The jar was crammed with tiny, gray cicada pupae, each the size of a finger, their skin a dark brown. Seemingly sensing the cold air, countless pupae began to writhe wildly, creating a truly... spectacular scene.
Having eaten insect eggs in the Food World before, Xu Milu wasn't so averse to eating insects.
While the boss was putting the lid on the fish tank, she pulled a protein energy bar issued by the construction company from her pocket and asked:
"Can I use this to exchange?"
The barbecue stall owner's eyes lit up, revealing a large gold tooth:
"Hey! Protein energy bars? That's good stuff. Here, I'll give you twenty roasted earthworms and ten roasted cicada pupae in return. Come on, just sit there and wait."
The place the shopkeeper pointed to was a small wooden table in the corner, with a stove made from a tin bucket on it, inside which burned several pieces of glowing red charcoal, emitting a warm glow.
Eating barbecue on the street in an unfamiliar world was a first for Xu Milu, so she simply moved a stool down and sat down to wait for the barbecue to be served.
"Whoosh—"
The barbecue stall owner added a piece of charcoal to the grill, and flames immediately shot up.
He skillfully poked at the earthworms with the tongs a few times, then turned around and pulled out a dozen plump, pink earthworms from the fish tank. After washing them clean, he flattened them with a knife, squeezed out the mucus inside the earthworms, and then skewered them with an iron skewer. A dozen or so earthworms were skewered together.
The skewered earthworms are grilled over a fire, with a layer of water brushed on top. Once the protein releases a subtle aroma under the high temperature, a handful of salt is sprinkled on top, and the fragrant earthworm skewers are ready.
"Here you go, beautiful lady, eat your roasted earthworms and fried cicada pupae while they're hot, they're crunchy and taste like chicken."
The owner chuckled, stuffed the protein bar into his pocket, and continued grilling earthworms for the other customers.
...
...
The roasted earthworms didn't look so dark anymore. The pink earthworm skin turned into a light flesh color under the high temperature, and the texture of the earthworm skin was not so obvious. You could still feel its crispness when you gently squeezed it. Because the seasoning was limited, the owner only used salt grains for seasoning.
With rising sea levels, the one thing humans will have no shortage of is sea salt.
Xu Milu tried taking a bite of the earthworm skewer and found that the taste wasn't as bad as she had imagined. The roasted earthworm skin was slightly charred and tasted a lot like chicken jerky. A little sea salt added to the saltiness. It was neither bad nor good.
The texture of deep-fried cicada pupae is quite interesting. Because the pupae contain individual seeds inside, they can be fried thoroughly with just a little oil. The outer skin is almost a thin layer, like a piece of resilient paper. The seeds inside taste like chewing rubber fish roe, making a "crunch crunch" sound with each bite.
The salted cicada pupae had an indescribable aroma. Xu Milu ate several in a row and couldn't help but want to add this dish to the menu of Shan Hai Restaurant.
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