"This is beef offal soup. The earliest record of this soup is in the Song Dynasty book 'Xi Man Cong Xiao' from the 13th century. Li Shizhen's 'Compendium of Materia Medica' also mentions this soup. It is a medicinal soup made by the ancestors of southeastern Guizhou in China to deal with gastrointestinal diseases."
Passed down from ancient times, this dish is only prepared for grand occasions such as sacrifices, weddings, funerals, and festivals, and is considered the highest-grade food for entertaining guests. It not only has disease-preventing properties but also represents a survival philosophy that has allowed many ethnic groups in China to survive and continue to this day.
This soup requires at least three days to prepare. It involves waiting for the cow's stomach to empty, then feeding it with Chinese herbs such as kudzu root and angelica root. These herbs are repeatedly washed and filtered before being cooked with special seasonings. The ingredients for this dish also have a beautiful name – "Liquid Gold," implying the extremely expensive and rare nature of the ingredients.
This soup is also called "Hundred Herbs Soup." If you smell it closely, you can detect the aroma of fresh herbs.
Julie found the green soup much more palatable than the cicada syrup appetizer. After all, her country even had a bizarre black squid soup. The green color didn't seem particularly special, but she was still surprised by the soup's efficacy and long history. It was a soup that had been served to nobles since the 13th century.
As soon as the introduction was finished, Julie began to taste it. The flavor had a slightly sour taste and a grassy aroma, but the aftertaste revealed a fragrance she had never tasted before, giving her taste buds a thrilling fresh sensation. Upon closer tasting, there was also a hint of sweetness.
As the soup slid down her esophagus, Julie felt an incredible sense of comfort, whether it was psychological or not. She would definitely come back to try it again; the soup was simply perfect. It was such a waste that this thousand-year-old soup was only priced this low!
Such a healthy and delicious soup, in her opinion, should be priceless!
Chu Qianmo discovered that although these foreigners might not be able to accept it at first, they would still patiently listen to the explanation. After listening, those who originally did not intend to try it would start to try it. When they heard about the long history and how it was used to entertain distinguished guests, their eyes lit up.
If a customer isn't interested in either of these two points, they'll buy everything if they hear it's good for their health and has certain benefits.
Chu Qianmo immediately felt confident, and her introduction became more and more natural, even carrying a hint of showing off.
"This stinky mandarin fish was a dish that the prefect of Huizhou region loved more than two hundred years ago."
Using traditional intangible cultural heritage techniques, fresh live mandarin fish are selected, salted, and placed in special cedar wood barrels. They are then naturally fermented for a week under the unique local weather conditions. After the fermentation process, the scales remain intact, the texture does not change, and the blush has a distinctive flavor.
The stinky mandarin fish you ordered is prepared in the traditional way. After being pan-fried, it is stewed with a special sauce from Huizhou to enhance its flavor.
Stinky mandarin fish is rich in high-quality protein, unsaturated fatty acids, and minerals such as calcium and phosphorus. Studies have shown that it has a higher content of free amino acids than fresh fish.
It not only produces probiotics and digestive enzymes, but also regulates the gut microbiota. It's a dish that has been listed as an intangible cultural heritage.
Julie started to regret her choice of dress as she ate, feeling it wasn't quite up to par for such a high standard. The fish dish in front of her was actually a UN-certified intangible cultural heritage item, and it just appeared right in front of her.
She remarked that the smell was somewhat strange, but at that moment she felt that it was a scent that had been refined over time.
This was the first time Julie had ever finished every dish. The fish was firm and tender, with a savory and sweet flavor—delicious!
When the food was served to the three people at the other table, they almost pinched their noses, but now they all tried to savor it elegantly and quickly.
"Oh, this is so delicious!"
Julie looked on with eager anticipation for the main course, and saw a plate of thinly sliced meat being served.
The dish had a persistent, foul odor, and Julie frowned slightly.
But after hearing the explanation that it required 53 years of smoking?! The restaurant had only managed to purchase one pig, and once it was finished, that was it. Julie never found the pungent smell irritating again.
It tastes bitter, has a meaty aroma, and a hint of wine.
Julie loved the aroma of the wine inside. The thought that it was an extremely precious intangible cultural heritage, with its long smoking process and its symbolism of status and wealth, gave her a feeling that she was not just a star, but an upper-class aristocrat.
This kind of smoked pork, which has a long history and is rare to eat, tastes completely different from smoked ham. Not to mention that Julie has never eaten ham that has been smoked for more than 50 years, but today she unexpectedly tasted smoked pork that is older than her, which is incredibly lucky!
So much so that even eating the fish mint salad she didn't like didn't affect her good mood.
The final dessert, sea worm jelly, was also very special, with unique layers of flavor.
It has a bouncy texture like jelly, but when you chew the seafood inside, it has a crisp and refreshing feel. Compared to the smooth and tender gelatinous body, it's like one is bouncy and the other is crisp. One bite is slippery, and the other is crisp like fresh bamboo shoots.
The seafood has no fishy smell, only sweetness and the freshness of marine life. The preparation process is equally complicated, but the taste is just as unique as the complicated process.
Julie had no idea that China had so many ancient and healthy delicacies. Her knowledge of China was limited to the hot pot recommended by Chinese actors, which looked bright red and extremely spicy.
She couldn't understand what these Chinese people were thinking, that they actually thought hot pot was more delicious than these dishes. She even thought it was because these dishes were healthier and had a long history, and perhaps they were only served to nobles. Thinking this way, she felt lucky again that she had agreed to keep the appointment.
While Julie waited for her drink, she noticed that Chu Qianmo, who had served her earlier, had changed her clothes and placed a wooden stand on one of the five tables.
After Chu Qianmo bowed, she began her tea ceremony performance. Jiang Heyi continued playing his flute and changed to a different song to accompany Chu Qianmo.
The smooth and effortless operation instantly drew the attention of all the guests.
Chu Qianmo quickly skimmed off the foam with the lid of the teapot, her movements clean and efficient. She was beautiful, joyful, and her movements were even more beautiful.
"Pour from high and pour from low," Chu Qianmo poured the tea into the four small teacups on the table one by one.
The tea in the cup was bright in color, transparent with a luminous golden sheen, just like amber.
Chu Qianmo picked up the tea tray beneath the teacup and served tea to the guests at both tables in turn. Her slender fingers and full, rosy nails gently placed the teacup in front of the guests.
Julie took the teacup and, as she lowered her head to drink, couldn't help but inhale the aroma. The tea was fresh, delicate, and had a natural floral fragrance, seemingly mixed with the scent of rain after a storm—a blend of earthy and pervasive floral notes, as if she were in a mountain forest bursting with flowers after the rain. Taking a sip, she experienced a slightly bitter yet mellow flavor that subtly and gently cleared away the lingering taste of the previous dishes from her mouth. It was undeniably strong, yet had a gentle, sweet aftertaste.
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