"What, you're allowed to come, but I'm not?"
Grandpa Yu picked up a tissue from the table to wipe his sweat and said proudly, "Over the years, besides my love for food, I've been promoting lion dance culture all over the country. Now that I'm older, I only occasionally show off my skills."
Qin Yi clasped her hands in a fist and said, "Uncle Yu is indeed a virtuous and talented veteran artist! I deeply admire him."
The old man waved his hand: "Compared to Boss Qin, I'm nothing. With 20 intangible cultural heritage food inheritors, who in this world dares to challenge you? Just in terms of cultural heritage in the food industry, no one can beat you."
"Uncle Yu, you're trying to flatter me to my detriment! What grudge do you hold against me? Aren't we good neighbors?"
"Hmph! You've got so many kids around you lately, and you still remember your neighbor? I haven't been to your house for dinner in ages!"
Qin Yi raised an eyebrow knowingly: "So you've got your pig craving again! Last time I saw you having so much fun teasing the kids with that bag of steamed buns, why are you getting angry now? Today all the intangible cultural heritage foods at my stall are available for order, remember to come and eat when you're done!"
Grandpa Yu finally grinned broadly and said, "Alright, alright! Save me a VIP seat!"
Qin Yi and Cheng Yingtao strolled around, while Zhuang Qing and Tian Rong played and joked ahead of them.
By the time they arrived at their stall...
A dense crowd of college students were packed in front of Qin Yi's stall.
The leader was none other than He Hongbo, the president of Shih-Da University, along with teacher Zhang Xin and the two sisters, Ke'ai and Kexin.
There were many familiar faces in the group.
Qin Yi and her friends quickly climbed into the stall cart, put on their work clothes, and then Qin Yi opened the advertising board to introduce the stall.
"Today, all twenty intangible cultural heritage foods can be ordered independently, still on a pay-as-you-go basis. Bring on whatever you want to eat!"
Then Qin Yi asked He Hongbo, who was first in line, softly, "Principal He, did you recommend me to participate in this intangible cultural heritage activity?"
He Hongbo had a satisfied smile on his face: "Haha! To be honest, Boss Qin, I was so anxious that I didn't get to eat the intangible cultural heritage blind boxes you sold that day. After thinking for a long time, I suddenly remembered that our city was going to hold a large-scale event, which just happens to be related to your major. So my good fortune has come full circle back to me."
"I admire your enthusiasm, Principal He! You can take the order now!"
He Hongbo sighed, "Ah! You don't understand the sorrow of homesickness. When I crave spicy soup, I can take a four-hour high-speed train in the morning just to have a meal, and then take another four-hour high-speed train back to Zicheng in the afternoon. That's the persistence of a foodie, always thinking about that taste, yearning for it..."
Qin Yi nodded in understanding and called out to the kitchen, "One serving of spicy soup, and anything else?"
Principal He carefully examined the order form: "Give me another order of Nanxiang steamed buns, and a fresh flower cake and a cloud cake to go!"
"The principal can really eat! He truly is the only principal in Zicheng to hold a food festival! He's a real foodie!"
He Hongbo fired a barrage of shots at the group behind him, saying, "I knew I shouldn't have told you guys to come and steal my food!"
"Principal He, don't be angry. Tell us what this spicy soup tastes like? We've never had it before!"
He Hongbo found a seat and sat down. Zhuang Qing brought him spicy soup and steamed buns.
The principal opened a folding fan he always carried, fanning himself to release the aroma of the food, and nodded repeatedly: "That's the taste!"
As he ate, he said, "This spicy soup is also called Eight Treasures Soup. It's very rich in ingredients. It adds pungent, warm, fragrant and dry natural Chinese herbs to the food, uses pork bone broth as the base, stews the meat until it's tender and the soup is delicious, and then adds gluten, kelp, tofu skin, soybeans, wood ear fungus, daylily, radish strips, cilantro, and so on. It's sticky and fragrant, so delicious!"
"Is it sour or spicy?" a student from the Southern Little Potato School asked.
"Hulatang (spicy soup) is mainly spicy, but it's not as spicy as Sichuan hot pot that makes your mouth swell. Usually, you can add some tofu pudding to mix with it, along with some vinegar. It's spicy with a hint of sourness, and sour with a hint of spiciness. The delicate and smooth tofu pudding also stimulates your taste buds. After a bowl, your body feels warm and your pores open up. As the saying goes, 'Spicy soup is cooked at dusk, and you can enjoy it all day long!'"
...
While Principal He was introducing the food, Lu Ziyi and Yang Zhou, along with others from their dormitory, followed closely behind and also bought their favorite dishes.
Yang Zhou was notified by Boss Qin, and his dormitory was so excited after receiving the message that they rushed over to queue up this morning.
I regretted choosing the wrong school as soon as I arrived at the event. Not only does Shida University have a food festival, but the president also brought students out to explore the restaurants!
The six of them ordered a dish of stinky mandarin fish, a dish of braised beef, and several dim sum dishes.
The first dish served was braised beef with torn pieces.
The group imitated the pose on the billboard, putting one leg on the crossbeam of the table and happily gulping down a bowl of beef soup.
When the stinky mandarin fish was served, Lu Zi and his group quickly pinched their noses: "My God! This smells just like snail rice noodles!"
Yang Zhou glanced at his brothers: "They're completely different things, each with its own flavor! This stinky mandarin fish smells awful, but tastes incredibly delicious."
Lu Ziyi asked curiously, "Brother, have you eaten this before?"
Yang Zhou picked up his chopsticks and unceremoniously took a large piece of fish into his mouth: "This is a dish from my hometown! You can't find authentic stinky mandarin fish anywhere else these days. Only Boss Qin's place has the original flavor!"
"The 'stinky' smell of this mandarin fish isn't rotten; it's a special aroma produced by fermentation bacteria. After cooking, it has a unique fragrance and is especially good with rice. You should try it!"
Hearing that it was a famous dish from Yang Zhou's hometown, the brothers each took a piece to show their respect.
"Great fish! Crispy skin and fresh meat! That pungent smell is addictive once you put it in your mouth, the more you chew, the more fragrant it becomes! It makes you want to keep eating it!"
"I think it's delicious too! You won't know how good it is until you try it. The fish is incredibly tender and the aroma is wonderful. Quickly, give me a bowl of white rice. It would be such a shame if this fish didn't come with rice!"
...
Zhang Ke'ai and Zhang Kexin covered their noses while queuing.
Zhang Xin, however, thought it smelled delicious and wanted to eat it.
So Kexin shook Zhang Xin's hand and asked, "Mom, does one's taste become stronger as they get older? I think it smells awful!"
Zhang Xin thought for a moment, then asked, "Hmm? Why do you say that?"
Zhang Kexin: "I've noticed that Mom loves to drink bitter coffee and eat stinky houttuynia cordata, Dad loves to eat snail rice noodles, Grandpa loves to drink strong tea, and Grandma loves to eat pickled vegetables. All of you have such strong flavors!"
Zhang Xin was momentarily speechless, unable to answer his youngest daughter's question.
Zhang Ke'ai shook her index finger: "Not at all, we kids all have similar tastes. You don't like stinky tofu? You don't like spicy strips? You don't like hot pot? You don't like fried meatballs?"
Just as Zhang Kexin was about to take off triumphantly, her sister poured cold water on her.
He grumbled discontentedly, "It's not like I'm the only one who likes to eat this; you've eaten just as much!"
"Alright, stop fooling around, let's look at the menu and order something!" Zhang Xin interrupted the two little princesses.
Zhang Kexin: "I want to eat 'ga ga ga' and 'ge ge da'!"
Qin Yi asked, "What did you say?"
Zhang Ke'ai rolled her eyes at her younger sister and replied, "It's the roast duck and poached chicken on this! I want hot dry noodles and candied fruit with carved decorations!"
After a while, the food they ordered was served, and Zhang Kexin used her smartwatch to call Yan Tiechao.
"Hey Tiezi, come to Zicheng Park for something to eat! The ancient Greek god who governs intangible cultural heritage is here again!"
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