Gourmet: From a Stall in Northern Europe-Chapter 86: Boss, Their Barbecue Tastes Better Than Yours

As soon as Anna thought about only sleeping seven hours at night, her eyes turned red, and she bit fiercely into the thick lotus root slice.

She didn't bite the brisket because the beef fat next to it was too hot; if she bit into it, she'd have to spit it out, so it was better to let it cool for a while.

"Crunch"

The unexpected texture was completely different from the crispy outside and soft, fluffy inside of potato chips; the lotus root had a faint natural fragrance, with a consistent texture from outside to inside, defined by crispiness.

This crispness wasn't like chips or fried foods. In short, she couldn't think of a suitable word to describe this texture, only the phrase "purely natural."

She thought it was just crispy, but when she looked up, several transparent threads stretched out visibly in the air, and Dreya's eyes widened instantly.

"What is this??"

"Yikes, I spun a thread? Could it be that I got bitten by a spider?"

"As if."

Lucas scoffed, "That's just how lotus root is; there's no superpower in this world, wake up."

"I know that!! No sense of humor, hmph!"

Dreya curiously reached out to touch the transparent threads; they felt like nothing and snapped with a light touch, with only a few having slight elasticity.

"Such a magical food, how does it taste?"

Anna quickly chewed a few times, tilting her head in confusion: "It's alright? There's nothing particularly special, just a kind of indescribable plant freshness and crispness; personally, I still prefer potatoes."

"Then I'm relieved."

Dreya visibly sighed in relief and took a small bite of the lotus root slice.

"Crunch"

She deliberately didn't bite hard, and sure enough, thin, long threads appeared.

After a few chews, she clearly tasted the plant freshness Anna mentioned, with not much other flavor, mainly relying on the surface seasoning for taste.

Unexpectedly, she found it quite delicious.

"You actually treated me like a guinea pig, I'm going to get mad!"

Anna pouted angrily; just as she was about to speak, Dreya directly offered her a string of potato chips.

"Here, let's trade, potato for you, lotus root for me, how about that?"

"Eh? You like this? That's great then!"

She was easy to placate, appeased by just a string of potato chips, happily munching two strings of potatoes, one in each hand.

"Let's go, we can eat while walking back to the dormitory."

Just as the two walked away, a strong man with a baseball cap silently followed at a distance of over ten meters.

Lin Chen glanced over a few times and then relaxed, withdrawing his gaze.

Since Dreya and Anna's first appearance, he had noticed the guy's presence, but he didn't seem to have the aura of a criminal, rather a vibe similar to Meng Qi's.

After observing, he confirmed that it was likely these two women had a bodyguard.

After all, they're celebrities and beauties; it wouldn't be right to leave them wandering the streets at night alone.

Just then, Lucas got in the car to get ice and also saw the guy's departing figure.

"Seriously, is that guy a former addict or something? He hangs out with the food crowd every day yet never buys anything, doesn't even drink the iced milk tea; how does he resist?"

"This is barbecue and milk tea in the middle of the night!!"

"Who knows."

Lin Chen shrugged: "Barbecue and milk tea are either tried once or countless times; as long as he hasn't tried it, there's no desire, which is normal, considering he's professionally trained."

"If he were easily tempted by food, he wouldn't be assigned to protect others."

"True enough."

"Great! The female demon has finally left!!"

Richard dashed over: "I'm starving!"

Lin Chen had noticed him signaling earlier but didn't dare come close, so he handed the skewered food to the customers behind, knowing they ordered about the same.

"You're afraid of Dreya? She's so pretty, what's there to be afraid of?"

"The prettier the woman, the more dangerous she is!"

"Haha, you've got a keen sense! I like it; next time you come, I'll treat you to a meat taco!"

Lunard extended his broad hand, grasping Richard's tight, as if they were kindred spirits.

"Get out! Don't corrupt the kids, eat your meat!"

Lin Chen casually passed a skewer of meat between sliced bread to Lunard.

"As if I'd do that; I'm not that kind of person, am I? Amazing, it's finally my turn; do you know what it took for me to get through these ten minutes?"

Watching one skewer after another pass out while only the rich aroma remained in the air -- he'd never experienced such a feeling, not even at his own food truck.

Knowing the brisket with beef fat was delicious, he first ordered top blade and lamb chops, just to try the taste of ordinary grilled meat.

Once you've tasted the best, these ordinary ones wouldn't compare as well.

The appearance of the top blade skewer and the lamb chop skewer were almost identical when grilled, their colors nearly the same.

If he hadn't watched Lin Chen grill them personally, he'd suspect a switcheroo.

He tore off a hot piece of lamb, exhaled a few steamy breaths, and before even chewing it, the rich charcoal aroma spread out.

The lamb chop seemed lean but secretly contained fat; a bite would burst with juice in the mouth, with no noticeable gamey flavor, just pure deliciousness.

Only the freshest and highest-quality lamb could achieve this aroma without tasting gamey. In the supermarket, you could basically only find lamb chops and leg meat, these choices are mild, while other cuts are rare.

Most importantly, lamb is more expensive than beef.

In a few bites, he finished the entire lamb skewer, savoring the lingering juice and the cumin granules' aroma, which paired extremely well with the lamb, matching his preferred taste.

When he tried the top blade skewer, it was slightly less impressive, though still tasty, lacking the lamb's distinct flavor, and the texture was tougher, but otherwise not much difference.

"Why do I think the lamb tastes better?"

"Because you like the flavor of lamb? Some can't handle lamb or fattiness, so top blade suits them. Those who can enjoy beef fat should have brisket, and those deterred by fattiness should have lamb; each has its pros and cons."

"True, you consider everything comprehensively. Unlike my place, where there's only beef and pork, all minced, plus mixed grills, leaving no choice. I guess I'll have to update my menu sometime."

"Wow!"

A voice suddenly exclaimed at the window.

Neo held a piece of richly marbled meat skewer, cheeks bulging from chewing, eyes wide open, and gave a thumbs up in constant admiration.

"This meat is so tender, it melts in the mouth, yet you can distinctly chew, not greasy at all; the more you chew, the tastier it gets! Boss, why do I think these grilled meats are much tastier than the ones you make?"