Kael elegantly rolled one up, took a small bite, and closed his eyes to savor it, his face full of enjoyment.
The Holy Kingdom's roast meat emphasized its natural flavor, with no extra preparation beyond salt and a few spices.
Great Xia's roast duck, however, offered such rich variety from a single food.
Before long, the entire duck on their table had been polished off.
Thorin and Kael even fought a silent duel with their chopsticks over the last piece of duck skin on the plate.
Next came kung pao chicken, deep-fried spring rolls, and sweet-and-sour pork with pineapple, dish after dish arriving in a steady stream carried by the servers.
"Chicken can actually be this tender!"
"This thing called a spring roll is crispy outside and soft inside. How amazing!"
Elder Muyu ate a fried spring roll, wanting more. The vegetarian ones were quite good.
He glanced at the table and, after hearing the server explain how it was made, pointed at the sweet-and-sour pork with pineapple on the plate.
"Fruit... can be cooked with meat?"
The Elves had always relied mainly on raw food and simple cooking, never imagining there could be so many ways to prepare food.
He wanted a taste, but the meat made him hesitate.
Although the Goddess of Nature had not forbidden the Elves from eating meat, they were accustomed to a vegetarian diet and living alongside animals, and could never quite bring themselves to do it.
Thorin cared about none of that, his face rapturous as he ate.
Where in their underground world could they find anything this delicious?
Delicious!
He loved it!
At the next table, the Half-Orcs crowded around a large platter of fried chicken, their mouths greasy as they grunted with happiness.
"This is called fried chicken? So Great Xia's