Gourmet: From a Stall in Northern Europe-Chapter 47: Should We Move to the City?

"But will this kind of jelly really melt at room temperature?"

"If you’re asking me, who should I ask? I’ve never had it before, okay? But I’m sure that room-temperature jelly isn’t as tasty as chilled one."

The two girls were slurping down the refreshing mint gelatin, occasionally munching on some fruit and nuts, kicking back with their legs crossed under the air conditioning, truly enjoying themselves.

"Hey, Anna, shall we go take a look later tonight?"

"Where? Oh~~ oh oh! Let’s go, of course!"

Anna quickly caught on, nodding repeatedly like a pecking chick, "But Dreya, with such a good figure, don’t you need to watch your diet?"

"Nah, what’s there to watch? I just eat whatever I feel like, at most just eat a bit less."

"......"

At this moment, a girl’s psychological defense quietly shattered into pieces.

Marian’s family was sitting at the edge of a roadside planter, each holding a bowl of noodles and slurping away.

"I never thought peanut butter could be used for noodles, this taste is perfection! I even think it’s better than spaghetti from fancy restaurants, what do you think, darling?"

"Hmm... I’d say they’re both good, after all, the noodles and their flavors are different, why compare?"

"True, maybe it’s because I’m tired of spaghetti?"

The couple continued chatting while slurping noodles, mostly talking about Great Xia cuisine.

"Oh, by the way, darling, don’t forget to ask about the mapo tofu!"

"!!!"

Marian froze for a moment, then abruptly stood up and patted her forehead: "Hey, look at my memory, I really forgot!"

Afraid of forgetting again later, Marian immediately got up and headed towards the food truck.

"Lin, do you know how to make mapo tofu?"

"Mapo tofu?" Lin Chen looked up in surprise.

"Yes, George and I yesterday..."

Marian briefly explained the situation, surprisingly drawing agreement from a few customers waiting in line for noodles nearby.

"Ah, you’re talking about that dish from Chinese restaurants that looks like red tofu blocks, right? It’s indeed good, sweet, salty, and spicy, like adding some chili to tomato soup."

"Now that you mention it, I really haven’t seen any Great Xia people order this dish at a Chinese restaurant."

After listening to the small talk from the customers, under their curious gazes, Lin Chen shook his head helplessly.

"No, that’s not mapo tofu. Authentic mapo tofu can’t have a tomato-sweet taste; it should focus on being hot, numbing, spicy, and aromatic."

Marian’s eyes lit up: "Hey, sounds like you can make it? Lin, you’re amazing, you seem to know everything!"

Of course, Lin Chen couldn’t, but with the Recipe Exchange Voucher in hand, it wasn’t a big deal. As long as the basic culinary skills were solid, any recipe could be replicated.

Although it’s only been about a week since he started setting up this stall, he’s been making dishes and utilizing skills that he almost never encountered before. He felt that his culinary skills and inspiration, which almost hit a bottleneck, were improving at a noticeable pace.

It must be Chinese cuisine!

"How about this, if you’re not in a hurry to go back, once I sell out the prepared noodles, I can make it tonight. But if you’re in a rush..." 𝕗𝕣𝐞𝐞𝘄𝐞𝚋𝚗𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹.𝚌𝕠𝚖

"No rush, no rush!!"

Before he finished speaking, Marian waved her hands repeatedly.

"Take your time. We can take the kids to the amusement park to pass the time. Let me know when you’re ready."

"Sure."

"Hey, sounds like there’s a new menu tonight?"

"I get off work a bit after five. Will there be food by then? If so, I’ll come back!"

Hearing that a new dish was coming, especially the internationally famed mapo tofu, many diners who had heard of or tasted the dish instantly showed interest.

"Around five, right?"

Lin Chen checked the inventory; it was only noon. If sales continued at this pace, everything would sell out in about an hour.

The ingredients for mapo tofu are simple and don’t require much prep; it’s mostly made fresh.

"There shouldn’t be any problem."

"Great, see you in the evening!"

"By the way, boss, these noodles taste amazing!"

"As expected of a country known for its cuisine, authentic Great Xia dishes are so tasty, worlds apart from what Chinese restaurants serve."

"I’ll definitely come to support you tonight, boss~!"

Hearing that Lin Chen would set up the stall again tonight and make mapo tofu, Lucas was salivating on the side.

He knew just how delicious that dish could be. A well-made one and a poorly-made one are completely different foods.

If made well, it can easily make you finish a bowl of rice!

In Great Xia dining culture, one of the standards for a well-made dish is how well it complements rice.

Lin Chen took time to prepare the twenty packaged noodles ordered by Marian and her husband so they could go enjoy some playtime with the kids.

Although there were fewer orders for takeout today, he didn’t ask why. He didn’t want to add any mental pressure to them. It’s a blessing they came from so far away.

On the way to the suburban amusement park, Marian, sitting in the passenger seat, was continuously refreshing a page on her phone.

"George, I think it’s time for us to buy a house in the city. How long have we lived in our current one? Ten years, maybe fifteen? It’s really getting old."

"Weren’t we considering renovating? I think we might as well just get a new one."

George nodded: "That’s true. We could sell the current one for some extra money. Living here would indeed be more convenient, and it’s closer to my farm. The only issue is how Richard will manage school."

"Richard... he’s a grown man now. There’s only about a year until he graduates, and there’s a school bus to the subway station. It just means waking up an hour earlier in the morning, which is still convenient."

"True, but let’s ask him about it tonight. If it doesn’t work out, he can always transfer schools."

"Yay!"

The little ones in the backseat happily shook their tiny hands: "New house, new house~"

"Home sweet home!"

"Will we get to eat delicious food every day then?"

"Noodles, noodles~ jelly, jelly~ hooray!"

It was just after one in the afternoon.

As Lin Chen predicted, all the prepared ingredients sold out, leaving only some fruit. He didn’t sell it but generously distributed it to those in line who couldn’t buy anything.

Doing this kind of street vending relies on building a customer base. The social facet ingrained in Great Xia people is effective everywhere.

The little bit of dissatisfaction in the hearts of the customers who received free fruit instantly dissipated. They had never seen a store owner proactively give away food as consolation to customers who weren’t able to buy anything.

"Haha, the owner of that Great Xia food truck is a really nice guy, even giving away fruit. I heard he’ll be selling a new dish around five; I’ll definitely come to buy it then!"

"This box of fruit would easily sell for two or three euros at a supermarket, and he’s giving it away for free. It makes me feel bad. I’ll come tonight too."

Several foreigners holding fruit boxes walked past the kimchi food truck, their cheerful chat drifting into the ears of the Kimchi Lady, whose expression turned extremely sour.

"Selling cheaply is one thing, but giving away free fruit? Aiish, this is too much. It’s malicious competition!! I’m going to report him!!!"