this much. If so, even if you request a duel on charges of damaging honor you'd be acquitted!

Then, what story would work well on Mr. Tesla?

If I open the world of vegetarianism with ingredients that are common in the future but unfamiliar to Americans of this era now?

Among future vegetarian dishes, something that would feel unfamiliar and shocking to them... Vegetables would already be familiar from salads so... Ah!

There was one vegetarian ingredient that would be unfamiliar to them.

Tofu.

"Fusion Korean food using tofu, isn't it okay?"

An ingredient suitable for vegetarianism while being rich in protein, and able to satisfy Eastern traditional Orientalism. That's tofu.

Why is tofu Korean food? Originally tofu is a dish made using a variety of beans called 'daedu' that grew wild in the wide plains spanning the Korean Peninsula and the Manchurian region of the Tumen River.

The 'du' in the name 'Tumen River' also comes from the Chinese character meaning beans.

China and Japan also make tofu, but the status is quite different from tofu in Korea.

Korea regards tofu as an independent dish and derived various cooking methods. On the other hand China and Japan have treated tofu only as a sub-ingredient that brings out the texture of food. The difference between main dish and sub-dish?

Anyway, I decided to compose the menu with fusion Korean foods using tofu like that. If someone asks what this is, I can just claim it's food that East Asian immigrants in America secretly enjoy eating now so the excuse was easy.

"In that sense I should prepare tofu first. But what should I make first? From the start Western cooking methods aren't my specialty, it's a headache. Rather should I call someone who knows Western food well even now... Hmm?"

I was about to open the kitchen door handle, but stopped my steps because a noisy sound was heard from inside.

Today is Sunday so no one should be here?

Surely a thief? Should I throw a punch at the nose like the Earl of Derby?

I carefully grabbed the door handle and turned it while tense.

And the person who appeared there was a figure completely unexpected at this moment.

Toward that person who was startled seeing me, I happily shouted.

"Lady Edith! You came out today!"

A person who would teach Western cooking methods instead of me. And a person who would help amazingly even with decoration.

The appearance of a heavenly army. But what was she doing in my kitchen right now?

Wait, something's suspicious?!