Because it had just been taken out of the cold water in the cellar, the snail was still emitting a slight chill.
Pei Yao specially introduced the cold-dressed snails: "Mother, you should try this cold-dressed snails and see if it's delicious."
Pei Yao gave each person a thin bamboo skewer: "This is a tool for eating snail meat."
She specially went to the mountain to cut a small bamboo stalk before the meal and shaved it into this thin bamboo stick.
Thinking that they all came from the inland and probably wouldn't know how to eat snails, bamboo skewers would make it easier to pick out the snail meat.
No one had ever seen this kind of tool for eating snails before, so they found it novel and didn't know how to use it.
And where should we pick this snail?
How come there are two heads on one screw?
Chen Fang picked up a bamboo skewer and prepared to pick out the meat from the spot behind the snail that Pei Yao had cut.
Pei Yao quickly stopped her: "Auntie, that's the tail of the snail. Let me teach you."
Chen Fang never expected that she had picked the tail of the snail, and she was embarrassed.
But she's also a very easygoing person, so she just laughed it off and didn't seem embarrassed at all.
Then, watching Pei Yao pick up a bamboo skewer, insert it into the meat at the opening of the snail, and then gently pry it out, it came right out.
Dip the snail meat in the sauce before eating; it will taste even better that way.
"You can also put it in your mouth and suck it out; the meat will come out easily, and it will taste even better if you suck it."
Pei Yao then demonstrated for everyone how to suck the snails directly with her mouth.
If you slurp it like this, the snails will be covered in the flavor of the seasonings, making them taste even better.
The way you eat snails is to suck them up like this to really get the flavor.
Everyone followed Pei Yao's method and started sucking on the snails. Those that couldn't be sucked out were picked out with bamboo skewers and dipped in seasoning to eat.
Pei Yichen: "!"
Yunniang: "!"
Chen Fang: "!"
After watching them finish their first bite, Pei Yao blinked her big, bright eyes and looked at everyone, asking, "How was it? Was it delicious?"
After all, she had just tried it, and although it didn't have oyster sauce or soy sauce, the taste was very close to what she used to eat.
Moreover, the snails she used were very fresh, and they tasted even fresher than the ones she bought from roadside stalls that were heavily seasoned.
It even tastes better.
It's definitely good to be near the sea; the fresh seafood here is incomparable to the seafood of later generations that has undergone several days of transportation.
However, it's not enough for just her to say it's delicious; everyone has to agree that it's delicious for it to count.
After all, she wasn't from this dynasty, and she wasn't quite sure what the people of this dynasty liked.
Pei Yichen finished one slurp and then another before he finally had time to answer Pei Yao's question.
"When you first put it in your mouth, it has a cool and refreshing taste, followed by a sour and spicy flavor. It's very appetizing to eat in the summer."
The snails also have a faint, refreshing fragrance, just like the scent of the yellow lemon tree in our yard—a very unique, refreshing, and pleasant aroma.
The snail meat is very chewy and has a slightly sweet taste...
Pei Yichen was considered a young master when he was in Kyoto.
Although he was young, he often went to restaurants to enjoy food with his friends from school after school.
He was now earnestly sharing his impressions of the food with Pei Yao.
After listening to her cousin's long, literary explanation, Xiao Xuan'er frowned and asked with her big, cute eyes, "Is it delicious or not?"
Because of the chili peppers, Xuan'er couldn't eat any, and the little girl was very envious.
Pei Yichen rubbed her little head: "Of course it's delicious, much better than the cold dishes in Kyoto."
Yunniang and Chen Fang weren't as eloquent as him; they simply praised the snail meat as delicious, cool and refreshing, and very appetizing in the summer.
Pei Yao felt very happy to receive everyone's approval. She finished her meal early and went to the door to cut a few banana leaves.
Divide the remaining jar of spicy snails into three portions, wrap them in banana leaves, and finally tie them with straw.
One copy was given to Qiaohui's family, one to the Liu family, and one to Uncle Niu's family at the village entrance.
Pei Yao wasn't familiar with the other villagers, so she didn't dare to offer them the gifts rashly, fearing they would find it strange.
When Pei Yao arrived at Uncle Niu's house, only Uncle Niu and Aunt Niu were eating.
Uncle Niu ate the roasted kudzu worms that Pei Yao brought over today, and they were so delicious that he's still thinking about them now.
Looking at the food on the table that evening, I lost all interest; all I could think about was the roasted kudzu root worms.
It has a slightly oily flavor and a crispy, caramelized aroma.
Just then, he looked up and saw Pei Yao coming over. He immediately called out happily, "Little girl, maybe next time this girl will be in a good mood and bring me that delicious roasted insect."
"Yao girl, have you eaten yet? If not, come in and have some with us."
Aunt Niu Er also invited Pei Yao in, after all, she had seen her eldest grandson chatting and laughing with this little girl at the door that day.
Who knows, this little girl might be her future granddaughter-in-law.
The elderly couple looked at Pei Yao, each with their own agenda.
Pei Yao walked in with a smile and called out softly, "Grandpa Niu, Grandma Niu."
The elderly couple had no daughters or granddaughters, so they really liked the little girl.
Aunt Niu brought a stool for Pei Yao: "Yao girl, sit down for a bit. I'll get you a bowl to eat some fish. This fish was caught by Da Niu when he went out to sea. It's so fresh."
Aunt Niu also took the opportunity to praise her eldest grandson in front of Pei Yao.
"Da Niu?" Pei Yao didn't understand what Aunt Niu meant, and wondered if it was Niu Qingshan's father.
Aunt Niu explained, "Yes, before Da Niu's father passed away, my Da Niu always followed his father out to sea to fish."
Later, his father went fishing at sea one day and got caught in a storm. He was swept away by the waves and never came back. However, our Da Niu learned a lot of fishing skills from him. This fish was caught by Da Niu a couple of days ago.
When Aunt Niu spoke of her son, a faint sadness crept into her voice.
Uncle Niu patted her on the shoulder: "You old woman, why are you saying these things to the child for no reason? Go and get a bowl for Yao girl."
Pei Yao had already eaten, so she wasn't hungry. She quickly pulled Aunt Niu Er, who was about to get a bowl.
"Grandma Niu, I've already eaten here, you don't need to get me a bowl. I came mainly to bring you this spicy snail dish that my mother made."
As Pei Yao spoke, she took out the banana leaf from her hand and unfolded it.
Uncle Niu had eaten Pei Yao's roasted kudzu worms before, so he trusted her to a certain extent. After listening to Pei Yao's words, he picked up a snail and put it in his mouth to suck on it.
Instantly, a refreshing sour and spicy flavor bursts forth on the tongue. The coolness of the mint leaves provides a bit of relief in this hot summer, while the sourness of the lemon and the pungent spiciness of the chili peppers stimulate the taste buds.
Uncle Niu Er finished one and, still wanting more, licked his fingers and ate another.
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