Gourmet: From a Stall in Northern Europe

Originally, I thought that the layer of broken rice grains steamed would be like a paste, since the steam would moisten it. However, it looked more like... wet breadcrumbs?

He pondered for a long time but couldn't think of a suitable adjective, only this, since there are only a few types of breading in Western-style fried foods.

Having tried so many different foods before, Nagishiro Sho hadn't been so startled until this steamed beef with rice flour elevated his anticipation to a whole new level.

Without hesitation, he picked a large piece, as beef is best enjoyed in large chunks.

The moment his lips touched the rice flour, he understood why Nagishiro Sho made such an earnest exclamation.

Though it was a product of broken rice, the rice paste had none of the typical rice texture; instead, it resembled... cooked oat fragments, soft with a slight graininess.

The most remarkable thing was that this rice paste fully absorbed the beef juices, coupled with a slight hint of spices and the fragrance of bean paste, it was utterly delicious, completely shattering his preconceived notions about rice.

The beef wrapped in rice flour was extremely tender and bouncy, like it was filled with springs. Biting into it, the muscle fibers rebounded, yet it was easily chewable, aligning with his impression of marinated meat in Chinese cuisine.

Though he had tried this kind of unique marinating technique in Chinese cuisine before, whenever he tried it himself, it didn't feel right, and it wasn't easy to pair with Western ingredients.

He came prepared to discuss it thoroughly with Lin Chen, exploring if there was a suitable method for improvement, allowing it to integrate into Western dishes.

But before the discussion began, Lin Chen had already given him several solid lessons.

"Green curry with coconut milk stewed beef, served with butter flatbread."

At this moment, Jonathan brought the richly flavored curry, stewed for two hours, to the table.

The curry continued to bubble slightly, emitting a rich aroma of spices and coconut scent.

Yet, the seven people at the table didn't think of trying it first, all fervently dividing up the dishes Lin Chen brought out.

A large plate full of fried beef brisket and a steamer loaded with steamed beef with rice flour were all snatched up in just over two minutes; even the knife-cut noodles in the pot were nearly all gone.

It's not just those seated; even the ones standing were drooling hungrily, staring eagerly at the table in front of Lin Chen, hoping for a chance to sample any remaining bits.

Normally, professionals in this field shouldn't be tempted by the guests' food, but Lin Chen prepared dishes they had never tasted before, and given his culinary skills had long won them over, it was impossible to resist.

Didn't you see how the two head chefs were eating with oil dripping from their mouths!

Fortunately, Lin Chen was well-prepared. Since Nagishiro Sho brought so much beef, leaving it for too long wouldn't be fresh, so if it was to be used, it should be done promptly.

Not only were there various types of beef, but there was also half a batch of knife-cut noodle dough left, which could easily be made into a full bowl again.

After the guests finished eating, Lin Chen started preparing a second round, and Dais Helena and others intuitively understood it was meant for them. They spontaneously went to the kitchen to help with packaging and distributing the marinated raw meat stored in the fridge.

They couldn't just eat without helping; this basic courtesy they still possessed.

Since the opening ceremony of the Kite Festival was to be prepared for tomorrow, Wang Ziqin didn't plan to stay too late, so after dinner, he intended to slip away.

He also worried that the continuous high-intensity workload might leave Lin Chen overwhelmed during the food activities in the coming days, so if it could be avoided, it was better not to set up the stall.

He directly made a phone call to summon the engineering team to package everything on-site, including portions for the music crew, lighting crew, and all other staff members.

No matter how many portions, just pack everything up and finish the job. As for whether people over there get to eat, or can get several servings, he didn't care.

Also, Jonathan's leftover various beef dishes were packed together and sent to them, emphasizing a no-waste principle.

Regarding President Wang's goodwill, Lin Chen, though feeling a bit resigned, could only go along with it, since he was the leader.

Thus, directly packaging and moving the ingredients skipped the stall setting routine, meaning the basic stall rewards, i.e., the Recipe Exchange Voucher, couldn't be obtained.

Though there were quite a few of those vouchers in the inventory, nobody dislikes having too many good things.

"Never mind, anyway, this week's marinated raw meat is the last time; next week's matter can wait until next week. For now, let's focus on doing the stall tomorrow and the day after well. The challenge tasks are more important, must not make mistakes."

For tomorrow's stall, he needed to prepare three dishes: fried chicken fillet, takoyaki, and Soka.

He calculated diligently, and these three dishes seemed quite easy to prepare. Lucas and Dais Elsa would surely come to help, four people selling three kinds of food seemed a little too easy?

As for Chef Marchello and Nagishiro Sho over there, they would dispatch Jonathan and the others as assistants, so there was no need to worry, as they were all experienced chefs.

Since that's the case, why not create a few more flavors?

There's hardly any way to significantly change the fried chicken fillet and takoyaki; the only one that can be improved upon is Soka.

The popular variety here in the Romantic Country is the original Soka, a plain chickpea cake without fillings, typically not adding other ingredients.

If it's made into a Great Xia pancake, it would surely taste better than the original version, right?

"Hmm, let's decide on this, make a scallion one, potato shreds one, radish shreds one, and a seafood one—this should be about enough, right?"

Not only improving the ingredients, he also planned to brew some sauces for applying on the pancakes, as this is one of the essential soulful elements determining the tastiness of pancakes.

"Make a sweet bean sauce, a salty sauce, and a spicy sauce; excellent, it captures the essence of domestic breakfast stalls."

Just the mention of these three sauces reminded him of the morning pancakes and hand-held flatbreads his mom bought him on the way to school, which tasted so savory.

He quickly placed an order on the supply platform with a note for urgent delivery, ensuring it would arrive around five in the morning to avoid any mishaps. After that, he got up and left the restaurant to return to the hotel for some rest.

Just as he got back to his room, he heard rhythmic music floating in from the balcony, seemingly coming from the cliff in the distance. Listening closely, the melody sounded familiar, but it was too far away to be clear.

"I bet they're rehearsing? These girl groups work pretty hard, even late at night."

Considering the opening ceremony was scheduled for the next morning and there was no time to rehearse, it made sense to do it the night before.

Glancing toward the cliff, he indeed saw the sky there flickering with colorful lights and many laser beams shooting up into the clouds, lighting up the night sky.

He wasn't the only one; many hotel guests were also leaning on the balcony to join in the excitement.

Lin Chen didn't linger long, after a quick glance he lost interest; it was better to get some sleep early.

At the top of the cliff.

Rehearsal site.

Apart from staff and performers, there were no spectators, but the lighting, sound effects, and stage atmosphere were already perfect.

"Not bad, this temporary stage is even better than I imagined, and the sound quality is really good."

Jeon Soyeon stood under the stage observing the various equipment around thoroughly, nodding occasionally.

Other members stood nearby, also appreciating the juniors' performance on stage.

They initially planned to crash someone else's dinner, but after some internal discussion, they decided to skip it for now, and relax properly after tomorrow's performance.

In this scene, their group could be described as the seniors of all the girl groups present, even if it was abroad, they had to keep up appearances and couldn't slack off as the leaders.

"Screech—"

A braking sound came from beyond the railing behind them, as a business van stopped steadily, its door slid open and four slender figures jumped out one after another.

Some turned back curiously, and upon recognizing familiar faces, their eyes lit up, Yuqi smiled and waved as she walked over.

"Ning! You guys are here too?"

"Yuqi sis?"

Seeing acquaintances, Ningning's face immediately bloomed into a sweet smile, and any lingering tension in the atmosphere vanished instantly.

"What a coincidence, even abroad we run into each other."

Just as their car drove away, a pickup truck came up right behind, its trunk packed densely with plastic bags.

The vehicle hadn't even turned off when the person in the passenger seat loudly shouted through a megaphone: "Dinner's ready! Chef Lin made marinated seafood, plus curry beef by other chefs, limited quantity, first come first served!"

"?!"

The sudden loud noise startled the girls, especially Jin Dongtian and Liu Zhimin, who were the most easily frightened—they hugged their heads and almost screamed.

"Hey! Isn't it a bit much to use a megaphone in the middle of the night?"

Not waiting for them to complain, Yuqi had already grabbed Ningning and dashed out like an arrow, closely followed by Shuhua and Minnie.

"Quick, quick, grab the food, Ning, I'm telling you, there's a chef from Great Xia in the hotel restaurant here, his skills are superb, after two buffet meals today I was almost stuffed to death, trust me, grab it, you won't regret it!"

"Huh?!"

Still confused Ningning was pulled to the pickup truck and found herself staring at the packed trunk, dazed and bewildered.

How come they have to grab food as soon as they arrived—is this really the event venue and not some picnic site?

Besides, shouldn't their meals be picked up by their manager, why are they grabbing them?

"Don't ask!"

Yuqi had already snatched a bag and shoved it into her hands, patting her chest with full confidence. "Trust me, no mistake, all marinated seafood, quality protein, it won't make you gain weight, eat up!"

"Look behind you, if you don't grab now, you won't get any!"

As she spoke, she, Shuhua, and Minnie kept rummaging through the plastic bags in the trunk, trying to distinguish which ones were marinated and which were other foods, to avoid taking the wrong ones.

Ningning had never seen Yuqi act like this; with a heavy takeaway bag in hand, she turned back in confusion.

She was unaware of the situation until she turned and realized it was startling.

All the staff at the site were furiously sprinting towards them, with eyes flashing desperately, the scene rivaling a zombie movie.

She couldn't help but wonder.

Is this marinated stuff really that delicious?