Everything is ready.
Stewed beef with potatoes, secret fried fish, hot and sour shredded potatoes, blanched cabbage with oil, nourishing black chicken soup, sweet and sour meatballs, stir-fried vermicelli with minced meat, and scrambled eggs with tomatoes.
These were all home-cooked dishes Lin Li often made on Earth, seven dishes and one soup. For four people, it was a bit much and they wouldn't be able to finish it, but that was for ordinary people. For the mutated Lin Li, these were trivial, so he made generous portions of each. He always thought that after Cisco, Caitlin, and Wells had eaten their fill, it would be his turn to clean up. That's why he made so much. It wasn't until they started eating that he realized how naive he had been…
In foreign countries, wasting food is a very shameful act. When eating at a restaurant, it's best to order only as much as you can eat, and not order a huge amount at once. Wasting food will earn you their contempt, especially for those from China going abroad.
Six o'clock, evening.
Punctually, the three arrived at Lin Li's door. Cisco knocked, and Lin Li welcomed them in.
"Lin Li, this will be your second home. I suggest you get some decorations, it would be nice."
Cisco saw Lin Li's living space, which felt cold and was all metal, lacking any sense of home, so he suggested.
"I agree with Cisco."
Dr. Wells said in agreement. It was too cold and made people feel distant.
"I don't mind. I don't think I'll be staying here for long."
Lin Li said with a smile.
Caitlin, who entered last, was carrying a bottle of champagne.
Caitlin said with a slightly embarrassed smile, "I'm sorry for misunderstanding you. This bottle of Krug Rosé champagne is my favorite, and it's to express my apology."
Lin Li took the champagne and quipped, "I accept, beautiful lady, please come in."
Lin Li made a gentlemanly gesture to invite them in, leading them to the dining table.
The round dining table was filled with strange dishes that opened their eyes.
In front of each person at the table was a small bowl with a spoon, a plate, a knife and fork, and chopsticks. Considering they were in a foreign country and might not use chopsticks, he provided their usual dining utensils.
Lin Li poured the black chicken soup for each of them in turn, knowing they wouldn't spit out bones. All the bones in the black chicken had been removed by Lin Li. The chicken meat was shredded by Lin Li, and stewed with goji berries, red dates, and various medicinal herbs. The aroma of the chicken mixed with the faint fragrance of the herbs was invigorating to smell and made one's mouth water.
However, the three of them just looked at it without making any move.
Cisco was the first to point at the black chicken soup and say, "Lin Li, this bowl of soup has a strange smell. Are you sure it's edible? Firstly, we don't have your mutated physique."
Wells and Caitlin also looked at him with questioning eyes. All the dishes on the table looked different from their food culture, making them a bit hard to accept. But in America, where individual respect is valued, they decided that even if they had to force it, they would eat a little to show goodwill, after all, Lin Li had spent an entire afternoon making so many dishes.
"Oriental dining tables don't have so many etiquettes. Drink soup first, it helps with digestion, then eat the dishes and rice. By the way, can you use chopsticks?"
Lin Li didn't respond directly, simply stating that the rules at the dinner table were that there were no rules.
He then held his bowl, and after taking a sip of the chicken soup and eating the chicken, he felt like tears were about to flow. It was incredibly difficult! Since transmigrating to The Flash's world, today was the first time he had truly eaten normal human food. Hamburgers, fries, fried chicken nuggets, pizza, they could all go to hell.
The three of them looked at Lin Li, who was immersed in his own world, with bewildered expressions. Did he really need to be so engrossed? It was just a bowl of soup and a few pieces of black chicken.
The three of them didn't dare to move much. Finally, Caitlin, who felt a hint of apology, made the first move.
Wells and Cisco nervously watched Caitlin, the pioneering warrior.
She picked up the small bowl, and with the spoon, took a small half-mouthful, sucking it in.
Then she froze.
The rich soup exploded in her mouth, the aroma of chicken mixed with that faint medicinal taste she didn't understand, lingering on her palate. The soup slid down her throat, and a warm sensation emanated from her stomach, making her feel cozy.
Damn it, I shouldn't have let Caitlin eat first. After all, she's a biology expert, half a doctor. If she gets poisoned, no one here can save her.
Cisco looked at Caitlin's stunned expression, nervously planning in his mind. It would take about 15 minutes for the ambulance to arrive at Star Labs…
The next scene further stunned Cisco and Wells. They saw Caitlin make a 'slurp' sound, actually drinking the soup directly from the bowl in a very impolite manner, even making slurping noises. After finishing, she used her spoon to pick up the black chicken meat and put it into her mouth, her eyes wide as she chewed and swallowed the chicken.
The chicken was tender and smooth, sliding down her esophagus with a gentle bite. It was Caitlin's unusually loud swallowing sounds that startled Cisco and Wells; they had never seen Caitlin so disregardful of etiquette.
"Oh my God."
Caitlin said in shock, her eyes wider than usual.
"I've never tasted such a unique soup, or such delicious chicken. Oh my God."
Seeing Caitlin's exaggerated praise.
Cisco and Wells also hesitated before picking up their bowls to try.
"Oh my God…"
"Oh my God…"
Finally, Lin Li received two more 'Oh my Gods'…
At this moment, they began to look forward to the colorful dishes in front of them.
"To appreciate the charm of Chinese cuisine, you must learn to use chopsticks, but we can take it slow. I believe for the sake of delicious food, you will master it very quickly."
Seeing their praise for his cooking, Lin Li was genuinely happy.
Cisco finished his soup and, with great anticipation for the dishes in front of him, said, "So you use those two bamboo sticks to pick up food and eat it? That's simple, brother."
After saying that, Cisco grabbed the chopsticks with his right hand. First, he held the two chopsticks in a fist, then he switched to holding them with his middle finger, and finally, during his attempts with his fingertips, both chopsticks fell onto his table.
"It doesn't look that easy."
Cisco nodded, confidently telling Caitlin and Wells.
Lin Li smiled and said, "It's very simple, watch me."
After saying that, Lin Li took the serving chopsticks with his right hand, picked up a piece of fish and put it into his bowl, then gracefully picked it up and ate it.
As Lin Li bit into the crispy fish, a fishy aroma spread with a numbing crispness, making the others salivate profusely.
Wells said with a wry smile, "Okay, Lin Li, this aroma is too tempting, it looks incredibly delicious. We are already impatient. Please guide us on how to use your hometown's dining methods, let us taste the delicacies of the magical Eastern country."
"Feel free to taste. I know you're not used to chopsticks, so I've also prepared knives and forks. There are serving spoons or forks on the table for the dishes. Just add whatever you want to your own plate."
Lin Li smiled, picked up a serving spoon, and demonstrated scooping some scrambled eggs with tomatoes onto his plate to eat.
Next, there were various exclamations of shock.
"Oh my God, what is this yellow thing? It's soft and not sticky, and the beef is so fragrant."
"That's potato."
"Oh my God, this is a miracle! This fish makes my mouth unable to stop eating, my lips are vibrating and I can't stop. It's truly amazing."
"You ate too much chili."
"Oh my God, what are these strips? What!! They're potatoes? Potatoes can't possibly taste this good, sour, spicy, and refreshing!"
When others praised his cooking endlessly, even eating his dishes with unbridled astonishment and lack of etiquette, it was undoubtedly the best affirmation and praise for a cook. Their expressions and eating habits filled Lin Li with heartfelt joy, and he watched them contend for food and answered their various exclamations with a smile.
When Caitlin ate the sweet and sour meatballs, she was stunned.
She directly took the plate of sweet and sour meatballs to her front, declaring ownership, "This plate is mine, you're not allowed to snatch it."
Cisco also unceremoniously took the entire plate of stir-fried vermicelli with minced meat to his front: "I'm claiming this plate of vermicelli."
Seeing the two of them, Dr. Wells was very disappointed. He coughed twice awkwardly and silently pulled the stewed beef with potatoes to his side of the table.
The fried fish was eaten up early, only a few pieces per person and it was gone. The hot and sour shredded potatoes mostly went into Dr. Wells's stomach. The scrambled eggs with tomatoes and cabbage had a little bit left scattered around. Finally, Caitlin directly picked up the scrambled eggs with tomatoes, pouring the sauce into her sweet and sour meatballs, declaring that the scrambled eggs with tomatoes were also gone.
Lin Li was bewildered, you… haven't eaten food made by humans?