The red-haired monster pushed the meal cart, its enormous metal cover fifteen meters high, resembling a small fortress.
The long-bearded immortal touched his lips and said with anticipation, "Su Wen, your clan has been researching unique culinary paths for centuries. I imagine your creations will be remarkably novel. Let us have a good look."
The contestants who came to participate in the World Chef Ranking Tournament and managed to pass the preliminary selection possessed culinary skills that could only be described as exquisite. Beyond the fundamental techniques and cooking skills essential for any chef, at this level, what was truly needed was that spark of inspiration and creativity.
"Please, dig in!"
The red-haired monster flung open the meal cover, revealing a metal cross, as grand as a cathedral!
And there, the blue-ringed octopus was fixed upon it, as if undergoing some peculiar religious ceremony.
"This is..."
It looked utterly unappetizing!
The once fresh blue-ringed octopus had turned extremely dull, and its skin even exuded a fishy odor.
It was reminiscent of a low-end farmers' market, where seafood was haphazardly piled in a corner, the stale smells merging together.
The octopus's posture was also strange. Its already large head had become even more enormous, its eight tentacles wafting in the air as if they were empty balloons.
"The Alien Tribunal?"
"Torture methods for non-humanoid beings?"
"It's impossible to tell this is a dish!"
The bald, muscular old man gave a thumbs-up. "Good brother, as expected, you've got a dark taste. I underestimated you earlier; you're even more twisted than I imagined."
Beneath the octopus was a container. Lifting its lid revealed neatly arranged small pearls.
"Is this the main course? The rice for the rice soup?"
Zhang Wei also felt a pang of doubt. He focused on collecting ingredients and had learned about all known grains in books, yet this did not conform to any of them.
The small pearls shone brilliantly, perfectly round, their peculiar quality unknown.
The bald, muscular old man was stunned.
"Hahaha, you brat... you thought of the same thing as me!"
The red-haired monster chuckled. "What, you recognize it?"
"Of course! It's very similar to my Golden Core. If I'm not mistaken, this isn't rice at all, but fish balls!"
Fish balls!
Octopus balls!
"Amazing!"
"Indeed, it's made from octopus meat!"
Zhang Wei stepped forward and picked up a pearl, gently squeezing it.
It was incredibly elastic, much like a Golden Core!
"Unlike muscle, octopus meat itself has an excellent texture, making it perfect for producing fish balls!"
"However, to make them so perfectly round and translucent, with not a hint of fiber visible, it's as if they grew this way naturally!"
The pearls were divided into thirty-six portions, forming thirty-six bowls!
Each group of forty thousand corresponded to one of the octopus's eight tentacles!
The red-haired monster pulled out one of the tentacles and squeezed it gently...
Instantly, a rich apple aroma emanated from the octopus's suckers!
And...
"It's not juice!"
"This is apple cider vinegar, fermented from apples!"
This apple cider vinegar was not a kitchen condiment. It was made by fermenting apples to produce raw vinegar, then diluting it with apple juice, creating a taste that was sweet within the sour and sour within the sweet, incredibly refreshing, with no hint of the roughness of raw vinegar.
It was not a kitchen seasoning. The apple cider vinegar diluted with apple juice made the taste sweet within the sour and sour within the sweet, eliminating the harshness of raw vinegar while retaining the sweet aroma of the juice, making it very refreshing to drink.
"Apple cider vinegar is a product of secondary fermentation, also made through the metabolism of apple wine... simultaneous fermentation of alcohol and acetic acid."
"It has certain skincare benefits and can also help with hangovers and protect the liver."
Zhang Wei mused.
When it came to high-quality vinegar, none could compare to the King's Vinegar from Jiuluan Island.
As the saying goes, there is always an antidote within seven steps, and the King's Vinegar was indeed the best hangover remedy on Jiuluan Island.
.........
ps: Once it snows, normal updates will resume. I never expected the first snow of the year to be so late!