Previously, Max and Michael had come to help many times and caught Eric "playing with mud"; it turned out he was making pottery back then.
Back then, Michael was the one who laughed the loudest whenever he saw Eric's face smeared like a messy cat. Now, it was his turn.
Max was the first, after watching Eric's demonstration, to pick up a lump of clay and imitate his method to shape it. But it looked easy, and only when he started did he realize how difficult it was.
If the grip wasn't just right, the clay would splatter everywhere. Very quickly, the lump of clay in Max's hands flew off and disappeared.
The other three also took their turns. Only Jessica managed to persevere a little longer; Michael's and Grass's clay flew away after just a few tries.
Eric sympathized deeply, recalling how in his early days, he also had to struggle, covered in mud, before he could succeed. He prepared a wooden board for each of them so they could practice on their own.
With someone as experienced as him there, the other four slowly got the hang of the technique. Soon enough, the four "clay people" couldn't help but burst into laughter looking at each other's messy appearances.
Jessica and Grass proved to be more skillful, and the pottery jars they made were already taking proper shape. After leading the clay-covered group to the river to wash up, Eric decided to make a sumptuous meal today to treat everyone.
The large fish caught by the tribe were fresh and fatty. He filleted the fish and used a fish scaler to finely mince the flesh into a paste. He put the fish paste into a pottery jar, added wild onions, refined salt, and a little flour, then used a wooden stick to stir it vigorously in one direction to make it chewy.
The beast meat was also minced. Michael and Max, not used to knives, used their sharp claws to tear the meat into small pieces, which were then minced by Jessica and Grass.
Eric started a fire and placed a large iron pot on it, poured in animal fat, and prepared to fry the meatballs and fish balls. A newly fired pottery jar was also placed over the fire to boil fish balls, a perfect opportunity to test its heat resistance.
He was a bit too busy on his own. Jessica watched his method and quickly began to help.
The meatballs Grass made were very round, while Michael's and Max's were a bit oddly shaped, but as long as the filling was delicious, they would taste good once cooked, no matter the shape.
As he cooked, Eric chatted:
"Max, what do you think? Wouldn't it be great if the tribe had a communal kitchen? It would be lively for everyone to eat together, and it would save time when we're busy."
"What's a communal kitchen?" Max asked, confused.
"It's a place prepared by the tribe where everyone can come to eat."
He explained: "That way, when people are busy, they won't have to cook for themselves; they can just go directly to the kitchen. Whoever comes to eat can prepare some ingredients in exchange. A few tribe members would stay at the kitchen to prepare the food; they wouldn't need to provide ingredients, and this would be considered their compensation."
Max pondered for a moment. Grass looked at her mother, who was smiling brightly while mixing the meat filling; this was truly a good idea.
Her mother was not strong enough to be a warrior; if this kitchen could be established, her mother would surely love this job.
Michael was also extremely supportive: "This kitchen is a great idea! It would be even better if Eric was in charge of the food!"
"This proposal is indeed very good, I will discuss it with my father," Max said honestly.
Having achieved his goal, Eric became even more enthusiastic about training Jessica's cooking skills.
He calculated to himself: once the kitchen was built, he would recruit Toa Li, and in the winter, he would add Sam. He would also ask if the Dwarves wanted to join.
The fried meatballs and fish balls were golden brown, crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. The fish balls boiled in the creamy white broth were fresh, savory, and smooth.
Eric ladled the fish ball soup for everyone, sprinkling some wild onions on top, which was truly appetizing. He also took out the rice vinegar he had brewed earlier, letting them add it according to their own tastes.
It was the first time the Snow Wolf people had tasted vinegar. Its refreshing and slightly sweet aftertaste paired perfectly with the fish ball soup, making everyone's eyes light up.
Afraid that everyone wouldn't have enough to eat, Eric also grilled more meat. He used the iron spice jars that Luban had recently made for him. The lids had small holes, which were very convenient for sprinkling pepper, chili, and salt on the grilled meat.
Jessica tried using the spice shaker and found it remarkably easy to use.
It's just that, why did this salt seem whiter than before...
She had a fleeting thought and then paid it no more mind.
As everyone ate the fresh and delicious fish ball soup, fried meatballs, and grilled meat, they all felt that this meal was much tastier than any before.