As a result, Master Ge, who had a good appetite, finished half a pot of copper pot fish by himself.
As for the remaining half, Zhang Shou ate more than half, and the two young students from Cangzhou ate the other half. Moreover, compared with Zhang Shou who looked calm, and Ge Yong who was eating happily despite the spicy food, the two of them were in tears. Fortunately, there were soup and vegetarian dishes to relieve the spiciness, otherwise they would not know how to continue.
The guest who had started to make bold comments, however, smelled an unusual fragrance from the neighboring table and boldly stood up to take a peek at the copper pot fish on Zhang Shou's table. He then called the shopkeeper over to question him. When he learned that a spice called chili from overseas was added to the copper pot, he immediately became unhappy.
But he endured it again and again. Seeing that Zhang Shou and Ge Yong's table was already in a mess and it was obvious that they had finished eating, he thought about how approachable the teacher and student were and had no airs, so he mustered up the courage to step forward and bow.
"Master Ge, Doctor Zhang, may I ask what kind of exotic spices are in this copper pot..."
When Zhang Shou asked Zhu Er and others to plant the peppers as soon as possible before leaving, he planned to make some noise on the way back to Beijing, just like asking Xu Ba to sell rice noodles with peppers at the Cangzhou dock. So, when someone came to ask him about it, he didn't feel strange at all, and of course he was very happy to answer.
"That's pepper from overseas. I got it from an old sea merchant. Although it's rare, they're now being grown on a trial basis. Not only can it be used for seasoning, but it can also remove dampness. It's the most suitable seasoning for cooking and hot pot."
Hearing what Zhang Shou said, the quick-talking guest immediately showed an even more curious expression: "Chili? There is only one character difference between it and our Huajiao Pepper. Is it because the taste is similar that they have similar names?"
"There are some similarities." Zhang Shou thought this person was quite smart for making such an association because of the word "pepper". He nodded and said, "Pepper is hot and pungent, Sichuan pepper warms the middle and dispels cold, and chili pepper dispels cold and stops diarrhea. They all have their own effects, but the taste of pepper is mild, Sichuan pepper is spicy, and chili pepper is truly spicy. And adding it to dishes can add the finishing touch."
He said with a smile: "When I was in Cangzhou before, I asked a rice noodle vendor at the dock to make rice noodles for me. Although it is just a southern snack, adding a few drops of sesame oil soaked in chili peppers makes the taste very different..."
Asking a foodie to describe food is the right person. Moreover, Zhang Shou not only knows how to eat, but also how to cook. He not only describes the indescribable seasoning effect of peppers, but also mentions potatoes, peanuts, corn, pumpkins, tomatoes... All kinds of crops that no one knew before are turned into dishes from his mouth. In the end, more than one person is salivating.
Just when this meal turned into Zhang Shou's food promotion meeting where everyone could only listen but not eat, a voice suddenly came from outside: "Excuse me, do Grand Tutor Ge and Dr. Zhang live here?"
Upon hearing this voice, not only did Zhang Shou frown slightly, but even the shopkeeper immediately frowned. Thinking that Jiang Gelao from Luheyi was still trying to pull his customers over, the latest generation of the head of the century-old shop was very unhappy. However, as the owner of this place, he had to run to the door like a gust of wind.