Gourmet: Midnight Vending

Chapter 562 - 435: The Customer’s Acting Is a Bit Over-the-Top, Huh (Part 2)

"So this dish isn’t just a simple blend of elements from two different cuisines."

Chen Mo stood there, speaking eloquently. Despite the large crowd outside the food truck, there was an unusual silence. The tranquility of the night in this crowded basketball court remained undisturbed.

Everyone listened quietly to Chen Mo’s words.

"If I have to put it into words, I used the most important cooking technique from Lu Cuisine, which is braising. And I applied the most crucial philosophy from Huaiyang Cuisine, which is preserving the true flavor of the ingredients. The form of the dish is actually quite common in Chinese cuisine— deep-frying the surface of tofu, then stuffing it with ingredients that complement its flavor."

"As for why I add a dash of clear soup after pouring in the thickened sauce, well..."

Chen Mo glanced down; the flower cuttlefish tofu boxes had been ’pan-steaming’ for about ten minutes. The progress bar above had already reached the flashpoint position.

Chen Mo directly lifted the lid, and a burst of steam instantly filled the air. As the smoke cleared, the appearance of the snacks in the pan was revealed.

The tofu boxes, already fried to a golden brown, had swollen and puffed up from the long pan-steam, but as soon as the lid was lifted and they cooled, they immediately deflated like a deflated balloon.

"Because once I stuff the raw fried cuttlefish into the box, simply braising the tofu makes it hard for the flavors to meld. So I added the step of pan steaming, letting the sauce seep in externally while the pan steam’s heat makes the broth and stuffing seep in from inside. I hope this approach is effective!"

Seemingly to explain clearly, Chen Mo laughed after speaking, "If it doesn’t taste good, don’t blame me! I was just testing, but you all insisted I make more for you to eat."

This statement, sounding both sincere and like a joke, drew hearty laughter from the customers.

"We won’t blame you! If it doesn’t taste good, it’s my fault for having bad luck!"

"Indeed, but how could it not taste good? My gosh, just listening to Boss Xiao Chen explain the thought process behind making this dish makes me feel like the snack must be incredibly delicious to match such pondering!"

"I always thought making snacks meant just spending some money to learn a skill from someone. I never expected creating a completely new snack would be so complex..."

"Yes, it seems even more challenging than getting a graduate degree."

Chen Mo’s earlier explanation indeed earned everyone’s approval.

In a certain sense, regarding the psychology of the citizens, Taiwan may be more influenced by Japanese culture. Most people have a mysterious sense of admiration for craftsmanship.

If the maker is genuinely and earnestly doing their job, there’s a strange halo effect that adds to their persona in the eyes of the residents.

Chen Mo slowly placed these tofu boxes onto small saucers, "Sorry, since this is the first time making this dish, the output is slow. I can only make this much at a time. If you all find it tasty, I can continue, but it’ll take some time."

Xiaoxia was still helping with serving the dishes, but of course, she wasn’t working for free.

As unpaid labor, she must have some privileges. For instance, while others might still have to queue, Xiaoxia definitely had a guaranteed share!

She placed her portion in the corner of the food truck’s cabinet, glaring at Chen Dingjun, "Brother Fatty, you better not steal my portion!"

Chen Dingjun nodded firmly, "Black Sister, don’t worry! I’m not that type of person."

Only then did Xiaoxia use a large tray to place the small saucers inside and started distributing the food to everyone.

Each person got only one piece.

The fellow who squeezed to the front received this craft-filled innovative snack and bent down to take a deep sniff with his nose.

Then he stood still with his eyes closed for a moment, suddenly threw his head back, and began trembling all over!

Chen Mo awkwardly turned away so as not to look.

Not like this, my friend—it’s a bit over the top. Fortunately, there weren’t others around here today; otherwise, they might think this guy was a shill hired by Chen Mo.

Of course, Chen Mo thought there weren’t, but in reality, there was indeed one.

Li Xinyu perfectly captured this moment in the live stream. Seeing this chunky guy’s performance, over five thousand viewers in the live room were dumbfounded.

"Is it that exaggerated? Even if it’s the work of the Sushi God, it wouldn’t be like this, right?"

"Exaggerated, it’s exaggerated."

"Just smelling it causes this reaction. If he takes a bite later, won’t he faint on the spot? I suggest the streamer should call an ambulance in advance to stand by, just in case."

"Hey? Could this be a shill hired by the boss, collaborating with the streamer to trick us into going over for a late-night snack?"

As soon as this comment appeared, it was immediately countered by other fans.

"No way, Boss Xiao Chen truly wouldn’t need it. His business is so good today he can’t even finish it, closing only because the ingredients ran out."

"Indeed, Boss Xiao Chen wouldn’t need it. That vehicle isn’t something the average person can afford—a second-generation wealthy kid wouldn’t do this kind of thing."

If that’s the case, then why the strange reaction?

Li Xinyu held the phone, stepped closer, and while moving forward, was stopped by a sister who said she couldn’t cut in line.

Li Xinyu quickly explained she was here to stream and promised to follow the queue if purchasing, so the sister let her pass.

When the camera focused on the chunky guy’s face.

The young man finally stopped trembling and gazed at the golden tofu piece on the plate as if beholding something sacred.

"Handsome pot, handsome pot," Li Xinyu called out, "Can you tell us what scent you just smelled that made you suddenly tremble all over?"

The chubby young man turned his head with reverence, paying no mind to the camera. "I simply can’t imagine a taste so wonderful existing in this world. Each component hits my taste buds perfectly, just that..."

The young man freed a hand, shaping it like a chicken claw, "You know, when someone secretly scratches your scalp like this."

Li Xinyu shivered instinctively, she knew that feeling, the out-of-body sensation!

"Yes, that feeling exactly."

The young man couldn’t find the words, so he fell silent, picking up the small wooden fork from the plate to lift the tofu box’s lid.

Li Xinyu quickly zoomed the camera towards the inside of the box.

Unlike the golden exterior, the inside of the tofu box had a slightly saucy color, but it wasn’t due to soy sauce; it was because a bit of aged vinegar was drizzled over the raw fried cuttlefish.

However, strangely enough, this layer of color was entirely absorbed by the inner tofu layer, so the broth inside appeared exceptionally clear. The cuttlefish submerged in the broth seemed to have hardly changed, almost identical to when it was freshly cooked.

The young man pondered a while and abandoned the fork, opting to use his hands.

While the use of tools signifies the advance of human civilization, sometimes, eating is most secure using the most primitive method.

He held the tofu box, slowly brought it to his mouth, and slurped inside to ingest all the broth.

This time he wasn’t as dramatic, neither closing his eyes nor trembling.

"What’s the flavor, handsome pot?"

The young fellow smacked his lips several times, calmly saying, "Raw fried cuttlefish, just the usual taste of raw fried cuttlefish, sweet and sour, and spicy."

Having said that, the young man blew a few times inside the box to avoid burning his mouth, then all at once, gave it a whole gulp!

Since the cuttlefish was packed in the box, it had to be consumed in one go!

Li Xinyu stared intently at the young man, and over five or six thousand people in the live stream also fixated on the screen.

He chewed once.

The chubby young fellow didn’t close his eyes but suddenly rolled them up!

Chewing again.

The chubby young fellow’s shoulders jerked violently a few times without any apparent cause.

Chewing a third time.

The chubby young fellow, maintaining that state, took a deep breath.

Five or six thousand people stood frozen simultaneously.