Have You... Never Eaten Food Made by Humans?

Everything was ready.

Braised beef with potatoes, Secret Recipe Fried Fish, hot and sour shredded potatoes, Light Oil Blanched Cabbage, Nourishing Black Chicken Soup, sweet and sour meatballs, Minced Pork Fried Vermicelli, Scrambled Eggs with Tomatoes.

They were all home-cooked dishes Lin Li had often made on Earth. Seven dishes and one soup were a bit much for four people, more than ordinary people could finish. But for the mutated Lin Li, this was nothing. He had made generous portions of everything, figuring that once Cisco, Caitlin, and Wells were full, it would be time for him to sweep through the rest. That was how Lin Li had always planned it, so he had made far too much. Only when dinner began did he realize how naive he had been...

In foreign countries, wasting food was considered deeply shameful. When eating at a restaurant, it was best to order only what you could finish instead of ordering a mountain of food at once. Waste would earn you their contempt, especially for people from home planning to go abroad.

Six in the evening.

Right on time, all three arrived at Lin Li's door. Cisco knocked, and Lin Li let them in.

"Lin Li, this is going to be your second home. I suggest you add some decorations."

Cisco looked around Lin Li's residence. It felt cold and lifeless, filled entirely with metal objects, without the slightest sense of home. He made the suggestion.

"I agree with Cisco."

Dr. Wells nodded in agreement. It was too cold and gave people a distant feeling.

"I don't mind. I don't think I'll be staying here long anyway."

Lin Li smiled.

Caitlin, who entered last, carried a bottle of champagne.

Caitlin smiled somewhat awkwardly. "I'm sorry for misunderstanding you. This bottle of Krug Pink Champagne is one I like. Please accept it as an apology."

Lin Li accepted the champagne and teased, "I accept it, beautiful lady. Please come in."

Lin Li made a gentlemanly welcoming gesture and led them to the dining table.

The round table was packed with strange dishes, opening their eyes.

Each person had a small bowl in front of them, with a spoon inside, as well as a plate, knife and fork, and chopsticks. Considering that they were abroad and might not know how to use chopsticks, he had also provided the usual local dining utensils.

Lin Li poured everyone a bowl of black chicken soup. Knowing they ate meat without spitting out bones, he had removed every bone from the black chicken. He had tenderized the chicken, then simmered it with goji berries, red dates, and bits of medicinal herbs. The rich fragrance of chicken mixed with the faint herbal scent, instantly refreshing anyone who smelled it and whetting their appetite.

Yet they merely stared at it without moving.

Cisco was the first to point at the black chicken soup. "Lin Li, this soup has a strange smell. Are you sure it's edible? For starters, we don't have your mutated constitution."

Wells and Caitlin also looked at him doubtfully. Every dish on the table looked different from their own food culture, making them somewhat reluctant to accept it. But in America, where personal choices were respected, they had decided that even if they had to force themselves, they would eat a little to show goodwill. After all, Lin Li had spent an entire afternoon preparing so many dishes.

"There aren't that many rules at an Eastern dining table. Drink the soup first to aid digestion, then eat the dishes and rice. By the way, do you know how to use chopsticks?"

Lin Li did not answer directly. He simply explained the dining rules—or rather, the lack of them.

He picked up his own bowl, blissfully drank the chicken soup, and ate the chicken. He nearly cried. It had been so damn hard. Since crossing into The Flash, today was the first time he had truly eaten food normal people ate. Burgers, fries, chicken nuggets, pizza—they could all get the hell out of here.

The others stared blankly at Lin Li, who was immersed in his own world. Was there really any need to be so intoxicated? It was just a bowl of soup and a few pieces of black chicken.

None of the three dared to move at first. In the end, Caitlin, who still felt slightly apologetic, made the first move.

Wells and Cisco watched Caitlin, their pioneer warrior, with nervous eyes.

She picked up the small bowl, scooped up half a spoonful, and sipped it into her mouth.

Then she froze.

The rich flavor of the soup burst across her mouth. The aroma of chicken blended with a faint herbal taste she could not understand, leaving a lingering fragrance on her teeth and lips. As the soup slid down her throat, warmth spread from her stomach, leaving her whole body pleasantly warm.

This was bad. They should not have let Caitlin eat first. She was a biology expert, practically half a doctor. If she got poisoned, no one here could save her.

Cisco watched Caitlin's frozen expression and nervously began planning. An ambulance would need around fifteen minutes to reach STAR Labs...

What happened next stunned both Cisco and Wells even more. With a slurp, Caitlin actually drank straight from the bowl in a thoroughly impolite manner, making audible sipping sounds. After finishing the soup, she used her spoon to pick up pieces of black chicken and send them into her mouth, her eyes wide as her lips moved while she swallowed the chicken.

The chicken was tender and smooth. With a light bite, it slipped down her throat. Caitlin's swallowing sounds, on the other hand, were extraordinarily loud, startling Cisco and Wells. They had never seen Caitlin pay so little attention to etiquette.

"Oh my God."

Caitlin's eyes were wider than ever as she spoke in shock.

"I've never had soup with such a unique flavor, or chicken this delicious. Oh my God."

Seeing Caitlin's exaggerated praise,

Cisco and Wells also hesitantly picked up their bowls and gave it a try.

"Oh my God..."

"Oh my God..."

In the end, Lin Li gained two more cries of "Oh my God"...

At that moment, they began eagerly anticipating the colorful dishes before them.

"If you want to appreciate the charm of Chinese cuisine, you need to learn how to use chopsticks. But there's no rush. I believe you'll master them quickly for the sake of good food."

Seeing them praise his cooking so highly, Lin Li felt genuinely happy.

After finishing his soup, Cisco looked at the dishes before him with immense anticipation. "You just use those two bamboo sticks to pick food up and put it in your mouth? That's easy, brother."

After saying that, Cisco grabbed the chopsticks in his right hand. First, he clenched both sticks in his fist, then switched to pinching them with his middle finger. Finally, while trying to maneuver them with his fingertips, both chopsticks fell onto the table.

"Looks like it's not that easy."

Cisco nodded and said firmly to Caitlin and Wells.

Lin Li smiled. "It's easy. Watch me."

Then Lin Li picked up the serving chopsticks with his right hand, placed a piece of fish in his bowl, and calmly picked it up to eat.

When Lin Li bit into the crispy fish, the fragrant taste of fish spread along with a tingling crunch, making the others salivate.

Wells said with a helpless smile, "Okay, Lin Li, that aroma is far too tempting. It looks incredibly delicious. We can't wait any longer. Please teach us how to use the dining method from your hometown, so we can taste the food of that magical Eastern country."

"Help yourselves. I know you aren't used to chopsticks, so I prepared knives and forks too. There are serving spoons or forks for the dishes on the table. Just put whatever you want on your own plate."

Lin Li smiled and picked up a serving spoon, demonstrating by scooping some Scrambled Eggs with Tomatoes onto his plate to eat.

What followed was a series of shocked exclamations.

"Oh my God, what are these yellow things? They're soft but not sticky, and the beef smells so good."

"That's potato."

"Oh my God, this is a miracle. I keep eating this fish and can't stop. My lips are trembling, and I can't stop eating. This is too amazing."

"You ate too much chili."

"Oh my God, what are these strips? What?! They're potatoes? Potatoes can't possibly taste this good. Sour, spicy, and refreshing!"

When others endlessly praised the dishes he had cooked, even eating in shock without the slightest concern for manners, it was undoubtedly the greatest recognition and praise for someone who cooked. Their expressions and the way they ate filled Lin Li with heartfelt joy. He watched them smilingly as they fought over food and answered their amazed questions.

When Caitlin tasted the sweet and sour meatballs, she was stunned.

She directly pulled the entire plate of sweet and sour meatballs in front of herself and declared possession. "This plate is mine. None of you are allowed to take it."

Cisco was equally unabashed as he pulled the whole plate of Minced Pork Fried Vermicelli before himself. "I'm claiming this plate of vermicelli."

Seeing the two act like that, Dr. Wells was deeply disappointed. He coughed twice awkwardly, then silently dragged the braised beef with potatoes closer to himself.

The fried fish had been finished long ago, with only a few pieces per person. Most of the hot and sour shredded potatoes had gone into Dr. Wells's stomach. Only scattered bits of the scrambled eggs and cabbage remained. Finally, Caitlin directly picked up the Scrambled Eggs with Tomatoes and poured it, sauce and all, over her sweet and sour meatballs, declaring that the scrambled eggs were gone too.

Lin Li was dumbfounded. Had they... never eaten food made by humans?