Chapter 15 Scottish Cuisine?
On October 2, the entire AC Milan team flew to Glasgow, Scotland, to play Celtic away.
Celtic are the dominant force in the Scottish Premiership, and along with their city rivals Rangers, they are regular participants in European competitions. Together, these two clubs have monopolized Scottish football for nearly a century.
After completing the field familiarization at Celtic Park, it was just around 4 p.m.
Ancelotti gave the players a few hours off, allowing them free time in Glasgow, but no alcohol was allowed, and they had to return to the hotel before 10 p.m. to prepare for the next day's match.
Gattuso had played for Rangers in the 1997/98 season and was much more familiar with Glasgow than the other players, so everyone teased him to treat them to a meal.
When the topic of food came up, Gattuso practically broke down in tears. It seemed that his year playing in Scotland had severely damaged his spirit and stomach. He earnestly said that he ate worse than an Italian beggar that year and advised his teammates to give up and go back to the hotel to rest.
Pirlo bluntly stated that he was stingy and led everyone in a chorus of demands that he treat everyone.
Gattuso's attempts to dissuade them failed, and he was even criticized for being stingy. In desperation, he decided to teach them a lesson about how treacherous the world can be.
"The most famous dish in Scotland is haggis, which can be considered Scotland's 'national dish'. Since you all want me to treat you, I'll take you to try it. But we need to agree beforehand that once you order it, you have to finish it, and no one is allowed to waste any!"
Everyone laughed and said it was no problem, with Nesta and Kaká especially full of confidence.
At this moment, Pirlo said nonchalantly, "You guys go with Rino. I'm not going. I didn't sleep well last night. I need to go back to the hotel to rest. I can't let it affect my condition tomorrow."
He brought up the competition, and naturally no one objected, except for Gattuso, who was a little disappointed.
Fino glanced at Pirlo, and he was certain that Pirlo was deliberately setting everyone up by urging Gattuso to treat them while he himself didn't participate. Pirlo definitely knew what Haggis was.
Fino, of course, wouldn't go either. He had checked the travel guide beforehand. Haggis is indeed a famous Scottish dish, but it's hard for first-timers to accept.
The method involves chopping up various processed sheep offal, mixing it with oats, onions, and various spices, stuffing it all into a sheep's stomach, tying it up tightly, and then boiling the stomach in water for several hours.
When you eat it, you cut open the sheep's stomach, and the dark, murky filling spills out, looking a bit like vomit, which is quite visually striking.
Fino had never tried it before and didn't know what it tasted like, but judging from its appearance alone, he definitely didn't want to try it. Besides, haggis is best paired with whiskey, and Ancelotti wouldn't allow them to drink alcohol.
As for other famous Scottish dishes, they are nothing more than stewed lamb and stewed beef.
What a joke! He's Chinese, does he know what the Eight Great Cuisines are or the Manchu Han Imperial Feast is? Even if he can't cook them, his standards for judging food are right here.
But he won't remind anyone that he still remembers the abs incident from a while ago, just consider it Gattuso taking revenge on him.
"Reno, I'm not going with you guys either. It's my first time in Scotland, and I want to wander around the streets and see the Scottish architecture."
Gattuso nodded in agreement, reminding him to be careful and avoid Celtic fans.
In Gattuso's eyes, Fino has always been a good kid, unlike those terrible teammates.
Inzaghi also said he wouldn't go, and Gattuso wholeheartedly agreed. He hadn't planned to give Inzaghi any food anyway, given Inzaghi's sensitive stomach; what if he got sick from it? Inzaghi is supposed to start tomorrow!
Pirlo raised his eyelids to glance at Inzaghi, then at Fino, and then squinted his eyes again.
After waving goodbye to the group, Fino planned to stroll back to the hotel directly from Celtic Park, which wasn't far from the stadium.
At this moment, Pirlo came over, wanting to go for a walk with Fino.
"Andrea, aren't you going back to the hotel to rest? Wouldn't it be faster to go with Pippo and follow the bus?" Fino feigned ignorance.
Pirlo gave Fino a look that said, "Kids shouldn't act in front of adults," and poked Fino's head with his index finger.
Everything is understood without words.
Inzaghi watched as Fino and Pirlo left arm in arm, waving at him without even offering an invitation.
That little rascal!
The weather was gloomy, and the air became sticky and humid, a sign that it was about to rain.
Fino and Pirlo strolled around the streets of Glasgow, each having fish and chips for dinner, before returning to their hotel.
Pirlo pulled Fino into his and Nesta's room, skillfully connecting the game console to the TV, ready to teach Fino how to play.
Fino wasn't particularly interested in games, but he enjoyed chatting with Pirlo and was happy to keep him company.
Around 8 o'clock, Inzaghi came in. He had gone to Fino's room to look for him but had not found him, so he immediately came to Pirlo's room, where the person was indeed there.
Pirlo's fingers never stopped, but he only turned his head to glance at Inzaghi.
"Ciao, Pipo, I'm playing a game with Feifei, do you want to play?"
Fino's hand trembled, and the game character fell off the cliff. Game over!
Fino got goosebumps and looked at Pirlo with some horror.
Where did Fifi come from? Why is she suddenly calling me so affectionately?
Fino is already a very catchy name and doesn't need a nickname at all.
They were playing a two-player cooperative game. When Fino's character died, Pirlo's game also ended.
Ah, Inzaghi and Pirlo exchanged a knowing glance.
Fino stood up, rubbing his goosebump-covered arms, and handed the game controller to Inzaghi.
"Pippo, you come and play with Andrea. I'm not very good at it, so I'll just watch you guys play."
“If you’re bad, practice more!” Inzaghi readily agreed and sat down. “Watch me, Andrea, switch to battle mode.”
Then Inzaghi, who had little training and was naturally very bad, was brutally defeated by Pirlo, losing several games in a row.
Pirlo slowly repeated, "If you're bad, practice more!"
At that moment, Nesta walked in, cursing and swearing, clutching his little chicken hands and excitedly describing to them what disgusting food Gattuso had served them, vowing that he would definitely find a chance to teach Gattuso a lesson in the future.
Fino and Pirlo exchanged a glance, and both gave a slight smile.
After seeing them, Inzaghi looked them up and down.
Before Pirlo could say anything, Kaka arrived. He had a lot of grievances to tell Fino, and after not finding Fino in their room, he came looking for her.
"That food called haggis looks like an inflated balloon. When you pop it open, a bunch of dark, tiny bits of stuff come out. It looks sticky and disgusting. I didn't want to eat it, but Reno threatened me with a knife and fork, forcing me to finish it..."
"What does it taste like?" Fino absolutely refused to try it, but he was also very curious about what it would taste like.
Kaka's soul seemed to have drifted light-years away. He numbly said, "The image of those dark, churning things was so shocking. It looked like balloons and made me vomit. It disgusted me. Under Reno's pressure, I could only finish eating quickly. I had no mood to savor it. All I could think about was nausea! Nausea! Nausea!"
Nesta nodded heavily beside him, indicating that both of them had suffered considerable injuries.
Pirlo asked, "What about the other food? Surely we didn't just eat this?"
"The rest is just some stewed meat, nothing special. The seafood is alright, but I still think Italian seafood is better," Kaka said.
Nesta nodded again: "Italian food is the best."
Fino disagreed with this statement. Italian food is certainly very good, but Chinese food is the best.
He didn't argue with these staunch supporters of Italian cuisine, after all, preferences are subjective, and besides, they didn't understand Chinese food, so arguing with them would be like casting pearls before swine.
Inzaghi, however, sensed his disagreement and jokingly pointed it out: "It seems the handsome boy has a different opinion."
Since Inzaghi brought it up, Fino didn't mind recommending it to them, saying casually, "Perhaps you could try Chinese food."
His tone was calm but confident.
Nesta and the others then remembered that Fino had said he had some Chinese ancestry.
Kaka immediately became interested: "Can you cook Chinese food? Can you cook for us?"
"I can only cook very simple dishes, and my understanding of Chinese cuisine is probably less than one percent."
Next, Fino began to describe to them what Buddha Jumps Over the Wall, Dongpo Pork, Steamed Pork with Rice Flour, and Crispy Pot were...
Fino had certainly never eaten these things before; he grew up in a children's welfare home, where the cafeteria could never have the facilities to prepare them. But he had seen the recipes, and even if he didn't know how to cook them, he understood the ingredients and general steps, so describing them verbally was no problem for him.
Fino denied that he meant to show off, absolutely not. Chinese people are so modest, how could they possibly show off?
He just suddenly couldn't control his mouth, there's nothing we can do about it.
He has a rich vocabulary and can reasonably translate many words describing food into Italian, such as "fragrant for miles," "rich but not greasy," "lingering fragrance," "unforgettable aftertaste," and "delicious."
He could not only describe the taste of the food, but also the feeling after eating it. No one else had ever heard of such words before. Kaka and Nesta were so eager that they couldn't wait to eat it.
Pirlo and Inzaghi were surprised that Fino could be so talkative at times.
Before Fino could finish speaking, Kaka had already started grabbing his hand and shaking it back and forth: "When are you going to make it for me? That Buddha Jumps Over the Wall, that Steamed Pork with Rice Flour... I want to eat it."
Nesta also looked expectant.
Pirlo isn't that obsessed with food, but why not eat it when there's food to be had!
Even Inzaghi, who has a glass stomach, was captivated by Fino's description.
win!
Chinese food is awesome.
Fino, of course, could not agree; he wouldn't do it anyway.
"There are thousands of Chinese dishes, and many of the ingredients and seasonings can't be bought in Italy. To eat authentic Chinese food, you have to go to China. I can only cook some simple dishes. But there are some modified dishes in Chinatown, so you can try them."
This is a bit of a tease, and Kaka is very unhappy about it.
"A simple one is fine, when can you make it for us?"
"There's no time now, there are two competitions a week."
Nesta's mind works particularly well when it comes to food. He counted on his fingers and said, "After the 7th round match against Lazio, it's the international break. Carlo will definitely have a day off. We'll go to your house the day after we play Lazio."
Fino opened her mouth, but managed to suppress her wicked thoughts.
But Pirlo couldn't resist.
Pirlo feigned surprise: "Sandro, after playing Lazio, are you still in the mood for food? Do you want Milan to win, or Lazio to win?"
Pirlo was subjected to violent sanctions.
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