Leaving the Li Hua Team, they happened to come across an ox cart.
Lin Xiang was worried about not having money to pay when she saw the waitress pull out two cents and generously give it to Mr. Sun Sr., who was driving the cart, then pulled Lin Xiang up onto it.
The two found a spot to sit, and the waitress quietly said to Lin Xiang, "Originally, our state-run restaurant received notice that the foreign guests would come in a few days, but unexpectedly, the township leadership suddenly brought several foreign guests today, asking us to prepare a few extra Western dishes for them. Chef Shen only knows how to make steak, so we had to call you for an impromptu rescue."
Lin Xiang understood, "Do you know which country they are from?"
This question reached the waitress's blind spot.
"Anyway, they all have white skin, are tall, with blonde hair, blue eyes, and high noses. They look different from our compatriots. Does it matter which country they're from?"
Hua Country has been closed off for many years, and ordinary people have no way of learning about foreign affairs, so most believe the West is just one country.
Lin Xiang didn't ask further; she'd have to wait until she arrived to judge.
About half an hour later, the two arrived at the entrance of the state-run restaurant, and the waitress pulled Lin Xiang into the kitchen through the back door.
As soon as she entered the kitchen, Chef Shen put a chef's hat on her, and the waitress Yang Rong tied an apron on Lin Xiang.
Lin Xiang was like a puppet doll being manipulated.
Finally, Chef Shen handed a spatula to Lin Xiang, "Comrade Lin Xiang, the time to test your skills has come. You must entertain the foreign guests well and make our state-run restaurant proud!"
"Don't worry, our state-run restaurant will not treat you badly!"
Lin Xiang hadn't even seen the foreign guests yet and couldn't determine where they came from.
"Did the leadership say what kind of food to make for the foreign guests?"
Chef Shen shook his head, "The leadership only said to prepare a sumptuous Western meal and make sure the foreign guests feel at home."
Western cuisine is generally divided into six categories, with each nation's preferred taste varying greatly.
Lin Xiang, unsure of the guests' tastes, could only choose something universally acceptable. While many ingredients for Western cuisine are not widely available in Hua Country, the options were limited.
Lin Xiang looked at the available ingredients in the kitchen and finally settled on a menu.
Foreign pigs are different from those raised in Hua Country, tasting somewhat gamy, so most foreigners don't like pork much. Fortunately, there was still half of the beef from the last slaughter in the freezer, and the dishes for today would mainly feature beef.
Italian steak, tomato stuffed with beef, black pepper garlic beef cubes.
Chef Shen had already learned steak, but the following dishes were new to him.
Lin Xiang washed several round tomatoes, cut an opening at the top, scraped out the pulp, stuffed it with marinated minced beef, and steamed it in the pot.
The other dish was even simpler; she cut the beef into uniform chunks, marinated them with seasoning, and while waiting, deep-fried garlic in cool oil over low heat until golden on both sides, then used the oil to fry the beef, finishing with her homemade black pepper sauce poured over the top.
As for dessert, Lin Xiang found herself a bit troubled.
Although Hua Country is an agricultural powerhouse, fruit is not widespread, and most of Lin Xiang's dessert recipes required fruit.
Just as she was feeling anxious, she suddenly saw the pomegranate tree bearing fruit in the backyard.
"Chef Shen, can I pick a few pomegranates?"
"Of course, no problem. Wait, I'll have someone pick the sweetest ones for you!"
Chef Shen did pick sweet pomegranates, and the seeds were ruby-red, looking very pleasing.
Lin Xiang thoroughly washed the mortar used for pounding garlic multiple times to ensure no garlic smell remained. She mashed the already steamed yam into a paste, shaped it like a tree, then juiced the pomegranate seeds to pour over it, finally decorating the yam with a few pomegranate seeds.
Even though it wasn't eaten yet, just looking at it made one's mouth water.
"It looks quite sumptuous, but there's no staple food."
"For the staple food, let's make fried sauce noodles."
Foreign staples are generally pasta or toast; the state-run restaurant couldn't find noodles to replace pasta, so instead of making something laughably atypical, they went for Hua Country's signature fried sauce noodles.
However, Lin Xiang also prepared caramel French toast.
Chef Shen stood aside and watched Lin Xiang knead a piece of dough repeatedly, eventually forming it into a square-shaped bread, with an exterior not white but slightly golden brown.
"Will making bread like this taste better?"
Lin Xiang explained, "This isn't bread; it's toast. But you could understand it as the bread eaten in Western countries."
As she spoke, Lin Xiang picked up a piece with chopsticks and handed it to Chef Shen, "Chef Shen, try it."
Chef Shen chewed the toast, "It's sweet and doesn't have the same texture as bread. Can't deny, these foreigners sure know how to eat."
"Chef Shen, your concept is wrong. When it comes to culinary expertise, it's us Hua Country people who know how to eat!"
Lin Xiang pointed at the Western cuisine she had prepared, "Look at this; the essence of Western cuisine is already one-third covered here. Even if you combine all the signature dishes from the six major Western cuisine styles, they wouldn't surpass the trademark dishes from just one of Hua Country's cuisines."
Nowadays in Hua Country, where the economy is underdeveloped, the people struggle to eat well, let alone savor flavors.
But when it comes to Western cuisine being better than Chinese, Lin Xiang does not agree.
Once Lin Xiang finished the dishes, Yang Rong dragged her to help.
"I can't carry so many dishes by myself, Lin Xiang, would you come with me?"
Lin Xiang felt like a brick, moving wherever she was needed.
"Alright." She took off her apron and hat and carried the dishes to the private room with Yang Rong.
In the private room, the township leadership was chatting with the foreign guests, but due to the language barrier, the conversation wasn't going smoothly.
The foreign guests had just spoken at length, leaving the translator sweating and unable to translate.
"Can you actually manage this?" The Township Party Secretary was more anxious than the translator.
"Secretary, I studied Russian before, I don't understand what they're saying!"
The previous translations were mostly guesswork, and with longer sentences, he dared not translate incorrectly.
When Lin Xiang entered with her tray, what she saw was several foreign guests and township leaders talking, but due to the language barrier, they felt like they were almost arguing.
"Leader, should we serve the meal now?" Yang Rong cautiously asked.
The Township Party Secretary waved his hand, signaling for the meal to be served.
Lin Xiang was responsible for arranging the steak. The township leadership's steaks were fully cooked, and Lin Xiang thoughtfully cut them into pieces so they could eat them with a fork.
As for the foreign guests' steaks, Lin Xiang made them medium-well, and at a glance, there were some faint traces of blood, with each plate having knives and forks arranged according to how foreigners eat Western cuisine.