Chương 6: The Programmer's Training Method

Chris stood in the middle of the kitchen, looking at the potatoes covering the floor, and felt like he was back at a project kickoff meeting at the IT firm. Except this time the project manager was himself, the goal was Return to Burning Kitchen, and the only resources he had were this pile of potatoes and under two hundred dollars. The old Chris might have felt lost, with no idea where to begin. But now he had a secret weapon — his brain, a programmer's brain drilled for years on code and logic.

He didn't start peeling and slicing right away. He pulled over a dining chair, sat down, took out his phone, and opened the notes app. The first thing to do was decompose the project. He typed the title:"Perfect Potato" Project v2. 0. Then, just like breaking down a complex software requirement, he began to split the making of a single dish into discrete modules. Module 1 — Prep Goal: peel the potatoes, slice into absolutely uniform thin pieces. Failure analysis (v1. 0): none.

Knife work is a strength (B-), but it can be steadier and faster. Optimization: improve stability, keep thickness deviation under 0. 1 mm. Increase speed by 20%. Module 2 — Cooking Goal: bring the slices to perfect doneness — soft interior, intact form. Failure analysis (v1. 0): catastrophic. A misread of oven temperature plus a wrong decision under pressure produced overcooking. Root cause: Heat Control stat too low (C, 58/100). Optimization: targeted training with the Basic Heat-Perception Manual.

Fully learn the temperament of the cheap oven; build a personal temperature-to-time curve model. Module 3 — Sauce & Seasoning Goal: create a flavor combination that leaves a deep impression on Gareth Vane. Failure analysis (v1. 0): competent, neither a win nor a loss. Used the classic cream-garlic-thyme combo, but no standout point. Optimization: add a memory-point on top of the classic French profile. Run small-scale A/B tests of flavor elements (acidity, umami).

Module 4 — Plating Goal: hold the B+ standard — clean, elegant, subject foregrounded. Failure analysis (v1. 0): no obvious errors. Optimization: maintain current level for now; put resources into the weak modules first. Module 5 — Stress Management Goal: under simulated high pressure, keep execution from deforming and decisions from breaking. Failure analysis (v1. 0): total collapse. The D+ (52/100) score was the catalyst for every failure.

Optimization: find ways to simulate stressors and run desensitization training. When he finished the project brief, Chris felt his thinking clear up considerably. He was no longer the amateur who cooked on feel and passion alone. He was a culinary engineer now — with a method, a target, and data behind him. Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. He stood and picked a potato off the floor. Step one. Module 1 — Prep. He took out his chef's knife.

He'd paid good money for it, and it was one of his few pieces of professional gear. He drew a deep breath and started peeling. His hands moved fast, the blade riding the surface of the potato, carving fluid arcs, the skin coming off in one continuous unbroken ribbon. Then the slicing. He didn't use a mandoline. In professional competition, leaning too hard on tools could read to some judges as shaky fundamentals. He had to use the knife.

"Data Eye," he said inwardly. He set a potato on the board, steadied his breath, and the knife rose and fell. Thock, thock, thock. The blade met the board in a rhythmic beat. In his field of vision, every cut drew a reading from the system. [Slice thickness: 2. 1 mm] [Slice thickness: 2. 0 mm] [Slice thickness: 2. 2 mm] When the potato was done, he stopped. A brief popped up on the panel. [This batch (24 slices) — average thickness: 2. 08 mm, standard deviation: 0. 12 mm] Standard deviation 0. 12 mm.

That meant the thickest and thinnest slices might differ by nearly 0. 3 mm. To an ordinary person, negligible. But under high-heat roasting, those few tenths of a millimeter decided which slices cooked first and which last. By the time most were perfect, the thinnest might already be tipping into overdone. This was the devil in the details.

"Again." He picked up a second potato. This time he focused harder. He could feel the shifting resistance as the blade entered, hear the faint differences in each downstroke. [This batch (28 slices) — average thickness: 2. 05 mm, standard deviation: 0. 09 mm] Progress. But not enough. Like a tireless robot, he sliced one potato after another. The only sound in the kitchen was his cutting. Sweat beaded on his forehead, his arm began to ache, the fingers gripping the knife stiffened from the long strain.

He didn't stop. He thought of the mocking comments online.

"Can't even slice a potato and wants to play chef?"

"Hands shaking like he's got Parkinson's, lmao." He turned those voices into fuel. Cut. Cut. Cut. He had no idea how much time passed, but when he finished the fifteenth potato, the system prompt changed. [Through high-intensity repetitive training, your muscle memory is reinforced.] [Knife Work: B- (68/100) → B- (69/100)] Only one point. But that one point thrilled Chris more than winning a million-dollar lottery. It was proof his method worked. He wasn't spinning his wheels.

Every drop of sweat he spent was recorded by the system, quantified, and converted into solid, real growth. He stopped, took a big gulp of water, and rolled his stiff shoulders. The big sack on the floor was already down by nearly half. Beside the board, slices piled up like a small mountain. These couldn't go to waste. He split them into batches. Some he soaked in salt water to prevent oxidation, saving them to keep training heat tomorrow.

The rest he decided to turn into the simplest roast potato wedges, salt and pepper, as his rations for the next few days. He had no money to be picky about taste right now. Filling his stomach was enough. He slid the tray into the oven and set the temperature. This time he didn't walk away. He dragged over a chair and sat right in front of the oven, like the most devout of believers, watching every smallest change inside. He was about to attack the second module — and the hardest one. Heat.

He watched the potatoes slowly turning gold, and there was only one thought in his head. Vane, I don't know when the revival round starts, or what the challenge will be. But if, just maybe, the challenge is potatoes again… For the first time, the corner of Chris's mouth lifted into a cold trace of a smile. Then you'd better watch out.