A Principled Foodie, Cannot Settle For Less

The Fat Old Man held a wild chicken, but the grilling spot was too close to the flames, and he was too slow to flip it.

You have to understand, grilling food over a fire is completely different from a barbecue stall. Barbecue stalls use specially made charcoal that's easy to light, has even heat, and most importantly, produces no smoke.

But firewood, on the other hand, has uneven heat and a lot of smoke. This smoke is unburnt ash that rises with the flames, sticking to the chicken skin. So, before long, the wild chicken in the old man's hands turned black. It wasn't burnt, but rather covered in a layer of ash, which not only affected the taste but also made it bitter.

Even though the old man occasionally brushed on some oil, it couldn't change the fact that the ash was getting thicker and thicker. Judging by the old man's technique, it was only a matter of time before it was completely burnt.

Grilling meat over a campfire is a difficult task, something even master chefs at barbecue stalls might not do well, let alone the old man.

This was understandable. Given the old man's status, his time was incredibly precious. When would he ever cook for himself?

His culinary skills were certainly nothing to brag about, and grilling meat over a campfire was already difficult enough.

"This is a complete waste of good food!"

As a foodie, or rather, as a gourmet enthusiast with a deep understanding of fine cuisine, Yi Yun felt he couldn't stand it.

Just as he watched the old man finish grilling the chicken, sprinkle on various seasonings, and then present the smoke-blackened roast chicken to Xin Tong like a treasure.

Yi Yun felt there was no way to even start eating it!

However, Xin Tong didn't seem to mind. She said, "Thank you, Teacher," took the roast chicken, and ate it in small bites. Her lips were rosy and delicate, but after eating the roast chicken, they were soon stained black. Seeing this scene made Yi Yun's mouth twitch.

It was truly like playing a lute to a cow.

The Fat Old Man doted on his disciple, so naturally, the roast chicken he grilled was given to his disciple first. As for Yi Yun, there was no need to think; he would definitely be last. But Yi Yun was grateful nonetheless. After all, if this kind of chicken were actually sold, it would be worth a considerable amount. People like Lian Chengyu would absolutely, positively not be able to afford it.

After finishing the first chicken, the Fat Old Man started on the second.

The first one, meant for Xin Tong, was grilled with extra care. This second one was for himself, and its appearance was even worse.

Yet, the old man was quite pleased with his creation. With both chickens done, the Fat Old Man took out a pot of wine from his thumb ring. He ate the roast chicken with relish, sipping his wine noisily, and then wore an expression of enjoyment, his white beard twitching.

Then, as if remembering something, he glanced at Yi Yun and lazily said, "That one's yours. Grill it yourself. I'm not serving you anymore."

I'm speechless.

Yi Yun was speechless. Although he hadn't expected the old man to grill chicken for him, the old man had previously said, "Not many people get to taste my cooking."

Hearing that, Yi Yun had thought the old man was going to grill chicken for him. Now, it seemed that was out of the question!

If Yi Yun had to grill it himself, he didn't have much confidence either. While he had a good understanding of food, he was, after all, a modern person. With a grill and smokeless charcoal, he could definitely roast a plump, juicy chicken with a crispy exterior and tender interior.

But grilling with firewood? He really couldn't do that. The ash from the firewood was unavoidable. No matter how he flipped it, it was bound to stick to the chicken.

"Excuse me, Senior, do you have a pot?"

Yi Yun asked respectfully. As a foodie with principles, no matter how hungry or impatient he was, he absolutely could not compromise! This was the first time he had seen meat in two months, and it was such premium meat!

"Yes, I do."

The old man said, and indeed, he took out a pot from his thumb ring.

The pot was made of some unknown material, with exquisite craftsmanship and a suitable size. Yi Yun was very satisfied.

Then, Yi Yun started to get busy. He began to identify the seasonings the old man had brought out. This was a pleasant surprise for him; the seasonings were complete, including oil, salt, soy sauce, vinegar, and even a type of herbal seasoning, somewhat similar to chives and cilantro.

"Um, can I borrow some wine?" Yi Yun asked again.

"Huh? Wine? Are you planning to have a drink with me?" The old man was taken aback, then chuckled and handed the wine to Yi Yun. This kid was also a wine lover?

Although he was stingy, when it came to drinking, having a drinking companion made it more enjoyable.

He didn't particularly like the child in front of him, but it was better than nothing, especially since Xin Tong didn't drink. The Fat Old Man had been drinking alone for a year.

"Teacher!" Xin Tong said, a little exasperated. "How can you let a child drink alcohol!"

But they didn't expect Yi Yun to drain the chicken's moisture, then pour out some wine and evenly coat the chicken's body, including its cavity.

"Kid, what are you doing!"

The old man's eyes widened, and his beard bristled. This was his Thousand-Year Vintage! As a wine lover, he couldn't tolerate his precious wine being wasted.

"Cooking," Yi Yun replied, slightly taken aback, stating the obvious.

He had to admit, this wine was truly excellent, incredibly fragrant. He wondered what Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures it was brewed from. Just a sip would probably be beneficial for cultivation!

"Cooking? Wine can be used for cooking?" the Fat Old Man retorted, looking completely disbelieving.

Yi Yun paused, then suddenly understood a little.

The cooking methods in this world were likely very different from Earth.

In fact, even in China, with its incredibly rich culinary civilization, ancient cooking methods were quite limited.

During the Tang and Song dynasties, the basic ways of cooking were steaming and boiling. Whether it was vegetables or meat, they would add salt, cover the pot, and eat it once it was cooked.

As for the myriad of cooking techniques like pan-frying, stir-frying, deep-frying, braising, quick-frying, smoking, and marinating in wine, they only developed into a system after modern times brought about material abundance.

The culinary culture of each region is different. Over 80% of China's cooking methods are unique.

Even the simplest stir-fry is found only in China on the entire planet. This sounds incredible, but it's the truth.

The most complex place in terms of cooking methods on the entire planet is China, and no other place comes close.

In this otherworld, the Great Wilderness, to say nothing of it, the common people lived very hard lives. Where would they have the energy and ingredients to research cooking?

As for the wealthy cities, those rich individuals were powerful cultivators. They were engrossed in martial arts, formations, and the art of refining Savage Bones. They simply had no time to research how to cook.

Only servants from major families would study these things. The dishes they made weren't bad, after all, with the accumulation of long periods of time, they had many insights into cooking. However, within a very small, localized area, the cooking techniques were inevitably limited. It was like how many Americans probably don't know that alcohol can be used in cooking.

Yi Yun rubbed oil and soy sauce all over the chicken's body. He poured some wine into the chicken's cavity and sprinkled in some seasonings that resembled scallions and cilantro. Yi Yun had tasted this seasoning before, and judging by his foodie talent, it wouldn't be inferior to scallions or cilantro.

Next came the crucial part. Yi Yun wrapped the chicken in a clean, coarse cloth. He then put a large amount of salt into a pot, enough to bury the chicken completely. After sealing the chicken tightly, he began to steam it.

The Fat Old Man watched Yi Yun with a face full of doubt. Wrapping the chicken in so much salt? Wouldn't it be unbearably salty!

Did these poor children from the small tribe not have any salt to eat?

But even if they had no salt, they shouldn't do this. It was truly speechless. The Fat Old Man scoffed, this kid was really something else.

He continued to eat his roasted chicken, but Xin Tong stopped and curiously watched the pot Yi Yun had placed over the fire.

Slowly, a fragrance began to emanate from the pot. It was very faint; if they weren't all martial artists with keen senses, they wouldn't have been able to smell it at all.

Could such a faint aroma result in a delicious dish?

The Fat Old Man had finished his roasted chicken, licking his thick, short fingers with lingering satisfaction. Just then, Yi Yun lifted the lid of the pot, used a spoon to push aside the boiling hot salt, and took out the chicken.

A fragrant Salt Baked Chicken was thus prepared.

The moment the salt seal was broken, a refreshing aroma wafted out, making Yi Yun's mouth water.

Yi Yun was pleasantly surprised to find that he had performed exceptionally well today. Of course, the main reason was the chicken itself. This precious chicken, brimming with energy, was countless times better than the feedlot chickens on Earth.

And the wine! This was wine brewed from Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures. If you just added fermentation starter and left it for a few hundred years, it would definitely be a fine vintage worthy of the Drunken Immortal.

The combination of the two allowed Yi Yun's Salt Baked Chicken to reach an unprecedented level.

"Huh?" The old man blew on his beard, his eyes widening instantly.