Chapter 54 Even A Mosquito’s Leg Has Mea (1/2)
Chapter 54: Even A Mosquito’s Leg Has Meat
Translator: Nyoi-Bo StudioEditor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
Hearing his words, Playboy Akkalou Benidito laughed. ”This is what I do. If there’s a debt, I’ll pay it back. I won’t give Andrew a chance to play any underhanded tricks.”
Hans said, ”Yeah, buddy. I like how you’re good at distinguishing between right and wrong. The info Andrew gave, it’s at—”
Akkalou Benidito immediately stopped him. ”Don’t say it. Big Fox, this is your own secret. The reason why I helped you was not to get info—please don’t misunderstand.”
Hans nodded. ”Of course I know; who in Flagstaff doesn’t know that you’re trustworthy? I just want you to help confirm if this piece of info is real.”
What Hans had just said was actually well calculated. Without batting an eye, he flattered Akkalou Benidito, as well as explaining why he wanted to tell him the info.
Akkalou said, ”I would gladly help you confirm the info, but once the auction is over, the validity of the info will naturally be shown anyways. For now, let’s stop talking about work and have a good feast!”
From the conversation of the two sitting behind them, Li Du realized that this restaurant was extremely famous in Flagstaff. The locals felt that their dishes were very authentic.
But he felt that this was strange. The people of Flagstaff had never been to China, never had authentic Chinese food; why would they think that the food from this restaurant was the real deal?
The reason was that the head chef understood the taste buds of Americans very well. Whatever the dish was, the sweet and sour flavors were emphasized, and the taste seemed foreign to westerners.
Of course, the taste also had to do with what they had ordered; honey barbecue Cha Siew, Gong Bao Chicken, Sweet and Sour Pork, Cashew Shrimps. All these dishes were cooked with honey, sugar, and vinegar.
The last dish was tofu, and when Hans saw it, he shouted in joy, ”GOOD! Mapo Tofu!” He very fluently pronounced the words in Mandarin.
Li Du rubbed his temples. In a small place like Flagstaff, Mapo Tofu had somehow become a classic Chinese dish. He had noticed this in school; his foreign classmates would always order this dish when having Chinese food.
He had a few bites. The spiciness was so-so, and the tenderness wasn’t up to standard. His mom could have made something better.
Akkalou-Benidito was observant. He curled his lips and said, ”What’s wrong, Li? Is the dish bad?”
Li Du said, ”Let me share my thoughts. Mapo Tofu is one of the signatures of Sichuan, China. The appearance needs to be shiny, deep red, and well contrasted with green herbs on the dish. The tofu should be neatly diced—and for the taste, it needs to be spicy, hot, tender, soft, fresh and fragrant. That would be a good Mapo Tofu.”
However, when you were eating it, didn’t you feel that the tofu wasn’t tender enough? This means that the chef didn’t use traditional tofu, but instead a rough mixture.”
Akkalou-Benidito was impressed, and said, ”My God, Chinese people are really impressive. Just one dish with so many intricacies behind it. Your ancestors must be people who truly enjoyed life.”
Li Du laughed; that was wrong. The Chinese were known to be the most tenacious, hard-working race of people since ancient times.
Although the dish was not up to his standards, he still enjoyed it. Someone else way buying, and food that came free always tasted good.
They parted after lunch. Once in the car, Hans asked, ”How was it? Isn’t the Playboy interesting?”
Li Du nodded. ”Yeah, he was interesting. This could easily be seen from his achievements. How many members of the Hundred Thousand Club are there in Flagstaff? Four? Five? He’s one of them.”
Hans said confidently, ”Soon, we will be the sixth and seventh! We will definitely be joining them, the unit this time could be worth one hundred thousand dollars!”
”What info did Andrew give you?”
”In one week, in Jerome, Ohio, there will be a storage company having an auction. There will be a batch of antique clocks. Those are worth a lot.”