Gourmet: From a Stall in Northern Europe-Chapter 43: So Many Flavors, Are You Trying to Stuff Me to Death?
Unlike the imagined sweet and greasy taste of peanut butter, the noodles had a salty and savory flavor, with a distinct aroma of lard.
As a person in the culinary business, he was convinced that the noodles must have contained lard!
He used a lot of butter and lard in making barbecues and tacos himself and could tell right away.
The noodles seemed like a big bowl, but in reality, they were slurped up in just a few bites.
Just as he was savoring it, the scallion oil noodles and beef fried sauce noodles were served.
"Thanks, bro, I’ll pay later!"
Quickly mixing both bowls, the scallion oil noodles looked plain, incomparable to the visually rich beef fried sauce noodles whether in appearance or ingredients.
He decided to eat the scallion oil noodles first, leaving the best for last, or else eating this bowl last might seem ordinary.
"Slurp~"
"Huh?!"
Aromatic!
Incredibly aromatic!
Different from the faint onion scent in the peanut butter noodles, this bowl had a strong scallion aroma right upon entry.
Though mild, the salty and fresh taste was perfectly balanced, almost magically enticing him to take another bite.
Came to his senses, the bowl was once again empty.
"As expected of Great Xia’s food, impressive!"
He hadn’t expected that a bowl of noodles with just scallions and soy sauce could be so delicious, heightening his anticipation for the visually striking beef fried sauce noodles.
He didn’t rush to eat the noodles but picked up a piece of beef to taste.
It seemed to be pure lean meat, crispy and fragrant when fried, full of meaty aroma and onion sweetness, slowly releasing a sauce fragrance.
The fried sauce was salty but not overpowering, with the right proportion, diluted with a bit of noodle soup, forming a rich sauce coating every noodle strand.
But it was distinctly different from the peanut butter sauce.
The peanut butter sauce was visibly thick, thickening with mixing until the noodles clumped together.
However, this bowl didn’t do that, each noodle stood independently, not tangling with the others.
After a bite, the intense sauce aroma hit the nose, seemingly very salty but actually balanced with seven parts salty, three parts sweet, easy to consume, and with the blend of onion, lard, and scallion flavors, the taste was more complex, having a sort of uncanny connection with their Brasilian cuisine.
Before he could enjoy the wonderful taste of the fried sauce noodles, Lucas arrived again.
This time, holding a bowl full of fruit ice jelly.
"Hey, are you trying to stuff me?"
Lunard nodded with a smile, reaching to take it.
He’d had this before, that minty coolness was irresistible.
Dessert is from another stomach, no problem.
Diners watched as Lin Chen prepared four different dishes consecutively and witnessed Lunard devour three bowls of noodles, all starting to swallow their saliva.
"I’m familiar with this old guy’s ways, he’s particular about food, would rather throw away something bad than take a second bite."
"He actually finished three servings of noodles? My God, is it that good?"
"Sizzle——"
Suddenly, the sound of oil pouring drew the diners’ attention back.
Lin Chen had some transparent food containers in front of him, wide noodles sprinkled with chili powder and sesame were being drizzled with hot oil, releasing a fragrance while producing a wonderful sound.
"Here, the noodles for the three of you who just ordered are ready!"
Shouting while pouring three types of vegetarian toppings onto the noodles, the visual impact was instantly maxed out.
With the noodle performance, the oil pouring show, and Lunard’s personal demonstration, these diners were completely reassured, all rushing to order.
"Screech——!!!!"
A SUV suddenly braked to a stop by the roadside, George and Marian rolled down the window: "Hey! Lin, make eight portions for us to eat now! And pack twenty more to go!"
People coming to order takeout??
Even Lunard cast an envious glance at Lin Chen, not to mention the first-time diners.
There were of course customers coming to take out from him, but at most four or five portions because tacos and burritos must be eaten fresh; after a while, the tortilla would get soggy from the sauce, affecting the taste.
"Okay, just park first, it might take some time before it’s your turn."
Last night when Marian asked for his contact information, he told her he’d be setting up a stall at noon today, plus the kimchi cart incident, it’s no wonder Sister Haofang came to support his business.
He just didn’t expect that on a weekday in broad daylight, the whole family would come!
"What’s going on over there?"
The sound of George’s braking caught the attention of two men hiding in the alley, curiously peeking over, their eyes lighting up upon seeing so many people gathered.
At this moment, the Kimchi Lady’s food truck passed by.
The man saw an older woman driving, dashed forward, and banged hard on the window.
"Hey! Stop!!"
The lady screamed from the sudden noise and stopped with a foot brake, trembling as she rolled down the window with a forced smile.
"Exc-excuse me?"
"Got Coke? I want it chilled, hurry up!" the man’s tone was full of impatience.
"Yes, yes, I’ll get it for you right away."
The lady quickly got up, fetched a bottle of Coke from the fridge, and handed it over.
She wanted to charge normally, but seeing the fierce expression on the man, she didn’t have the nerve.
"Tw-two euros, please."
"What?!"
The man grabbed the Coke, yanked his tattered T-shirt, glaring at her, "Can’t you see with what I’m wearing? I don’t have money!"
Then, he twisted open the Coke, walking away taking big gulps.
"Ahh~ Burp!"
His voice was so loud it scared the lady into silence, she didn’t even dare drive the truck forward, silently watching the man stride away before slowly starting the vehicle.
Afraid of being extorted again, she didn’t park at the usual spot but moved to a place across the street dozens of meters away.
The man, sipping his icy Coke, swaggered towards Lin Chen’s side, looking around at the patrons.
People in his gaze frowned and walked away as if encountering a herald of bad luck.
The man was unperturbed, ignoring the queue in front of the food truck, casually pushing a few people aside to squeeze to the window.
Those shoved aside turned to see, recognizing a homeless man, and stepped back disgustedly, patting their clothes and holding their noses.
"Hey, boss, I haven’t eaten in two days, could I get a bowl of noodles?"
Lin Chen had spotted him a while back, his expression calm as he said lightly: "What flavor? Beef sauce noodles are six euros, tomato egg handmade vegetarian noodles five euros, peanut butter noodles three euros, scallion oil noodles two euros."
"Of course I want the beef one, give me extra beef!" the man blurted out without hesitation.
"Can’t add more, it’s beef sauce; adding more makes it salty. Please pay first, thank you."
The man’s expression changed, feigning a pitiful look: "Have mercy, I really haven’t eaten in two days, I really have no money~"
