Ang Lee, Chen Long, and the others continued to shop while eating the guogui in their hands. Many passers-by on the street were also eating guogui. It was a kind of delicious and cheap accessory, which was the favorite of the poor.
Because there were livestock coming and going on the street, it was inevitable that there would be animal feces. In terms of hygiene, the people of the Tang dynasty had long been familiar with all this, so they didn't feel disgusted. Moreover, the feces of cows, horses, and donkeys were all dry and didn't have a strong smell. It didn't seem to affect people's mood to eat snacks at all.
Of course, there were also staff on the street who were responsible for cleaning up the feces. They didn't get paid for this work because the feces were good fertilizer. Since they got the fertilizer, why would they ask for money? Anyway, there were a lot of people who were willing to do it for free. If they didn't do it, there would be others who would do it for them.
Since Ang Lee went out, the subordinates of the Yi Provincial Governor had been quietly following Ang Lee. They immediately sent someone back to report to the Yi Provincial Governor that Ang Lee had left the Spring Light House.
"Oh, Assistant Minister Li went to the street to eat guogui? How many coins does it cost? "
The Yi Provincial Governor was surprised.
"Isn't that so? He bought four of them in one go. He shared them with several guards. "
The subordinate said.
"Assistant Minister Li actually likes to eat guogui. What's so good about it?"
The Yi Provincial Governor said and asked his subordinate to report to the commander. Then, he went to the street in plain clothes, ready to meet Ang Lee by chance.
The guogui was very big. Although Ang Lee was holding a whole one in his hand, he definitely couldn't finish it. If he finished the whole one, he probably wouldn't have any appetite for the whole day. He could just eat a few mouthfuls to feel the taste.
Most of the passers-by also ate a small piece and put away the rest. They would eat it when they were hungry. No one could eat the whole guogui. The guogui here were very big, and no one could eat so much.
"Chen Long, what do you think of the taste of this guogui? Is it better than the guogui in the capital? "
Ang Lee put away the pot helmet in his hand and handed it to the guard behind him.
Chen Long nodded his head and said, "The smell is very fragrant, not bad. However, our capital's guokui is not bad either. Our capital's western and guokui are not inferior to this at all."
Ang Lee had eaten this Xihe Guokui before, and it was indeed delicious. Moreover, there were many interesting legends about this delicacy. First, it was said that when Qin Shi Huang unified the six states, he was constantly at war, and the supply of fodder was easily interrupted. Tens of thousands of soldiers did not have enough food to eat and were not strong enough.
Helplessly, one of the soldiers inadvertently pressed the flour into his helmet and placed it over the fire. After roasting it for a while, it was baked into a pancake. It was actually fragrant and delicious! This kind of flatbread has thin edges, thick heart, and a bulging surface. It can satisfy the hunger of the people, and can also be stored for a long time without breaking. Because it looks like a helmet, it is called Guokui.
There was another legend that said Zhuge Liang returned to Xinye in triumph. He ordered Yun Chang to be stationed at the camp. Coincidentally, the weather was dry and the fields were dry for a long time. The horses were tired and the soldiers were exhausted. What should they do? In order to stabilize the morale of the soldiers, Zhuge Liang stroked his beard and lowered his head for a moment. He immediately thought of a plan and immediately wrote a letter. Use more dry flour, mix it with a little water, and mix it into a hard lump. Cook it in a big pot, and use it as a helmet. Guan Yu received the news and did as he was told. Since then, the guokui became an essential part of the army's rations. It also became a story that spread far and wide.
The production of Xihe Guokui was also very particular about technique. The equipment relied on a hanging furnace that was evenly heated from top to bottom. This kind of operation had the characteristic of increasing the overall temperature and the effect of uniform heating. Even if the inside was cooked, the outside would not be scorched. If the color of the fire was heavy, there would be brownish-red in the yellow. If the color of the fire was light, there would be milky yellow in the white. When it was cut open with a knife, it would be soft and white. The degree of softness was like a very elastic sponge, fragrant and delicious, beautiful and generous.
Some people divided the frying pan into three layers. The top layer was called Turtle Lid, the middle layer was called Fire Lid, and the bottom layer was called Parting Lid. Next to it was a roasting pan with an iron net. Before the frying, the three-layer pan was placed on top of the pan and some fragrant charcoal was lit in the furnace. When the charcoal was burning to seventy or eighty percent, the big charcoal was clamped on top of the Fire Lid with a pair of scissors. The medium charcoal was clipped into the roasting pan, and the broken charcoal was left under the Parting Lid. Finally, the three-layer pan was put back to its original place and the frying was done.
At this time, it was also important to pay attention to the diligent turning. It was commonly known as three and two turns. When the color of the fire was uniform, the surface of the skin was slightly bulging, and the bottom of the skin was golden yellow, it was cooked. The material used to make the guokui was also very delicate. After the wheat was ground and the powder was extracted, the flour was white and tough. The protein content was high, and the fragrance was very appetizing. It could be said that it made people drool.
Generally, it was not a problem to store this kind of guokui for half a month. It was a good food to bring when going out for the night. It was also a simple gift from friends and relatives. Therefore, it quickly became popular in the market and became a very popular food.
"You're right. Xihe Guokui is very special. However, I still think the guokui here is better."
Ang Lee said with a smile.
"No, I still think the guokui here is better. Assistant Minister Li must have eaten the guokui here for the first time, so you think it's better here. In fact, it's not that good."
Chen Long said.
What he said was right. Maybe it was really the first time Ang Lee had eaten the guokui in Central Sichuan, so he thought it was better than the guokui in Guanzhong. In fact, the taste was almost the same. They were all very delicious.
"Assistant Minister Li, perhaps it's because I'm full! So I can't taste the deliciousness of this guokui. "
Chen Long suddenly said.
He got up early and had eaten breakfast. He was not very hungry. Therefore, when he ate the guokui, he felt different from Ang Lee. He just ate two mouthfuls casually and put it away. However, Ang Lee ate at least four or five mouthfuls, so the taste was naturally different.
"Oh, you've eaten. No wonder."
Ang Lee smiled and felt that the guokui was very dry. After eating the guokui, he should at least drink some soup. He did feel a little thirsty.
"Grandma Wang's Tofu. There are many people in this small restaurant. It should be very delicious."
Ang Lee walked to a small restaurant. Seeing that there were many people inside, he decided to go in and have a taste. Sometimes, to find out whether a food was delicious or not, one only needed to see how many people were in line to buy it. The more people in line to buy it, the better the taste of the food should be. This was the most convenient and best way to judge.
From the name of this dish, it could be seen that it was invented by an old woman. The word "Wang" seemed to indicate that the old woman's surname was Wang, or her husband's surname was Wang.
"Assistant Minister Li, I can't eat it anyway."
Chen Long had lost his appetite and said.
Ang Lee nodded and said, "Okay, I'll go in. You can walk around here!" After saying that, he walked into the restaurant.
Ang Lee had never heard of Grandma Wang's Tofu before. Therefore, when he entered the restaurant, he greeted a waiting customer and roughly understood the situation of Grandma Wang's Tofu.
It turned out that Grandma Wang's Tofu was invented by Grandma Wang's husband. Her surname was not Wang, but her husband passed away too early. The entire restaurant was managed by her. Therefore, no one cared about who invented this dish. People cared more about Grandma Wang, so they easily gave this dish this name.
The color of this dish was light yellow. The tofu was soft and glossy. Its taste was numbing, spicy, crisp, fragrant, tender, fresh, and scalding. The surface of the tofu was covered with a layer of light red chili oil, which could maintain the heat of the tofu and prevent it from dissipating quickly. It tasted better when eaten while it was hot. It was a delicacy to warm up and dispel the cold when eaten during the cold winter season.
There were many characteristics of Grandma Wang's Tofu. For example, the first characteristic was numbing. When the tofu was taken out of the pot, it had to be sprinkled with an appropriate amount of Sichuan pepper. The Sichuan pepper was a tribute from Han Yuan to the imperial court. The numbing taste was pure and refreshing. If it was other Sichuan pepper, the numbing taste would choke the throat and make one's stomach tighten. Who would have the appetite and dare to pick up the tofu?
The second characteristic was spiciness. The bean strips were made from Longtan Temple's Dahongpao oil pepper. They were chopped and cooked, and a small amount of cooked oil and sea pepper was added to cook the tofu. It was spicy and fragrant, and it had to be scalding hot. The special characteristic of the tofu was to maintain the temperature of the dish after it was taken out of the pot. It was not easy to cool down.
The fragrance was also a must. When it was served immediately after the pot was taken out of the pot, one would not be able to smell the plaster of the tofu, the rusty smell of the cold soaked tofu, or the original unpleasant smell of the various seasonings. There was only a fragrance that aroused one's appetite. The crispness was also a must. The crispy beef stuffing was golden in color and crispy in color. One by one, it would be crispy in the mouth and melt when it touched the teeth.
Freshness and tenderness were also a must. The tenderness referred to the way the tofu was fried in the pot. The color was white like jade, with edges and corners, and would break with a pinch. Therefore, most people used a small spoon to scoop the food. How could it not be delicious? The ingredients of the dish were all fresh, tender, emerald green, red, and white. The color and taste were both fresh and impeccable.
An ordinary side dish actually had so much to pay attention to. The taste was definitely not bad. Ang Lee waited for a full 15 minutes before he was able to get a bowl of it. The guards still had to continue waiting.
The moment the tofu entered his mouth, Ang Lee's expression was very satisfied. This Grandma Wang's Tofu was really good. Its taste was not inferior to the Mapo Tofu of the future. It was said that tofu had appeared as early as the Han Dynasty. However, he did not expect that in the Tang dynasty, tofu had developed so many variations. The taste had also become so delicious, which really surprised Ang Lee.
A bowl of Grandma Wang's Tofu was still too little to satisfy Ang Lee's appetite. However, Ang Lee's main purpose was not to eat until he was full, but to taste the delicious food. Therefore, it did not matter if he was not full. He could just go somewhere else later and eat a few more snacks. In three to five days, he would taste all the delicious food in Yizhou City. In this way, this trip would not be in vain. Only then would this trip not be in vain.
"Grandma Wang's Tofu is really good. It's numbing and spicy. It feels really good!"
Ang Lee let out a heartfelt praise.
"Sir, you must be a foreigner! This Grandma Wang's Tofu is the best in our Yizhou City. However, you can't eat too much of it. It's too spicy! If you eat too much, you'll have a stomachache. "
One of the customers kindly reminded him.
This customer was telling the truth. After eating too much spicy food, it would indeed lead to a stomachache. In serious cases, one would even need to see a doctor. However, this also varied from person to person. Some people could eat spicy food. No matter how much spicy food they ate, it would be fine. It was just like eating rice. However, some people could not eat spicy food. Even if they ate a little bit, their body would not be able to bear it and would need to see a doctor.
This had little to do with physical fitness and youth. It mainly depended on the type of person. For example, people in this area could eat spicy food, while people in another area could not eat spicy food at all.
They were all people. Why was there such a big difference between them? This might be called regional disparity. In ancient times, many people often said that people would not be acclimatized to a new environment. When a person came to a new environment, it was very easy for him to be acclimatized. He would not be able to adapt to all kinds of food and water. Maybe he would feel good when eating, but after eating, he would feel uncomfortable. Therefore, the customer who reminded Ang Lee just now was absolutely kind. He was worried that Ang Lee would eat too much and get a stomachache.
"Brother, thank you for your reminder. May I ask what delicious food there is in Yizhou City?"
Ang Lee asked.
"Well, that's too much. You won't be able to finish it in three days and three nights! There's a walnut pastry shop next door. The fried beef in the front is also very good. There's also the spiced dried tofu on the street next door, and … "
This customer was quite enthusiastic. He named more than 30 delicious dishes in one breath. It would be difficult for Ang Lee to taste all of them in one meal.
After eating the last bite of Wang Po's Tofu, Ang Lee felt that his mouth and tongue were numb. There was also a slight feeling in his stomach. However, it was definitely not a painful feeling. Instead, it was a rather comfortable feeling.
After leaving Wang Po's Tofu shop, Ang Lee continued to walk forward. After walking less than 100 steps, he saw the Yizhou walnut pastry shop. There were 30 people in line in front of the shop. It was obvious that the walnut pastry here was very delicious.
It was a waste of time to wait in line for every delicious dish. However, Ang Lee didn't want to use his privilege. It would disturb the common people. Therefore, he still had to wait in line. He couldn't use his privilege casually, even if it was just a small matter.
However, Ang Lee's behavior made the low-ranking official of Yizhou shake his head. He felt that a high-ranking official like Ang Lee could just tell him what he wanted to eat. There was no need for him to wait in line personally. Not to mention a high-ranking official like Ang Lee, even a low-ranking official like him had never waited in line to buy food in Yizhou City. He directly jumped the line. Waiting in line represented high quality in the later generations. However, in the Tang dynasty, there was no such rule. People with high status could jump the line. It was a privilege. It would be stupid not to use it.
Some low-ranking officials not only didn't know how to wait in line, but also didn't pay for the delicious food. As for these low-ranking officials and yamen runners who didn't pay for the food, the operators didn't dare to say anything under normal circumstances. This was because they couldn't afford to offend these guys. If they offended them, it would be difficult to ask them for help in the future when they encountered trouble.
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