Chapter 331 - 215: Deluxe Takoyaki

Chapter 331: Chapter 215: Deluxe Takoyaki

"No, my parents won’t be coming over. They’re used to living in Great Xia, and their tastes are pretty set. They can’t even get used to the food in other parts of the country, let alone Western food."

Lin Chen shook his head and took the opportunity to mention his idea.

"I plan to use the prize money to buy a manor. For one, it’s for me to live in. We Da Xia People really like to farm, and the amount of land on a manor would be more than enough for me to work with."

"On the other hand, I’m thinking of investing in a business. I’ll use the fame and fan base I’ve built up to open a small restaurant or something. Basically, I’ll be selling food. If possible, I could also offer wilderness survival experiences, or let guests experience the feeling of gathering and cooking their own food."

"Wilderness survival is something most people never get to experience, especially for us Da Xia People. And since Da Xia People love to travel all over the world, my main target audience would be tourists."

Tourists from back home aren’t stingy with their money when they’re on vacation. As long as the experience is good and the price is reasonable, they’ll even accept it if it’s a tiny bit expensive.

You can’t get this kind of wilderness survival experience back home. All he’d have to do is set up a sort of farm-stay, then act as a guide and take tourists for a casual stroll in the nearby forest to pick some mushrooms or catch some fish. It would be safe and a great experience.

The most troublesome part would mainly be the hunting.

Whether in the United States or Canada, the government doesn’t allow unrestricted hunting. They designate special hunting zones and regulate the number and types of animals each person is allowed to hunt.

There are even regulations on dates and times, and for seafood, there are rules about size. He wasn’t too clear on the specifics right now; he’d have to look into the details after he got out before he could figure out the next step.

"Having Da Xia tourists experience wilderness survival? Gathering and cooking their own food?"

Erica covered her red lips in surprise. "Oh my god, you really are a genius! Isn’t that exactly what I do for a living? So you wanted to invite me to join you! You should have just said so~"

"Come to think of it, a good portion of the clients I guide are from Asia. Your market over there is still waiting to be developed. If you can bring in the customers, this could really be a great business. As long as you offer a decent salary, I’m in."

"?"

Lin Chen’s mouth twitched. He nearly rolled his eyes into the back of his head.

’What part of that was an invitation? Which sentence did I say that in?’

’Can’t I be the guide myself? Do you even speak Chinese?!’

He didn’t pursue the topic. This woman was just too narcissistic. Who knows where the conversation would go if they kept talking.

Just then, the takoyaki was about done, so he quickly moved the sea urchin shell off the grill.

A takoyaki ball this big would take a long time to cool down naturally, and he didn’t want to wait. He sliced it right down the middle into two halves.

Wisps of scorching white steam rose from the cut, and a rich, clean aroma of seafood wafted over.

The aroma perfectly interrupted Erica’s daydreams about her future, forcefully pulling her wandering thoughts back to the present.

Seeing Lin Chen cut the giant takoyaki ball in front of him in half, her expression changed drastically, and she quickly reached out to protect hers.

"Don’t you dare cut mine! Eating it whole is how you show respect to the takoyaki!"

"Suit yourself."

Lin Chen picked up one of the smaller halves and blew on it. He had intentionally cut the two pieces into different sizes, avoiding the section with the octopus tentacle.

After blowing on it a dozen or so times, he figured the center wouldn’t be scalding hot anymore. He drizzled a little mango sauce on it and popped the whole thing into his mouth.

There was no other way. To get the best texture, you had to eat it all in one bite.

The outside was still crispy, and behind that crispy skin was a layer of fluffy mashed potato. The texture reminded him of a hash brown, and also that one thing from Japanese cuisine... what was it called... Oh, right, a korokke.

Yes, that’s it, it tasted just like a korokke!

The main ingredients for a korokke are also mashed potatoes with flour, starch, and so on. You put some filling in the middle, or mix ingredients directly into the mashed potatoes, shape it into a patty, and deep-fry it.

You could say it was basically the same thing as this takoyaki, just in a different shape.

As the half-crispy, half-fluffy mashed potato melted away, he immediately bit into the filling.

The fresh octopus tentacle was perfectly springy, with a faint smoky flavor. It was very easy to chew, not at all like chewing on a rubber band.

The crisp bamboo shoots had completely absorbed the fragrant oil of the grouper belly and the sweet umami of the sea urchin roe. One bite, and it burst with juice—a gush of sweet, rich fish oil.

The fish oil, which should have been greasy, was mixed with the bamboo shoots’ own refreshing juice, perfectly neutralizing this single potential weakness, leaving behind only pure fragrance.

The firm crab leg meat was like eating a crab stick. A rich crab aroma blossomed in his mouth. As he chewed, he could taste the individual strands of crab meat, which, combined with the texture of the solid crab roe, gave him the illusion of eating grilled fish roe.

As all the ingredients were chewed and blended in his mouth, the characteristic sweet umami of the seafood mixed together completely. There wasn’t the slightest fishy smell, only pure, fresh flavor.

The sweetness of the octopus, the sweetness of the sea urchin, the sweetness of the fish, the sweetness of the crab, the sweetness of the bamboo shoots, the sweetness of the potato, and the sweetness of the mango—the flavor profiles of all the ingredients merged into one. It didn’t need any extra seasoning at all; the faint saltiness from the batter was enough to bring out their natural, delicious flavors.

[Tasting a deluxe takoyaki on the shores of Panama. Happiness +2]

"Hooo..."