Chapter 323 - 211: How Good Can It Be?

Chapter 323: Chapter 211: How Good Can It Be?

As Lin Chen sliced the venison steak, Bartel craned his neck to peer at the cut.

When he saw the charming, tender pink color, he visibly sighed in relief and nodded with satisfaction.

He might not have known much about the culinary arts, but he was certainly an expert when it came to eating.

If a perfect medium-rare steak wasn’t a tender, slightly bloody pink in the center, it meant the chef’s skills still needed work.

Sure, they were in the wild, but that was no excuse for poor culinary performance.

Seeing this, his confidence in Lin Chen’s craft clearly rose a notch.

’This guy’s accent... he’s clearly not a North American native. Probably here for work or school, and he still has a bit of an accent.’

’From the Asian clients I’ve dealt with, they’re usually not familiar with hunting and are almost never good at wilderness survival.’

’For a kid this young to not only master searing a steak but also become last season’s champion... No wonder they call him the most popular chef in wilderness survival.’

"Can we eat it now?"

Erica eagerly snatched the slice of venison filet Lin Chen had just cut. The moment he nodded, she tossed it into her mouth.

The moment it entered her mouth, a rich, spicy flavor hit her.

Black pepper, clove, cinnamon... The unique aroma from the blend of spices had completely permeated the meat, significantly taming the venison’s characteristic gaminess.

The filet’s tenderness was brought to its peak by the perfect cook. It required no effort at all—the muscle fibers shredded at the slightest touch of her teeth.

As she chewed, rich juices burst forth, carrying a faint, sweet, metallic tang down her throat.

Erica let out a heartfelt sigh of satisfaction.

"I can’t believe I’m tasting this in the wild!"

"If I closed my eyes, I’d almost think this was some restaurant covered in greenery!"

"Are you exaggerating? It’s just a medium-rare venison filet. There’s no butter or thyme. How good can it possibly be?"

Bartel was skeptical of her over-the-top reaction.

Erica glanced back at him and scoffed, "Don’t think saying that will get you a bite. Weren’t you too good to taste Lin’s cooking? Go make your own, then. I’d love to see what kind of ’decent’ dish you can whip up."

"I didn’t ask for any," Bartel said calmly, unbothered. "My skills are obviously no match for a professional chef’s. My standards for food in the wild are simple: as long as it’s cooked, it’s good enough. Eating too well just makes survival harder."

"Alright, alright, I get it! You’re a grown man, stop nagging. Now, don’t get in the way of my meal."

Erica waved her hand impatiently, grabbed a second piece of filet, and stuffed it into her mouth.

Steaks aren’t usually served scorching hot, unless they’re brought out SIZZLING on a hot plate. Normally, once sliced and plated, they cool from hot to warm in minutes, which affects the texture.

For medium-rare and rare steaks, once they cool to just warm, the gamey, bloody flavor becomes more pronounced, ruining the overall taste.

Besides, you can’t reheat a steak; it would change its doneness.

That’s why you have to eat steak while it’s hot. Devouring it before it gets cold is the best way to enjoy it.

Completely disregarding her ladylike image, Erica didn’t even bother with chopsticks. She grabbed the slices one by one and stuffed them into her mouth, sucking the juices off her fingers after each piece.

The palm-sized venison filet had been cut into only five slices, and in less than a minute, Erica had devoured them all.

Lin Chen also grabbed his piece of filet while it was hot. Without bothering to cut it, he tore off a large bite and began to chew. A smile crept onto his face as he savored the rich, sweet juices bursting in his mouth.

[Enjoying a delicious venison filet by the sea in Panama. Happiness Points +2]

’Red meat, just as I’d hoped.’ Just preparing it in the simplest way had earned him two Happiness Points.

Having accumulated 16 Happiness Points, he immediately redeemed them for Basic Swimming Mastery.

Knowledge flooded into his brain like water from a spring. Many concepts he’d struggled with while practicing swimming before suddenly clicked into place.

He was confident that if he got into the water now, he would no longer be clumsy. Instead, he would be able to dart about as effortlessly as a fish.

’14 points to go. I can do this!’

After finishing the simple seared venison, Lin Chen checked the time, stood up, and headed toward the creek.

Erica followed him at once without a word.

She had come to learn his techniques in the first place, so she wasn’t about to miss a single step.

The process of turning potatoes into little balls, in particular, had made her intensely curious.

The moment the two of them left, Bartel—whose stomach had long been rumbling from the aroma—trotted back to his own campfire. He cut off a piece of filet, skewered it on a branch, and began roasting it over the flames.

’He knew his own limits. With his cooking skills, even after watching the whole process, he probably couldn’t replicate that level of doneness.’

’Rather than risk a technique he wasn’t good at, it was safer to stick with what he knew best.’

’Besides, it was just a piece of venison filet. To him, it was no different from any other meat, which he’d long grown tired of.’