Chapter 190: Chicken Feet in Abalone Sauce

As he spoke, Li Xiao picked up his second Abalone Sauce Chicken Foot. He spat out the small bones one by one, and the second chicken foot was quickly demolished.

In the livestream chat.

"Whoa! Holy cow, this is the first time I’ve seen the host give such a high rating."

"I’m not a hater, but the host is acting a little strange today!"

"I told you! This shady host took a sponsorship fee, and you wouldn’t believe me. Now he’s showing his true colors!"

"Give me a break, it’s Li Garden’s signature dish. It has a 9.9 rating year-round, so what’s wrong with the host giving it a good review???"

"Every time my family goes to Li Garden, my 80-year-old grandpa has to order two portions of the Abalone Sauce Chicken Feet to-go. That’s how you know this stuff is delicious."

"Hey, you looking for a tag-along?"

"No matter how good these Abalone Sauce Chicken Feet are, I can’t afford them. 20 yuan for a single chicken foot is just too expensive."

"It’s not its fault for being expensive, it’s your fault for being poor!"

"The person above just left him silenced and his defenses shattered."

·······

Li Xiao’s chopsticks gently lifted an Imperial Shrimp Dumpling. Beneath the translucent skin, the pink shrimp meat glistened.

He savored it carefully. With one bite, the skin of the Imperial Shrimp Dumpling proved to be refreshing and not sticky, a testament to the fine craftsmanship.

The filling inside was pure shrimp and shrimp paste, without excessive seasoning. The pure, unadulterated flavor of the shrimp was more than enough to be satisfying.

Although Imperial Shrimp Dumplings could be found in almost every dim sum restaurant, very few could actually make them exceptionally well.

Li Xiao believed that while the Imperial Shrimp Dumpling seemed simple, it was a perfect example of something "easy to learn, hard to master."

Many dim sum restaurants used frozen products to cut costs, but while convenient, those products were a far cry from the freshness and flavor of dumplings made from scratch.

This Imperial Shrimp Dumpling before him had nearly reached the state of perfection in Li Xiao’s mind.

The chef hadn’t added any water chestnuts or pork to the filling. Instead, they used pure shrimp and shrimp paste with the simplest of seasonings to showcase the natural umami of the shrimp.

The skin was just the right thickness, its translucent wrapper like a crystal, lightly enveloping the plump shrimp within.

Every bite was a burst of the shrimp’s springy crunch and fresh sweetness. The shrimp meat was firm, the shrimp paste was delicate, and there were no impurities—only the pure essence of shrimp remained.

With such exquisite craftsmanship, even a seemingly simple Imperial Shrimp Dumpling became a work of art.

Li Xiao marveled. ’An Imperial Shrimp Dumpling like this isn’t just a dish; it’s a continuation of and a tribute to traditional culinary culture.’ As he swallowed the dumpling, the system’s notification chimed in his ear.

[Congratulations, you have unlocked the 64th entry in your Food Guidebook]

[Food Guidebook entry unlocked: Imperial Shrimp Dumpling]

[Food Rating: 97/100 [Excellent]]

[As the food rating is Excellent, you will receive a 4x reward.]

[Congratulations, you have received a cash reward: 800,000]

[Congratulations, you have received a cash reward: 800,000]

[Congratulations, you have received a cash reward: 800,000]

[Congratulations, you have received a recipe reward: Imperial Shrimp Dumpling Recipe]

·········

After swallowing the Imperial Shrimp Dumpling, he nodded in satisfaction.

"Excellent. This is truly delicious."

"One bite and it’s full of the fresh sweetness of shrimp. It’s springy and crunchy, and the meat is firm."

"There are absolutely no impurities in this Imperial Shrimp Dumpling. It’s all shrimp—besides the whole shrimp, there’s shrimp paste."

"If I had to rate this Imperial Shrimp Dumpling, it would get at least 97 points."

"In my opinion, this 18-yuan Imperial Shrimp Dumpling is even more outstanding than the Abalone Sauce Chicken Feet!"

"Honestly, the method and ingredients for Imperial Shrimp Dumplings are very simple."

"It’s basically the kind of dim sum that anyone with hands can make."

"It’s just a shame that businesses today only care about profit and have neglected the continuation of tradition. So many flavors from the old days have been completely abandoned."

"To cut costs, some businesses make their Imperial Shrimp Dumplings with fillings that are almost entirely pork and water chestnuts, with maybe half a shrimp inside."

"I don’t even know what to call those things. Imperial Shrimp Dumplings? Or Imperial Pork Dumplings?"

"And don’t even get me started on the ones who use frozen products directly."

In the livestream chat.

Hearing Li Xiao give another incredibly high rating, quite a few people initially wanted to argue.

Even many who firmly believed the host would never do a paid promotion started to have doubts.

For a moment, the chat room erupted into chaos, with all sorts of nasty insults flooding the screen.

But when they heard what Li Xiao said next, one by one, they fell silent.

Most of the viewers in the livestream felt the same way.

Different regions have their own local specialty snacks and foods, but as urbanization accelerates, more and more of them are disappearing from people’s lives. It’s not that people have forgotten how to make them, but that they are no longer willing to.

These slowly vanishing snacks and foods all share one or more characteristics: they are time-consuming, labor-intensive, high-cost, difficult to preserve, and low-profit.

Of course, the last reason was the most important one.

After all, if the profit is big enough, none of the previous points are really an issue.

Even some of the dishes that haven’t disappeared have become increasingly industrialized. While mass production lowers costs, it also lowers the quality of the food.

In the livestream, many viewers began to express their own feelings:

"It’s true. A lot of the time, I can’t find the snacks I used to eat as a kid."

"I don’t even like going for evening dim sum anymore. I can buy all the same stuff online. Isn’t it more convenient to just order from Taobao and steam it myself at home?"

"Host, I’d advise you not to overthink it. Commercialization is the general trend. The power of capital will always be the strongest."

"I really miss the old dim sum carts in the tea houses. Ordering from a checklist just feels like it’s missing something."

·······

Li Xiao hadn’t expected so many viewers to share his nostalgia for the food of the past.

An idea slowly formed in his mind.

’The food scene has become this way most likely due to businesses chasing profits. But... what if profit wasn’t the goal? Or at least, not the primary goal? Could more people then enjoy a wider variety of delicious food? It doesn’t seem like it would be that difficult. Maybe when I have some time, I can figure out how to make it happen.’

While the viewers in the chat room were engrossed in discussion, the waitress brought Li Xiao’s third dish to the table.

The third dish was another dim sum item. This time, it was Durian Puffs.

Three durian puffs, shaped like little yellow lanterns, were arranged neatly on a small rectangular plate.

A strip of nori was wrapped around each of the two "ears" on the little yellow lanterns, giving them a very unique look.

As Li Xiao picked one up with his chopsticks, a faint rustling sound immediately came from the pastry.

He held the durian puff up to the camera and said excitedly,

"Listen to that! CRINKLE, CRINKLE. Just from the sound, you know this pastry is super flaky. Let’s give it a try."

The durian puff wasn’t too big or too small—just the right size to pop into his mouth.