Chapter 4127: When the Pumpkins Ripen (Part 20)

The manor hasn't changed much; perhaps because they specifically wanted to preserve childhood memories, they didn't make any major alterations. The fireplace, the carpet, and the sofa all remained exactly where they were. What was slightly different was that the garden looked much better; considering Merkel was working happily at the shop in the Underworld, he likely wouldn't consider the butler position again, and things should only improve in the future.

The long table in the dining room had clearly undergone some repairs, though it was also possible it had been replaced entirely. Harley had laid out a purple table runner, placing white vases on it filled with dried roses and cattails. The tableware was deep blue, paired with silver knives and forks, creating a strangely eerie beauty.

Above the dining room hung a massive chandelier; this had been there before, but it seemed a bit brighter now, illuminating the entire room in a brilliant, golden glow. The table was full of people, making it look quite lively.

"Ahem," Harley said, raising her glass. "Thank you all for coming. Actually, there's nothing else to it; I just wanted to show off the results of my designs at the food processing plant. The candies in the small plates in front of you are all flavors I developed. As for the dishes, they were prepared at the plant and preserved using dense ice until now. I can guarantee that the flavor hasn't changed at all, and they are still piping hot. Let's have a taste."

Out of politeness, Pride took a piece of candy. He carefully examined the flavor indicated on it, confirmed it was strawberry chocolate, and then popped it into his mouth. What surprised him slightly was that the strawberry flavor noted wasn't artificial essence, but freeze-dried strawberry chunks, which, paired with the slightly bitter dark chocolate and another layer of milk chocolate ganache, tasted quite excellent.

Greed was eating toffee, but the toffee only had a hard toffee shell; the ganache inside tasted like lemon gel jelly, which neutralized the cloying sweetness of the toffee quite well, making it taste rather good too.

Then came the dishes. All the plates on the table were contained within translucent containers. The food inside looked decent enough, but considering Harley said these might have been made at the factory this morning, most people didn't hold high expectations for the taste.

By this era, the United States already had plenty of pre-made meals, including various fast foods, and even high-end restaurants had started using them. However, because Cat Getan had built a logistics center early on and was near the sea, as long as one wasn't extremely impoverished, they could eat fresh food, which had made their palates exceptionally picky.

Pride picked and chose, ultimately selecting a safe bet. Although he always felt one could get tired of ribs, when it came down to it, small ribs were the tastiest part of cattle and sheep. Non-fresh, cold meat might be even harder to eat, but since there were no vegetable dishes on this table, everyone could only choose from the various meat ingredients.

Greed picked around and chose a serving of Thuringian sausage with mashed potatoes. Sausage was something where freshness didn't matter much; once cooked, it was basically hard to make it taste bad. Frozen mashed potatoes weren't too bad either; although wasting food was shameful, wasting a bit of mashed potatoes was better than wasting other things.

Most people chose their food with this mindset, with the majority selecting dishes that wouldn't be particularly bad even if they weren't fresh or were cold. Only the Victor couple—one chose fish, the other scallops. Everyone looked at them with admiration; if seafood wasn't fresh, it wasn't a question of whether it tasted good, but a question of which hospital ward to go to after eating it.

However, precisely because of their self-sacrificing spirit, there wasn't much food left on the table, and no embarrassing situation occurred. Harley herself chose a dish of braised lamb tail and a vegetable soup.

Pride opened the lid on top. The moment he opened it, the aroma gushed out, and the dish was even still steaming, as if the chef were crouching under the table stir-frying it right now and had served it immediately upon finishing.

The packaging must have been completed the moment it came out of the pot, Pride was very clear on that, because the Maillard reaction on the surface of the meat looked quite fresh, possibly even still in the process of reacting; it looked like it was just short of bringing the stove to him.

Pride cut off a small piece of meat and put it in his mouth. It was slightly hot, but very tender, and it burst with juices. To him, the seasoning was a bit salty, but that didn't affect the freshness of the meat.

Greed ate a bite of sausage and his eyes widened too. He couldn't help but whisper, "The chef isn't hidden under the table by her, right? This tastes like freshly stuffed sausage."

Then he ate another bite of mashed potatoes; the taste of the mashed potatoes was standard, but the black pepper tasted very special, with a unique flavor.

Because the food was piping hot, everyone was busy tucking in, and no one spoke. Until they had filled their stomachs, Pride wiped his mouth and said, "So this can guarantee that the dishes will be just as fresh when delivered to Krypton?"

"Yes, and the cost of this isn't high. The outer shell is indeed relatively expensive, but as the logistics center for the East Coast, Cat Getan's various ingredients are relatively cheap. Once the cost of ingredients is compressed, it doesn't matter if the shell is a bit expensive."

"That's right, if you add in the hypertrophic plants to further compress ingredient costs, this will absolutely become the number one choice for extraterrestrial workers," Pamela said.

"I just feel that those chefs with mediocre skills can finally be laid off. Dishes of this cooking level will be the best antidepressant," Bruce said.

Greed looked at his plate; he had to admit that besides the magical preservation technology, the chef's skills were also quite good. Don't look at the sausage as if there was no difference; the selection of meat, the standard of mixing the meat filling, the level of seasoning, and the method of stuffing were all very particular—the specially flavored sausage could even support an entire restaurant.

"You all unanimously agree that this is quite good, right?"

Everyone nodded one after another. Harley said happily, "Brainiac, you lost! I told you long ago that the dishes I researched could completely conquer the pickiest group of people in this world!"

"What do you mean? You called us over because you made a bet with Brainiac?" Jason asked.

"Brainiac thought this preservation method could be completely used to preserve ingredients and then be transported to Krypton for processing. But I thought that only on Earth could the most flavorful dishes be made, so we made a bet—if my dishes could be welcomed by you, then we would produce them."

"You just said we were the pickiest group of people in the world," Pride asked.

"Yes, you have eaten all kinds of expensive restaurants and even tasted global delicacies. If the taste of the dishes can conquer you, then they can completely be called delicacies."

"Wait a minute," Greed suddenly spoke up, "Regarding what you said about 'these dishes conquering our taste buds,' I'm afraid I have a different opinion. The evaluation of a dish's taste is mainly based on your expectations for it. And considering your previous description of the dish's preparation, we set our expectations for it very low, which is why we felt it was good."

"But if I were to say, this sausage with mashed potatoes still has many problems: first, the mashed potatoes were over-mixed, and there was no texture at all when eating them; the black pepper was also put in a bit too much; the sausage was delicious, but the sauce poured on top was too sour; and the beans as a side dish were cooked a bit too hard. And aren't the beans worth a separate sauce? Sharing the same sauce with the sausage will make their flavors tend to be the same..."

"Ahem, regarding these small ribs, I think there is also the problem of over-seasoning," Pride also spoke up, "But these are actually all minor problems; the key is: although the meat is very tender, the fascia connected to the bones of the meat is still a bit hard, which means the cooking time was too short, only pursuing locking in the juices without considering the different heat levels required for different parts..."

The two left Harley dumbfounded. She sighed and said, "I was wrong; I thought the pickiness you usually showed was the extreme, but I didn't expect that to be just the tip of the iceberg!"

"But in fact, none of these are problems," Greed continued, "On this point, I agree with Brainiac. If your goal is to let the whole world eat this kind of 'very crudely cooked white-people food,' then even if you make it into a flower, it will definitely harm some people's mental health in the long run. As a psychiatrist, I cannot let this happen."

Brainiac immediately made two "beep" sounds, indicating agreement. Harley raised her voice and said, "This is not some 'very crudely cooked white-people food'! It has been carefully cooked by a chef..."

"Carefully cut off a piece of meat, then carefully put it on an iron plate to roast until cooked, carefully sprinkle black pepper on it, and then serve it—that's it, and the black pepper can still be sprinkled too much," Pride said mercilessly.

"I also feel that there shouldn't be any 'universal food'," Bruce said, "Not everyone can adapt to the same cooking method; individuals have their own tastes. Instead of sending finished products to the planet and letting people from different countries around the world eat the same meal, it's better to send ingredients directly and let them cook it themselves. Time will give the answer."

Harley looked a bit annoyed. Greed nudged Pride with his elbow and said, "I think this is because you have never cooked for children; they think those influencer restaurants around Fifth Avenue are everything."

"Fine," Pride sighed, then looked at Harley and said, "I can explain to you in another way that our harsh evaluation is not just to find fault with you, Miss Quinzel. Perhaps we can invite you to dinner tomorrow, how about that?"

Harley was a bit surprised and said, "You mean going to your house for dinner? It's not impossible, but I drove near there today, and Brainiac's navigation reminded me that it's a dangerous nature reserve with wild beasts, and entry is prohibited."

Harley's phone suddenly emitted a sharp noise, drowning out what she said. And on Pride's phone, a message from Brainiac popped up: "I am referring to the potential child kidnappers. They will come back for the equipment, which is very dangerous for ordinary people, so that area is temporarily closed to outsiders."

"Don't you think you're being a bit 'the thief protesting his innocence'?"

"I'm just avoiding causing unnecessary misunderstandings."

After a short thought, Greed seemed to have determined the menu for tomorrow, so he said, "Although it's a day late, tomorrow is also a holiday, and we can also hold a Wan Shengjie banquet. Does anyone want to come?"

Obviously, people wanted to know what the hard evidence in Schiller's mouth really was. So they agreed to hold another banquet at Schiller's house on the second night of Wan Shengjie.

Using one day to prepare for a banquet was a bit tight, but after all, it wasn't a very large banquet, so if they moved quickly, there would be enough time. And before that, Schiller still had a bigger problem to solve. ===== CHAPTER 4128 =====