I'm the Culinary God-Chapter 544 - 267: The Temptation of Fried Pork Chop, Irresistible to All Girls on a Diet! [Seeking Monthly Ticket]
Zhu Yong glanced at Wei Qian, who looked utterly clueless, and then said, "Song Tiantian graduated from a sports school, and her physical ability is good. It’s normal for her to surpass you, but I don’t think she would mock you. After all, surpassing you isn’t much of an achievement; there’s really no need."
Zhu Yong might have been better off not saying anything. These words of comfort only intensified Wei Qian’s feelings of defeat. "Damn it, a big burly man like me being left behind by a girl—it’s so embarrassing! I’m continuing tonight; I don’t believe I can’t catch up with her!"
"Keep it up! But be careful, okay? Watch out when crossing the street."
"Don’t worry, I’ve been paying attention."
At the dining table by the kitchen door, Shen Guofu tried a bite of the cold white fungus Lin Xu had made and was instantly captivated by its sour and spicy taste. "This is such a surprise—I didn’t expect cold white fungus to taste so good."
"Exactly, it’s crispy and refreshing. Lin Xu, come over this evening and teach Aunt Liu. It’ll become a regular dish at home."
White fungus is rich in collagen and low in calories, so eating more of it is good for the body. Seeing how much his in-laws liked it, Lin Xu nodded and said, "Alright, I’ll drive over this evening to show Aunt Liu how to make it. I’ll also broaden her repertoire, teaching her the techniques for this kind of cold dish so she can make similar ones whenever she wants."
Shen Guofu’s eyes lit up at the thought. Lately, a low-sodium, low-fat diet had been depressing him. But now, with the support of his son-in-law’s culinary skills, although he still couldn’t eat meat recklessly, he could at least find some joy in his meals.
To encourage her husband, Han Shuzhen said, "Since we’ve decided to go to Yinzhou for National Day, you need to really work on your fitness this coming month. Don’t end up being unable to reach the top of the mountain and making us wait for you halfway."
Hearing this, Shen Guofu, who had been psyched about locking a lock at the mountain’s peak, immediately said, "Don’t worry, I’ll definitely leave you all far behind. It’s not like I haven’t climbed mountains before; Longqi Mountain is just a piece of cake for me."
Right, to avoid my wife’s teasing, I’ll do an extra set of aerobics tonight, aiming to increase my lower-body strength before the climb.
After tasting a few more bites of the deliciously sour and spicy cold white fungus, Shen Guofu drove off to work with Han Shuzhen. He needed to drop Director Han at the People’s Hospital first, then head to the office. Today, General Yan from the Huasheng Group, who had flown in from Shanghai, was scheduled to discuss specific business details. To show respect, Shen Guofu had even shaved that morning, making him look very spirited.
「In the store」
After seeing off his in-laws, Shen Baobao also decided to drive to work.
"What do you want for lunch? I’ll prepare it in advance."
"Let me think about that..."
Influenced by her parents, Shen Baobao had also been trying to lose weight. Although she wasn’t very successful, despite having Lin Xu—the Demon King of dieting—by her side, she had at least significantly reduced her intake of high-calorie foods compared to before.
Hmm, even my chubby dad has started dieting, so I can’t fall behind!
To motivate herself, she had been posting daily weight records in her group chat. This directly stimulated Chen Yan, Shu Yun, Dou Wenjing, and Zeng Xiaoqi, among others. Although they said nothing overtly, they were all secretly competing, fearing they would become the one with the highest body fat percentage in the group.
"Make me a vegetable salad—no dressing needed, just drizzle some spicy soy sauce on it—and grill a few slices of whole wheat toast. That’ll be enough!"
HUMPH, Yan Bao and the others have been pushing hard recently, but I, Shen Jiayue, won’t go down without a fight. It’s time to bring back the determination I had during my college days. Let Yan Bao and the others see that in this regard, I, Shen Jiayue, am still the undisputed No.1!
Lin Xu looked at his dear Baobao with some concern and asked, "Is it okay to diet this way?"
"It’s fine. Didn’t I always do this when I was in college? Back then, to make a perfect impression on you, I always gritted my teeth and persevered."
Since Shen Baobao had made her choice, all Lin Xu could do was support her fully.
I just hope she doesn’t sneak any of Dundun’s snacks tonight... he thought, watching her drive off. Then, he strolled into Uncle Yu’s supermarket.
"Uncle, do you have spicy soy sauce here?"
This so-called spicy soy sauce wasn’t an oil infused with chili peppers. Instead, it was a condiment from the Great Ying Empire. It looked similar to soy sauce, being dark brown, and had a sweet, sour, and slightly spicy taste.
It wasn’t often used in the Northern regions, but it was quite common in the South. Particularly in Shanghai’s fried pork chop and borscht, the taste would be much blander without spicy soy sauce. Fried pork chop dipped in spicy soy sauce has been a beloved food for many in Shanghai since their earliest memories, its taste and texture deeply ingrained in their very being.
Aside from Shanghai, spicy soy sauce is often used in Cantonese cuisine, which is known for its constant evolution and great potential. The classic Cantonese dim sum dish, Shanzhu beef balls, can’t do without this Western-style condiment.
"Spicy soy sauce? I don’t actually have that, but if you want, I can order some in the future."
This time, even Uncle Yu with his all-purpose supermarket was out of luck. Shen Baobao was waiting to eat at noon, and Lin Xu couldn’t wait for the next shipment. He informed Uncle Yu, then immediately returned to the store and had Che Zai go buy some.
Just because Uncle Yu’s supermarket didn’t have it didn’t mean that import-export supermarkets and Old Huang’s place didn’t. That’s the advantage of living in a big city: as long as you’re willing to pay, getting your hands on an uncommon condiment is still very convenient.
An hour later, two bottles of imported spicy soy sauce were placed in front of Lin Xu.
