Gourmet: From a Stall in Northern Europe

"Alright, I’ll take my time when I get home and have a look!"

"Wait a minute, wait a minute!"

The other woman suddenly realized something.

"What’s the point of looking? We can’t even buy it! It’s only available to hotel guests."

"......"

"......"

"......"

With those words, the excitement that filled the group of women disappeared as if cold water had been poured over them, and their smiles vanished.

They all fell silent, each with a sullen look on their face.

Su glanced at the hotel not far away and then at the stream of people in front of the food cart. Suddenly, a daring idea popped into her mind.

"Hey, what do you think about the four of us pooling our money to get a room?"

"There’s no requirement for room type anyway. We could get the cheapest one, which is usually just over a hundred or two, so it would be around fifty each."

"For example, register it under my name, and then I could stand in line. I don’t think there’s a restriction on hotel guests, right? Could I buy four portions?"

"Huh?"

"Sounds good!"

"Wait a minute, have you all gone mad? Opening a hotel room just to get some food for over fifty euros?"

It was the same woman who had poured cold water on their plans before.

"We’re not even staying there. What’s the point of opening that room? Isn’t it a waste?"

"Besides, don’t you think it’s unreasonable to open such an expensive room just for a few euros worth of food?"

"Kind of makes sense?"

"Sounds quite logical."

After all, fifty euros is not fifteen euros, nor five euros.

For fifty euros, you could pack enough food for two people at a cheaper fast-food place, and here it’s just for a certificate to buy food?

"Why would the room be a waste? We could use it to throw a party!"

Su tilted her head slightly, puzzled.

"Think about it. Since having kids, how long has it been since we enjoyed a life of freedom? How long since we did what we wanted?"

"This room could be our secret space. Whenever we have some free time after taking care of the kids, we could come over and chill, play, or have a meal together. Plus, the hotel has all kinds of facilities."

"We’re not free every day, so we could agree that each person gets to use the room one or two days a week alone. We could also change the room owner and re-register. Doesn’t that sound good?"

"Huh?!"

"Great idea!"

"Let’s go, let’s go and see what amenities the hotel has first."

This time, even the woman who liked to pour cold water on ideas was convinced by Su, though she cautiously suggested checking things out first.

If the amenities weren’t good, she certainly wouldn’t be interested.

So they went to the hotel front desk and looked through a brochure. Wow, they had basic amenities like a pool and gym, as well as a sauna room, massage room, cinema, party room, board games hall, billiards room, and more. Fully equipped!

This was no ordinary hotel; it was practically a large leisure and entertainment center!

If there was any difference, it might be that there wasn’t a food court or shopping floor.

But normally, people don’t expect hotels to have shopping areas. Having dedicated restaurants is enough.

"Since everyone agrees, it’s decided then."

Su scanned the group, clearly seeing the interest in their eyes, and made the decision on the spot.

"There are two options now."

"One is to split the cost after opening a room, taking turns being the room owner. The other is for whoever is available and willing to open a room on the day to handle it."

"Regardless of the option, everyone pays for their own food. Any different opinions?"

"I think the second option might be fairer."

"Indeed, since we don’t know when we’ll be free. If it’s a person’s turn to be the room owner but they’re unavailable, wouldn’t that waste the opportunity?"

"Let’s go with the second option, then. Should we open the room today or talk about it tomorrow? Oh right, we should decide on the person opening the room the night before to prevent any mishaps."

"If no one is free, we’ll just skip that day."

"Hold on, there’s a problem."

Once again, it was the housewife who liked to pour cold water on their ideas and always stayed calm.

"The Olympics are about to start, and rooms might be in high demand, right? Prices are likely to go up, so maybe we should ask the front desk about the specific situation."

"...Damn it!"

Their faces changed, and they quickly ran back to the front desk.

To ensure that others wouldn’t overhear their conversation, they had deliberately moved ten meters away.

"Hello, how much is the cheapest single room right now?"

It was just past eight, and Elise and Vanessa were at the front desk, having just started their shift.

"The cheapest single room?"

Elise was taken aback and pointed at the price list hanging on the wall behind her.

"Due to the Olympics, there’s been a huge influx of visitors recently, so room availability is tight and prices have gone up. Normally it would be 198, but now the price for a single room has risen to 498."

"This is only temporary though. In a few days, it might increase even more, and by then you might not be able to book at all."

"What???"

"How much? 498? And the price might go up further??"

The four of them were stunned by the price.

They had agreed on fifty per person, but now it’s over a hundred!

"This won’t do; we need to bring in a few more people to split the cost. Do any of you know friends nearby who have kids?"

"Yes, yes, actually I do know someone, I’ll go ask right now!"

Everyone was neighbors and had their own social circles, mostly composed of stay-at-home moms with kids.

Maternity leave abroad is ridiculously long, plus there’s unemployment benefits, so it’s standard to resign after maternity leave—who wouldn’t want to get that free paycheck?

Not only do women get maternity leave, but men also get paternity leave. Policies differ across countries, and so do the durations.

Anyway, those who come to rent homes and settle in a tourist city like this are generally in similar situations.

Three of them ran off to rally people, and this trick really worked. Soon, they got five more women interested in the local food, but who couldn’t leave because they had to look after their kids. They just verbally expressed their willingness to join.

Split 498 euros among 9 people, and the amount once again came down to just over 50 euros per person.

"Start tomorrow or today?"

"Wait! I suddenly remembered something."

Su had been quietly pondering and casually flipped through a brochure on the counter. Her eyes lit up when she saw the checkout policy.

"Checkout time is typically the next day at noon, but can be extended until 2 PM, correct?"

"And we can use our booking within 24 hours to buy food, meaning that if we book a room today, we can purchase food today, tomorrow, and the day after."

"So on average, we’re only spending around twenty euros a day on room fees, right?"

As soon as she calculated this, the other three widened their eyes in shock.

"?!"

"Oh my God!"

"Su, are you a genius!"

How come they hadn’t thought of such a simple idea before?

If that’s the case, they wouldn’t have bothered to rally people since the more people there are, the higher the chances of getting caught.

Buying food for nine people in one go—it just doesn’t seem right, doesn’t it?

"Now what? I’ve already set up a group chat; I can’t just back out now, can I?"

"Hmm... that is indeed a problem. But whatever, let’s book the room first because each passing night makes booking more difficult. Let’s not create more trouble for ourselves."

After some discussion, it was decided that the childless Su would book the room, and since she came up with the plan, it was fitting for her to lead the way.

Anyway, book one room and enjoy three days, with two days to make the most of the hotel’s amenities—still quite a good deal.

It is the Olympics after all—a rare event that sometimes takes decades to happen, so it’s just our luck that it came around now.

After booking the room, they couldn’t wait to explore, checking out the hotel layout and the amenities a few floors below.

Even though the other three didn’t book a room, they could still tour around, just not enjoy the amenities.

As soon as they left, Elise and Vanessa noticed something odd.

"What’s the deal with those four women? Four people, plus three kids, booking only one single room?"

"Could it be that friends came by for a visit and are booking a room to hang out?"

"That sounds plausible, but how come I still feel there’s something odd about them? I vaguely heard them talking about buying food earlier."

"Alright, it’s none of our business what guests do. Let’s not pry, just focus on doing our job well."

Although Vanessa gave a standard response, she was actually a bit puzzled.

It’s not her first time seeing friends booking a room together—it’s quite common. But among these four women, there’s clearly something different in their demeanor.

As for what exactly, she couldn’t quite put her finger on it; she could only chalk it up to women’s intuition.

Anyway, they booked a room properly, had their details registered in the system, and only the registered guests could enjoy the hotel’s amenities, so there’s no need to worry about free-riders.

The two quickly put this little episode behind and started welcoming new arrivals.

"Hello, is there still breakfast available? I’d like to try the food cooked by the Great Xia chef."

"Right now? Well, there is, but you might not be able to get it, sir. You can take a look outside the main entrance—see all those people lining up, that’s the queue."

The man took two steps back, looked outside the main entrance, and immediately gave up the idea of having breakfast.

"What a pity, then when does lunch start?"

"The restaurant’s buffet starts at eleven in the morning. Chef Lin’s food truck doesn’t have fixed hours. It’s a new policy this week, so we’re not entirely sure of the details."

"If you’re interested, sir, you can ask the lady cashiers by the food truck. They should know the specifics."

"Alright, thank you, have a nice day~"

It was already the sixth guest they had welcomed in half an hour, all coming to inquire about the food truck.

"What’s the situation? Why are so many out-of-town tourists coming wanting to buy Chef Lin’s food? Did some special kind of advertising happen that we don’t know about?"

"Could it be because of last week’s Kite Festival? Chef Lin collaborated with those two Michelin Chefs; maybe it’s Lucas’s videos drawing the crowds."