Gourmet: From a Stall in Northern Europe

"I know you’re in a hurry, but don’t rush just yet."

Without looking up, Lin Chen continued to handle the ingredients, "There are so many men here, two kidneys definitely won’t be enough to go around, and wild boar kidneys have a strong smell; you might not be able to handle it."

"Let’s eat something to tide over and regain some strength first. Later, we’ll bring back the rest of the game. If we can’t bring it all back, just bring the kidneys. If I remember correctly, there should be a few young bucks left, you know what I mean."

Upon hearing this, Chu Yueyue’s cheeks flushed slightly, but she nodded earnestly: "Don’t worry, I’ll supervise him and ensure every bit that’s good for health is brought back."

Moreover, she specifically translated the upcoming highlight to a few foreigners in French.

The four people who were previously bickering about the peppers immediately stopped their fussing upon hearing something related to men’s dignity, quietly paying careful attention to the knowledge about dietary supplements in Great Xia.

"Although I’m still strong, age is catching up, and it really is time to take supplements. It’s never wrong to prepare in advance."

"Yeah, I’ve already started stocking up on various health products at home, but taking pills always makes me feel like I’m sick. I’d rather choose to eat meat."

Alex and Joshua, for once, agreed in unison; even if it meant eating offal, they didn’t mind.

Europeans don’t mind eating offal at all, there are many famous dishes made from it. Plus, being hunters, they’ve often cooked meals in the wild, not picky at all.

When there’s an option, of course, meat is prioritized, but if not, they’re fine with offal. Especially now that they hear these can strengthen the body as a ’gas station for men’, they really can’t afford not to try it.

John and Maurice silently took note of this valuable information, planning to collect and sell all these parts like kidneys in the future, even if just to the Great Xia people—better than wasting or using them for feed.

"So, this pot of brains..." Alex eyed the red spicy oil bubbling on the grill with horror, as several terrifying shapes floated within. The brain matter, at some point, had been cut open by Lin Chen, and no longer looked as frightening.

"Yes, it’s exactly what you think."

Wang Ziqin chuckled: "We Great Xia People believe in the principle of ’you are what you eat’, and though it lacks scientific proof, after thousands of years of cultural inheritance, it’s definitely effective."

"Just like traditional Chinese medicine, which to this day lacks scientific evidence to prove its merits, yet it’s effective. Sometimes, it’s even more efficient than Western medicine."

Speaking of traditional Chinese medicine, Alex and Joshua quickly nodded: "Yes, yes, acupuncture and bone-setting in Chinese medicine are indeed remarkable. I experienced it in Paris before, instant results!"

"Does eating brains make you smarter?"

John scratched his head, full of suspicion. He wondered why he hadn’t been told this when he tried it at the farm. Back then, he just thought it was a challenge.

Had he known this could make him smarter, he’d have eaten more back then.

"It’s about ready; this has to be eaten hot, or it’ll taste fishy when cold."

Lin Chen brought over the steaming pot, placing it on the ground, and took the lead, picking up a piece while blowing on it as he walked back.

The brain, cut into four pieces and stewed for over ten or twenty minutes, no longer bore its terrifying pinkish appearance. Instead, it resembled some kind of fish meat — white and tender, covered by a layer of red oil.

If not for the visible twisted lines, it could almost pass unnoticed.

"What does this taste like?"

"Like meat-flavored tofu." Wang Ziqin didn’t stand on ceremony, picking up three pieces of brain, placing two of them into his wife’s bowl. "There are seven of us here, one piece each and one left over. I bet you don’t want a second piece, so I’ll give it to my wife, alright?"

Everyone waved their hands in agreement, and John, who had tried it before, didn’t carry any mental burden and promptly picked up a piece and sat back down.

Seeing someone leading, the other three didn’t hesitate, each taking a piece back to their seat.

Joshua leaned forward and sniffed, catching nothing unusual, just the aroma of spices and the spiciness of the peppers.

Putting aside the appearance, the smell was indeed quite fragrant.

"This is just half a brain, not nearly enough!"

While they were still prepping themselves mentally, Chu Yueyue had already finished her portion, her face conveying extreme satisfaction as her gaze fell on Wang Ziqin’s bowl.

Fortunately, Wang, who knew his wife well, had already put the brain into his own mouth, not giving her any chance.

"Is it really that good?"

Seeing the couple seemingly about to fight over it, the curiosity of the two old hunters got the better of them, and they didn’t hesitate any longer, taking a whole piece and directly chewing it.

They had quite an experience with trying unfamiliar foods; hesitation wasn’t an option, nor giving themselves an escape route — you had to take big bites to truly taste the essence.

As for fear? What a joke, do you look down on hunters?

The soft brain had been stewed until it was deeply infused with flavor, and the moment it entered the mouth, a rich beefy aroma enveloped the senses, thick and lingering. The seemingly overwhelming red oil had none of the anticipated spiciness, just pure aroma.

Perhaps it was due to the recent trial of chili, but they found it even less pungent than the chili half as hot.

With a gentle press of the tongue, the brain dish indeed melted like tofu, but it was filled with a rich meaty flavor, more like eating a lump of meat mashed into a paste.

Under such strong-flavored condiments, there was truly no strange taste; the hardest challenge was merely psychological.

"Ugh!!!"

Maurice wasn’t as brave as them; he only scooped a fingernail-sized piece of the brain dish into his mouth to taste it. Before he had a chance to savor the taste, the thought of the soft thing in his mouth being an animal’s blood-stained brain made him rush aside to dry heave.

"Look at you, so cowardly." John, expressionless, felt the brain dish dissolve at the tip of his tongue. Whether it was an illusion or not, it actually felt better than the last time he ate it at John’s Farm.

Last time, he almost vomited, but this time there was no reaction at all. Indeed, human adaptability is strong.

While mocking Maurice, he didn’t forget to glance at the two hunters to see their reaction.

Unfortunately, the veteran hunters’ mental endurance far exceeded his imagination, chewing down the brain dish in big bites without a hint of negative emotion on their faces.

"Lin, where did you buy this pot base, Great Xia Supermarket? Or is it a special supply from wholesalers?"

"I feel that using this base to cook offal or pungent food would be perfect, completely masking any strange taste."

"This is hot pot base. Great Xia Supermarket should have it," Lin Chen was handling a palm-sized wild boar kidney, cutting it horizontally to reveal the snowflake-patterned kidney.

"This one is a spicy beef tallow base with a strong flavor. There are also mushroom, bone broth, tomato, and sauerkraut ones. As for what hot pot is, President Wang, you explain to them. I’m busy."

Wang Ziqin understood and immediately pulled out his phone to search for hot pot videos.

If he could keep these two old-timers, leveraging the Hunter Association’s influence, the hotel’s reputation could further enhance, attracting many high society figures for dining would be no difficult task.

"Come, come, come, if you’ve finished eating, come have a look. I guarantee it’s a taste you’ve never imagined in your life!"

...

This midnight snack lasted until past four in the evening; during which, they also spent half the day moving the prey.

When the sky began to show a faint light, rather than being tired, everyone was full of inexhaustible energy due to recently drinking the invigorating tonic, their bodies feeling hot all over.

Using the whole chicken brought from John’s Farm as a base, complemented by Lin Chen’s kitchen collection of medicinal herbs like codonopsis, angelica, and goji berries to stew the high broth, they later added deer whip, deer balls, deer kidney, pig kidney, and deer blood, a concentrate of various nourishing essences.

Just sipping a mouthful brought the illusion of the whole body heating up.

After the pot of invigorating soup was devoured clean, several foreigners early on discarded their shirts, walking half-naked on the grass, their bodies already drenched in sweat.

If eating the brain dish gave them some psychological hurdles, then these things were treasures to gulp down desperately.

Fortunately, Lin Chen’s culinary skills were superb, the light tonic soup was not only free from any gamey smell, but due to the herbs and chicken broth, it turned exceptionally delicious, drinking it did not bring any burden.

Sipping tonic soup, followed by a couple bites of roasted kidney, everyone stood tall and firm.

"I can feel endless energy surging from the depths of my body, it’s truly magical!"

"Great Xia’s food culture is indeed impressive; I never expected that merely eating a midnight snack, when logically the body should feel weaker, yet it feels even more refreshed than waking from sleep."

Alex and Joshua exchanged a look and laughed.

"Take a day off today?"

"I’m thinking the same, it’s been a long time since I surprised my family, let’s disband for now."

Not just them, Maurice was also drenched in sweat, eager to get home, except John who walked along silently with a dark face.

Everyone had a wife to hold, except this bachelor who had nowhere to go, feeling more uncomfortable the more he thought.

He looked at Lin Chen walking ahead, feeling somewhat comforted.

Luckily Lin didn’t have a partner either, otherwise, he might actually shed tears!

"What are you looking at me for?"

Seemingly sensing something, Lin Chen turned around, finding John with a flushed yet aggrieved face, having a general idea.

"I didn’t drink much, it was you guys who drank. I’m not anxious, don’t feel anything."

"If you have nowhere to go, just go home and handle it yourself. If all else fails, head to the strip club tonight, I can’t believe you don’t have a sweetheart."

"....."

John’s face, which just looked slightly better, instantly turned as red as liver as he glared at Lin with resentment, "You talk too much!"