Chapter 539: Arrogant at first and respectful at the end
"Is this the rare ingredient you sell for 500 dollars a piece? This is tiger puffer fish, right?" Jack saw seven or eight long-bodied fish in a huge transparent fish tank in the back kitchen. The fat puffer fish, which is more than 50 centimeters tall and has eye-like black spots on its back, is swimming happily.
"Hey, this is the 'Puffer King' from Shimonoseki City, my country. It is the top 'Fugu'."
Chef Katsui's expression became very nervous. He was originally very nervous. His straight back became a little stooped unconsciously, as if he was ready to bow and apologize at any time.
He has been working in New York for 20 years, and this is the first time he has seen a white man who can recognize the pufferfish species at a glance. Looking at the young ghost in front of him with an expression that is half-smiling but not smiling, he is very surprised. A bad feeling gradually emerged in his heart.
"Wow." Jack rolled up his sleeves, fished out a fat tiger puffer fish from the fish tank with a dip net, and gave it two heads. The guy immediately inflated like a balloon.
"So cute." Hannah on the side lit up with starry eyes, stretched out her fingers to tentatively poke this cute thing that had completely turned into a ball, but Jack grabbed her wrist.
“Be careful, pufferfish is a very ferocious carnivorous fish, and its bite force can easily break through hard shells.”
Mike Taylor and Stella looked at it in confusion. He carefully inspected the mouth and lips of the puffer fish, and unexpectedly discovered that the forehead of Chef Katsui beside him was already covered with dense beads of sweat.
“Tsk.” Jack pinched the pufferfish in his hand, wiped his shoes with its abdomen covered with small spines, and threw it back into the fish tank. It seemed that if he didn’t do this, a certain process would not be completed.
"Pfft." Before everyone could react, Chef Katsui, who was still a bit arrogant, was already kneeling on the ground in a perfect orz (earth seat) position, with his head close to the ground, and shouted at the same time, "Mo The three people except Jack were startled. Mike Taylor subconsciously thought that this guy had confessed, and he reached out to take out the handcuffs.
“These fish are not poisonous, this matter should have nothing to do with him.” Jack, dumbfounded, reached out to stop him and shook his head.
Stella was very confused, "You can tell just by looking at it?"
Obviously in her understanding, it is the instrument that has the final say whether there is poison or not, so these cute things should be Caught all the cute things back and mixed them into meat sauce to test the ingredients.
Jack did not explain immediately, but raised his hand to Chef Katsui who was still lying on the ground, "Get up, we are here to find the murderer, not to cut off your money. Help us find a quieter room. "
A few minutes later, several people sat cross-legged on the tatami in a luxurious box. Several beautiful waitresses in yukata served exquisite refreshments. Hannah picked up a piece of cherry cake and tasted it. After taking a sip, he narrowed his eyes slightly, with an intoxicated expression on his face.
"Try this. Yokan from the island country is an indispensable supporting role in their tea ceremony. The craftsmanship here is not bad." Jack also picked up a piece of purple pastry from the food box and tasted it, then like He recommended it to the two CSI detectives like a master.
Mike Taylor and Stella each picked up a piece and chewed it, with unconcealed curiosity in their eyes, "Can you explain what's going on? How did you see at a glance that none of these fish are poisonous? ?”
“Puffer fish are extremely aggressive carnivorous fish that are prone to cannibalism due to stress during breeding and transportation, so farmers will cut off their teeth and transport them during transportation. Sew the fish mouth on the front.
I just checked the tiger puffers in the fish tank. They are not the expensive and rare wild species that the chef claimed. Those puffer fish are indeed valuable, so they are transported individually. They can neither cut their teeth nor sew their mouths. , and the price of these cultured species in the fish tank just now is about twenty or thirty dollars per pound. "
"If I remember correctly, the guy said before that a piece of fish here will cost 500 US dollars! Stella gasped, "Is it so easy for these rich people to make money?" "
Jack shrugged and pointed to the beautiful waitresses wearing traditional Japanese yukata outside the door, "Do you think those rich people really care about what they eat in a place like this?
Here, not only are the girls lying on the table using their bodies as dining tables undressed, I believe those girls wearing kimonos and yukatas also follow tradition and do not wear underwear underneath. "
"Why do you know so much? "Hannah cast a suspicious look at him. Since Jack dared to speak, he naturally prepared a response, "When you want to learn the language of a country, you have to understand the culture of the country, not to mention that I also It’s time to prepare the material for the novel. ”
Then he brought the topic back, "The currently accepted view is that puffer fish themselves do not produce toxins. The TTX in their bodies generally comes from the food they ingest, such as certain algae or fabrics. Shellfish such as snails
Because the farmed pufferfish is fed carefully selected feed, it is not only non-toxic, but also tastes better than those in the wild. Because the food intake is different, the quality is also different. The so-called wild puffer fish is more tender and plump."
"Everyone, please use it slowly." Chef Katsui walked into the box and held a large plate of cut watermelon, and knelt down in front of everyone, respectfully. Place it respectfully on the low table.
Knowing that this guy was deliberately interrupting his science education, Jack didn’t argue with him. He had said before that he would not ruin other people’s wealth. It was none of his business that the islanders were making money from the rich Americans. .
"Has your store been blackmailed or threatened recently?"
Chef Katsui shook his head in confusion, "No, we have always had a good relationship with the locals."
Knowing that they must be covered by a gang, Jack didn't ask any more questions and changed the topic.
"Katsui-san, does Deborah Gale often come to your restaurant to dine?"
"Yes, Miss Gale is a distinguished guest of ours and has been here many times. Especially in the past two months, I have been coming here almost every week." Chef Katsui lowered his head with an extremely humble attitude.
"Talk about her impression on you."
Jack's question made Chef Katsui frown, and after a long time he hesitated and said, "Her interest does not seem to be in our restaurant's food. "
"Why do you say that?" Mike Taylor straightened up awkwardly. This cross-legged sitting position really made him uncomfortable.
Chef Katsui hesitated for a long time again, and then he hesitated, "A waiter in our store once complained to me and hoped that she would not always be the one to receive Miss Gale, but I told her that we You don’t have the right to choose a customer, especially when the other party is a distinguished VIP customer.”
The eyes of the four people, including Jack, suddenly lit up, and Stella couldn’t wait to ask, “The service you mentioned. "Sir, is she the one who serves as a dinner plate?"
Chef Katsui nodded vigorously, "Yes, I will ask someone to find her right away."
Soon, a beautiful mixed-race girl was called to the door. She was still complaining as she walked, "I feel very uncomfortable. I don't want to receive any more guests today."
Seeing the four people sitting in the box, she couldn't help but be stunned, turned around and wanted to leave, but froze under the unkind eyes of Chef Katsui. In place.
"Michiko, what on earth did you do?"
The girl named Michiko looked flustered and her eyes wandered, "I didn't do anything, I don't know what you are talking about."
"Please come in, Miss Michiko, I believe we have a lot to talk about." Hannah stood up and walked to her, grabbed her arm without any doubt, and then closed the sliding door.
(End of this chapter)