Gourmet: From a Stall in Northern Europe

"Hiss..."

Lucas felt a numb sensation spreading across half his shoulder after being patted, drawing a sharp intake of breath.

"Ouch, ouch, ouch! How come you’re getting stronger and stronger?"

"Then it’s settled. Tomorrow morning, I’ll take charge of making the beef and green onion buns, and you guys can handle the small wontons. You’ve all watched me make them in the last couple of days, so it shouldn’t be too hard."

The thin-skinned small wontons Lucas mentioned, also known as bubble wontons, are a type of wonton famous in the Jiangsu and Zhejiang regions, known for their thin skin, small filling, and fresh broth.

They’re very different from those filled with meat. Eating small wontons is more about savoring the texture, mainly drinking the broth, or pairing them with other breakfast items like buns, fried dumplings, or fried dough sticks to soothe the throat.

Once the meat filling and wonton skins are prepared, and after showing them how to make the broth, the rest is simple.

"Alright, that’s it for today. You can go now. No need to come too early tomorrow morning, just come half an hour early."

"Do you need my help?" Lucas pointed at himself. "The meat filling and dough are probably quite heavy, right? Can you manage?"

"Then come along, you’re welcome to help~ How about five o’clock?"

"...Pretend I didn’t say anything. Bye!"

The news that Lin Chen would be setting up an outdoor stall naturally had to be communicated to Jonathan’s team members as well.

Helena and Dais, who were on their way, both received the group message, but their expressions were quite different.

"I’m really jealous that you have such a diligent and skilled chef..."

Helena sighed wistfully while holding her daughter Lilisha in her arms.

"Unlike Jonathan, who, despite having decent skills, is always looking to slack off and do things half-heartedly without any innovation. Last week, all the dishes we made were the ones the restaurant had done before. He didn’t use his brain at all."

"It’s alright, slacking off isn’t so bad either. It’s better than being pushed to work hard all the time."

Dais patted Lisa’s little head, and the latter squinted her eyes in enjoyment.

"Miss Dais, working with Chef Lin must mean you get to eat a lot of delicious food every day, right?"

"Yes! Why, Lina, are you thinking of working at the restaurant too?"

Lisa shook her head, "I want to become a star model like Miss Dreya. Then I can be invited to dine at high-end restaurants!"

As she spoke, she pulled out a signed photo with Dreya, her little face full of longing.

She hadn’t expected that her wish to take a photo with her idol could be realized so easily.

She used to envy Richard’s mom for being able to see Dreya often, but now it’s better. Her own mom can also invite her to take a photo together!

Can Richard do that?

Hmph!

Without comparisons, there are no disappointments. Her interest in Richard is now sharply declining, while her curiosity about her mom’s work is growing.

Knowing that Chef Lin works at the same restaurant as her mom, she can visit her on weekends from now on.

Not only can she eat delicious food, but she might also run into Miss Dreya. How wonderful!

She secretly asked Dreya, who gave her a clear answer that as long as there were no commitments, she would definitely come here for dinner on weekends.

Dais really adored Helena’s daughter, who was like a little elf, unable to imagine how a girl could be so pretty and cute.

In comparison, her three kids... never mind, better not to speak about them.

Surely it’s her husband’s genes.

Helena’s husband had the face of a typical handsome guy, a beautiful couple, no wonder they could have such a gorgeous daughter.

The most important thing is, her husband is even willing to drive all the way to drop his wife off at work, and their daughter is sensible enough to tag along. How envious!

Even for a two-hour trip back and forth, her husband would probably be too lazy to move, and she’d have to go home to see her kids herself.

"Don’t work too hard, darling, see you Friday~"

"Oh! Thank you, darling. Be careful on the way back, drive slowly, and take more breaks at rest areas if you’re tired!"

"No worries, I’m not tired at all! Mwah~"

"Mwah~"

"Bye-bye, Mom~"

"Goodbye, sweetheart. Study well, okay~"

"Mm-hmm!"

Dais watched enviously as the family bid each other a joyous farewell, looking up at the brilliant starry night with a faint sigh.

The stars were particularly bright tonight, especially by the seaside, with little light pollution, making them especially clear.

To let guests enjoy the night sky, the hotel had deliberately turned off most of the lights, leaving only the illuminated ’Radisson’ sign glowing softly, not dazzling at all.

"Let’s go."

Helena waved at the receding car and turned to walk towards Dais.

"Do you have this week’s menu planned out yet?"

"The chef said he won’t prepare a fixed menu, just do it stall-style. Tomorrow morning, we’ll sell steamed buns and wontons, the kind we made for the two chefs a couple of nights ago."

"Ah! I remember now, the one with the really thin skin and soup inside, right? That’s great, it looks delicious. I want to try it too, I wonder if there’ll be a chance."

"There definitely will be. With a stall setup, if you order a portion before the restaurant opens, the chef will definitely make it."

"Hope so, haha... Huh, why are the restaurant lights on?"

The two were just about to return to the hotel when they glanced over and noticed, a hint of curiosity in their eyes.

Dais tilted her head slightly. "It probably isn’t Chef Lin. Our team just decided on the menu recently, and the ingredients won’t arrive until tomorrow morning. Could it be Jonathan?"

"I’ll go check it out."

Recalling the nearly all-night preparation work last Sunday, Helena sighed and headed toward the restaurant.

Out of curiosity, Dais followed closely behind, eager to see what new dishes Jonathan would prepare this week.

Based on last week’s experience, he probably won’t make any time-consuming dishes again, right?

If he did, Helena and Lucinda would have been informed about the late-night overtime work by now.

The two entered the restaurant and headed straight to the kitchen, where they found Jonathan working alone. The counters were filled with various ingredients, and he was so engrossed that he hadn’t noticed anyone enter.

"Jonathan!"

Helena couldn’t help but call out, "Are you prepping for tomorrow’s menu? Need any help?"

"Oh, it’s you, just got back?"

Jonathan didn’t even turn around, staying focused on the food in front of him.

"No worries, I modified the menu this week. There aren’t many labor-intensive dishes, no meatballs to prep. Most dishes are baked or stewed, so you can go rest, I’ll handle it myself."

"Once everything is in the oven or on the stove, I’ll head home to sleep too. It won’t take long, it’ll be done quickly."

Hearing this, the two realized they wouldn’t see any results now. They’d have to wait until morning to know what dishes he had prepared.

Since the head chef had instructed her to rest, Helena wasn’t about to insist on working overtime. She promptly turned and pulled Dais away with her.

The next morning.

With the sky still gray, Lin Chen had already finished his morning routine and arrived at the restaurant, starting to prepare the dough for the steamed buns.

The kitchen had a special fermentation machine to precisely control the time for dough products, so there was no worry of under or over fermentation due to temperature or humidity.

He had a good stock of flour in the kitchen, as rice and flour products were common in Great Xia cuisine and frequently used.

He would wait for Daniel to deliver the meat and vegetables before making the fillings for the buns and wontons, so there was no rush.

While observing the dough kneading machine, the iron gate behind him was pulled open from the outside as Daniel’s refrigerated truck arrived on time.

"Good morning, chef!"

Since tasting the delicious dishes made by Lin Chen on Sunday, Daniel couldn’t sleep last night, eagerly looking forward to what Lin Chen would cook today.

He had always had a strong taste preference, and that spicy and garlicky crayfish sauce completely hit the spot for him. The sensation that made his lips tremble uncontrollably became his new obsession.

Even though the sauce looked very spicy, it was filled with savory flavors, and the golden garlic paste was surprisingly sweet and salty, perfectly complemented by the spicy crayfish sauce and chewy sliced noodles. It was absolutely phenomenal!

By the end, he even licked the box clean of the leftover garlic, still wanting more.

"What’s delicious today? Can I buy two to take away?"

While unloading ingredients into the restaurant, Daniel looked at him with anticipation, swallowing hard.

"Today we’re making beef buns and pork wontons. Have you heard of them?"

"Buns! I’ve had buns, they sell them at convenience stores, but wontons... never mind, they’ll definitely be delicious. I trust the chef’s skills!"

"Hmm," Lin Chen nodded. "The ones from convenience stores are machine-made semi-finished products. The texture of the dough and the flavor of the filling are quite poor compared to freshly handmade ones."

"There are many types of wontons in Great Xia. What I’m making will have soup in them, to be eaten with the buns. If you’re not in a hurry, you can sit for a bit. It’ll be at least an hour before the first batch is ready."

"No rush, not in a hurry at all!"

Daniel smiled and waved his hand. "Thanks to the chef, after I deliver here, the local jobs are divided among others. I can take my time and will only get work assigned when I get back."

"As long as I can have something delicious to eat, earning a little less doesn’t matter. Those few bucks aren’t significant."

Most people around here share this mindset. Work is optional, and if you can slack off, you do, since there’s no rush to make money, enjoying life is what matters.

This is also one of the main reasons Lin Chen hesitated to hire foreign chefs.

Sure, some are diligent and hard-working, but they are few and they don’t know Great Xia cuisine. It’s unnecessary and there’s no energy to train them either.

Foreign chefs with good skills would definitely demand high salaries, it’d be better to hire locals, who provide cheaper labor.

Of course, he wouldn’t shortchange his fellow compatriots either.

Everyone earns their living through hard work. If after the probation period their performance is satisfactory, their salaries would increase or bonuses would be given, ensuring they’d be well taken care of.

"Ahh~"

As the two were chatting, Lucas yawned, walking into the kitchen, still looking half-asleep.

"I’m here..."