In the evening, Aoki Haruhi invited Katayama Reiko and the photographer to dinner.
Though he was confident in his looks, he hoped the photographer could help him capture some flattering shots. After all, more handsome photos in the article would be a plus.
"By the way, I was wondering if you two enjoy spicy food. If so, I know a great Chinese restaurant," Aoki Haruhi said.
Katayama Reiko and the photographer exchanged a glance and nodded.
"Trying Chinese cuisine once in a while doesn't sound bad at all."
Aoki Haruhi led the group to a Sichuan restaurant called Yang.
Their stomachs growled with hunger.
The main reason was that they hadn't eaten anything from home in a long time, and the craving was intense.
In addition to Katayama Reiko and the photographer, Ishino Mika and Gen Urobuchi also joined them.
Once inside, Aoki Haruhi first ordered a plate of Mapo Tofu, then ordered a bowl of Dandan Noodles for each person.
The young waiter, speaking a friendly blend of Chinese and Japanese, said, "If you're not very good with spicy food, I'd recommend the mild version. But personally, I prefer the regular spice."
Although Japanese cuisine shares some similarities with Chinese food—using various seasonings, like soy sauce or cheese on omelet rice—its actual taste tends to be milder. Even light soy sauce is several notches milder than its Chinese counterpart.
To get a stronger flavor, one would need to add more light soy sauce.
As for their tolerance for spice—
Aoki Haruhi estimated it was roughly equivalent to the Northeast region of China.
Of course, this was his own mental ranking of spice levels:
Yunnan, Guizhou, and Sichuan are 5-star spicy, Hunan and Jiangxi are 4-star, Hubei is considered moderately spicy, followed by the Northeast and Hebei... with Guangdong at the bottom.
After hearing the waiter's explanation, the Japanese group exchanged glances. Though not their first time trying Chinese cuisine, this was their first time having Dandan Noodles.
Finally, all eyes turned to Aoki Haruhi.
"Then... I'll have the extra spicy, please," Aoki Haruhi said, then gestured to the others. "And one mild for them."
Huh?
The young waiter clearly showed a hint of surprise at the customer's request for "extra spicy."
Fearing the man didn't understand the level of heat involved, he repeated, "Extra spicy is very spicy. It'll numb your tongue. If you want to experience the authentic taste of Dandan Noodles, I'd recommend the regular spicy."
Aoki Haruhi smiled, a hint of disdain but still polite. "No problem at all. Please give me the extra spicy."
After all, in his past life, Aoki Haruhi had been a native of Guizhou, where eating spicy food was as natural as breathing.
"Alright. Anything else?"
"One order of pan-fried dumplings, one of Beef Offal in Chili Sauce, and two orders of Brown Sugar Glutinous Rice Cakes," Aoki Haruhi said.
"Certainly. Please wait a moment."
After about ten minutes, a waiter arrived with a tray of dishes and placed them on the table.
"Here's the extra-spicy Dandan Noodles, the mild Dandan Noodles, and... the pan-fried dumplings..."
Once everything was served, he gestured and said, "Enjoy your meal."
Seeing the array of food before them, everyone's appetite was immediately whetted.
Katayama Reiko fanned the air near her nose. "Mmm, that smells wonderful. It must taste even better."
"Please, try it," Aoki Haruhi invited. "If the Dandan Noodles are too spicy, have some of these Brown Sugar Glutinous Rice Cakes to cool your palate."
"No problem, it's only mildly spicy," the photographer said with a smile.
This was probably the most relaxed he'd felt since visiting. Previously, he'd been burdened by his heavy camera, and after finishing his work, he'd just returned to rest. The most he'd do was grab a quick ramen with Katayama.
He never expected to be invited by the President of Pokeni, and to enjoy Chinese cuisine no less.
"Amazing!"
Following Aoki Haruhi's lead, the group first mixed their Dandan Noodles thoroughly, then picked up strands with their chopsticks and stuffed them into their mouths.
"Mmm-hmm! So delicious!" Katayama Reiko exclaimed after her first bite.
The others nodded in agreement.
"This is so good. I've never had such delicious Chinese food before."
"There's so much ground meat in the Dandan Noodles, and the sauce is so rich. The texture in my mouth is incredibly rich, and the noodles are so chewy!" The cameraman gave a thumbs-up.
Katayama Reiko rolled her eyes at him.
If you're so good with words, why don't you become an editor?
But...
It really is delicious.
The group immediately dug in, slurping their noodles loudly.
The owner in the kitchen couldn't help but laugh.
In Japan, there's a customary rule for eating noodles: the louder you slurp, the more you're acknowledging the chef's skill.
So, the table was filled with a symphony of slurping sounds, rising and falling in waves.
But after just a few bites, everyone, including Katayama, immediately felt something was wrong.
"Ah~ It's so spicy!" Ishino Mika stuck out her little tongue, frantically looking for water.
Aoki Haruhi smiled without saying a word, already grabbing the teapot from the side and pouring her a cup, which he handed to her.
Ishino raised the cup and drained it in one gulp.
"Yabai! My tongue has gone numb!"
"Ah! Mine too," Katayama Reiko agreed.
"The spiciness itself is okay, but there are so many of these numbing things in it."
"Sichuan peppercorns," Aoki Haruhi said. "Adding Sichuan peppercorns or ground Sichuan peppercorns to Dandan Noodles is a classic Sichuan cuisine technique."
"Ah~ No, no, I can't take it anymore! My tongue doesn't exist anymore."
After finishing her tea, Katayama quickly followed Aoki Haruhi's earlier suggestion and ate a piece of brown sugar glutinous rice cake.
"Mmm~ So delicious! The brown sugar glutinous rice cakes are so sweet!"
The others followed suit.
After one bite of the brown sugar glutinous rice cake, their tongues seemed to come back to life.
After a brief respite, the hungry group slurped down their bowls of Dandan Noodles in no time.
They were also intensely curious about the Ice Flower Bottom Fried Dumplings they had never seen before.
These pan-fried dumplings looked different from the usual ones. When they arrived, they appeared as a single, round, flat cake resembling a flatbread.
But the "ice flower bottom" was actually made by frying the dumplings in a round pan with some starch, which crisped up and stuck together. When served, the entire cake was flipped upside down.
So while it looked like a round disk on top, when broken apart with chopsticks, it revealed over a dozen dumplings stuck together underneath.
"To enjoy the pan-fried dumplings, you need to add some chili oil and vinegar for flavor," Aoki Haruhi said, quickly making himself a dipping sauce.
But the others flinched at the word "chili."
"President Qing is quite the chili connoisseur," Katayama Reiko remarked, her eyes widening at the sight of the bright red chili oil in his dipping dish.
You think I'm joking? Aoki Haruhi thought with a mental eye-roll. I honed my skills in the heart of Chinese cuisine in my past life!
Ah!
After the feast, Aoki Haruhi couldn't help but sigh contentedly.
There's no taste quite like home!
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