Gourmet: Midnight Vending-Chapter 288 - 276: The Final Ingredient—A Dimensional Strike from the North

Chapter 288: Chapter 276: The Final Ingredient—A Dimensional Strike from the North

The Northeast brother is a cicada pupa master killer; not a single pupa can escape his sight alive unless he’s already full.

With a handful in his left hand, he picks out a skewer with his right.

While other customers are still hesitating, the brother can’t wait any longer and pops two pupae into his mouth.

The roasted golden cicada pupae are crispy and translucent; the moment you bite into them, the shell releases a light, burnt aroma, while the inside, roasted into a solid protein, is unexpectedly soft with a slightly sticky, glutinous texture.

"This is satisfying! It’s been so long since I had a bite like this," the brother says while taking a deep breath, as if it helps him fully savor the allure of the roasted cicada pupae.

He turns his head and shouts toward Chen Mo, busy in the food cart, "Young boss, your roasting skills are way better than the owners of those barbecue shops back in our hometown!"

Chen Mo nods his chin slightly as a gesture of thanks. 𝕗𝗿𝕖𝐞𝐰𝗲𝕓𝐧𝕠𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝐨𝚖

"By the way, how much is your beer? I just had some, and it tastes pretty good. What brand is it?"

Chen Mo wanted to say it was homebrewed, but then thought that brewing might require additional licenses and decided to lie, "Oh, it’s nothing special, just something I casually bought from the supermarket for myself. If you want to drink, I’ll give it to you at cost price, 10 Yuan a cup."

The cups are the big draft beer kind, where one cup holds about the same amount as a regular large bottle.

The brother stuffs the remaining two pupae into his mouth to free up his hands and scans to pay ten Yuan, "Give me a cup; small barbecues need a bit of beer."

"It’s wheat juice," Chen Mo corrected.

The brother gobbles down the pupae, taking big gulps of beer every now and then, finishing a big glass of beer in no time and immediately ordering another.

The sight of him eating heartily makes onlookers swallow instinctively.

"I’ve even dared to eat pig’s eyes; what’s there to be afraid of with roasted cicada pupae?"

The young lady takes the lead, scanning the code and retrieving the skewers with a fluid motion, going big right from the start with ten skewers!

With one pupa in her mouth and mentally prepared by having had roasted pig’s eyes, eating this is a piece of cake.

With just a light bite, the charcoal’s smoky flavor fills the nasal cavity, and the young lady slightly wrinkles her nose.

"It kind of smells like roasted pine nuts, a bit unusual."

People who don’t have a professional background in food might not know that the Maillard reaction, which occurs when proteins are grilled at high temperatures, gives off a savory, umami flavor reminiscent of crab roe.

This magical aroma, mixed with cumin and chili powder, releases a wild, scorched scent.

The young lady chews delicately and slowly savors the subtle, almost imperceptible milky aroma, which is the pièce de résistance.

"This is tasty, not as terrifying as I thought." After saying this, the young lady pops another into her mouth.

Hu Jian Country and a few others in the queue watch with watering mouths. As the first one brave enough to try pig’s eyes, Hu Jian Country knows a valuable lesson at this moment.

"This stuff must taste good; everyone’s still hesitating now, but if you don’t act soon, you’ll miss your chance to have a taste!"

Qin Xiufen wholeheartedly agrees, "I think so too. Pig’s eyes have a line now, and they’re hard to come by. Should we take all the remaining ones?"

"Sure, Xiufen, you grab the skewers, and I’ll scan the code." Zhang Zhenhua takes out his phone.

Hu Jian Country quickly stops him, "I said I’d treat, how can I let you pay?" Seeing Zhang Zhenhua still wanting to insist, Hu Jian Country firmly holds his hand, "Alright, Director Zhang, let’s stop arguing, or all the skewers will be taken by others!"

In matters like this, women take the lead. Qin Xiufen, with sharp eyes and quick hands, quickly steps up to the grill as others are still mulling over, "Boss, I’ll take all the remaining ones!"

With both hands full of roasted cicada pupae, she starts counting slowly.

"Hey, what’s the deal here? How come you’re buying them all yourself? The young boss is already slow at roasting, and if you buy them all, what are we supposed to eat?"

Qin Xiufen had just grabbed them when someone in the crowd immediately voiced an objection.

That’s human nature for you.

No one makes a move while everyone’s hesitating; now that someone has bought all of them at once, they can’t accept it.

Qin Xiufen disdainfully glances at the person speaking, "Where were you just now? These skewers have been ready for a while, and you didn’t buy them. Now you want to fight me for them? Ridiculous!"

Sichuan women never shy away in such situations. In just a few words, Qin Xiufen renders the person speechless, carrying the roasted cicada pupae to her friends to share, "Here, eat!"

Hou Qingyun looks at the chubby pupa on the skewer, feeling a bit odd.

He didn’t eat the roasted pig’s eyes earlier.

Getting on in age, he really doesn’t know how to start with such novel stuff, but seeing others, especially even women like Qin Xiufen, eat without hesitation.

Sucking in some air, chewing with big bites.

Hou Qingyun closes his eyes, tightly frowning; if you look close enough, you can see his eyelashes trembling from nervousness.

"Crunch..."

Upon entering his mouth, a crisp sound explodes in his ears.

Hou Qingyun’s pupils unconsciously enlarge, and his once tightly knit eyebrows raise in surprise, "Huh? This is interesting!"

As he chews, his tense shoulders gradually relax. After finishing one, his fingers subconsciously reach for the next one on the skewer.

He doesn’t forget to laugh and share his tasting experience with Old Hu, "Don’t you think this stuff tastes like a burst caramel chestnut?"

Old Hu shakes his head, "I felt like I was eating a meat floss ball, you know what I mean?"