Chinese people at home and abroad often had the same obsession with "game." Everyone believed that whether it was flying in the sky, running on the ground, or swimming in the water, wild ones were healthier, more nutritious, and the finished products were more "fresh." For example, the same chicken, which was said to be free-range in rural areas, was much more expensive than chickens from farms, and was more sought after. People were willing to pay more than two or three times the price to buy the former … Some people even bought or poached national protected wild animals in order to taste fresh food and ended up in prison.
The butcher shops in San Francisco's Chinatown were no exception. They also used wild boar and wild venison as a gimmick to attract customers.
Boar was a wild boar. It was just a different name in different places.
The fragrance in the butcher shop was a little sweet, and people couldn't help but think of chicken and duck skin that had been roasted until it was crisp and oily.
The plump roast turkey and roast duck hung naked on the iron hooks, as if tempting people to commit a crime.
In addition, there were freshly baked suckling pig and barbecued pork, and the heat was just right.
These cooked products were different shades of caramel, and the lights in the shop were bright, warm yellow. The combination of the two colors made it look like a carnivore's paradise.
To be precise, this kind of shop was called a barbecue shop locally, but it was different from the domestic barbecue shop in Cantonese cuisine in terms of business scope and production methods. It was improved to suit a wider range of tastes. For example, there was basically no barbecue shop that sold roast turkey, but there was one here.
This shop mainly sold cooked food, and in order to expand its business, it also sold raw meat.
The elfins kept drooling. Fortunately, they entered invisibly. Otherwise, such a shop would absolutely not allow pets to enter. What if they ran away with a roast turkey in their mouth?
There were a lot of customers in the shop, mainly middle-aged and elderly Chinese. At a glance, they all had black hair and yellow skin. There were only a few foreigners, so Zhang Zian, who entered the shop, was inconspicuous.
Most of the customers spoke Cantonese, and the staff responded in Cantonese. If they didn't know that this was Chinatown, they would almost think that they had come to Hong Kong, Macao, or Guangdong.
Richard pinched his shoulder hard, meaning: Hurry up and let go of my mouth. It's time for me to show my face.
Zhang Zian was unmoved. The staff here must also speak Mandarin and English, so there would be no barriers to communication.
The other elfins were dazzled by all kinds of cooked food. Only Snowy Lionet stuck its face to the glass of the refrigerator and kept swallowing saliva at the various kinds of raw meat in the glass.
The shop assistants were all busy collecting money, weighing, chopping meat, and responding to the customers' bargaining. They wouldn't take the initiative to greet the customers, so Zhang Zian could take his time to look around.
At that moment, a short, white-haired Chinese lady walked into the shop with her hands behind her back, carrying a basket of vegetables. She walked straight to the raw meat counter with ease, as if she was a regular customer of the shop.
"Handsome boy, is this venison really wild? I'm old, don't lie to me! My son and daughter-in-law came to visit me with my grandson. I want to make garlic venison for them to eat! " She asked the young male teller. She spoke in thick old-fashioned Cantonese, which Zhang Zian could barely understand. He could only guess what she was saying based on her expression and tone.
"Our shop is honest with both the old and the young. You are also a regular customer of our shop. Do you still not trust us? Don't worry! How much do you want to weigh? "The shop assistant also replied in Cantonese, but his accent wasn't that strong. It could be considered half Cantonese and half Mandarin.
The old lady was still worried. "What kind of deer is it? You have to make it clear to me. Is it sika deer? Only sika deer meat is the most nutritious. Don't fool me with mule deer and elk meat! "
The deer called "elk" in North America was not the unique and rare animal in China. Its real name was red deer. It was just that it was often called "elk" and everyone was used to it. Anyway, in the United States, this kind of deer was called "elk". There was even an important automobile safety standard called "elk test."
Sika deer were native to East Asia, but the United States had also introduced sika deer. Because of the suitable environment, there were a lot of them. In addition to being used as meat, sika deer antlers were also exported to South Korea in large quantities. It was a very popular commodity for South Koreans. The antlers of other deer were not as valuable as those of sika deer.
As for the meat of sika deer, although there was no scientific basis, the older generation of Chinese only favored the meat of sika deer. They all thought that the meat of other deer had no magical nourishing effect.
The shop assistant said impatiently, "Oh! Of course, it's sika deer! This batch of meat has just arrived, and the quantity is not much. It's very rare. If you don't buy it, it will be snatched up soon! For the sake of you being a regular customer, I specially left it for you! "
The old lady was finally persuaded. "Then … give me a pound."
"Oh! Your son, son, and eldest grandson are all here. Children have a big appetite. How can one pound be enough? Give me two pounds! "The shop assistant promoted in a timely manner.
"Two pounds … two pounds is two pounds. You can weigh more for me. I am a regular customer …" The old lady glanced at the label and took out her wallet with distress. If it weren't for her baby grandson, she wouldn't have spent money to buy such expensive wild venison.
"Hey! Granny, you also came to buy meat? "
Another Chinese pushed the door and came in. This was a middle-aged woman in her 40s or 50s. She was dressed more fashionably. She wore conspicuous gold rings on her fingers. Her hair was dyed, and her skin was well maintained.
"Yes, yes, my son and daughter-in-law came to visit me with my grandson. I want to cook for them!" The old lady said happily. She couldn't wait to tell everyone that her son and daughter-in-law had come to visit her.
The two seemed to be acquaintances who had known each other for a long time. When they met, they would chat endlessly.
The shop assistant had dealt with all kinds of customers. She knew that a shrewd and stingy old lady like this was the most difficult to deal with. If she didn't weigh the meat in front of her, she might suspect that the meat was short or that the cut was not good. It was very troublesome, so she went to greet other customers first.
The middle-aged woman glanced at the refrigerator next to her and advised, "Granny, you're not young anymore. You should take care of yourself. Just buy ready-made roast turkey and roast suckling pig. Don't mess around."
The old lady smiled and waved her hand. "Oh, my eldest grandson doesn't like turkey and suckling pig. He likes the garlic venison I made the most. He can eat two more bowls of rice every time! My body is still strong. It doesn't matter! "
The middle-aged woman frowned and quietly pulled her away from the counter. She whispered, "Granny, you still dare to eat venison? Didn't you hear the CDC say on TV that venison is not safe recently, especially wild venison! "
After the two of them moved away from the counter, they happened to be close to Zhang Zian. Although their voices were low, they were heard by him.
You've already exceeded your reading limit for today. If you want to read more, please log in.
Login
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
