Chapter 710: Delicacy
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
Zhang Zian made the other elfins invisible and brought Famous downstairs, then walked across the lobby to Feng Xuan.
“Hey, Xiao Zhang. You are up early. Did you overcome the jet lag?” Feng Xuan asked with concern.
“I’m still a bit sleepy, but I think I’ve overcome the jet lag,” Zhang Zian greeted him. “Director Feng, you are up very early, as well.”
“Young men like you are in good health, but not me. I arrived in Germany two days before you and spent the entire time sleeping.” Feng Xuan shook his head and smiled bitterly. He clutched a cup of coffee in his hand. “I’m getting old, so I can’t overdo this.”
He lowered his head to look at Famous and asked, “You are heading to…?”
“Oh, I was going to take Famous outside for breakfast, then walk around in the area,” Zhang Zian answered honestly. “Since we are in Germany, I would like to travel around. My friends in China want me to bring back some souvenirs.”
Feng Xuan nodded. “Sure. You should travel around, but don’t run too far. Also, keep your phone on so that I can find you if something happens,” he advised.
“You can rest assured, Director Feng.” Zhang Xian smiled. “Oh, right––thank you for the electric water kettle.”
“No problem. How is your English? Do you need someone to go with you?” Feng Xuan asked again. “Most Germans can speak English, but not all are on the same level.”
“There is no need. My English is fine.” Zhang Zian waved his hand and declined politely. He had Richard, anyway, and it could handle both English or German.
“Okay. Go ahead, then. Let me know when you come back,” Feng Xuan said in a relieved tone.
The cold, outside air blew on their faces as soon as they left the warm hotel. The flurries yesterday had stopped, but the air was still cold and damp.
“Quack! I thought I finally survived the winter in Binhai City, but now I’m in Berlin to freeze! Which b*stard told me that ‘if winter is here, spring can’t be far away?’ Winter is here to stay!” Richard complained incessantly, then repeated the complaints in German.
Fina could not agree more.
Zhang Zian said, “Complain as much as you want, but why do you have to repeat it in German? Didn’t you see the pedestrians staring at you? If you start a war between Germany and England, I’m will not be responsible for that.”
The hotel was near the Potsdamer Platz. Zhang Zian decided not to go any further and stopped to get some food in the Platz.
Famous had smelled the food from a distance and had led Zhang Zian and the others toward it. There were many food carts near Berlinale Palast, which was the main venue for the film festival. They looked like the food carts in China, except that the food was much cleaner. The chefs were appropriately dressed and the carts themselves looked clean.
“Famous, what would you like to eat?” Zhang Zian asked.
Famous glanced around and spoke towards one of the carts, “That one.”
It was a food cart operated by a Turkish chef. The young Turkish chef was wearing his traditional ethnic clothes and looked very handsome. He wore a big smile. He saw Zhang Zian and Famous walking over and greeted them warmly with rusty English, “Kebab! Would you like some? Authentic Turkish Döner kebab.”
There were a lot of Turkish immigrants in Berlin, so the Döner kebab near the Berlinale Palast was very authentic. Zhang Zian had tried Döner Kebab in China, but neither the taste nor the presentation was comparable to the kebabs this man was selling. The smell alone made him drool.
He stretched out two fingers, indicating that he wanted two portions.
Translation was not necessary in this case, as any human being was able to understand him; however, Richard spoke in German on purpose, “Two Döner kebabs, plus your big sausage!”
“Oh, do you speak German? I’m sorry, but I don’t sell sausages here,” the young chef answered seriously.
Zhang Zian could barely keep a smile on his face. He swung his arm behind his head to warn Richard to not talk nonsense, but it anticipated this and dodged him.
“Two Döner Kebabs, please,” Zhang Zian spoke in English.
“Okay. One moment, please.”
The Turkish chef sliced the meat from the vertical rotisserie with a long knife, then collected the meat in a stainless steel container. His movement was skilled and smooth.
He sliced two portions of meat, then followed Zhang Zian’s instructions to prepare one portion with seasoning and the other one without. After adding the vegetable salad, he stuffed the meat into a freshly baked pita, put it in a paper bag, and passed it to Zhang Zian.
The freshly roasted meat smelled good and tasted even better. Even Fina and Snowy Lionet, who were both full, were staring at the giant rotisserie and drooling. It seemed as though they wanted to devour the entire meat on the rotisserie. Zhang Zian winked at them, hinting that he would get some more on the way back to the hotel.
He looked around and hesitated whether or not he should give one of the kebabs to Famous. In China, this could annoy people. Otherwise, he might have to sit down on a bench and feed it secretly.
As there were no other customers for now, the Turkish chef figured out what he was thinking. He gestured “okay” with his hands, then pointed to his left.
Zhang Zian followed his finger to where he was pointing. A lady was sitting on the side of the street, feeding currywurst to her poodle. She broke the sausage in two, kept half for herself, then gave the other half to her dog. They were both enjoying the sausage at the same time and the pedestrians passing did not seem to be surprised by this at all.
He felt better after seeing this, recognizing yet again the German people’s love for pets.
Famous stared at the poodle eating and licked its mouth.
It was not good to feed dogs too much spice, but it seemed as though the poodle was used to it and was enjoying the food regardless.
Zhang Zian smiled reluctantly, then walked over with Famous and ordered two currywursts. He warned Richard to not talk nonsense in advance.
The elfins didn’t eat such food very often, anyway, so he decided that he’d rather let Famous fully enjoy everything while they were in Germany.
Germany was a sausage republic, with over a thousand different types of sausages. If each resident ate sausages for three meals a day, they could eat different sausages for a year. Currywurst was a delicacy that could be found either on the table of a Michelin star restaurant or in a street food cart.
It was simple to make currywurst. Ketchup was spread onto roasted pork sausages, along with a sweet and sour sauce that was made––for the most part––with curry. Each chef had his own unique recipe for the sauce, though, and one always differed from the others.
The street was full of food carts. Apart from currywursts and Döner kebabs, there were also hot dogs, hamburgers, and schweinshaxe, which was the national dish of Germany. A generous portion of roasted pork knuckle was placed on a place, along with two roasted potatoes with some sauce on top and two cans of beer. Zhang Zian had enough food to feed any burly chap.
Each food cart offered a different delicacy, which amazed Zhang Zian, Famous, and the other invisible elfins. Each thing seemed so tasty and they wanted to try them all.
Zhang Zian had to tell them that they would taste each delicacy before leaving Germany, but for today, they were only going to try currywurst and the Döner kebab, for he could not grab anything more in his hands.