The Age of Discovery: Chinese cuisine swept across Europe

Oxford is a small town located northwest of London.

In the 12th century, King Henry II of England built a palace in Oxford. Many scholars came to Oxford to give lectures in order to gain the king's protection, and gradually a strong academic atmosphere was formed. Later, the Anglo-French War broke out, and the King of England was furious and recalled all the British scholars studying at the University of Paris back to England. These scholars founded a university in Oxford, which is the origin of Oxford University.

These were what the coachman told them. The coachman loved to chat just like the taxi drivers in Beijing, which added a lot of fun to Min Xi and Yun Ji's journey.

The coachman often traveled between London and Oxford, and he knew and interacted with many Oxford teachers and students, and also knew their anecdotes. He also talked about the origin of Cambridge University. After Oxford University was built, many young students came to Oxford to study, which led to the prosperity of this small town. However, many young students were unruly and careless. They liked to eat, drink and stay in hotels in Oxford on credit, and it became a trend. They did not pay back their debts and often made trouble when drunk, which caused great dissatisfaction among local people. The contradictions continued to escalate, and finally a serious fight broke out with the students.

That was a real battle. The residents attacked with bows and arrows. The students suffered heavy casualties, which alarmed the king.

In order to escape the war, a group of teachers and students resolutely left for Cambridge and founded Cambridge University.

Although Min Xi knew the relationship between Cambridge and Oxford, he only found out the specific reason today. He didn't expect that the British people were so tough and merciless to scholars. This kind of thing was unimaginable in ancient China, where "everything is inferior except reading".

Yun Ji, the ancient man, found it even more unimaginable: "It is indeed a disgrace for a scholar to owe a debt and not pay it back, but it is simply unimaginable that he was killed for it!"

After a bumpy ride, they finally arrived in Oxford in the afternoon. The coachman knew they were going to visit Oxford University and took them there.

Min Xi and Yun Ji stood at the gate and looked at the surrounding environment. It seemed that the most magnificent building in this small town was Oxford University.

Yun Ji asked Min Xi: "Do you want to visit the school first, or stay in a hotel?"

Min Xi said, "Let's stay in a hotel first and put down your luggage before going shopping." The two of them were going away for a few days. In addition to taking a change of clothes and quilt covers and bed sheets, they also brought basic cooking items. There was no other way. They really couldn't stand the British people's poor cooking skills and didn't want to disappoint their stomachs.

They asked several shops and finally found one that provided food and lodging. It was a bit expensive, but they could cook their own meals.

This is a husband-and-wife shop. The middle-aged couple looks very kind and the place is very clean. When Min Xi asked to use the kitchen to cook, the landlady's eyes widened in surprise: "You cook by yourself?"

Min Xi nodded: "Yes, we will pay for our board and lodging, and we will just use your kitchen. I will buy the food myself."

The landlady looked at the two strange-looking guys in front of her. Even their behavior was so strange. How could guests cook for themselves when staying in a hotel? The Oxford students were eager to take advantage of them, but they didn't take advantage of them. Although she didn't quite understand, she still agreed: "Okay, you cook for yourself, but I will still charge for the meal."

"No problem, just consider it as fuel cost," said Min Xi.

At noon, they ate the bread they brought from home, so they didn't have to cook. After putting down their luggage and making the bed, they went out and decided to go to Oxford University first. They had just arrived today, so they didn't plan to meet Professor Michel, but would visit him tomorrow.

Min Xi's primary purpose, of course, was to find a glass greenhouse. Although the scale of Oxford University was not large at the moment, the building was quite well planned. It could be said that although small, it had all the necessary facilities.

Yun Ji couldn't help but sigh: "It looks more interesting than the Imperial College."

"Have you ever been to the Imperial College?" Min Xi asked curiously.

"I visited it with my friends." Yun Ji said.

The Imperial Academy was the highest institution of learning in the Ming Dynasty and was also the government agency in charge of national studies. Its size is self-evident, but compared with Oxford University, which is located in a remote town, it seems more serious and formal, and less wild. The campus of Oxford University is covered with green grass and shady trees, which looks pleasing to the eye. When you are tired of studying, you can just lie on the grass to relax your body and mind.

"That may be the difference between academic research in the West and in the East." Min Xi said that there are also differences in subjects. In the Ming Dynasty, scholars all studied for fame and the imperial examination was the most popular. The British did not study for fame and would naturally study the subjects they like.

Yun Ji nodded in agreement: "You are right!"

The two searched around and finally saw a glass greenhouse in a garden. Unfortunately, the garden was surrounded by a wall and the entrance was locked. Perhaps there were many exotic flowers and plants inside, and they were afraid that they would be destroyed, so they were strictly protected. So if you want to visit the botanical garden, you must find the relevant staff to open the door.

Min Xi craned his neck to look through the gap in the fence and said, "I can't see it. Forget it. Let's go back first and look for Professor Michel tomorrow. I hope he's still in Oxford. Otherwise, our trip will be in vain."

"Are you sure there will be the crops we need in there?" Yun Ji always felt that Min Xi's approach was a bit like taking a chance, and he was skeptical about the rumors that Min Xi heard from the Shark. If there really were such good crops, why didn't the local Europeans promote their cultivation, but instead planted them in botanical gardens?

Min Xi looked back as he walked: "I'm not sure either. I have to take a look to find out."

Yun Ji thought about it and finally asked: "Ninth brother, you said such a good crop, why don't Europeans promote it and only plant it in botanical gardens?"

Min Xi stopped and looked at Yun Ji with a smile. He had noticed this loophole. He thought about the wording and said, "I think they must have tried to grow it outdoors, but failed. I guess the climate is not suitable for growing it outdoors in Europe, otherwise why would they grow it in a greenhouse?"

"What do you mean?" Yun Ji asked.

Min Xi said, "I heard that the climate in the New World is very hot and humid, with distinct dry and rainy seasons. The climate in Europe is obviously colder. Even the summer is similar to our spring, and the winter is similar to our winter. Crops need time to adapt to the new environment, so they can only be cultivated in greenhouses for the time being. Don't we Chinese have a saying, 'Oranges grow south of the Huai River' or something like that?"

"Oranges grown in the south of the Huai River are oranges, while oranges grown in the north of the Huai River are tangerines." Yun Ji found himself convinced by Min Xi again.

"Yes, yes, yes, that's what I mean. The crops from the New World have not yet adapted to the climate and soil in Europe." Min Xi said with a smile.

"You have a point." Yun Ji nodded in agreement. "Then do you think those crops can survive in Ming Dynasty?"

"I don't know either, so I need to ask the professors here. Their biology professors are always doing research, so we can ask them and then take them back and try planting them, and then we'll know." Min Xi said.

Yun Ji nodded. Min Xi was indeed very thoughtful. "Will the professors at Oxford be willing to tell us the results of their research?"

"That's hard to say. Even if they don't tell us, we can ask them for some seeds and go back to explore it ourselves." Min Xi knew that there was no such thing as ecological protection in this era, and the exchange of species between continents was still very frequent, unlike the later control over the introduction of species. The problem was whether he could get the crops he needed from Oxford.

Yun Ji asked again: "What if they are unwilling to share the seeds with us?"

From a big picture perspective, such important crop seeds may be related to the country's foundation. If the Oxford professors consider it more, they may not be willing to give them away casually.

Min Xi rolled his eyes and chuckled: "If they don't want to give it to us, we can 'take it' ourselves!" Back then, the people of Luzon also strictly prohibited the introduction of sweet potato seedlings into China. It was our ancestors who were wise and fought wits and courage with the people of Luzon and successfully brought the sweet potato vines back to China.

Yun Ji looked at his smirk and understood what he meant: "Well, if the other party really disagrees, we can think of other ways."

"I knew that Brother Seven would help me." Min Xi laughed.

Yun Ji thought that if this crop was really that important, it might save many lives in the future, so it would be fine to be a thief. Besides, weren't these crops also brought back from the New World by Europeans? They might not have obtained the consent of the locals when they took them away.

"Let's go, let's go back and cook. I just saw a lot of bear onions in the woods over there, let's pick some and make dumplings." Min Xi suggested.

"Where is the bear onion? Why don't I see it?"

"I have a pair of eyes that can discover delicious food at any time. Follow me!" Min Xi said proudly.

Oxford University was on summer vacation, and the campus was deserted for a month or two. No one was trampling on it, and all kinds of plants were growing wildly, including the bear onions in the bushes. Not to mention, these bear onions were really tender. The two of them picked a lot, stuffing their pockets full, and grabbing a handful with both hands.

When they returned to the hotel, the landlady was preparing dinner in the kitchen. Min Xi and Yun Ji took out the leeks and washed them in a wooden basin. Min Xi said to the landlady, "Madam, can you sell me some wheat flour and eggs?"

The landlady saw Yunji washing the bear onions and asked, "Can those weeds be eaten?"

"Yes, it's called bear onion. All the Fulanji people eat it. Don't you eat it?" Min Xi asked.

The landlady shook her head: "We have no one to eat here. How much wheat flour and eggs do you need?"

Min Xi said, "It's probably a little over a pound, and give me five eggs." This is enough for two people.