Chang’an Small Restaurant

Chapter 31.3 Shen Indelible Tavern’s Grand Opening

Shen Shaoguang asked Yu San to climb the ladder and replace the original eatery sign board with a new tavern sign board. She supported him by holding the ladder below.

A’Yuan also directed from the side, "Higher, higher, lower, lower..." Her constant sound caused Yu San to turn and glare at her.

Yu San initially disregarded A’Yuan's hostility, but later, perhaps he felt that this was too much of a disadvantage or that the life in the small shop was really boring, he began to counter back. The two of them sharply opposed each other, with neither prepared to give an inch, as if they were a pair of archenemies.

But there was a plus to this, because under the stimulation of Yu San, A’Yuan's eloquence rapidly progressed; the shadow of the once simple-minded maid was now of the past. Shen Shaoguang was very pleased with this.

While handing out the crepes, Shen Shaoguang made an announcement while greeting the diners in advance, "On the 15th, the day after tomorrow, this humble shop will officially change its name to a tavern, and will specialize in wine, meat and vegetable dishes, as well as pastries and cakes of various colors. Unfortunately, we will no longer be able to cater breakfast foods in the morning, but we hope everyone will come as frequently as you do now.”

There were various questions against her decisions, "Huh? Then where can we buy such delicious crepes in the future?"

It was a lively discussion with everybody talking at once, "Alas, why can’t you continue selling breakfast food, Miss?"

"My son always wants a crepe before going to school. If I suddenly told him that there was no more, what am I supposed to do if he refuses to go to school?"

A scholar in white shook his head, "A certain general traveled afar. He believed that once returned to Chang'an, he would be able to enjoy your crepes again. But it seems..."

Shen Shaoguang felt quite satisfied with the various regretful praises. Such could be considered human nature. It would be rather disappointing if no one were to wish for them to prolong their stay, even if their wishes would not change the departer’s decision.

There was one diner’s regret that Shen Shaoguang couldn't bear to accept.

Since Liu Feng failed to propose marriage that day, he rarely came to the store. Though he seldom visited the store, his servants would regularly visit and buy several sets of savory crepes at a time.

Shen Shaoguang naturally told his servant as well. In the evening Liu Feng personally came to congratulate Shen Shaoguang, and said with a melancholy smile, "With your crepes no longer available, what shall the hungry workers in the government office do?"

Apart from smiling back, Shen Shaoguang didn't know what to say. Court Scribe Liu was truly a person of noble character.

…

Shen Shaoguang had put a lot of thought in regards to the discontinuation of morning foods.

The income generated from selling crepes in the morning was comparatively miniscule. Moreover, the preparations were laborious; the provisions needed to be prepared the night before while she also needed to wake up in the wee hours of morning to finish prepping. The store would be busy until noon, when groceries needed to be bought in preparation for lunch. It was truly exhausting for the store to serve all three meals; it was time to make a trade-off.

Besides, it was customary for taverns nowadays not to sell breakfast. Since they were officially a tavern, it’s better to follow the local customs— this way it would avoid others from nitpicking. Shen Shaoguang sneered.

Shen Shaoguang had given Incoming Cloud Tavern some of her attention for the past couple of months. Strangely, there was no news of activity from them.

Could they be plotting a grand scheme? Or was it an oversight from those two Lane guards? Or— was there really some ‘auspicious cloud’ shrouding above her, supporting her in the back? Shen Shaoguang felt as if her original farming genre suddenly changed into a novel of suspense.

In fact, Incoming Cloud was also depressed, especially seeing that Shen Shaoguang had simply changed her eatery into a tavern in a grand manner. Shopkeeper Feng helplessly smiled– that miss, the beautiful little lady who was adored by a noble, was truly unyielding.

Shen Shaoguang wasn’t aware that Shopkeeper Feng had arranged for her to be in a romantic drama as she decided to steadfastly follow her path as a common ‘farmer’.

According to the scale, location, backing, and her own ability, Shen Shaoguang approximated the positioning for Shen Indelible Tavern: a mid-tier specialty tavern.

Chongxian Lane was a mid to high-end community, not to mention the high-ranking officials, dignitaries, and wealthy businessmen, even the most ordinary residents had a bit of disposable income to spare. In such a location, not only were the profits of shabby restaurants poor, they were easily avoided out of disdain. After all, large taverns were few far and between, and wasn’t something that anyone could maintain. Besides, it would not be enough to sustain it if only supported by a single Lane—of course, Shen Shaoguang can't afford it either. Thus, a clean, medium-tier tavern, with its own unique atmosphere, should be suitable.

In fact, Shen Indelible was a bit smaller compared to normal mid-range restaurants such as Incoming Cloud Tavern. However, considering they were in a Lane with a limited amount of client flow, such a matter could be overlooked– albeit just barely.

In regards to the grade of the tavern, it was also necessary to mention the dishes’ quality, which involved another niche– distinguishing features.

The specialty of Shen Indelible Tavern was the ability to create grand dishes out of appetizers, or as Yu San says, "a cheap thing sold expensively." By means of refined and exquisite craftsmanship, common ingredients would be elevated into something that was premium.

The current medium-tier taverns mostly served fish, mutton, and beef dishes. In addition to the luxurious decorations, high-end taverns provided more elaborate dishes and higher-grade ingredients. In addition to fish, mutton, and beef, culinary delicacies such as venison round, bear paw, and camel hump were also available.

However, Shen Shaoguang insisted on playing with a differentiation strategy– persistent on providing pork dishes, with the addition of poultry such as chickens and ducks. In this era, chicken was not considered meat, so its price was also cheap.

Speaking of the matter about chicken not considered as meat, there was a related humorous story. Ma Zhou, a high-ranking official in the Zhenguan Era (627–649), was known for his love for chicken meat, and ordered chicken wherever he went. Someone went to file a complaint but Emperor Taizong said, "I’ve forbidden the imperial censors to eat meat to counter wasteful expenses. What does it have to do with chicken?" You see? You see? Even the second emperor of the Tang Dynasty said it himself, chicken was not meat!

It was said the reason that chicken was not considered meat was because it did not need to be slaughtered by a professional butcher. However, Shen Shaoguang believed it was because the expenses of raising chickens was minimal, and it was convenient and trouble-free to keep. They were also very hardy and could be kept in rural areas or cities. Thus the cost of chicken meat was cheap, and because of its very affordable price, they were not considered ‘meat’.

In fact, chicken and pork were very delicious, and could be cooked into exquisite dishes, improving their grade positioning. Carrying the banner of revitalizing chicken and pork, Shen Shaoguang felt that she had assigned herself with a great responsibility.

Corresponding with the exquisite cooking methods and the mid-range price of the dishes, Shen Shaoguang even bought a batch of fine chinaware; including cups and pots, three different sizes of plates, as well as soup bowls, rice bowls, soup spoon, et cetera. Every piece was a uniform spotless white, the ceramic glaze was delicate and smooth; without any particular patterns or carving, its unadorned aesthetics was simple yet elegant.

The porcelain merchant said it was xingyao porcelain[1]. Shen Shaoguang had never studied famous chinawares, so she had no way of verifying the merchant’s claims, but in terms of quality, it was very wellmade. And most importantly, the price was right.

The porcelain merchant said that although the xingyao porcelain was famous, it was now in decline; many people now preferred dingyao porcelain[2].

"How could dingyao porcelain outcompete xingyao porcelain’s thin frame?" The porcelain merchant’s grieving expression looked similar to when a loyal minister was unjustly wronged.

Shen Shaoguang paid the bill with a smile, and won the reputation of having a good judgment from the owner of the porcelain shop.

Shen Shaoguang then began to teach Yu San about the basic food plating techniques such as color coordination and the beauty of negative space... From a remote distance, one would think she was lecturing Yu San about national painting.

"According to such arrangements, Miss, one dish would be split into three portions!" Yu San looked at Shen Shaoguang with some doubt.

Shen Shaoguang was not angry when suspected of being a profiteer, "The goal is not to skimp on food, but to have a better presentation. Of course, the quality should not be compromised because of it, people are here to eat food and not plates."

Yu San nodded, feeling that their Miss could still be saved.

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Footnotes:

[1]xingyao porcelain - Xing ware or Xingyao (邢窑/ 邢窯) is a type of Chinese ceramics produced in Hebei province in north China, most notably during the Tang dynasty. Xing ware typically has a white body covered with a clear glaze. 

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xing_ware 

[2] dingyao porcelain - Ding ware (定瓷) or Dingyao are Chinese ceramics, produced in the prefecture of Dingzhou in Hebei in northern China. They were produced between the Tang and Yuan dynasties of imperial China, though their finest period was in the 11th century, under the Northern Song. The most characteristic wares are thin porcelains with a white or grayish body and a nearly transparent white-tinted glaze, though they are classed as stoneware by some.

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ding_ware