Traveling back to 1977

Chapter 244 Pre-made Dishes (Dated Version)
Chen Fan's lips twitched as he stood to the side.

He just said he had saved some money for retirement, but now he says he can only make a living with a little bit of skill. Is this Lao Peng afraid that people will ask him for money or what?
However, none of the people sitting there paid any attention. Anyway, no one wanted to borrow money from him, so what did it matter to them how much money others had saved?

Besides, the saying goes, "Don't flaunt your wealth," and they would certainly do the same if they were in that situation.

Like Chen Fan, he would hide some of his earnings and exaggerate his spending, so much so that no one knew how much money he actually had.

Zhang Wenliang thought his pockets were about to be empty again. When they were hunting earlier, he had even thought of asking him to cooperate again next time they went to the market to sell turtle meat.

After chatting for a while, the aroma of the large pots set up on the open ground began to waft over. Soon after, several women came in carrying a ceramic pot each, and with a flurry of activity, a feast of wild game was ready.

Zhong Zihong invited everyone to sit at the table. As the host, he naturally took the seat of honor. At Chen Fan's insistence, Zhang Wenliang, the guest of honor, sat next to him, while Zhong Zihong sat to the side. The Wu brothers, Wu Fengfei and Wu Fengwen, sat opposite Chen Fan as his companions, while Lao Peng sat at the lower end of the table as a guest of honor.

A pot of fox meat, processed according to Chen Fan's method, was stir-fried with lard, then simmered with potatoes over low heat. When the lid was lifted, a fragrant aroma wafted out.

The other pots contained badger and rabbit meat, and there was also a pot of crucian carp soup, which was meant to improve the flavor, since all of them were wild game and eating them could easily cause internal heat.

Zhong Zihong offered a toast first, and Zhang Wenliang took the first bite, picking up a piece of fox meat, taking two bites, and then nodding repeatedly, "The fishy smell is very faint, almost undetectable, delicious."

He started eating, and only after the others politely declined each other's offer did they pick up their chopsticks and start eating.

Wu Fengfei took a bite of meat, and her eyes lit up. She smiled at Chen Fan and said, "Teacher Chen has taught us another secret trick. After processing it according to your method, the taste is indeed much better than before."

He turned to look at Lao Peng and smiled, "Master Peng, how did you prepare wild game before?"

This kind of casual conversation doesn't involve any secret recipes; at most, it just touches on some key points to help learners improve, but you won't learn any truly unique skills.

For example, Chen Fan told Captain Yang that the key to cooking turtle is peeling off the skin and removing the grease, but Liu Jujiang just couldn't peel it off. The secret was the water temperature when soaking the turtle.

Moreover, even if you know the secret, not everyone can make a good dish. Chen Fan taught others how to cook turtle meat and patiently demonstrated it himself, but no one could cook turtle meat to his level or even close to it.

That's why Wu Fengfei asked Lao Peng so bluntly.

Of course, Lao Peng also needs to have his own unique tricks.

The result was unexpected. Old Peng still smiled and gently shook his head, saying, "If you ask us how we cook wild game, there's really nothing to say."

When we were in the wild, we either ate dry rations or skinned and gutted animals on the spot, then roasted them over a fire, perhaps with a little salt and chili.

Like you mentioned, the gamey smell... we usually just cover it up with chili peppers and Sichuan peppercorns. We don't really care about the flavor. If you're asking how to grill meat until it's tender, I know, but I can't really explain it; it's all about experience. But if you're asking how to prepare wild game and how to cook it deliciously, that's a chef's job. We hunters really aren't good at that.

When he said that, everyone assumed he didn't want to talk about it. How could a hunter not know how to handle wild game?

Zhong Zihong chuckled and said, "Right, right, what's that saying? Is it about leaves or something? Anyway, it means that different professions are like different worlds."

Chen Fan chuckled from the side, "Everyone has their own expertise."

Zhong Zihong nodded repeatedly, “Yes, yes, yes, you have to say that cultured people are more knowledgeable. I’ve almost forgotten everything I learned in literacy classes.”

Old Peng was a man of the world, and he could tell that they didn't believe him. He couldn't help but smile wryly and said, "Captain Zhong, you've hit the nail on the head. Our hunting team is good at things like hunting, skinning and deboning, but when it comes to preparing ingredients, you need a professional chef. The hunters I know are all very rough in their skills."

When Lao Peng brought this up again, everyone turned their attention back to him.

Old Peng took a sip of wine and said with a smile, "For example, take pheasants. The most common way we do it is to cut them open without even plucking the feathers, then take some silt from the stream and stick it on top, making a big mud ball, and then put it in the fire to roast."

Once the mud ball cracks open, the chicken is cooked. Then we smash the mud ball open, and the feathers fall off along with the mud, revealing the chicken meat inside. We then sprinkle some salt and chili on the chicken, and that's how we eat it.

To be honest, it tastes really good when eaten hot, tender and juicy, and even the fishy smell is part of the umami flavor. But once it cools down a bit, it's all fishy, ​​and unless you're really hungry, you just can't bring yourself to eat it.

The chefs at those wild game restaurants prepared it differently. They transformed a pheasant into something extraordinary; the whole roasted chicken was even left with its feathers as decoration, and the pheasant soup was so flavorful that there was no fishy taste, even when it was cold. Their braised chicken pieces, stir-fried to perfection, were tender and springy, tasting several times better than ordinary chicken.

(Roasted pheasant)

After hearing what Lao Peng said, everyone became somewhat skeptical of what he had just said.

The reason I didn't believe him completely was because he had just mentioned that he had no savings. 135 yuan a month, that's 1620 yuan a year, not including bonuses and extra income. They say you live off the land you live on, how could someone like him not have extra income? With such a high income, and only him and his daughter at home, they have money to burn, how could they not have savings?
Even if someone with a criminal record speaks with absolute certainty now, no one will believe them completely at once.

However, these words did change people's impression of him somewhat.

As the saying goes, one should not flaunt one's wealth. Hiding money is understandable, but it is wrong to lie even in casual conversation.

Chen Fan raised his glass to him and then asked, "Master Peng, what kind of dishes does that wild game restaurant serve? Is it really as delicious as you say?"

When Lao Peng saw Chen Fan toasting him, his smile deepened.

He knew he had accidentally said the wrong thing earlier; he shouldn't have mentioned things like high income or saving money for retirement. As an outsider in a collective society, if the team leader had a prejudice against him, he would be in real trouble in this small village.

Chen Fan's status in Lujiawan is extraordinary. He first taught his skills selflessly, and later opened a veterinary class. He had students in every team and was also a cadre in the brigade headquarters. As long as you get along well with him and prove that you are not lying, Captain Zhong will definitely look at you differently. What happened just now is nothing.

He carefully returned the drink with a toast, then smiled and said, "Words are no proof. You might not believe me. Here, you guys eat first, and I'll go back and get something to show you. That way, you'll know what kind of level that wild game restaurant is."

He put down his wine glass and got up to leave.

Seeing this, Zhong Zihong finally believed him completely. However, he was also very curious about what Lao Peng was saying, so he quickly said, "Your legs are not very strong, so don't go by yourself."

He then pointed at Wu Fengwen and said, "Have Xiaowen call Dajiang and they can make the trip together."

Then he said to Wu Fengwen, "Dajiang should be outside. Go and call him."

Wu Fengwen immediately ran out.

Old Peng turned around, glanced at the table, and without any formalities, sat down with a smile.

A moment later, Wu Fengwen walked in with a young man in his twenties. He greeted the people at the table, and Zhong Zihong immediately stood up and offered him a cigarette. Chen Fan and Zhang Wenliang also waved to him.

Old Peng turned around and said to him, "There's a picture book called 'Wild Game Recipes' in my drawer. Go get it."

Wu Fengwen said, "Brother Jiang, I'll go with you."

Da Jiang waved his hand and said, "I'll go, you eat yours."

Then he went outside. After Lao Peng sat up straight, he continued, "This 'Wild Game Recipe Book' was published by the China National Cereals, Oils and Foodstuffs Import and Export Corporation. It's not a good book, but it's not sold domestically. It's mainly printed for foreigners. In addition to our Chinese characters, it also has foreign characters in it."

Because some of the dishes in the book are made by wild game restaurants, and foreigners often eat at wild game restaurants, some of them want to take some wild game back to their country when they leave, but they don't know how to prepare it or what to buy, so this book was prepared for them.

The dishes in this cookbook are all prepared in advance by the chefs at the wild game restaurant, then sealed in plastic bags and placed in a pretty box. You can just grab it and go; once you get home, you only need to heat it up before eating—it's incredibly convenient.

Chen Fan felt a little dizzy listening to this. Pre-cooked dishes from the 70s? Or perhaps a wild game version?

Do you want to be so exaggerated?
At this moment, Zhang Wenliang asked curiously, "Master Peng, do many foreigners eat at the Wild Game Restaurant?"

In those days, people in small towns rarely even saw outsiders, let alone foreigners. So when they heard Lao Peng mention foreigners, they were naturally very curious.

Moreover, even in big cities like Beijing and Shanghai, foreigners are rarely seen. Whenever a foreigner appears, countless people will follow and watch. People who are at work forget about work, and people who are at school forget about school. The scene is like people in later generations seeing a giant panda, and they can hardly move their feet.

So much so that in the 80s, the phrase "no one is allowed to watch foreign guests" was written into elementary school moral education textbooks, but only "watching up close" was changed to "watching from a distance." This phenomenon gradually disappeared after the 90s.

Although Lao Peng was seated at the lower end of the table today, he was the absolute center of attention. Even Chen Fan was attracted by his experiences, not to mention Zhang Wenliang and the others who had never seen the world.

When Zhang Wenliang asked about foreigners, Lao Peng muttered to himself, "Why aren't we talking about wild game anymore?" But his face remained impassive, and he smiled nonchalantly.

"There are foreigners, and many of them. I heard from people at the import and export company that several thousand foreigners come to our country for tourism every year. However, they cannot go anywhere they want. They must obey the arrangements of the travel company. There are regulations on where to go, what hotels to stay in, and where to eat. Units that are not qualified are not allowed to receive foreigners."

The Wild Game Hotel is one of the restaurants designated for international travel agencies, so it frequently hosts foreign diners.

He paused for a moment, then continued, “Actually, there are relatively few foreigners here, only one or two thousand a year. The largest number are from Beijing and Shanghai. These are usually their first stop when they come here, so they are the most numerous. A foreign tourist can spend more than a thousand US dollars in China, and a lot of foreign exchange is earned by them.”

Wu Fengwen's eyes widened. "It costs more than a thousand yuan for one trip?"

Old Peng chuckled and said, "It's not just a little over a thousand. One dollar can be exchanged for 1.73 dollars at the bank. They spent over a thousand dollars, which is equivalent to two or three thousand dollars for us, or even more."

Even Zhang Wenliang was a little taken aback. "Are all foreigners this rich?"

Old Peng thought for a moment and shook his head slightly. "No, it's not that simple. Besides the foreigners who come here by plane, there are also Hong Kong people who come through the border on their own. They don't need to join a tour group. They just have a travel permit, and every time they arrive at a place, they have to report to the local police station, get their permits stamped, and apply for temporary residence. When they leave, they also have to cancel their residence permits, otherwise they won't be able to cross the border when they go back."

Many of these people were poor; their most valuable possession might be a camera. They were frugal with their meals, unable to afford even the best dishes at restaurants serving wild game, forced to eat at ordinary state-run restaurants, and only able to stay in designated small guesthouses. "Why don't they work properly at their units and come here to suffer? I don't know why."

(Hong Kong tourists on independent travel in the 70s buying orange juice on the streets of Chengdu; travel permits could be applied for directly at international travel agency branches)
Old Peng took another sip of wine and said with a smile, "I can't understand what those foreigners are saying, and I can't understand what those people from Hong Kong are saying either. I only know some things from what the people from the import and export company have to say. They say there are many poor people in foreign countries, some of whom don't even have enough to eat, and nobody cares about them. In short, it's not that good."

Zhong Zihong clicked his tongue, a look of pity on his face. "That's quite pitiful."

Then Zhang Wenliang asked Lao Peng about his experiences in the provincial capital. Just then, Dajiang rushed in and handed a book to Lao Peng. "Dad, is this the one?"

Old Peng took it and said, "Yes, yes, this is it."

Zhong Zihong raised his head and laughed, "Dajiang, let's eat together here."

Da Jiang smiled and waved his hand, then walked out, saying, "No, no, there's food outside, you guys eat yours."

Then he disappeared.

Old Peng handed the picture book to Zhong Zihong and said with a smile, "This is the 'Wild Game Recipe Book.' I've tried a few of the dishes in it, and they taste really good."

Zhong Zihong did not take it, but raised his hand to let it pass, and said with a smile, "I don't understand it either, please let Teacher Chen take a look."

Old Peng then handed it to Chen Fan.

Chen Fan didn't stand on ceremony and took it directly. After flipping through it briefly, he found that this book was more like a menu than a recipe book. Recipes would have detailed instructions, but this book only explained a little bit of the cooking method, which was almost impossible to replicate.

It introduces the varieties and packaging specifications of wild game sold by the import and export company, with more than 20 different kinds of wild game.

The prepared menu contains 27 dishes, ranging from "Braised Bear Paw" to "Clove-Scented Roe Deer Leg", from "Roasted Yellow Sheep Skewers" to "Salt and Pepper Rice Flower Bird", enough to fill two tables of wild game feast.

(Braised Bear Paw)
With this recipe book, Zhong Zihong and the others no longer had any doubts about Lao Peng's earlier statement that he didn't know how to cook wild game.

They've never even heard of the dishes in the book, let alone seen them. How could someone like Lao Peng possibly make them?

After briefly passing the recipe book around, they started chatting about the interesting stories Old Peng had told them.

Finally, the recipe was passed to Lao Peng, who handed it to Chen Fan with a smile, saying, "Teacher Chen, it would be a waste for me to keep this. I've heard that you're a good cook, so I'll give it to you."

Chen Fan realized that his level 5 cooking skills hadn't gained any experience points for a "long time," and since he was genuinely interested in wild game, he didn't refuse. After thanking him, he accepted the food.

However, besides his cooking skills, he was more interested in Lao Peng's other abilities. He put the book on the stool, raised his glass to Lao Peng, and said with a smile, "Master Peng, besides using guns, what other methods do you use for hunting?"

Old Peng, being perceptive, roughly understood his meaning. If Chen Fan was merely curious, he should have asked about the hunting process, not what skills he used. Since he asked this, he most likely wanted to learn hunting techniques from him.

He paused for two seconds, then looked up and smiled, “In addition to being good at shooting, everyone in the hunting team has a special skill. Some are good at setting traps, and some are good at poisoning. There was a guy from Guangxi in the team who could throw stones and hit them wherever he wanted, even in curves. Everyone thought it was amazing.”

Chen Fan's eyes widened. He also found it amazing. A stone turning a corner? Wasn't that the original version of gun-fu?

He quickly pressed on, "Do you know this skill?"

Old Peng shook his head and laughed, "He did teach us, but unfortunately no one could learn it. He said that you have to start practicing from a young age. It took him nearly twenty years to master this skill of throwing stones."

He paused for a moment, then added, "I can't throw stones or poison, all I know is how to set traps and shoot arrows."

Speaking of archery, he couldn't help but smile broadly. "I've been practicing my archery skills since I was a child. Although I can't turn corners, I can still shoot exactly where I aim without missing a beat."

After he finished speaking, his face darkened again. "Unfortunately, later everyone used guns, so we used our archery skills less. Then I broke my leg and couldn't use my waist and legs, so I lost half of my archery skills. I can only shoot things that are close by, not far."

Chen Fan blinked. "You can't shoot far, but I can!"
He immediately chuckled and said, "Master Peng, I have a favor to ask."

Old Peng turned to look at him and chuckled, "Want to learn archery?"

Chen Fan nodded repeatedly, "Is that okay?"

Old Peng was already prepared, and immediately laughed and said, "It's rare that Teacher Chen is interested, so why not?"

(End of this chapter)