Li Du looked at the underground food city on his tiptoes and sighed. "It's really big here, and there are so many people."
"After all, it used to be the largest bomb shelter in Seattle," Lu Guan said with a smile.
During World War II, a large bomb shelter was built under Park Square. After the war ended, the shelter was renovated several times, but there were no good projects.
Later, the government gave up control of the place, and gradually it became a gathering place for homeless people.
Homeless people also needed to eat, so some low-end food trucks came here to provide cheap, high-calorie food.
Seattle was originally a second-tier city. Later, it seized the opportunity of the Internet and gradually developed. Many Internet giants settled here, and many young people came to find work and live here.
These people were the world's first IT men. At that time, the Internet boom had not yet appeared, and the wages were very low. They had to find ways to save money.
In terms of food, they gradually discovered the cheap food in the underground square and came here to buy food.
The homeless people came from all over the United States and even the world. There were white, black, yellow, African, Japanese, Chinese, European, Middle Eastern, South American, and so on.
They came from all over the world, and brought with them food from all over the world. The IT men also came from all over the United States. The food tastes were complicated, but no matter what style of food they liked, they could always find it here.
Over time, as the IT men began to make money from the Internet, they became rich, and their tastes began to become picky.
Subtly, the stalls gradually upgraded, the vendors and chefs began to pay attention to hygiene, and also began to introduce some relatively high-grade food.
This attracted more diners, and the underground food city formed a virtuous cycle: more and more people came to eat, the more money the vendors made, the more money they had to improve the food environment, the more attractive it was, and more people came to eat …
In the end, a strange underground food city was formed. Food vendors and their followers changed the traditional market, creating an independent food carnival night.
Today, the underground food city not only had food, but also music performances.
It used to be a gathering place for homeless people, but now it had become a nest for homeless singers and artists. They could enjoy some discounts in the food city, and even exchange food for their skills.
For example, wandering singers could sing at a booth. As long as the boss was satisfied, he would treat them to a meal.
There were also wandering artists. They would find a place to set up a painting rack and paint portraits for the diners to earn money. While the diners were waiting, they would buy some snacks and drinks to kill time.
Therefore, this helped the stall owners increase their business. In return, the stall owners would treat them to food and drinks.
There were even some stalls that cooperated with these wandering artists. Some outstanding wandering singers would stay in certain stalls. In addition to providing food and drinks, these bosses would also pay them some money.
Li Du walked through the crowd and looked around casually. He felt that it was quite interesting.
Chinese food was very popular in the Underground Gourmet City because it was quick to prepare and high in calories. Eating such food on a winter night would make people feel satisfied instinctively.
Li Du held a stir-fried pork belly in his hand and then heard a familiar Northeastern accent. "Come on, buddy, don't stand on ceremony. I'll give you a big skewer. And this, this is the treasure in the palm. It's the best. Eat it..."
He looked through the crowd and saw a young man busy behind the barbecue stall. There were several people standing in front of the grill. He was serving an old black man in ragged clothes.
The old black man looked like a homeless man. His hair was messy, his beard was messy, his clothes were messy, his skin was rough, and his hands were calloused.
The old man was holding some meat skewers in his hand. Although he did not understand Chinese, he could understand what the stall owner meant. He chewed and shook his head. "OK, OK, thank you, buddy. I have enough. This is enough for me. You are a good man. God bless a good man. I don't want it anymore. Go help others. May God bless you."
Li Du walked over and ordered a few big skewers. The young man looked up at him and smiled. "Chinese?"
"Yes," Li Du replied in Mandarin. "Are you from the Northeast?"
The young man took off his gloves and extended his hand to him. The smile on his face was even brighter. "Yes, that Gada. Haha, nice to meet you. You ordered quite a lot. My skewer is big. Can you finish it?"
Li Du pointed behind him and said, "You have a big skewer, but I have a lot of people. My surname is Li. How should I address you?"
"Yang Dong. Because I was born in the winter, my dad wanted to save trouble, haha, so he gave me this name," the young man laughed.
He was obviously very happy to see his compatriot. He quickly went to clear a small table and invited Li Du to sit down. "Come, buddy. Sit down and have two cups. I'll give you a discount."
Li Du smiled. "I thought you would treat me. I saw that you invited that old man just now, right?"
Yang Dong rubbed his nose and said, "Hey, you look like a rich man. Why would you care about a meal like this? Hehe, that old man is a homeless man. I don't want to earn money from homeless people. When I first came to Seattle, I was homeless too. I know it's not good. I'll help out if I can. "
His skewers were big and tasty, which suited American tastes. Soon, there was a queue in front of the stall.
Yang Dong pointed at him and said, "Old man, you eat now. I'm going to get busy. Let's talk later."
Li Du poured a glass of beer and gestured for him to make himself at home. This guy's personality was very similar to that of his Northeastern classmate. They were outgoing, generous, and straightforward.
After a while, Yang Dong came back, pulled up his pants, and sat down. After pouring himself a glass of beer, he asked, "Are you in America for a vacation or are you staying here permanently?"
Li Du thought for a while and said, "How should I put it? I'm not in Seattle. I came here for work. I usually stay in Los Angeles. I have a green card, but I don't have American citizenship. My residence is still in my hometown. "
Yang Dong rubbed his nose again and said, "You did the right thing, old man. You're in Los Angeles? City of Angels is a big city. I wanted to go there, but it's not easy. "
Li Du asked while eating, "Why not? You don't speak English well? "
Yang Dong said, "Hey, my English is fine. Otherwise, why would I leave my hometown and come to America? The reason why I keep speaking in my hometown is because I like to speak it. Secondly, it gives me a sense of home. Thirdly, it's a promotional method to let customers know that I cook authentic Chinese food. "
"I said it's not easy. Sigh, it's boring. There won't be any good job opportunities there. At least I have a place to sell skewers here in Seattle. What about going to Los Angeles? I can't possibly sell skewers too, haha. "
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