Food Stall: Customers Chase Me across the Country-Chapter 252 - 253: Advanced Local Adaptation—Catering to Preferences
Wang Fan swears he really doesn’t want to do this, it’s all because of the system’s pressure.
As for those student diners who ran away howling because they couldn’t understand simple arithmetic, blame it on the system, he is truly innocent.
There are some clear-eyed and pure-hearted college students who can’t see through Wang Fan’s intentions, but there are those who are clever enough to do so.
Shen Cong looked at Wang Fan with a teasing expression: "Boss, you’re quite the strategist. This little tactic of yours has made my classmates buy a lot more, you’re really good at this."
Wang Fan: "Blah blah blah..."
Shen Cong snorted: "Quit pretending. I’m not falling for it, I’m just going to buy one!"
Wang Fan: "One for 1 yuan."
Shen Cong paid: "Hurry up, I’ll eat here. I’m from Shanghai, I’ve been eating these since I was little. If there’s any problem, I’ll point it out to you. You think you can play tricks on me?"
Wang Fan looked at the proud girl in front of him: "1 for 1 yuan, 10 for 5 yuan."
Shen Cong was confident, but Wang Fan was even more confident.
"Even though Shanghai is one of the origins of these buns, my skills are no worse than theirs. Let alone finding any flaw, if you can buy less than five, I consider it your win!"
Shen Cong understood the meaning in Wang Fan’s words: "Rest assured, if they’re really good, I’ll accept 5 for 10 yuan."
Wang Fan placed a steamed bun on a plate, then poured some vinegar into another dish.
As soon as Shen Cong smelled the vinegar, she was startled and immediately stopped underestimating Wang Fan.
Oh wow, he’s actually using Shanghai’s Kang Le vinegar!
Seeing Shen Cong’s reaction, Wang Fan chuckled to himself. To deal with challenges, he had researched the preferences of Jiangsu and Zhejiang people. Since you’ve introduced yourself, why wouldn’t I prepare your favorite vinegar?
Customize to local preferences — a step up!
Even though Shanghai doesn’t produce much vinegar, people there love to use it.
And when eating different things, they like to dip them in different brands of vinegar. This specially prepared Kang Le vinegar is my secret weapon against them!
Seeing Wang Fan’s confident expression, Shen Cong chuckled to herself. Even if you know we Shanghai people prefer Kang Le vinegar, I prefer dipping them in Zhenjiang vinegar!
"Though I’m from Shanghai, I prefer bold flavors. The buns with the slightly salty Zhenjiang vinegar are my favorite. You’ll never guess that! Bwahaha!"
Shen Cong said to Wang Fan, looking smug.
Wang Fan’s face showed no change, mostly because his expression was well-hidden, revealing nothing.
"Please enjoy."
Shen Cong glanced at the buns.
The dough was softer than the non-fermented ones she usually ate, and the fried bottom was different from what she was used to.
However, both in appearance and aroma, they were among the best she’d seen among the buns she’d eaten, making her look at Wang Fan with more respect.
The craftsmanship is actually impressive. If he runs his business well, it won’t be bad at all, why rely on tactics?
I hate tricks the most!
Even though the vinegar wasn’t her favorite brand, her years-old habits remained. She first bit a small hole in the bun, and poured the meat juice into the vinegar dish.
Watching the juice flow continuously, Shen Cong gave Wang Fan another appreciative look.
Such abundant juice is rare even among the oldest brands in Shanghai; now let’s see how it tastes.
The hot meat juice flowed into the dish, partially heating the vinegar, quickly lowering the juice’s temperature. Lifting the dish, she drank a mouthful, and immediately felt a jolt inside.
What was this taste?
Startled, Shen Cong quickly picked up another bun, blew on it, dipped it thoroughly in vinegar, and stuffed it into her mouth.
Then her eyes widened in disbelief.
This taste!
Shen Cong was astonished.
Wang Fan chuckled at Shen Cong’s reaction, not surprised at all.
You Shanghai folks either dip these buns in Zhenjiang vinegar or the local Kang Le vinegar or rice vinegar, depending on whether the diner prefers milder or bolder flavors.
Zhenjiang vinegar is slightly salty, while Kang Le vinegar is moderately sour, sweet enough, and refreshingly fragrant. Most local Shanghai buns lack salt, and those who prefer stronger flavors tend to like Zhenjiang vinegar, while those preferring milder ones like Kang Le vinegar.
My buns’ salt level caters to the northern market; this saltiness paired with Kang Le vinegar should be irresistible for you!
This move is called — I predicted your prediction!
Shen Cong was left speechless.
Although she really didn’t want to admit it, she truly felt that the combination was better than anything she’d tasted in over a decade.
Soft yet crisp bun skin, juicy and generously filled bun stuffing, along with a copious amount of savory meat juice were already an excellent choice, and the pairing with the less-frequent Kang Le vinegar completed a perfect combination greater than the sum of its parts.
"Da Cong, how’s the taste? Is this the bun flavor you often talk about?"
Shen Cong mumbled, unable to utter the rehearsed criticisms.
Finally, with a sigh of resignation, she said, "It’s delicious, better than the few old brands I often eat in Shanghai."
Shen Cong didn’t want to lie; it’s just a bun, no need to stake her reputation.
"How did you do it?"
Shen Cong stared intently at Wang Fan, noticing that despite being heavily covered, his young age was evident from his skin. How could he possess such skill?
No response came.
Wang Fan had already started wrapping buns again, his focused demeanor providing Shen Cong with an answer.
"I’ll have 10."
"10 for 20 yuan."
"20 it is; it’s worth the price!"
Wang Fan looked wordlessly at Shen Cong, thinking why she wasn’t playing by the rules?
Are you sent by the system to mess with me?
If you buy one at a time, I complete my task, and you spend less. A win-win situation, why be so stubborn?
With an expression of defiance, Shen Cong glared at Wang Fan and said challengingly, "Buns are 1 yuan each, I won’t sell 10 for 20 yuan."
Shen Cong almost spat blood in frustration, pointing angrily at the sign: "It clearly states 10 for 20 yuan up there!"
Wang Fan didn’t even glance at the sign, calmly replying to Shen Cong: "Apologies, final interpretation rights belong to this shop."
"You..."
Shen Cong wanted to argue, but those in line behind her were getting impatient.
"Are you buying or not, classmate? If not, please make way, we still have to attend class after eating."
"You’ve been holding up the line for a while now, there are so many people still waiting." 𝗳𝐫𝚎𝗲𝚠𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝘃𝚎𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝗺
"Hurry up, I’ve been waiting so long the flowers have wilted."
Fuming, Shen Cong glared at Wang Fan, and grudgingly muttered "You’ve got nerve!" before reluctantly paying for 10 buns, each at 1 yuan.
