The Age of Discovery: Chinese cuisine swept across Europe

For the sake of cleanliness and hygiene, Min Xi made several clips with tough wood chips and placed them next to the box. Customers could use the clips to take what they wanted to buy, so as to avoid dirtying their hands and food.

When Fernando took the plate to get the snack, he noticed the clip. He remembered that he had just reached out to take it, and he couldn't help but raise his eyebrows.

He picked up the clip and took a look. The clip was folded into an angle less than 30 degrees, with a rope tied in the middle. When he closed his fingers, he could control it to the desired size, and it would automatically pop open when he released it. It was a nice idea.

Fernando thought that this tongs could be used at home. It would be better than a knife and fork when picking up snacks or even sharing dishes.

He carried the plate, picked up a little of each dessert, and then went upstairs.

Yunji had already brewed the tea and was adding charcoal to the peat stove. This small stove was also custom-made by them. It could be placed on the table. It was less than a foot high. Putting charcoal in the stove could keep the water in the pot warm, so there was no need to go downstairs all the time to fetch water for tea.

Seeing the Baron coming up, Yun Ji picked up the teapot, scalded the teacup with the first batch of tea, poured out all the tea in the teapot, and then poured in the second batch of boiling water.

Fernando asked curiously, "Why did you pour out the tea?"

Yun Ji said: "It is best not to drink the first brew of tea, as there will be some dust on the tea leaves. It is considered as washing tea water, and it is good to use it to wash teapots and teacups."

Fernando watched his movements and said, "So there are such rules for drinking tea?"

Yun Ji smiled and said, "In China, there are many rules for drinking tea, and the customs of drinking tea vary from place to place."

He filled the cup with tea for the second time, only 70% full, and then raised his hand to signal Fernando: "Sir, please have some tea."

Fernando picked up the teacup and asked, "Is there any rule for how much tea to pour?"

"That's right, pour the tea cup 70% full. If the tea is too hot, it will hurt people easily. Pouring it 70% full shows respect. If the tea cup is too full, it is disrespectful to the guests." Yun Ji said.

Fernando looked as if he had suddenly realized something: "You Chinese are really particular. It's so interesting. I really need to learn more about Chinese culture."

"Please enjoy your meal, sir. I'll go downstairs to get busy first." Yun Ji said.

Fernando nodded. "Go ahead. I'll have some tea by myself. My friend will be here after church."

After the clock struck ten, worshippers came out of the church one after another. There were finally people on the streets, and the pastry shop was about to officially open.

Diego and two employees rushed to the store as soon as they finished their weekdays. They returned to the store panting and found that half of the shelves had been filled. The two bosses were really diligent, so they did not dare to neglect them and quickly rolled up their sleeves to help with the work.

Amanda, Gail and others knew that the dim sum shop would open today, so they changed into the store's uniforms early in the morning and came to help after church.

Not long after, Lord Mello arrived with his friends. These friends were also regular customers of the Chinese restaurant. Knowing that the boss had opened a new dim sum restaurant, of course they all came to take a look.

They had never expected that a pastry shop could be so spacious. Not only was the shop bright and spacious, but the pastries were also placed in wooden boxes covered with glass lids to prevent dust and moisture. This kind of exquisiteness was unique in Lisbon, no, it should be said that there was no other such shop in Europe.

Under the guidance of the shop assistant, they picked up the food they wanted to eat with plates and were then led to the tea room on the second floor.

Seeing the furnishings of the tea room, almost everyone couldn't help but exclaim that this idea was simply wonderful. It seemed like the ideal place to gather with friends in their dreams. No, it should be said that it exceeded their imagination and expectations.

Lord Melo said, "I am right, this is a special place. We can come here for our gatherings in the future."

A friend said: "It is a perfect gathering place. When we are hungry, we go to the Chinese restaurant for dinner and come here for tea after dinner. There is even a fireplace here. I think we can prepare some blankets so that we can spend the night here."

Fernando smiled and said, "Forget about staying overnight. Don't cause trouble for the owner."

"Of course I'm not staying overnight, I just feel comfortable here and feel like home," said the man.

Lord Mellor said, "This is much more comfortable than your home."

"Hahaha, you're right." The friend laughed.

Soon, Fernando's friends arrived, including Dr. Cafu's group. They were also very satisfied with the teahouse and loved it very much.

Fernando poured tea for everyone, and as he poured, he shared the little knowledge he had just learned about drinking tea.

Everyone listened with great interest and found Chinese culture to be extremely interesting.

Walter said, "This place is really interesting, the tea is good, and the snacks are delicious. I suggest that we all come here for gatherings in the future."

Dr. Cafu said, "Do you think there is something missing?"

"what?"

"Get some decks of cards and it'll be a club, or get some books and it'll be a reading club," said Dr. Cafu.

"That's right. Next time we come, remember to bring your own books," said Fernando.

Books are precious, and of course we can't expect Min Xi to provide them with books, but providing a few decks of cards is possible.

Here, everyone was chatting and laughing upstairs, and things were getting busy downstairs.

Min Xi, Yun Ji and Diego were busy in the kitchen. He asked a few waiters to carry plates and snacks to attract customers outside the store.

Today is Sunday, and most shops on the street are closed. People also visit relatives and friends on this day. Whenever there are guests passing by, they will go up to greet them: "The dessert shop is open. We have egg tarts, cakes, biscuits, bread and other desserts from the East. Free samples are available. Welcome to come and taste. There is a 10% discount on the first three days."

The plates in their hands contained some small pieces of cake and cookies for the guests to taste.

This approach may not work for adults, but it is very attractive to children. They can eat cakes and cookies for free, so why not try them? After eating, they will most likely pull their parents' hands to come into the store to have a look.

The unique displays and shopping methods in the store are very novel. Everyone who comes here is shocked. Whether they want to buy something or not, they have to take a look around and take a look at the environment.

Basically, no one leaves empty-handed after coming in. The snacks in the store are not cheap, but you can buy them individually. I don't want to buy too much, so I buy one for my child to try.

Since there were four shop assistants serving customers, their shouts were one after another and quite loud. This way of attracting customers was also very novel, and more and more customers were attracted.

The trained clerk said sweetly: "Ma'am, are you visiting a friend? Buy some desserts for your friend. The taste is unique in Europe and is definitely the best gift. Today is the opening of the new store, and there are discounts."

"Sir, we have a tea room upstairs. The environment is quite beautiful, with sofas and a fireplace. You can invite your friends to come over for tea and snacks. I guarantee you will have a pleasant afternoon."

"Little boy, we have birthday cakes in our store. There is cream on the cake, and you can write your name on it with sugar. Look, it's such a big cake. When it's your birthday, ask your parents to reserve a birthday cake, and you can invite your good friends to share this big cake with you."

"We also have a lot of snacks here that are suitable for the elderly. The egg tarts are sweet, the cakes are fluffy, and the bread is sweet and soft. I guarantee that there are no snacks in Lisbon that are more suitable for the elderly with bad teeth."

"You see, we also have exquisite gift boxes here. If you spend 40 riels or more, you can get a gift box for free. It looks decent and high-end. If you need a wooden box for less than 40 riels, you only need to pay 1 riel more. If you don't want a wooden box, we can wrap it for you with free paper, and it will be beautifully wrapped."

"Yes, yes, yes, it's the egg tarts from the China Restaurant. Since you're our old customer, you must know how delicious our egg tarts are. Our boss knows that everyone loves our dim sum, so he opened this store to sell all kinds of dim sum. What the restaurant had before, we have here, and what the restaurant didn't have, we also have here. There are many varieties, please choose whatever you like. Don't worry, the taste is absolutely the same, it's made by the original dim sum chef."

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