Food Stall: Customers Chase Me across the Country
Chapter 488 - 486: Wow, This Duck Meat Bursts with Juiciness
Zoo manager Liu dragged his weary body to the entrance of the zoo; he hadn’t slept a wink last night.
His body was indeed exhausted, yet his spirits were exceptionally high. On one hand, he envisioned the zoo’s grand future, while on the other, he worried that even if Boss Wang came, he might not be able to save the place. What would happen to the animals then?
And so, he stayed up all night, had some porridge in the morning, and hurried over to see the results.
To his astonishment, when he arrived at the gate at around 7 a.m., there were already over a dozen people lining up at Boss Wang’s stall. This surprised him greatly.
Showing up so early in the morning to queue—aren’t they a bit too enthusiastic? Could they have been paid to be here?
Curiously observing these people, Manager Liu unconsciously approached the food stall.
Seeing him, Wang Fan greeted with a smile, "Good morning, Manager Liu. Have you eaten?"
Manager Liu was about to say he had, but the words turned into, "I just got up and haven’t had the chance to eat yet," after catching a whiff of the tangy aroma.
He couldn’t help but sneak a peek into the frying pan.
Inside, the sauce-red duck meat had a slight crispy edge, and as the lemon slices were fried, their color deepened, emitting a rich citrus fragrance. Placed together with the duck meat, they accentuated its presence.
Shiny little chili peppers were scattered among the duck meat and lemon slices, adding a touch of vibrant color to the dish.
The flavor of the peppers intertwined with the rich citrus aroma of the lemon, and when mixed with the duck’s hearty meat scent, it created a unique taste that made Manager Liu swallow unconsciously just by looking and smelling.
With that said, Manager Liu grew a bit expectant because, according to habit, Boss Wang would surely follow up with, "If you haven’t eaten, why not have some together?"
He intended to politely decline initially, and then naturally taste the culinary delight crafted by the reputed strongest outdoor food boss, supposedly akin to a living kitchen god.
"Oh. Then you should go eat something quickly; skipping breakfast isn’t good, your stomach won’t like it."
Huh?
Hearing Wang Fan’s words, Manager Liu was dumbfounded.
Why aren’t you playing by the rules?
You’ve got delicious food right there, and you don’t even offer me a taste?
The guys in line chuckled as they heard Boss Wang not inviting the manager to eat.
We came here and didn’t get food; it’s fine if you’re cooking for yourself. But if some manager shows up and gets food, then we won’t be happy!
Seeing a bunch of greedy cats not blinking while staring at their breakfast, each with an expression of insatiable desire, Zhuo Qianqian felt a bit compassionate.
She tugged on Wang Fan’s sleeve and said, "Boss, should we make some for them after we finish eating?"
"Uh..."
Cheng Feifan felt like his mood was on a roller coaster.
Seeing the lady boss’s small gesture, he thought she couldn’t bear to see them starve and was about to plead with Boss Wang for their sake. But just as he was eagerly anticipating, he heard her say to wait until they finished eating before making it for them.
Oh, in the end, it was misplaced trust!
Of course, Zhuo Qianqian could understand what they meant, but she wasn’t about to prioritize them over her own needs.
The only ones who can share her food are the boss and her parents, no one else.
Most importantly, who knows if the army of fans is already on their way. If this dish goes out, who knows how many fans would endlessly queue up afterward, and wouldn’t the boss starve?
"Alright, let’s eat a little faster, then,"
Wang Fan said as he tossed a handful of cilantro into the pot, stirred briefly, and turned off the heat. He then ladled all of it into the large bowl Zhuo Qianqian held.
"Please excuse us for a moment, after we finish breakfast, we can make some for you."
He said this and then turned, leading Zhuo Qianqian into the restaurant inside the vehicle, leaving a dozen people outside forlornly inhaling the aroma as it gradually faded away.
The two of them ate fairly quickly, finishing in about a dozen minutes. Wang Fan then returned as promised, took out the marinated duck legs, and began cooking again.
However, this time the frying pan was larger, enough to cook ten or so servings at once.
This raised Cheng Feifan and Manager Liu’s expectations enormously.
The scent wouldn’t change from one serving to a dozen, but the concentration of aroma certainly would. The scent of a whole pot of duck leg meat frying could probably waft a mile.
The few people standing at the food truck’s door felt the warm, meat-scented steam hit their faces, and they felt their mouths dry, swallowing who knows how much saliva.
Moreover, Zhuo Qianqian’s concerns were not unwarranted; fortunately, they ate breakfast first, otherwise, who knows if they’d have had a chance to eat at all today.
In just a short while, another twenty or so people arrived, drawn by the scent. Many even brought their families, with a few dads balancing their children on their shoulders.
Standing in line, Manager Liu watched the continuously growing queue behind him with a sense of excitement. Although these people hadn’t bought tickets yet, he didn’t believe they would all leave after eating. The families, in particular, were likely to tour the zoo after eating.
Hail to Boss Wang!
Cheng Feifan finally got his lemon pan-fried duck leg meat, the hefty weight in his hand convincing him it weighed at least a pound.
He ordered a large, 25-yuan serving; the smaller one is 20 yuan. A 25-yuan pound of boneless duck leg meat is absolutely a steal anywhere. Moreover, this was handmade by Boss Wang himself.
Skewering a chunk of duck meat the size of a dice with a bamboo stick, as soon as he put it in his mouth, he felt it was worth the wait, even if it took another day!
It fully lived up to, even exceeded, his expectations of the past two days!
As soon as the meat entered his mouth, a refreshingly tangy and spicy flavor hit his taste buds directly.
It was like duck meat and taste buds entered a boxing ring, and just when everyone anticipated a fierce battle, duck meat landed an uppercut, leaving the taste buds bewildered—truly a knockout bite!
Lemon’s scent alone has saliva-inducing properties, and with this duck meat absorbing a lot of lemon juice, it not only eliminated the gamey taste but also retained much of the sourness.
Yet, the perfectly balanced sugar and the finishing touch of spice neutralized this pungent sourness to a palatable level, making it tart yet completely bearable.
Furthermore, biting into the duck meat gives a distinct feeling of the greasiness being countered, leaving a fresh and clean sensation in your mouth.
The duck meat’s texture, however, was the most unbeatable aspect.
Duck thigh is usually quite tough; making it tender would already be impressive. Boss Wang, however, managed to make the duck meat burst with juice!
Do you understand the value of juicy duck meat?!
One bite and the tender duck meat bursts in the mouth!
The perfectly controlled heat locks the lemon juice and duck juices within the meat, letting the rich, fresh juice flow onto the tongue...
Cheng Feifan was at a loss for words to describe the duck dish casually crafted by Boss Wang.
For this dish alone, I crown Boss Wang as the Duck King!