Chapter 1496 - 579: Cats Are Fascinated by Human Babies! The Plan for a Food Documentary!

Chapter 1496: Chapter 579: Cats Are Fascinated by Human Babies! The Plan for a Food Documentary!

The method of making Zeng Gao is not difficult. First, soak these ingredients thoroughly, steam them separately, then combine them, cover with lotus leaf, and steam again.

To make this dish, you need to use an ancient cooking utensil - a Zeng.

The Zeng looks like a vat, with dense small holes at the bottom, and it has been passed down for thousands of years.

From the ceramic Zeng unearthed from the Stone Age to the bronze Zeng of the Shang and Zhou Dynasty, and then to the iron Zeng from the Tang and Song Dynasty, although the material has changed, the form and appearance of the Zeng have been passed down continuously.

Even in modern society, this ancient cookware is still widely used across Shanxi.

The rice cake made using a Zeng smells better and has a better texture.

The great poet of the Song Dynasty, Lu You, once wrote in the "Autumn Flower Song" the verse: "The long pestle pounds the pearls, illuminating the ground, the big Zeng steams the jade, filling the village with fragrance."

The "big Zeng steams the jade" in the poem refers to steaming rice using a Zeng.

"What are you watching, bro?"

Chen Yuanyuan listened for a while, felt that Zeng Xiaoqi’s talk was getting more and more professional, so she stopped eavesdropping and sat on the sofa, chatting quietly with Lin Xu.

"I’m planning to make some Zeng Gao, considering whether to buy a Zeng."

You can actually buy this thing now, though it’s made of tinplate, relatively thin, and probably has a similar effect to a steamer, but a regular steamer can’t steam dozens of pounds of Glutinous Rice.

Zeng Gao?

Before Chen Yuanyuan could speak, Dou Wenjing showed interest:

"Boss, are you going to make jing gao? Make more, it’s my favorite food. Last time my parents came to Beijing and brought jing gao, it was snatched and eaten by President Chen and Shu Baobao..."

At that time, Dou Wenjing’s parents just came over and caught up with Lin Ji’s New Year’s Eve dinner, so they took out the food they brought, and most of it was eaten by Chen Yan and Shu Yun, who love sweets.

Chen Yuanyuan curiously asked:

"Jing gao? Isn’t that character pronounced ’zeng’? Did I learn it wrong when I was a child?"

Dou Wenjing said:

"It’s our accent problem, the Shanxi accent softens, so zeng gao becomes jing gao, and in some places, it’s pronounced jin gao... Anyway, no matter how it’s pronounced, I’m craving it right now, when can we have it, boss?"

Lin Xu didn’t expect that before the Zeng Gao was made, there were already so many people waiting to eat it.

He said:

"You can eat it the day after tomorrow, and you can have it as breakfast then."

In the Shanxi area, Zeng Gao is indeed a kind of breakfast. With a piece of Zeng Gao in your belly, you won’t feel hungry for most of the day, and many people like to have one in the morning.

Dou Wenjing was full of anticipation:

"Great, then I have to eat more and satisfy my craving for Zeng Gao."

While the three were chatting about Zeng Gao, Chen Yan and Zeng Xiaoqi were also discussing collaboration with Luo Jiayao.

Since they are relatives, and both want to create a successful food show, the collaboration was progressing smoothly, with Luo Jiayao even promising to try and help everyone secure sponsorship and revenue sharing.

A daily culinary tutorial show is easy to arrange, and CCTV is aware of "The Flavour of the World." Now, they would definitely welcome a similar TV program with open arms.

However, there were some disagreements about the long documentary.

Luo Jiayao wanted to create a show similar to "A Bite of China," interspersing various local cultural and natural features. This would not only gain approval from the station but also support from local communities.

But Zeng Xiaoqi and Chen Yan both believed that previous editions of "A Bite of China 3" had tarnished the series, so it would be best to take a new approach.

And preferably a show that other stations and companies couldn’t produce.

This would not only demonstrate CCTV’s status in the media field but also clear the shadow cast by "A Bite of China."

Seeing that both parties were at an impasse, Zeng Xiaoqi turned to Lin Xu and asked:

"Boss Lin, do you have any good suggestions for a food documentary?"

After all, Lin Xu had done voice-overs for TV programs and was also a popular food UP master, so she wanted to hear if he had any insights at the moment.

Lin Xu thought for a while and said:

"I think it would be best to leverage the advantage of Joyful Media. We’ve signed so many top chefs, we can start with them, and it’s also a chance for our people to appear on TV."

Chen Yan asked curiously:

"Having so many chefs on one show, that’s quite a lineup, but is there any event that gathers all the famous chefs together?"

Just as she said this, Chen Yan’s eyes lit up.

Zeng Xiaoqi sitting beside her also had a revelation, and they both said at the same time:

"State Banquet!"

What kind of event can bring together all the famous chefs in Beijing?

That’s the State Banquet!

A State Banquet held in the Great Hall sometimes requires catering for more than 5,000 guests.

Such a large number of guests places high demands on the kitchen, so staff is usually drawn from various restaurants to form a strong kitchen team.

Apart from such large banquets, there are also high-profile banquets held to welcome foreign dignitaries, which are also a kind of State Banquet.

Zeng Xiaoqi’s mind was extremely active at this moment, and she quickly said:

"Shoot a documentary with the State Banquet as the theme, combining retained vegetarian dishes from the TV archive and materials from the archives since the first feast of 1949, and shoot all the way to the current State Banquet, interspersing scenes of various head chefs recreating those dishes from back then. This way, we have history, culture, and cuisine, three in one!"

"State Banquet?"

Luo Jiayao’s eyes lit up. This angle is good. It not only steps away from the constraints of "A Bite of China," creating a new food documentary, but it also satisfies the viewers’ curiosity.

"I think this proposal is great, we should give it a try."

Luo Jiayao planned to start working on it now, and with Zeng Xiaoqi, script a program outline to bring back to the station for the channel director to review.

Once it passes approval, filming can begin.

Chen Yan said:

"It has to be my brother-in-law; just a few words, and we have a clear vision. When the program is approved and the project is set up, I must represent the company and give my brother-in-law a big red envelope."

Lin Xu waved his hand with a smile:

"That’s not necessary... By the way, I’ll find time to ask Master Qiu and the others if they want to participate. If these master chefs are involved, the show’s effect should be even better."

Just as he said this, a notification sound from the system rang in his mind...

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