Gourmet: From a Stall in Northern Europe

If you don’t like black sesame, you can make a pure white sugar flavor, because Daniel said he’s not picky about food, so he just decided to make the full version.

Having already tasted the delicious glutinous rice, Daniel was surprised when he saw Lin adding white sugar, and so much of it, his mind instantly conjured up the amazing flavor combination of the two.

Glutinous rice tastes good, and white sugar surely does too; just these two alone can’t be bad.

As for the unknown ingredient spread inside and... wait, was that an oil stick?

He was initially startled and quickly lowered his head to take a hefty bite, finally biting into the filling inside.

"Crunch"

Accompanied by a crispy sound, there was an illusion as if cookie crumbs were mixed between the glutinous rice, each mouthful filled with the rich aroma of the oil stick.

After being fried to a crisp, the old oil stick’s taste unexpectedly changed again, the wheat aroma became more intense, and the oil fragrance was stronger than before, yet not greasy, merely providing a layer of texture and taste.

Various ingredients mixed in his mouth, for a moment he couldn’t quite discern what was what, only notably tasting certain heavily seasoned pickled vegetables, crunching loudly, salty and fresh, perfectly adding flavor to the otherwise bland glutinous rice ball.

He glanced down, well, unfamiliar.

"What’s this crispy, brown-red cube?"

He pointed to the middle of the glutinous rice ball and asked.

"It’s pickled white radish, a pretty common ingredient in Asia, just prepared differently. Have you had yellow radish in sushi before? It’s that."

"Ah~~ so that’s it!"

Foreigners generally don’t eat white radish, it’s something only Asians eat, but sushi restaurants are everywhere in the world, mention yellow radish and they instantly understand.

"These yellow strands, are they potatoes? Cutting potatoes into strands turns out to be so delicious!"

Tasting each ingredient inside separately, Daniel immediately developed a strong liking for the potato strands.

Usually, potato products are either fries, potato pancakes, potato grids, mashed potatoes, or potato chunks, potato slices are rarely seen, only used extensively in layered potatoes.

Potato strands were completely unheard of.

He hadn’t expected the texture of potatoes cut into strands to be so amazing, they’re crispy!

And the carrot strands, supposedly crispy, surprisingly felt like potatoes, soft with a slight flouriness, paired with juicy green beans and broken old oil stick bits, with pickled radish cubes, the complex combination of textures was sensational.

Most importantly, the portion size of this glutinous rice ball was quite substantial, comparable to the size of a grown man’s fist, and solid, equivalent to a full bowl of rice.

Potatoes and carrots are staple foods, packed with carbs paired with carbs.

Quickly finishing a whole purple rice ball, Daniel not only didn’t feel full, but even felt more appetite.

Someone like him, who works heavy-duty jobs and runs long distances daily, naturally has a large appetite, a bowl of rice certainly wasn’t enough.

Seeing that Lucas was finished, he hurried over to Lin Chen’s side to watch him make Mala Tang, while cradling a warm white glutinous rice ball, stuffing it into his mouth.

His mouth barely touched the surface of the glutinous rice ball when he hadn’t even bitten down yet, his lips first caught a bit of black sesame powder.

The sesame, having been roasted, emitted a strong fragrance that took him by surprise, complemented by the sweetness of the white sugar and the chewiness of the glutinous rice, giving him the illusion of eating a dessert.

"Crunch"

The familiar crackling sound of the old oil stick again.

The aroma of the black sesame combined with the oil fragrance of the old oil stick, each enhancing the other, especially with a subtle salty taste highlighting the overall sweetness.

Just as he thought the glutinous rice ball’s surprises had ended, his tongue suddenly experienced a moist, salty-sweet flavor.

Upon closer taste, there was a hint of meat aroma, reminiscent of some kind of deli flavor.

"Is the sweet one tasty?"

While Lin Chen was placing various vegetables in the iron basin, holding the list Daniel had prepared, he asked curiously when he saw Daniel approaching.

"It’s delicious; why do I feel it’s tastier than the salty one? The black sesame is incredibly fragrant, paired with the soft yet chewy glutinous rice, every bite feels the sweetness of the crushed white sugar crystals; it’s a miraculous texture!"

"...Alright, you heretic, let’s battle, I’m a loyal member of the salty faction!"

With that, he dramatically picked up a gleaming kitchen knife as if ready to chop.

"Huh??? No, no, both are tasty, both are tasty!!"

Startled, Daniel’s legs almost buckled; on instinct, he tightly clutched the glutinous rice ball in his hand, squeezing it even tighter.

He never imagined he’d almost get chopped for saying the sweet one was good!

What kind of nonsense is this??

"You don’t get it."

Setting down the knife, Lin Chen laughed and explained: "Great Xia has many foods with a divisive taste, like this glutinous rice ball; the south mainly eats salty, the north mainly eats sweet, of course, some people eat both."

"Additionally, things like zongzi and soybean milk also have a sweet-salty battle; it’s a lifelong taste war that many Great Xia people from the south and north engage in."

"But it’s mostly just online banter, like voting, it doesn’t impact real life, earlier was just a little joke~"

"Whew..." Daniel let out a long breath, realizing his legs had gone weak from fear, unable to stand straight. He quickly took a couple of bites of the sweet sticky rice balls to calm his nerves, feeling slightly better.

"That joke was way too scary. My hometown is at war; my whole family escaped except for me and my sister, and we came here as refugees. Just now, I almost thought I was going to die."

"?"

Lin Chen’s expression changed slightly, his smile faded, and he solemnly bowed to him.

"I’m sorry, I didn’t know you went through a war..."

"It’s okay, it’s been five or six years already. At least life is safe now, right?"

Daniel seemed rather nonchalant, munching on the rice balls while waving his hand, signaling him not to mind.

"I know you chefs don’t mean any harm. Great Xia People are good folks, giving me a job and a place to stay, and even food to eat, hehe!"

Saying this, he also shook the sticky rice ball in his hand, with a satisfied expression.

"If it weren’t for you all, my sister and I might still be wandering the streets hungry."

"Lucas!"

Lin Chen turned his head and shouted, "Make him two more sticky rice balls, pack the fried dough separately!"

"Dais, later you can pack two large cups of iced cola for him to take away."

"Ah?? No, no, how could I? I can’t eat anymore, don’t trouble yourselves..."

Daniel was stunned on the spot, almost unable to react, hurriedly waving his hand to refuse, even taking out a few crumpled bills to express his desire to pay.

"No need, these are for your sister to take home to eat. You, as the big brother, come out to eat and drink; how can you not bring a little something for your sister to try?"

"Great Xia People treat friends without expecting anything in return, and these are just rice and vegetables, costing next to nothing. Just take them without worry."

"Not taking them means you look down on us, not treating us as friends!"

"Um... okay, then."

Daniel awkwardly scratched the back of his head, having never encountered such a situation before, a noticeable blush rising on his dark face.

The kitchen was usually quiet, and their conversation was completely heard by everyone present.

For a moment, seven pairs of eyes converged on Daniel, making him not know where to put his hands, so he could only quietly lower his head and bury his face in the sticky rice ball, taking small bites as if taking big bites would be a crime.

Luckily, everyone’s gaze only lingered for a short while before moving away from him, each returning to their work.

Lucas and Dais said nothing, silently adhering to Lin Chen’s instructions, beginning to prepare food and drinks.

Lin Chen’s bowl was already filled with various ingredients, initially ready to cook, but at the last moment, he casually added several portions of meat and vegetarian dishes, determined to feed him generously.

After all, Daniel had never eaten spicy hot pot before, and these were all Great Xia’s ingredients, many he didn’t recognize, so he simply selected some he liked, like potatoes, broccoli, and beef slices.

"This is bamboo shoots, the same type pandas eat, though these are young shoots, definitely delicious. Let me add some for you to taste."

"These crab rolls and v-shaped crab sticks are made from crab meat, fish meat, and starch, must-have items in spicy hot pot."

"This is dried orchid, this is crispy roll, this is thousand-layer tofu, all made from soy products, super delicious when cooked and soaked in flavor."

"Want a staple? Beef tendon noodles and corn noodles, springy texture, absolutely delicious with some sesame sauce."

"Lin, look at me."

Daniel gazed at him with innocent big eyes, pointing at himself.

"Hmm?"

"Do I look like a pig? After two sticky rice balls I’m already almost full, and you’re adding so much more, I really can’t eat anymore!"

"Oh~~ true, huh."

Lin Chen laughed, quickly lifting out the two types of noodles he’d just added to the bowl.

"Then let’s skip the staple, everything else is just vegetables, leaving them for a bit won’t matter. You can save them to eat on the road or at home."

Gathering all the ingredients, he finally walked over to the stove, taking a metal strainer beside him to pour in all the balls, soy products, and meat, leaving out the vegetables for now.

Daniel had long smelled the spicy aroma in the air but hadn’t discovered where it was coming from.

Upon closer inspection, he suddenly understood; next to the pot where Lin Chen was dipping the food, another pot had a thick layer of red oil floating on the rich broth, smelling similar to dishes he’d eaten before.

If you looked carefully, you could see the reddish oil being pushed aside by the faintly rising bubbles, clearly exposing the milky white broth underneath.

Just looking at it makes you thirsty!

While the broth Lin Chen was using for dipping wasn’t as milky white—white with a hint of yellow—there was a layer of fat floating around the edge near the pot rim, likely bone broth.

Within minutes, the vegetables were also in the pot, Lin Chen fetched an enormous packing box, placing it nearby for use.

Seeing the capacity of that packing box, Daniel stealthily swallowed a mouthful of saliva, touched his slightly bulging belly, and glanced at Lin Chen’s serious side profile, feeling a warm flow in his heart.