Gourmet: From a Stall in Northern Europe-Chapter 73: Freshly Made Congee on a Foreign Morning Street
"Otherwise?"
In just two minutes, as an observer, Lin Chen had already analyzed the situation thoroughly.
"Give it up, my fellow countryman, don’t struggle in vain anymore. Whether it’s identity or status, you two are not a match. It’s good to be brave and try, but having self-awareness is the most valuable mindset for Great Xia people."
"A beautiful model like her doesn’t lack suitors at all. Do you have any qualities that can really impress her? Don’t go on about treating her well, it doesn’t work. As a spiritual Great Xia person, you should be well aware of this."
"Besides, shouldn’t you be liking our own Great Xia girls?"
While speaking, he casually handed over a bowl of freshly cooked hot porridge.
"Drink up, once you’re done, it’s time to give up. Before you’re too far in, instead of spending all that energy focusing on women, why not manage your own account? If you go viral, they might seek you out for shoots."
"Indeed."
Lucas tried to hold the bowl of porridge but was scalded by the heat and quickly pinched his earlobe.
"Ah, I’ve been single for too long, you know that feeling. It’s hard not to be tempted when you finally meet a beautiful girl... But you’re right, self-improvement is still more important."
He accepted it quite candidly, thought it through instantly, and didn’t try to chat with the two women any further. He just stood at the window, sipping the hot porridge in small sips, and didn’t forget to take out his phone to record.
"Oh, could this be..."
A familiar voice suddenly came from behind, and Lucas quickly turned around with a warm smile on his face.
"Good morning, you two! Here for tourism, on your honeymoon? Would you like a bowl of piping hot porridge? Yes, just as you imagined!"
The woman gently nudged the man twice while holding his arm, the man got the hint and raised two fingers.
"Then two bowls, please. Didn’t expect to meet fellow countrymen in a foreign land on a morning, such a rare encounter, it’s really hard to find breakfast around here."
"You said it!"
Lucas made way for them, gesturing: "Come and see what meat you want to add, there’s beef, fish fillet, and chicken thigh, and the porridge base comes with mushrooms and vegetables by default."
"Your Chinese is really standard, you must have stayed in Great Xia, right?"
"I think so too. Just language classes and self-study can’t achieve this level of accent-less fluency... Let me see, let’s have all three kinds of meat, it’s rare to find breakfast here, gotta eat well."
The couple naturally struck up a conversation at the food truck’s front, while the woman’s gaze occasionally drifted towards Dreya sitting nearby. Her flawless back curve and unique temperament were so attractive that it was impossible not to notice.
Especially considering that foreigners usually don’t have a breakfast habit, seeing such a beautiful woman sitting in front of the Great Xia Food Truck having a bowl of piping hot porridge at seven on the street was truly a unique sight.
"How long have you two been here, enjoying your time?"
Lin Chen didn’t stay idle either and enthusiastically chatted with the couple.
Amiens is a small city, with not many fellow countrymen coming for tourism, but you can still encounter some from time to time.
The scenery here is beautiful, the environment picturesque, and it’s relatively close to the capital of the Romantic Country, only about a hundred and forty kilometers away. With the sea just a few dozen kilometers out, it’s a quite popular choice among small cities.
"I must say, the environment abroad is indeed better—blue skies and white clouds, with clear seas. Occasionally traveling here makes you feel like you’re being purified."
After the woman had just sighed, the man beside her puckered his lips: "No wonder, because all the factories in Western countries have been moved to Asia, and pollution is all on our side, how can the environment not be fine!"
"Exactly!"
When it came to this topic, Lucas frowned indignantly, "This is the reason I dislike living here. Every time I see such a good environment, I think of how ugly these foreigners are behind their hypocritical masks!" 𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢
Perhaps owing to this topic, Lin Chen could clearly see the rose-tinted glasses Lucas had for the beautiful model fade instantly, and his whole gaze became clear.
"Alright, alright, they’re here for a honeymoon, don’t spoil the mood. Showing no tact at all, no wonder you’re single!"
Skillfully finishing the two bowls of porridge, he placed thick napkins underneath to prevent burns and signaled Lucas to hand them to the couple.
"Ha, it smells so nice. Even though we’ve only been here two days, I feel like it’s been months since I’ve smelled the aroma of Great Xia Cuisine."
"I feel the same way. White people’s food is good too, but only for a change of taste once in a while. If I had to eat it three times a day, I’d go crazy!"
The two were so hungry that they couldn’t care about the heat, each scooping a spoonful, blowing on it, and eagerly stuffing it into their mouths.
The completely cooked porridge had an incredibly smooth texture, with the light sweetness of the baby cabbage and the rich aroma of mushrooms spreading in their mouths.
The mushroom slices appeared thin but had a noticeable chewiness once tasted. They were slick, almost indistinguishable from the texture of shiitake mushrooms.
The beef slices seemed pounded tender, each slice thin and large, with a tender slippery texture. The starch coating on the surface formed a thin layer that perfectly locked in the beef’s moisture.
One bite, and the beef’s fibrous texture snapped instantly—crisp and bouncy. It’s a unique meat handling technique you’d only find in Great Xia dishes.
If beef slices were that smooth, you can imagine the chicken thighs. Each chew brought out the unique tender, springy texture of the chicken thigh.
The fish fillet was even better. It melted in the mouth and had no trace of fishy seafood taste. Instead, it had the natural sweetness of the sea, proving how fresh the ingredients were.
Chewing along, occasionally they’d bite into hair-thin ginger shreds, which instantly enhanced the overall freshness of the plain porridge to a new level.
"Amazing, this porridge is truly amazing, arguably better than some places I’ve tried in Chaoshan!"
"Why don’t you open a shop, young man? Is it because there are too few Chinese people here to sustain the business? You could try in Paris, it’s not far, and there are plenty of Chinese people there for sure business would be good!"
The young couple, having tasted just a little, immediately lit up and kept giving thumbs-up praise.
Lin Chen shook his head with a smile: "Stalls are just my side gig. I work in a restaurant, earning some extra cash in my spare time."
"What? A Western restaurant? Which one? I have a feeling your Western dishes must be delicious too!"
"It’s a secret, haha~"
"Oh, don’t be stingy!"
"Never mind, honey, a man always has to keep a little secret. Anyway, we’ve already booked the highly-rated God’s Kiss for tonight, and to me, Western food tastes pretty much the same."
"Indeed."
Lin Chen nodded in agreement: "You eat it often enough, and you realize it’s just like that. Our Chinese cuisine offers much more variety."
"Beep beep!"
As they were chatting, a food truck slowly approached from a distance, with a face-full of a scruffy beard and a shiny bald head poking out of the window, gleaming under the sunlight.
