Chapter 7 - The Chef from the Foreign
As part of his training, Mao follows Chouyu to the market to shop for the newly harvested rice. Mao is very enthusiatic about this trip, and constantly wonders off ^^. Chouyu tells Mao that the quality of rice depends on its size and colour, not just the price. While wondering through the market, Mao discovers a basket of shiny red fruit , and was absolutely in awe. Chouyu explains that the fruit is called a "tomato", and it is only imported to satisfy a growing European population in Guongzhou. Chinese people never use tomatoes as a cooking ingredient.

Just then, a couple of Frenchmen pushed through the crowd. One of them is Jean Bechereau, a private chef for the France ambassador. Pessimistically he takes a walk around the market, while complaining about everything he sees on the way: muddy vegetables (hello! That's the point of WASHING your vegetables?), meat that piles up, and "disgusting" food such as frogs and snakes (as if French people don't eat frogs...and snails!).

Bechereau bumps into a man accidentally, knocking the man's bottle of sauce down. Apparently the bottle of sauce is handed down from past generations, and it takes a year to make. Bechereau just simply laughs at the idea and throws the man a pile of cash as payment. Mao of course has to sticks his nose into this. He dares Bechereau to dine at Yosen Shuuka to see what real Chinese food is.

That night, Bechereau really arrived at Yosen Shuuka. While heading towards his table, he comments on how dirty the restaurant is. For his dinner he wants to have a rice dish, and so Chouyu cooks him fried rice. Everyone anxiously awaits for Beakereau's response. But to their surprise, Bechereau calls the fried rice dog food while laughing his head off. He goes onto analysing how there is no order in a Chinese meal, and compares Chinese fried rice to France's "Pilaf Fried Rice" His Conclusion: Chinese food is not gourmet food. Mao steps out in rage, and challenges Bechereau to a rice cooking battle. Beckerau gladly accepts Mao's challenge.

Chepter 8 - Taste Has No Boundaries
There are mixed opinions about this decision. Some supports Mao, and some doubts his real abilities. After all, Bechereau is one talented chef, even Chinese curinary authorities have high hopes for him. Chouyu however, stays away from the topic. Mao assumes Chouyu must be mad at him, and becomes very depressed.

Mao soon finds out the answer. One morning as he sits outside a noodle parlour with Meili, trying to figure out what kind of rice to cook for the battle, Chouyu sits down at Mao's table in a flash, and eats 3 big bowls of noodles in a row. He tells Mao that there are no boundaries when it comes to food, as long as people feel warmth. Chouyu himself would have challenged Bechereau if Mao didn't beat him to it!

Mao decides shrimp shall be an ingredient in his rice dish, because the sweetness of shrimp brings out the taste of fried rice to its greatest level. But unfortunately he cannot think of what else to add. Meanwhile, the owner of the noodle parlour is cooking his own fried rice, which consists of a sauce made from leftovers. Mao is attracted by the smell, and takes a bite (eventually he finishes up the whole thing ^^;). Mao finally knows what ingredients are going to be in his shrimp fried rice!

Chapter 9 - China's Magic
It is the day of the cooking battle, and both sides are ready. To Mao's disadvantage, the judging panel are all Frenchmen, including the French ambassador. The ingredients of "Pilaf fried rice" include tomatoes, mushrooms, shrimps, olives, and onions, all Weatern vegetables. In turn, Mao's shrimp fried rice contains shrimp, eggs, leek, hot pepper...and tomatoes! Only Mao knows how the tomatoes will be used. So...Let the match begin! The rules are simple. Each person finishes his dish within time limit, and the five judges decide on which dish is best.

In no time, Bechereau is done his Pilaf fried rice. He prepares his rice in five pots. Since he knows what kind of taste satisfy each of the five judges, he adjusts the taste of the rice in each pot to match the judges' needs. Bechereau is proud of what he has done and looks down on Mao. Meanwhile, Mao isn't even half done...he is only boiling peeled tomatoes and shelling shrimps all this time. The French audience jeer at Mao, telling him to stop wasting time.

Chapter 10 - Mao's Natural Good Tongue
After 90% of the time has passed, Mao is ready to start the frying process! This is a special point about Chinese cooking...food's taste and aroma are brought out and kept using rapid fire and speedy mixing techiques. Mao fries the rice in one wok, and cooks the other ingredients in another at hyperspeed! Everyone is astonished as Mao reveals the use of tomatoes...to make tomato sauce! After mixing everything together and pouring the sauce onto the rice, Mao's fried rice is complete just as the time limit is up.

It's time for the judging, and Bechereau 's dish is first. As predicted, all the judges love Pilaf fried rice. What about Mao's? At first, the Frecnh Ambassador, Mr. Brown is unsure of how to eat the rice. Mao tells him he's supposed to eat the sauce and rice together. A beam of light goes through Mr. Brown's temple as he takes his first bite...

"Tres bien!" Mr. Brown exclaims. He, along with the other judges, are fascinated by Mao's fried rice. The natural sourness of tomatoes neutralizes the sweet rice and spicy sauce, and plus the smooth rice on top, making the overall dish extremely irresistable.

It's time for the big decision...and Mao won! Bechereau becomes a sour loser and stomps away. Mr. Brown goes up to Mao to congratulate him, and he promises to visit Yosen Shuuka one day.

Chapter 11 - A Chef's Soul
The promise becomes a reality one morning, when Chouyu informs Mao that Mr. Brown will dine at Yosen Shuuka the following night. The next morning, Mao is found in the yard chasing a chicken. He plans to cook that chicken for Mr. Brown. Meanwhile, Jean Bechereau hides in the shadows. Ever since he lost to Mao, Mr. Brown fired him as a personal chef. Bechereau swears to have revenge on Mao.

Mao totally devotes himself in preparing Mr. Brown's chicken dish after the ambassador's arrival. It is truly a positive influence on the other chefs. All is going well until Chouyu smells something burning. Oh no! Yosen Shuuka is on fire! It is part of that darn Bechereau's revenge plan. Everyone escorts Mr. Brown outside. Even Mao has to forfeit his nearly done dish. The fire spreads rapidly, and one can do nothing except to watch the restaurant turn into ashes. Master Ruou appears among the crowd. He is glad everyone is alright, but it's unfortunate that Mao's chicken dish is gone with the fire. However, to everybody's surprise, from the rubble Mao dishes out a hard rock, and inside it lies the just cooked chicken!

What happened was, during the chaos Mao doesn't want a good chicken to go to waste, and there happens to be some leftover flour beside him at the time of escape. So Mao wrapped the chicken with flour and cooked it with the aid of the flames. Inside the chicken are slices of chinese mushrooms, bamboo, and green pepers. Everybody is amazed at Mao's abilities. Behind the scene is Bechereau, who secretly claims that more is yet to come.

Chapter 12 - The Rule of the Gourmet City
As the Yosen Shuuka folks comfort each other on the loss, a group of people from the "Guongzhou Culrinary Association" approaches them. They were told from "reliable sources" Mao was the one who set Yosen Shuuka on fire. Mao is then tried in front of the officials from the Guongzhou Culrinary Association. Without any furthur questions Mao is declared guilty because apparently there is a "witness". (the GCA is the highest, yet a corrupt cooking authority in Guongzhou, any decisions they make are final, even if they are unfair decisions) Just as they were about to execute Mao, the head of the GCA Kwan (the bearded judge in the Dumpling Brothers episodes) decides to give him one last chance...

They brought Mao into this big mansion. Mao is stunned at what is in front of him...Man Han Banquet! This is a special meal exclusively for the emporer, and it takes 3 days and 3 nights to finish. Sitting at the end of the table is a stern looking woman. She takes a bite from one of the many dishes, and immediately throws it down. The cook is then immediately beheaded. The head tells Mao that the woman is his picky granddaugher (I'll call her Choran) who practically lives on alcohol. Mao has three days to make something that will satisfy Choran, or else he will end up like that cook. With this command, Mao begins his life-or-death quest in a little kitchen. Lots of pressure...

Chapter 13 - Choran's Secret
Three days later, everyone at Yosen Shuuka gather outside the closed mansion, anxiously await for Mao to come out from the kitchen. Meili is especially worried, and climbs up a tree for a clearer view. When Mao enters the scene, he is simply carrying a bowl of congee, and that shall be the food he prepared for Choran. Choran looks skeptical as she puts the spoonful in her mouth. Indeed, she considers the congee nothing but ordinary.

Just as Mao is about to be dragged away to death, Choran miraculously looks at the congee with longing eyes, runs towards the still-warm bowl, and starts scooping the congee into her mouth like a wild animal. A gush of warmth engulfs her body and revitalizes her spirit. The GCA officials demands Mao the reason behind her behaviour. Mao reveals the secret of Choran...she has been ill all along. He remembers that back in Kikkaro, there once was this poor man who had liver problems, but doesn't have any money to see a doctor. Pai cooked him a free dish each day, and eventually the man healed. Remembering this, Mao gathered up the animal organs and bones used in the Man Han Banquet to make the near-clear congee for Choran, hoping the same effects occur to her.

Choran herself speaks up and begins her story. Because she is the relative of Kwan, ever since she was little she was forced to eat a lot, about 4 to 5 meals a day. Her body cannot handle all that food, and constantly fell sick because of malnutrition. Eventually her body just blocks out eating altogether, and would only accept alcohol. And yet Kwan and the GCA attempt to push even more food in her, and executes the cooks whose food Choran cannot accept. Choran's heart hardens by day, and doesn't feel sorry for them anymore. Until she eats Mao's congee, which melted her stoned heart. Since Choran is able to eat Mao's food, he is free. But the GCA still think Mao was the criminal.

Chapter 14 - "Pheonix Crystal"
Luckily for Mao, Teitoku Lee comes to the rescue. He found out the true offender, who is Bechereau as we all know. Beachereau blackmailed one of the GCA authorities in order to frame Mao. Both Bechereau and the blackmailed GCA mambers are executed on the spot (They deserved it!) Guess it's time to have some changes for the GCA, especially its attitude of "whatever we say is the truth". But Kwan remains stubborn and stands his ground nonetheless, thinking Mao's congee is only a worthless dish. To prove him wrong, Master Ruou pleads to have Mao make a dish named "Phoenix Crystal" for the GCA to taste the next day.

At the same location the next day, Mao brings out "Pheonix Crystal", which is basically stir-fried bean sprouts compiled in the shape of a pheonix. The colour of it is crystal clear, and gleams in the light (Hence the name). The bean sprouts are no ordinary however, because both ends of each bean sprout are taken away...this procedure not only gives their clear colour, and also eliminates their soil smell. Moreover, it requires a lot of time. Thinking about this point, Kwan finally realizes the truth. Mao spent his 3 days in the confined kitchen just scooping up murky soup remains so the congee is clear.

Mao reveals something else even more breathtaking...he did not make "Phenoix Crystal" alone, Choran helped him out as well. She realizes talent and ingredients are not the only things needed in cooking, you have to care about the people who eat your food also, and that's just what Mao has. She stayed up all night with Mao to peel the many bean sprouts, and the results are certainly rewarding. Seeing his granddaughter happy like this, Kwan finally surrenders. Hehe Meili is so cute...she gets all upset and jealous, and wonders what Mao and Choran did the whole night. All is a happy ending!

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