Chapter 185: Chapter 185: Delicious Snail? Little Black: Not tasty, won’t eat!
Jiang Feng’s performance surprised everyone. A stirring violin piece left people speechless with amazement. It was played incredibly well. The piece was highly rhythmic and full of power. Onlookers were so immersed that they swayed involuntarily to the music. It was as if the violinist had unleashed a powerful move.
After a short while, the music stopped.
Jiang Feng put down his violin.
The crowd was quiet for a few seconds. Then, they immediately burst into cheers.
"Bravo!"
"Oh my, Boss Jiang, I had no idea you had this skill!"
"You’ve blown my mind!"
"Awesome! Awesome!"
The crowd was buzzing with excitement.
"Thank you, everyone. The stall is closing for today. I’m heading off," Jiang Feng said, waving his hand.
"One more song, please!"
"Another one!"
"Boss Jiang, one more! We haven’t finished our steak yet!" the crowd chanted cheerfully.
The scene was exceptionally lively. Everyone had a smile on their face. People were holding up their phones, capturing this precious moment.
Who would have thought a cook would put down his cookbook for a musical score!
Jiang Feng remained calm.
But seeing everyone’s enthusiasm, he picked up his violin again and played a complete version of "Nocturne."
This time, the pace was much slower. The melody was sweet and captivating, its sound clear and resonant. Listening to it was a great pleasure.
Once "Nocturne" ended, Jiang Feng began to pack up, insisting on leaving no matter what.
Sun Zhuangfei helped him.
"Boss, you can play the violin too? That was so professional!" he said, slightly admiringly.
"I practiced for a while in the past," Jiang Feng replied nonchalantly.
It wasn’t easy to explain.
Jiang Feng had only received the reward for this one instrument, but playing it this time felt quite good.
At that moment, Jiang Feng said to Sun Zhuangfei, "Tomorrow is the last day for the stall. Just one more day of hard work. The number of people who came was beyond my expectations. Everyone loves a bit of excitement."
Sun Zhuangfei nodded and said, "Don’t worry, Boss. I’ll definitely do my best."
"Before my Sichuan restaurant opens, I’ll still set up a stall. You can work with me then too, and you’ll be paid well."
"Thank you, Boss," Sun Zhuangfei replied.
Jiang Feng headed back with Sun Zhuangfei.
The day’s street vending had ended, but the buzz on the internet was just beginning.
Many people had captured Jiang Feng playing the violin. Although it wasn’t enough to trend, the video quickly spread among Jiang Feng’s patrons.
「Hongshan Park Residents Group」
This was the first place Jiang Feng had set up his stall, and the residents in the group would occasionally chat.
An older woman posted Jiang Feng’s video in the group. "Look, isn’t that Executive Chef Jiang? He’s performing on the streets of Chengdu now!"
The lady’s news tended to be exaggerated.
The other residents promptly responded, "Executive Chef Jiang is trending in Chengdu! He’s selling steak at his stall there. It’s super popular, and he even provides a violin performance!"
"The skill level is pretty impressive!"
"He’s also a talented man!"
"Haven’t seen him in so long! I’ll go find him specifically next time I’m in Chengdu!"
"The performance is quite nice, very pleasant to listen to!"
The patrons’ group was abuzz with conversation.
In Jiangyue Terrace Shandong Cuisine Restaurant, the chefs in the kitchen also chatted among themselves.
"Our boss is really something, isn’t he? He can even play the violin!"
"That’s why he’s the boss!"
"It sounded quite good."
"Our boss really is incredible!"
Jiang Feng’s video had its moment of fame.
At this time, Jiang Feng was at home preparing dinner.
He was making escargot for Little Black. Having mastered the method, it was time to try it out, and the snails he ordered had just arrived today.
Little Black was waiting quietly by his side. It knew that Jiang Feng was preparing dinner and was waiting to eat.
The snail preparation method was not complicated: first, they were soaked in cold water. Then, the snail meat was stir-fried with scallions, ginger, and garlic. Beef bone broth was added, and it was stewed for an hour. Finally, the snail meat and seasoning were stuffed back into the shells, sealed with butter, and baked in the oven. And just like that, they were ready.
Making them required patience and careful attention.
Jiang Feng prepared eight large escargots. He was sometimes busy at the stove, sometimes playing with Little Black, and occasionally scrolling through short videos.
He saw the video of himself playing the violin and, in a split-second, his finger swiftly scrolled up, dismissing the video. There was no hesitation, as if he had made a firm decision. For him, that was already in the past.
Jiang Feng just wanted to be a steady chef, making different types of cuisine. The more he delved into the culinary arts, the more he realized its profoundness—it was impossible to learn it all.
As for music, let bygones be bygones.
Amidst his work, the escargot was soon ready.
Jiang Feng picked up a large escargot and used a fork to pry out the meat. It was a large piece of snail meat, about as wide as the opening of a sports drink bottle. The one Jiang Feng made was full of garlic flavor, very garlicky.
He put the snail meat in his mouth and savored it carefully. The texture of the snail meat was similar to that of river snails. It was firm, with a slight graininess, and very chewy.
Having been stewed in beef bone broth and then baked with garlic paste in the oven, the snail meat had thoroughly absorbed all the flavors. Chewing it allowed one to taste the aroma of various seasonings.
It tasted pretty good.
Little Black looked at Jiang Feng eagerly.
Noticing its pitiful little eyes, Jiang Feng picked up an escargot, forked it, and fed it to the dog.
If Jiang Feng’s patrons saw this, they would probably go crazy. You’re actually feeding escargots to a dog? To a dog?!
However, this scene naturally would not be seen by the patrons. A chef’s dog was certainly treated well.
Little Black excitedly ate the snail. But as soon as it was in its mouth, it realized something was off.
This lump of meat, why is it hard? And the taste of the garlic paste is so strong!
Little Black kept its mouth tightly shut and glanced at Jiang Feng with raised eyes. Seeing Jiang Feng wasn’t looking, it gave a little grimace and spat out the snail meat.
"What the—you’re so picky now you won’t even eat large snails?" Jiang Feng remarked, noticing this.
Little Black immediately lowered its head and rubbed against Jiang Feng’s trouser leg.
"Okay, I’ll give you canned food later."
Jiang Feng swept the snail meat into the trash can with a broom and dustpan. That piece of snail meat was now wasted.
Who would have thought Little Black wouldn’t eat it!
Jiang Feng himself, however, was enjoying them quite a bit.
Snail meat didn’t quite fit the typical Chinese dining style. The reason was simple: in France, eating was about savoring food slowly. They believed that fine food should be enjoyed gradually in a peaceful and comfortable setting. So, even with very small portions of meat, they could enjoy it immensely. In China, however, the emphasis was on hearty, satisfying meals with plenty of meat and fish. Moreover, there was an innumerable variety of exquisite meats available.
Snail meat? What was there to eat in that? The portions were small, and it was fussy to prepare. At most, people might order river snails at a barbecue to have with their drinks.
Jiang Feng was just eating for novelty’s sake. Thanks to his cooking, the texture of the snail meat was quite good. Chewing big mouthfuls, it had a certain unique taste. As for the inherent flavor of the snails, it was actually quite similar to that of river snails. But since they were much larger, the sensation in the mouth was completely different.
Hmm, not bad.
Jiang Feng ate the snails along with freshly steamed, large white buns. He liked eating the hand-kneaded buns he steamed himself. The buns had a chewy texture. They felt substantial when chewed. Also, since he added milk while kneading the dough, the buns were slightly sweet.
Jiang Feng was also skilled at steaming buns; he had steamed them before when he sold baozi in the mountains. Stories about his buns were still circulating in the temple.
After finishing the snails and buns and drinking a bottle of juice, Jiang Feng went to feed Little Black again. He prepared canned meat and milk for it, and Little Black ate heartily.
Life was very leisurely.
There was just one more day of selling steak at the stall. There was no need to rush. He would prepare and marinate the beef and chicken thighs he’d bought in the morning, then head to the food street in the afternoon.
The food street had been exceptionally lively for the past few days. Many people came when they heard about it. The crowd on the last day was even more incredible; it was almost as if a concert was about to take place. He heard that people had started queuing in the morning, and there were even several delivery guys holding spots in line for others. It showed just how enthusiastic people were.
Around five in the afternoon, the food truck arrived and was immediately surrounded by the crowd. Before long, the oil on the griddle heated up, emitting a series of SIZZLES.
Another wonderful day of business began.
"Boss Jiang, we’re here again!"
"Make more today!"
"Are you leaving tomorrow?"
"Where will you set up your stall next time? Give us a heads-up, will you!"
The customers greeted him one after another.
No way I’m giving an advance notice, Jiang Feng thought. This scene is too much; it’s better to keep a low profile. Previously, it was mostly just eager customers lining up, but now all sorts of curious onlookers have arrived. The situation could easily get out of control. So, it’s better to just run the stall quietly. The main thing is, this whole gimmick was too much. Roadside steaks, a young guy in a suit, also playing the violin... Anyone hearing about it would have to come check it out. What kind of setup even was this, to come up with such a novel way of street vending? Strange things weren’t uncommon, but when it reached this level of pure curiosity-seeking, there had to be something more to it. Thankfully, this week of street vending is finally coming to an end. I can finally relax a bit.