I am a local in North America

Chapter 6 Delicious Fish Soup
In the first half of the year, everyone received an invitation from the "Living Alone in the Wilderness" program team, and was given several months to prepare. The official filming did not begin until mid-September.

Before filming began, all 10 contestants participated in intensive training, mainly learning how to use the equipment, local laws and regulations, first aid and survival skills, and underwent rigorous physical examinations.

In order to win the prize money, Su Jierui naturally made thorough preparations in advance.

Because he didn't know where the competition would be held, he carefully studied the representative flora and fauna of North America several times beforehand. He also got his friends to practice fishing, building shelters, chopping wood, archery, and so on. He could be considered a semi-expert in the outdoors.

Before the fish even surfaced, he knew in advance, thanks to his own "cheat code," that he had caught a white pike.

This fish has a strong explosive power and particularly sharp teeth. There have been many records of people being attacked by pike while swimming and being bitten all over their bodies. It has a very bad temper.

Some call it the "wolf of the water," as it is one of the most ferocious freshwater fish in the world, and it even prefers to cannibalize its own kind when food is scarce.

The space on the raft is limited, and it can easily escape if you're not careful. It's much harder to catch than the yellow perch, which is only 20 or 30 centimeters long. So Su Jierui wasn't in a hurry. He just tightened the fishing rod and patiently waited for the pike to run out of energy.

The small raft drifted on the lake, being dragged around by the white-spotted pike. It was clear that the force was getting weaker and weaker, but it still needed to be pulled tight.

Su Jierui kept smiling as he wondered how big the five-year-old white-spotted pike was, and whether it could exceed one meter in length.

Then I started to worry, thinking that if the net was made too small, it might not be sturdy or durable. What if the duck that was about to be caught flew away, and I lost several days' worth of food? I'd probably toss and turn until midnight tonight, filled with regret.

Let's wander around a little longer.

The pike in the water exerts its own force, so there is no need for the fisherman to lift the rod to hook it. The fishing line, which has a maximum test weight of 20 pounds and a diameter of 0.7 mm, is used with a size 7/0 hook and generally does not break easily.

For more than 10 minutes, Su Jierui was outwitting the white-spotted pike in the water, afraid that the fishing line would get under the raft.

Only when the pike was completely exhausted did he carefully use a net to scoop it onto the raft from the head, and then cut it off with a single stroke from the skull, sending the fish to its death.

His smile grew even brighter. He wasn't in a hurry to unhook the fish, still worried about slipping and dropping it into the lake. Only after he had held the big fish up and shown it to the action camera did he start looking for other prey again.

“My hands are quite big, about 21 centimeters from my thumb to my little finger. So this fish is nearly 1.3 meters long from head to tail and weighs about 30 kilograms. I’ve never caught such a big freshwater fish before!”

"This length is nothing special in the sea. I remember when I was a child, my parents caught a bluefin tuna that was more than two meters long. That was my father's pride, and he even took a picture and put it in the living room."

"Unfortunately, bluefin tuna wasn't that expensive back then, so I sold it to a Japanese restaurant in Los Angeles for $1."

Bluefin tuna has only become popular in recent years due to declining numbers. Half a century ago, it was only used to make cat food cans and hardly anyone liked to eat it.

Thinking that many people around the world would see this big white pike when the show airs, Su Jerry was a little excited. However, the waves on Great Slave Lake had become slightly larger, so he decided to hurry up and continue looking for other prey.

The good luck seemed to have been used up on the alligator snapping turtles hibernating on the shore and the pike that had been caught; there were no other catches for the next hour or so.

My stomach was growling with hunger, and my hands and feet were getting colder and colder. I was worried that my fingers and toes would get frostbite.

Calculating that his food reserves would last about 40 days, he decided to return to the solid ice and then diligently used the rope to pull the raft onto the ice, hoping to catch a few more fish the next day.
Back on shore, take magnesium rods, flint and steel, and other supplies.

After cleaning the fish's internal organs outside the camp, they were thrown near the traps they had set, hoping to catch some other animals, such as the red fox whose footprints they had seen before.

The most common fox species near Great Slave Lake is the red fox. This fox has a very wide range of habitats, is nocturnal, and feeds on small mammals, birds, insects, and more.

Last month, Su Jerry saw a red fox, but it was too far away. By the time he got close with his bow and arrow, the fox noticed him before he could even get within range and quickly ran away.

Fish entrails have a strong fishy smell, which is perfect as bait. Let's see if we can attract red foxes into the trap.

While processing the three fish, Su Jerry continued filming, muttering to himself:
"Snow has its advantages; it reveals the footprints of various animals, making it easier to set traps."

"Unfortunately, there are black bears near my camp, which scare away all the medium and large prey. So far, I have only caught one reindeer, one rabbit, two grouse, and one gray squirrel."

"With the ground covered in snow, it's become more difficult for animals to find food. Other animals, like elk or reindeer, might come to my area. I need to check the river area frequently, as it's close to water sources and has plenty of dry grass under the snow, which easily attracts large herbivores."

Only the swim bladder, liver, and flesh are left.

Take these fresh ingredients back to the camp for further processing, cut off the large head of the pike and split it in half for later use.

I weighed the whole fish head in my hand and it was about 8 pounds. I only need to eat half of it for lunch. I put the rest of the fish into the smoked meat storage box. After hesitating for a moment, I scooped out a spoonful of precious deer fat.

Reindeer don't have much fat; it's mostly concentrated under their skin, weighing only a few pounds in total. This small wooden bowl of reindeer fat is mostly scraped from the reindeer's hide and then rendered into lard over a low flame, just like rendering pork fat.

I kept this bowl of deer fat specifically to prepare for the cold winter, as it provides more calories than venison and fish.

After cleaning the snow off his boots, Su Jierui went inside to start a fire. Then he took the pot outside the shelter, grabbed a handful of snow, wiped it off, and found some clean snow to fill the pot.

When you throw half of the pike's head into the pot, you can see that the brain and skin have already begun to freeze.

I grew up in Seattle, Washington, USA. Although the winters are cold, it usually rains and the snowfall is not usually heavy.

Previously, Su Jierui always thought that Seattle's weather was far inferior to that of warm places like Los Angeles and Miami. Now, with comparisons, he realizes that it is much more comfortable than the area near Great Slave Lake in Canada, at least he doesn't have to worry about freezing to death.

Near Great Slave Lake, nighttime temperatures can drop to minus 30 or 40 degrees Celsius, which can be deadly.

Sitting by the stove to warm up, the snow in the pot melted quickly. The snow on the ground wasn't exactly clean, but it was fine to cook it a little longer. Going to the lake to fetch water was too dangerous and would only waste energy.

After a while, the room started to warm up, and the ice on the walls and floor began to melt.

Su Jierui finally took off his gloves and hat. His ears were still red and itchy, but thankfully they weren't completely frostbitten.

After staring blankly for a few minutes, the aroma of fish soup began to waft from the pot. He belatedly took out a few pieces of wild onion, wiped them roughly, threw them into the pot to enhance the flavor, and then sprinkled some salt.

The fish soup smelled even stronger, and Su Jierui swallowed hard. To avoid getting an upset stomach, he continued to cook it for a while longer.

After filming the fish head soup in the pot with a sports camera, he muttered to himself:
“I’ve seen the previous episodes. The champion of the fifth season only lasted until the 56th day before winning the $50 prize. He won the competition with shells, crabs and seaweed.”

“I don’t know if there are any other competitors competing with me, but even if they all withdraw, I still have to wait 100 days to receive the prize money, which is the rule of this season’s competition.”

"Hoping for others to withdraw from the competition is unrealistic. We still need to continue accumulating food. Last month, I saw a large alligator snapping turtle by the lake, but it ran away before I could get close. Suddenly, I thought, maybe its nest is nearby? It's been so cold lately, it might have entered hibernation. I'll go out this afternoon and try my luck."

After taking stock of the supplies at hand, Su Jerry added:

"Having no experience in surviving in extremely cold regions, I don't know how much firewood I need to prepare. I need to continue cutting firewood before the snow affects my walking."

“I cut down all the dead trees around here. The living trees need to dry for several months before they can be used as firewood, otherwise there will be too much smoke and dust and the heating capacity will be poor.”

"Without enough firewood, it's too cold to sleep at night, even hiding in a sleeping bag is uncomfortable."

He said a lot of things.

Su Jierui is not usually very talkative, but in this environment, he was forced to become a chatterbox, seizing every opportunity to chat.

Once the fish head soup was cooked, he put the pot outside to cool it down, and soon couldn't wait to take it back to the shelter.

The fish soup in the pot was an enticing milky white. Su Jierui scooped up a spoonful, blew on the steam, and carefully put it in his mouth. An intensely fresh flavor instantly bloomed on his taste buds, instantly dispelling the chill that had seeped into his bones.

He felt a warm current spreading from his stomach to the rest of his body, and he closed his eyes and breathed a satisfied sigh.

There isn't much meat on the fish head, but the fish brain and skin are very nutritious. The subtle spiciness of the wild onion perfectly balances the richness of the fish oil.

This simple fish soup, in this desolate, snowy wilderness, is better than any delicacy in the world.

After eating and drinking enough.

Feeling slightly sleepy, but with the long night ahead and nothing else to do but sleep, Su Jierui didn't take a nap. Instead, he tidied up and prepared to go out and chop wood.

As for the alligator snapping turtle by the lake, he hadn't yet come up with a solid reason to face the camera and legitimately capture the big guy hiding in the underground cave.

To avoid being relentlessly criticized by viewers after the show airs, who suspect him of cheating and rigging the game, just like the champion in season five who won a $50 prize by eating seaweed, which caused considerable controversy and ridicule afterward.

Su Jierui himself is a YouTuber, and he's used to being careful. However, the online atmosphere is becoming increasingly hostile, and many strange groups have emerged. If you're not careful, you might stir up a hornet's nest.

After all, alligator snapping turtles are indeed rare in the Great Slave Lake area, and they wouldn't survive the harsh winter. Nobody knows how it managed to get here.
(End of this chapter)