Gourmet: From a Stall in Northern Europe

The man chewed mouthfuls of succulent and juicy squid meat, feeling the sauce mixed with multiple spices merge in his mouth. The occasional bites of scallion added a touch of freshness.

In restaurants, he’d always eaten squid in ring shapes. This was the first time he tore into a whole squid like this, eating with gusto and feeling a deep sense of satisfaction.

"How is it, how is it?"

"What’s the taste like, is it delicious?"

The waiting diners around him swallowed their saliva several times, especially when he tore off a whole piece of squid from the skewer—it was such a tantalizing sight.

The man blinked, swallowed the meat in his mouth, "Of course it’s delicious, do you even need to ask? Squid is inherently good, how can something made by the chef not be tasty!"

"And this sauce is a flavor I’ve never tasted before; it’s salty with a distinct sweetness, like some kind of naturally fermented food flavor. I’m not sure if I’m right, but it doesn’t taste like sugar; if you don’t believe me, take a whiff."

As he spoke, he extended the squid skewer under the noses of a few people.

"(Sniff sniff) Don’t say it—you really can smell a bit of sweetness!"

"Indeed, sugar itself shouldn’t have a smell, but desserts can’t smell like sweetness—only like milk. But this you can clearly smell a faint sweetness from, it’s amazing!"

Whether it was because he said so, or some illusion, everyone who smelled it felt they could catch a whiff of that sweetness.

Besides the sweetness, the sauce had a rich flavor with a noticeable cumin powder scent—a seasoning they were quite familiar with.

Especially with the plump, quivering squid swaying in front of them, it seemed all they needed to do was open their mouths to take a bite, making their throats wildly roll as they gulped down their saliva.

When it was Cam’s turn, his eyes sparkled. He pretended to sniff, then suddenly opened his mouth as if to bite.

"?!"

The man withdrew his hand instantly as if he was shocked, the lightning-fast reaction even startling himself.

No wonder they say one can burst out with extraordinary potential in a crisis—it turns out to be true!

Want to snag my big squid?

Keep dreaming!!

"Hey~"

With his mouth open, Cam chuckled, "You’re quick, buddy. I was just kidding to scare you—not really trying to grab. I’ve ordered two skewers myself~."

The man eyed him up and down for a moment, warily taking big bites of the squid again. It’s safest to quickly get such a delicacy into your stomach.

Eating squid, then taking a bite of iced strawberry, feeling the marvelous contrast of ice and fire, with a sour-sweet touch of salty, fresh, sweet, and spicy—strange but addictive.

Stuffing the last piece of squid into his mouth, he eagerly began selecting his next victim.

Squid tentacles and squid strips were quickly passed over, assuming they’d taste the same. Then he selected beef skewers covered with onions and scallions.

Before picking his skewers earlier, he had asked, and it turned out to be the chef’s recommendation.

Just decided on you!

He grabbed all five skewers of beef, still covered with quite a bit of onions and scallions, with the rest falling into the bucket.

Instead of being chunks, the beef was shaped in long strips, cut into a flat shape, somewhat resembling widened French fries.

The five skewers combined didn’t amount to much, yet the price for a single skewer was sold for one euro—which did seem a tad pricey.

But there must be a reason for the high cost—it’s a Michelin Chef’s stall, and such a name is worth the price.

Even if it were more than a euro, there would still be people willing to buy it.

He returned the beef skewers to the bucket, stirring them around a few times to pick up more scattered onion and scallion bits—the pairing was meant to be eaten together for sure.

Besides those two garnishes, the beef itself seemed to have been marinated, its color showing a deep pink, with slight chili powder adhered to the surface, its oil sheen looked tantalizing.

Feeling the gazes of the few people next to him fixed on him, the man felt proud inside, opening his mouth wide to bite.

Compared to the big squid earlier, the small beef skewers were easier to pull off. Just grip them with your teeth, lightly pull the skewer off, and it’s settled.

The five strips of beef, enveloped in a large amount of onions and scallions, exploded between his teeth, with the juice and springy beef far exceeding his expectations.

"So tender!"

He felt like he’d never eaten beef so tender in his life, as if it didn’t even need chewing—his teeth just lightly touching made the beef fibers break.

Each chew let him experience the resilience and tenderness of the beef, complemented by the fresh sweet taste of onion bits and the fragrant scallion, perfectly balancing out the marinade’s flavor, leaving only freshness.

At a certain moment, he almost felt the beef was a side dish, while the onions and scallions were the main act.

Crisp, tender, and juicy, tasting sweet, paired with mildly spicy beef, growing more appetizing the more he ate.

The remaining bits of onion and scallion in the bucket shouldn’t go to waste; they could be scooped up with other skewers to eat.

The man’s eating pace was quick, like he hadn’t eaten for several days, swallowing two to three skewers in one go. The available amount in the bucket visibly dwindled at a rapid pace.

Such a ravenous scene made the surrounding waiting diners’ mouths water—they didn’t even need to ask, for they could tell just by looking that it must be delicious.

People particularly noted how he intentionally scooped onions and scallions onto every skewer, seeing it with their eyes and remembering it with their minds, now fully aware that pairing them together must taste better.

"Customer number two, your skewers are ready!"

As Elsa took the steaming bucket full of various skewers from Dais’ hands, a man waiting at the checkout excitedly raised his ticket.

"Me, me! I’m number two!"

Several people around cast looks of envy, jealousy, and hatred at him.

Suddenly.

Cam also raised his ticket: "I am number three! I’m next!"

"?"

"?"

"?"

No, they called for number two, what’s it got to do with you?

Are you trying to show off, afraid others don’t know the chef is making your skewers?

Cam couldn’t care less about others’ looks, cheerfully walked over to Nagishiro Sho, wanting to witness the making of his food firsthand.

"Chef, I can handle spicy, can you add more chili?"

Nagishiro Sho looked at him, confirmed he’s the third customer, and nodded: "Sure, medium or extra spicy?"

"How spicy is extra spicy?"

"Mild is a mix of smoked sweet pepper powder and Great Xia dried chili powder, medium is cayenne pepper powder, extra spicy has cayenne mixed with ghost pepper powder."

"Ah..." Cam took a sharp breath, "Ghost pepper powder? Heard a taste can burn for half an hour, but cayenne may not cut it for me, how about a sprinkle of extra spicy to try?"

"Sure."

Nagishiro Sho nodded, hands never stopping.

With experience from the previous orders, his movements became more fluid, timing and angle more precise, increasingly resembling a performance art.

As fierce flames rose, he grabbed a bunch of bamboo skewers with both hands, flipping them in the fire to allow the flames’ aroma to infuse the ingredients.

After quickly flipping more than ten times, he grabbed the seasoning bottle, sprinkling from above, as red chili powder fell into the fire, evenly coating the surface of the ingredients.

Especially those two large squid skewers, covered in a thick layer of chili powder, dyeing the sauce on the griddle red and sticky, wrapping onto the chopped onions and scallions.

It must be said, generously adding chili powder certainly increases appetite, looking far tastier than the previous mildly spicy ones.

The lineup of customers waiting to choose ingredients clearly smelled the rich spiciness in the air, causing them to cough repeatedly, yet uncontrollably drooling.

Spicy or not, looks absolutely delicious!

"Number three, ready."

Nagishiro Sho quickly acted, casually inserting the skewers into a paper bucket, shoveling remaining seasoning and broth from the griddle into it.

Because it’s extra spicy, normal people can’t handle it, the leftover sauce on the griddle needs cleaning.

Cleaning was simple, pour some water then scrape away.

Cam held the bucket, filled with chili powder-covered skewers, swallowing saliva, though not yet eaten, his tongue vaguely felt some spiciness.

This griddle-cooked skewer was a first for him, previously having only charcoal-grilled ones, filled with anticipation.

After paying, like the previous two, he didn’t rush off, stood there grabbing a large squid, stuffing it in his mouth.

The scorching squid surface was covered in chili powder, even chopped onions and scallions turned red.

Upon entry, intense and stimulating spiciness exploded instantly, the unique heat of ghost peppers like a landmine, unexpectedly bursting on his tongue.

"Ah...!"

Having never eaten ghost peppers before, only heard of their reputation, never imagined the effect would be so strong upon entry.

After brief pain, it didn’t intensify, a small mercy.

Luckily, he was cautious, only asked for a sprinkle.

Judging by this intensity, if the chef’s hand trembled a bit more, his lips might’ve swollen by now.

Unsure if from heat or ghost pepper enhancement, the usual cayenne powder seemed hotter than before.

Fortunately, with chewing, the sweet onion juice gradually released, neutralizing some spiciness, making him feel better.

"Impressive, daring to eat ghost peppers, your spice tolerance rivals Mexicans."

Being praised nearby, he unconsciously straightened his back: "Not bad, not very spicy, feel could handle a bit more sprinkle~"

"But your face is red, really okay?"

"Huh? It’s fine, I’m just prone to flushing, besides, face reddening from spice is normal, red face doesn’t mean it’s spicy."

To prove it wasn’t as spicy as it looked, Cam bit off several more squid pieces, sweat immediately broke on his forehead.

The more he chewed, the more sweat poured, his face turned beet red, even eyes gradually showed distinct blood veins, looking quite intimidating.

"Ah..."

Secretly inhaling cool air, he stuffed half a squid skewer back into the bucket, scooped two slices of iced bayberries ready to eat, hearing a sudden voice beside.

"Not spicy? Then why eat dessert?"