Capítulo 32: The feast
Sometime while Zhao Wei was cooking, Gowan had already come to drop a lot of beast meat before leaving again. Zhao Wei hadn't bothered then, but once he finished cooking the portion, he realized that for the venison, each ape only got about the size of a tupperware for humans.
Even for him these days, that would barely be able to give him any satisfaction. Since he started hunting he ate by the buckets.
He cut a slab of butter and diced some chillie, fennel, fat and garlic before dropping all of them in. With the rest of the meat he cut them each into large cubes and stick them on top of some wooden spears left in the village.
Once the flavors mixed in to the butter, he took the meats spear by spear and basted them lightly just giving them a small layer of golden coating on top before putting these spears on a roast pit.
For every pit, he'd ask on of the primates to keep turning the spear to cook the meat evenly. Once everyone was gathered in the mess area, Gowan came over to sit in the center while his wife set on his left while Zhao Wei and Panda sat cross-legged in a spot on his right.
Usually they'd rile up with a chant like the one they'd welcome him with but this time, everyone had anticipated the meal for too long to care. And although the meat on the pits were fragrant, they were more intrigued by the leaf packets in front of them.
Gowan was a bit weirded out by the sight of his people, it was too quiet. They were always rowdy in one form or another, now each one was just staring intently at the food placed before them.
Seeing their patience reach its limit and a line of drool dripping from each of their mouths, Gowan just raised his hand and brought it down with a screech, signaling the beginning of the feast.
Every ape instantly tried to fumble the leaf packets with their fingers which was actually quite difficult considering the size of their fingers. Their eyes became bloodshot, all feeling a little wronged by Zhao Wei for making their day so difficult, first he tested their wills to the limit and now he was just messing with them.
The first leaf packet was opened, these were from the smaller monkeys about Gowans size. Instantly a completely new aroma hit the room, the sweet scent of sauce mingling with the salty and tender potatoes while covering the juicy venison.
The rest of the primates became more frenzied in their efforts to try and open it, but they were still very meticulous so that not a even a sauce leak would escape their clutches.
Through this whole process they didn't make a sound, they even chewed very quietly, as if afraid some of it would be lost in their exhales. But who could blame them. there were only three edible components in the dish, the venison, the mushrooms and the potatoes. Although they were all exquisite by themselves, they could be combined with each other to create an endless wave of flavors. Not to mention when they touched the sauce.
The potatoes skins were crunchy and infused with the herby and buttery flavor while it's insides were fluffy and sweet. The mushrooms broke off without even using teeth, just pressing it on the walls of the mouth with their tongues they could make it split into fibers which let out all the juices they absorbed creating a deep umami touch. It was as if a bowl of soup flowed through each and every primate's mouth every time they bit it.
And the venison, dear god the venison, each one of them thought as they bit it their first time. Each slab was a formation of 4 different flavors and textures. Starting from the bottom which was always under the butter and in contact with the herbs. It now had a candy like texture coating it from the small spoons of sauce Zhao Wei would pour in while cooking it from time to time. Inside it was a cooked beef with most of the flavors of herbs due to it's continued exposure.
On the top which Zhao Wei kept pouring the heated butter on had a golden brown hue and had a texture almost like tofu skin. It was done this way to cook the outside but lock in all the flavors, but it was delicious in it's own right. As it had only been in contact with butter it's flavor was the purest in terms of flavor.
Inside was a medium rare and had a sweet spiciness to it, this was the main body of the venison, containing all the locked in gamey flavor that naturally came from the meat itself, the taste completely encapsulated a tongue and refused to let it forget once it had touched the piece.
And the mystery of the sweetness is revealed in the final layer which had a sour tint to it. Zhao Wei had affixed a gem-like plum in the center of each cut of meat before he began cooking, dabbing egg whites in the entrance so that it would close up pence he started cooking and not let it escape.
As the meat cooked, this plum's natural flavors would permeate the meat from inside out creating a dish that had different flavors both outside and inside. But once one bit through all of the layers at once, it was a amalgamation of the most terrifyingly beautiful flavors held together by being in one protein ingredient.
Each of these were great discoveries of flavor, but together they created many magical combinations, so much so that each primate had to go through a thinking process with each bite. Which combinations it wanted more of, which would it like to taste each part alone, combine them together, which piece it wanted last, which piece it wanted first. Everytime they took a bite of something else, they changed their minds on what was best.
When they were finished they craved for more but couldn't get any. Some even chased those who hadn't finished to ask for a piece, there was no satiating their aroused appetites.
Finally they could only give up as each primate would fight for the dish like their life was on the line. They unwillingly but hungrily ate the skewered meat as a consolation only to find that they were also delicious, rushing to put more in their mouths before the rest realized.
Gowan heartily ate his meal as well, apparently he hadn't realized what was used to make the sauce as his face showed full enjoyment instead of disgruntlement. Once the sun began to lower Zhao Wei could only rush out as everytime he cooked there they'd try to force him to stay. Some of the females were even offering to be his wives, and the males urged him on how lucky he was.
Of course to them the females were beautiful. But to Zhao Wei they were still apes. And he'd kill himself first before that ever happened. The only one who ever found amusement in it was Panda who always aggravated the situation and ran away squeaking.
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