jdhmnovel Chapter 378 At the entrance of Xiangxiang's incense shop, selling stinky tofu.
Chapter 378 At the entrance of Xiangxiang's incense shop, selling stinky tofu.
At 9:30 AM, Guanyin Lane, which is three streets away from Chaoshi Lane, was bustling with people, and the shops were doing their best business.
Outside the long-established "Yunji Xiangfang" shop, where women come and go in an endless stream.
For some unknown reason, a cute and eye-catching red food cart has been quietly parked here, attracting a lot of attention in the bustling street.
It stands directly opposite the vermilion facade of the incense shop behind it. If someone unaware of its location saw it, they might mistake it for a branch stall that the incense shop had deliberately set up outside the main store.
Small vendors are permitted to set up stalls in Guanyin Alley, and the system has already taken care of all the procedures, so Bai Mengran doesn't need to worry about it.
The food truck that spawned in this random mission 2 was much larger than the previous sausage stand, and the side facing the street had a wide, open window.
The top of the food cart is specially designed to resemble the eaves of ancient buildings, with a striking sign hanging above it—Fairyland Fried Stinky Tofu Stall.
Anyone walking past the food cart will inevitably be drawn to the enormous deep fryer inside the open-plan sales window.
The stinky tofu frying process was entirely handled by the intelligent robotic arm that came with the food truck, making it quite a spectacle.
Therefore, their most urgent task right now is to attract customers!
Furthermore, people cannot be recruited arbitrarily; the majority must be ladies and young women from the incense shop in order to meet the required number of people in the incense-offering group.
At that moment, the first large pot of stinky tofu was just put into the oil, and instantly an extremely strong, pungent aroma wafted through the air.
As luck would have it, two young women, one tall and one short, who had just finished selecting perfumes and face powders from "Yunji Fragrance Shop" were hit by this strange smell the moment they stepped out the door!
"Oh dear, where is this stench coming from?! This stench has completely ruined the scent of my newly applied balm..."
The tall woman frowned, her face showing disgust.
"But... Sister Ding, the more I smell it, the more fragrant it seems."
The short girl tilted her head, her face full of confusion.
"What smells good! Where does it smell good? It stinks to death, ugh..."
The tall woman quickly grabbed her embroidered handkerchief to cover her nose, held her breath, and reached out to pull her friend away.
But the short girl's gaze was already firmly fixed on the eye-catching red food cart in front of the incense shop.
She realized with surprise that the strong smell seemed to be coming from there...
"Sister Ding, let's go check out the stall! What kind of food is this? It smells so bad yet smells so good! It's amazing!"
As Xia Chuchu spoke, she jogged over on her own.
This infuriated Ding Wenwan, who was standing behind her, as she stomped her feet in anger, watching helplessly as her overly curious best friend plunged headlong into the crowd...
She could only take a deep breath outside, hold it, and reluctantly follow.
A number of curious passersby had already gathered in front of the stinky tofu stall, all wanting to see what this foul-smelling thing was and wondering if they could really eat it after smelling such a stench.
Wouldn't that be no different from eating filthy things?
Alas……
But in the end, people couldn't resist their curiosity. The stranger the food was, the more they wanted to join in the fun, so they all crowded around.
Xiao Yi stood inside the food cart, using her exceptional eloquence to tell the onlookers about the origin and how to eat stinky tofu, leaving everyone stunned.
"Ah, does the shopkeeper mean that this stinky tofu smells bad but tastes delicious?"
This is unbelievable! Could it be that the nose and mouth are fighting over something?
Xia Chuchu, who had squeezed to the front, heard the shopkeeper's words clearly. Feeling curious, she casually asked a question, which unexpectedly amused everyone around her.
"Haha, that's an interesting way to put it, I'd like to know too."
Upon hearing this, Xiao Yi gently explained, "What you say is not wrong, Miss. It's just that the 'stinky' smell of our stinky tofu comes from fermentation, which is why the smell is so pungent."
However, its delicious flavor, combined with the rich taste imparted by fermentation, the crispy fried crust, and the added flavor of seasonings, makes for an incredibly rich taste experience.
Furthermore, our sense of smell and sense of taste are inherently different. Our noses are more sensitive to odors, initially perceiving them as smelly, while our tongues taste the flavor. The savory aroma of stinky tofu, once it enters the mouth, makes us forget about the initial stench and only leave a lingering fragrance on our lips and teeth!
Unexpectedly, a casual question yielded so much new knowledge; everyone felt as if they had received a lesson on the spot, and some strange knowledge had simply entered their minds...
Just then, the tall robotic arm slowly lifted the filter, and the first batch of deep-fried stinky tofu was officially ready!
Perhaps now that they knew the origin of the stinky tofu, the people at the stall suddenly felt that the fried tofu didn't smell as bad as before...
And indeed, it actually smelled a fragrance!
As the robotic arm began to dispense seasonings, Xiao Yi raised his voice and started calling out his wares.
"Freshly baked, fragrant and hot fried stinky tofu!"
Come on, try a piece for free first. If you like it, you can buy a whole serving!
Everyone line up, line up, let's start with this pretty girl~
This was the sales strategy that Boss Bai had set on the way here. Considering that the goal was to complete the task, the fastest way to open up the market was through tasting.
In order to complete the challenge quickly, Xiao Yi immediately followed the boss's instructions and started shouting.
"Wow, I'm the first one? The shopkeeper is so kind, she even lets us try the food for free!"
Xia Chuchu was incredibly lucky; she happened to be standing next to the food counter and became the first in line.
The onlookers, who had initially come out of curiosity, quickly lined up when they heard there was free tasting.
Xiao Yi personally inserted small bamboo skewers into each piece of stinky tofu on the plate, and then handed one piece to each person to try, carrying the plate from front to back.
Although they had the stinky tofu in their hands, everyone's expressions were a mixed bag. Some couldn't wait to put it in their mouths, some were frowning and struggling with their own thoughts, and some couldn't resist bringing it close to their noses to smell it...
Xia Chuchu was clearly the carefree type; as soon as she got it, she couldn't wait to open her mouth and take a small bite.
In an instant, the unique taste of the stinky tofu brushed with sweet and spicy sauce hits your taste buds.
The stinky tofu, freshly scooped from the oil, is golden and incredibly crispy; it makes a "crunch crunch" sound the moment your teeth touch it.
The soft and juicy tofu filling is incredibly delicious. You can't taste any unpleasant smell at all. Instead, you experience a rich and layered flavor. The savory sauce has a hint of sweetness, and the slight spiciness is almost negligible.
It's hard to imagine that this ugly and smelly-looking stinky tofu could be fried into such a captivating flavor...