Shark Fin Rice (This Product Contains No Shark)
That was fine, then. Skadi had still harbored some misgivings, but seeing those words put her at ease. She sat down peacefully as Kallen across from her picked up the menu.
"The first customers after the rain stopped. The kitchen wasn't flooded, so everything on the menu is available."
The waitress had short sheep horns and seemed to be a college student working part-time. It was her first time earning money through a work-study job, and she was a little nervous. Two dripping-wet customers walking in like this made her think of certain ghost stories.
"Shark fin rice, shrimp dumplings, fish ball noodles..."
"Can you finish all that?"
Skadi looked over the menu as well and could not help asking.
"I have a big appetite, so don't worry about wasting food. Add a bowl of imitation shark fin soup... and six egg tarts."
The waitress lowered her head and checked off the items on the menu.
This whole spread did not cost much. As the host, Kallen naturally paid without hesitation. The soggy Lungmen Dollars were difficult to count, so she simply tossed out a stack.
She could estimate the amount from its thickness. Having counted money at the shrine every day, she had long since gotten the hang of it.
The shark fin was transparent and vermicelli-like—or rather, it was simply a bowl of vermicelli. It had no flavor of its own, relying entirely on the rich freshness extracted into the golden broth.
Vermicelli was an excellent carrier. It absorbed water rather well.
"The flavor of seafood boiled into the broth is all purines. If ordinary people drank this too often, they'd probably get gout."
Skadi offered her assessment.
Still, it did taste quite good.
The shrimp dumplings were soft with