83 The Man with Fatal Attraction
Food! Tastes delicious.
Wine! Drank well.
Conversations! Deep and open.
And then, everyone opened their hearts.
This dining environment was very good for her.
Unfortunately, since graduating and going to the distant kingdom of Spain, the opportunity to eat with Sonoka has become scarce.
After finishing the meal, Taki continued to sit at the table, occasionally drinking alone, then slowly closed her eyes to enjoy the quiet moment!
Indeed.
As described by Sonoka.
The owner of this tavern was better at cooking than both of them.
Moreover, there was a more terrifying fact that made Taki feel fearful: Zane could even cook niche dishes so well, as if he had no shortcomings at all!
"Owner."
"There was once a time."
"Spanish barbecue quickly became popular worldwide."
"However, this phenomenon was short-lived and soon fell out of favor."
"In fact, this kind of barbecue is simple and delicious, with a taste that suits the Chinese palate, and is affordable."
"But why is it not popular in China?"
Despite Taki's impulsive nature, she was quite decent in her conduct and dealings, without any ulterior motives.
Plus, the culinary skills displayed by Zane gave her hope for the rise of Spanish cuisine. Therefore, compared to how she used to treat him with coldness, her impression of him had improved a lot this time.
"The reason!"
"I think it may be because it requires diners to grill the meat themselves."
This would cause a major problem, which is the inconsistency in flavors.
For example, many diners grilling for the first time might burn the meat because they are not skilled in grilling and are afraid it won't be cooked through. As a result, they overcook the meat to a charred state!
"Finally, every time they want to eat barbecue, whether it's with friends or for a business occasion, in order to avoid embarrassment, they wouldn't choose it."
Zane thought for a moment and explained softly.
"Hmm?"
"Is that so?"
"Isn't allowing diners to grill their own meat a way to enjoy the process of making food?"
"Moreover, Spain is home to bullfighting and produces a lot of beef."
"Especially the Rubia Gallega beef from the region, which, combined with Piemontese Fassone beef and Ozaki beef from Miyazaki Prefecture in Japan, is called the three great beefs of the world!"
"So, perhaps the main reason it hasn't become popular in China is that Chinese people don't eat much beef, right?"
Taki said earnestly with her arms crossed in front of Zane.
Every year,
Chinese people would consume 50 million tons of pork, while beef and mutton were only about 1/10 of pork.
Therefore, it was reasonable to say that Chinese people didn't eat much beef.
After all, from a historical perspective, the Central Plains region only raised pigs, while cattle and sheep were the main food for the nomadic tribes outside the Great Wall.
In the eyes of the Chinese, a "home" has pigs in it and hence, Chinese people attach more importance to pork.
Moreover, in ancient times, cattle were an important "labor force" and were required for farming. Many times, in ancient times, the officials prohibited the consumption of beef.
Perhaps, it's truly due to historical traditions?
But to attribute everything to this issue was obviously biased.
"In China, there are already foods like roujiamo, roubing, or kebab wraps."
"Compared to these long-standing local products, Spanish barbecue is not particularly outstanding in terms of cost, taste, and convenience. Therefore, it's not easily popular!"
In the end, Zane just looked at her and calmly said.
"Um..."
Taki was surprised, then didn't argue further.
She had been to XJ in China before, where they simply set up a barbecue stall by the roadside, grilled lamb skewers over charcoal, and called out in an accented language.
And these professional barbecue stalls often did very well, with many people lining up in front of the stall.
Therefore, it was very likely that, as Zane said, Spanish barbecue couldn't compete with these local and unique barbecue dishes!
"Owner, please settle the bill!"
Then, after finishing the last sip of wine, Taki called for Zane to settle the bill.
Although initially, when the two met, her close relationship with Sonoka made her feel a little jealous, she didn't have much sympathy for Zane!
However, it has to be said that at this moment, this woman with fierce eyes and an impatient temperament had already developed a deep liking for the tavern.
"Hey?"
"Taki, are you... are you leaving so soon?" Sonoka, seeing that the relationship between Taki and Zane had finally improved, couldn't help but feel happy about it.
After all, it wasn't yet time to close, but Taki wanted to leave the tavern already!
"Uh-huh!"
"You big-chested monster."
"I just can't stand your simple-mindedness. If we continue to stay here, both of us will probably end up being fully caught up in this."
Saying this, Taki pretended to be angry, stretched out her "dragon claw" hand, and went straight towards Sonoka.
"Ah!"
"Taki, you... you... don't do this!"
Seeing Taki's actions, Sonoka quickly realized what was happening and hurriedly moved back while covering her chest, keeping a certain distance from her out of fear.
It had to be admitted, Zane was the kind of man who had fatal attraction for any woman.
Leaving aside his handsome appearance, just the depth of his character, his calmness and wisdom, his lack of frivolity and gentle nature were enough to ensnare all women and make them unable to extricate themselves!
Yes, Taki admitted that for a moment, she, who had never been interested in men, had been touched in her heart.
But the more she felt this way, the more afraid she became. She was even more worried that Sonoka, who was next to her, might fall deeply in "love" with Zane due to her lack of self-control.
"Owner."
"Your seafood rice is really well made."
"I have to admit that, although I am skilled in Spanish cuisine, I have been unable to promote this type of cooking despite my efforts over the years. And now, I'm not even as good as you, the owner of this tavern!"
"Even if I were to work hard for a few more years, no, for several decades, I'm afraid I still wouldn't be able to elevate seafood rice to the high level that you have."
Then, seeing Sonoka's fearful appearance, Taki could only sigh deeply, then turned to Zane and sighed.
"This kind of seafood rice."
"It's just a normal preparation, not particularly elegant or delicious."
"Of course, if you like my cooking, you can come to the tavern often in the future!"
Upon hearing Taki's words, Zane just modestly replied.
"Um!"
"I will come again."
Having said that, Taki then pulled the still bewildered Sonoka and said, "Alright, we should leave!"
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