"In the rules of eating, flavor is everything. Chinese people have never constrained themselves to a boring list of foods. With their understanding of food, people seek inspiration for transformation through constant experimentation. The most exquisite and representative of these is soybeans. In terms of protein provision, soybean food is the only plant-based ingredient that can compete with meat."
"Soy milk, tofu, dried tofu, bean sprouts, fermented black beans, bean paste, fermented bean curd... These are all delicious products transformed from soybeans. They are almost everywhere in China and appear on the tables of hundreds of millions of people."
"Shinji is at it again. It's amazing that he can find so many delicious things."
Tsuruya, who was sitting in front of the TV, praised the soup while drinking it.
It was obvious that the Matou family was watching the video sent by Shinji while eating. This has become a family habit.
The first time we received a videotape, the whole family couldn't wait to open it, and ended up drooling over the delicious food and various eating scenes. The label on the videotape, "A Bite of China Episode 1," turned out to be a serialized program, with a second, third, and even more episodes to come. So starting from the second episode, the whole family would prepare food in advance to avoid getting hungrier the more they watched.
"One, two, three, four, five..." Fujino counted on his fingers, "China actually has so many soy products?"
"There are indeed so many, and the ones in the DV are not all of them."
Wu Hui has been traveling in Taiwan for a long time and has a good understanding of Chinese cuisine. Whenever her family asks her questions, she will answer them. Although they may not be accurate, the directions are mostly correct.
"There are many kinds of tofu. I have eaten stinky tofu, fragrant tofu, fried tofu, tofu fruit..."
"I only know one dish, Mapo Tofu."
Elsa's perception is also the first impression of Chinese cuisine for many Japanese people.
Why it turned out like this, Shinji still doesn't understand. Sichuan cuisine has more than one signature dish, and the taste of mapo tofu is not suitable for Japan, which mainly prefers light food - tofu with green onions is more suitable.
"Don't just watch TV, eat your food. Chinese tofu is good, and our Japanese tofu is not bad either. Sakura's cooking standards are really getting better and better." Tofu was played on the TV screen, and Kariya also picked up a piece of tofu, put it in his mouth, and chewed it slowly.
Tofu is not only a traditional Chinese delicacy, but also a common guest on Japanese tables. It has also developed a unique flavor according to local conditions, namely Japanese tofu. Pan-fried Japanese tofu is Sakura's specialty. At this time, Sakura was watching Shinji eating crab roe tofu on TV with a smile.
My brother is eating tofu and I am eating tofu too, hehe, we have a good understanding.
In general, the atmosphere of the Matou family is much better than that of the clock tower. Because of the origins of Japan and China, its own food culture is already at the forefront of the world, and its resistance in this regard is much stronger, unlike the UK, which is the hardest hit area for dark cuisine. Well, in London, Shinji, who doesn't usually cook, cooks for himself. As long as Shinji cooks, Weber will follow Shinji to eat.
By the way, when Waver was still in Fuyuki, he said: "I thought British food was pretty good, until I went to Japan..." It can be seen that the lethality of British food is terrible.
But soon, Sakura couldn't hold back her smile, because Elquet appeared at the end of the DV - the DV seen by the Matou family was the most complete version, which came with the greetings that Shinji specially recorded in the small world.
This time the recording was done in Elquet's little world, which included a scene where Elquet and Shinji were fighting over food at the dining table.
Why didn't I go with them in the first place? Sakura pouted, and Kirie, Fujino and the others also showed similar expressions.
◇◇◇
"Is today's theme Hunan cuisine?"
In the unknown area sealed inside the Mooncell, Altira closed his eyes and read the information scattered in the air.
Because it is a fictional world of spirit particles, the way of filming and presenting is very different from the real world. The real world is through a camera, while the fictional world of spirit particles directly reproduces Shinji's memory. To be more precise, Shinji digitizes his own memory, then copies the required part, and then projects it out for Altira to read.
It sounds complicated, but it is not that difficult for Shinji who has the ability to manipulate spirit particles. Altira taught him a few times and Shinji learned it.
The reason for this operation is very simple. When talking about food, Shinji said that he couldn't express the deliciousness with words, and it would be better if he could let you see it. Altira said that this is very simple, you can directly show the information, so he taught Shinji some spirit particle operation skills, opening up a new direction for Shinji to explore the third magic.
"That's right. In today's China, every city looks very similar. Only the eating habits can be a label that distinguishes it from other places."
Shinji copied his olfactory memory from the kitchen, and immediately a fiery spicy aroma filled the entire stone chamber.
"Hunan cuisine is spicy and fragrant. The 'fragrant' mainly comes from the oil, and the 'spicy' mainly comes from the chili peppers. Unlike Huaiyang cuisine, which requires careful savoring, 'Hunan cuisine' is like a bomb. It immediately imprints a strong regional style in your mouth in a powerful way, making you never forget it."
"Um... "
A blush appeared on Altira's cheeks, which was a symptom of being stimulated by the extreme spiciness.
"It's really powerful, and it's somewhat similar to the smell in my dream. I like this smell."
The Huns were a nomadic people, and their diet also tended to be strong and spicy, so it's no wonder that Altira liked it.
"It would be best if you like it."
Shinji smiled knowingly.
Food culture is also a kind of civilization. When you say you like it, it means that your identity as a weapon of civilization destruction is no longer pure. Although it is just a seed now, Shinji believes that one day this seed will grow into a towering tree.
"Speaking of which, I have also learned how to cook a few Hunan dishes, but unfortunately I don't have the ingredients, otherwise I could make them for you to taste."
"Raw materials...really? What kind of raw materials?" Altira asked.
"It's the ones you see—"
"Ah, those words..."
Altira put his hands on his chest and blew gently. It was a breath full of spirit particles, and the white light kept changing in it, and finally woven a stove, kitchen utensils, and various ingredients around Shinji. Everything was the same as what Shinji saw.
"What is this?" Shinji was stunned.
"This is a reproduction of the spiritual information in your memory. It may be slightly different from the real thing, but I have done my best to make it more realistic. I hope it will be useful."
Shinji picked up a kitchen knife, played with it a few times, and muttered to himself.
"Yes, this is a fictional world of spirit particles. Everything is based on spirit particles. As long as there is enough information, anything can be reproduced, even finished dishes - no, forget it, that way Altira won't be able to appreciate the beauty of cooking."
"Um... can't it be used?" Altira looked at Shinji with expectant eyes.
"No, it's great."
Shinji stuck the kitchen knife into the chopping board and began to manipulate the spirit particles. In a flash of blue light, he was wearing a chef's uniform.
"Please wait a moment, beautiful lady. We will prepare a feast for you."
Altira, I will make you say that sentence again - "Cooking is a good civilization."