Cooking System: Street Food Rules

"Who on earth let the cat out of the bag?"

"So many people came to buy rice combo sets."

"Luckily, I snagged three!"

"Do you realize how difficult it is to get one of Executive Chef Jiang's rice combo sets?"

By the riverbank, several fishermen were abuzz with discussion.

At that moment, a fisherman pulled a rice combo set out of his bag and, grabbing a piece of braised pork with chopsticks, actually threw it straight into the lake.

This scene was witnessed by a few people nearby.

"Holy Moly! What are you doing! What the heck are you doing?!!" one person exclaimed.

"Chumming the water!" the fisherman replied.

The first person continued, "You're chumming the water with a rice combo set? I didn't even manage to get one, and you're using it as chum?"

"I bought three, ate one, saved one, and the last one is for chumming."

Hearing this, the people around no longer had the heart to be upset. After all, it was his own rice combo set to do with as he wished. But using a rice combo set for chumming was a bit outrageous.

However, there is indeed such a legend in the fishing industry: "Chum with leftovers, and you'll catch more and more." This means that if you use leftover rice for chumming, the rice, soaked with the aroma of vegetable and meat juices, can attract a lot of fish.

The man kept tossing pieces of braised pork into the water. Seeing his act of such flagrant waste, the surrounding fishermen's faces were filled with indignation.

That was Executive Chef Jiang's exquisitely delicious braised pork. To think it was being used for chumming!

The guy chumming the water was quite calm. If he only had one rice combo set, he certainly wouldn't have spared it. But he had bought three, and at only 18 yuan each, using one for chumming seemed perfectly reasonable to him. He tossed seven or eight pieces of braised pork, scattering them into the river water.

The surrounding fishermen all gazed into the water.

Then, a surprising scene unfolded.

A large black fish suddenly emerged from the water, gulped down a piece of braised pork, flicked its tail on the surface, and then disappeared back into the water.

"Holy Moly! Black fish! There's black fish here!"

"I knew we weren't catching any fish because of the black fish!"

"Let's catch it!"

Seeing the black fish, the fellow anglers around immediately forgot about the rice combo set being used as chum. All their attention focused on the black fish.

Black fish are fierce freshwater predators, usually caught by lure fishing. This carnivorous fish eats just about any smaller fish. Luckily, the ecosystem of Moon River is quite good, with plenty of fish, so the black fish can't finish them all. If that weren't the case, there probably wouldn't be many fish left in the river.

"There's a black fish? Where?"

"Use the braised pork for chumming and fish it out!"

"What's all this chumming about? Just use the braised pork as bait, right?"

"Darn, I almost forgot! Put it on the hook!"

The fishermen got excited. For them, there was nothing more important than fishing.

The guy who had chummed the water was also taken aback. What a huge black fish that was just now! And from the shadow on the water's surface, it was clear there wasn't just one. He looked into his meal container; the braised pork was all gone. But he still had one rice combo set left. Though extremely reluctant, he opened the other rice combo set, hung a piece of braised pork on the hook, and cast the line into the water.

Jiang Feng's braised pork was tender, not tough or bitter, with large, flavorful pieces. It was seasoned with all-natural spices like green onions, ginger, chili peppers, Sichuan peppercorns, star anise, cinnamon, and bay leaves. There were no artificial additives whatsoever.

Black fish, being carnivorous, don't have very sensitive taste buds. Yet the aroma of this pork belly was enough to lure them in.

Many people noticed the commotion here.

"What's going on over there? What are they shouting about?"

"Seems like a black fish showed up!"

"What the devil, a black fish? How big?"

"Let's go take a look!"

Many fishermen rushed over upon hearing the news. Black fish in Moon River? That wouldn't be an easy catch! Black fish prefer movement over stillness, so traditional fishing methods don't work well. To catch them, you typically need to use lure fishing: make a fake bait, cast it out, and then retrieve it mimicking the motion of a fish. That's when a black fish might bite.

As soon as people gathered, they immediately started asking, "Where did this black fish come from?"

"Is it really a black fish?"

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"Of course, it's black fish, and not just one, they're huge!"

"You get this effect by chumming with Executive Chef Jiang's braised pork!"

"Holy Moly? Braised pork for chumming? Is it that extravagant?"

"It's only 18 a set, cheaper than fish feed."

"Well, that's true."

As everyone was talking, the guy who first used braised pork for chumming felt a gentle tug on the hook. Then, the float started shaking violently.

"Holy Moly! Here it comes! It's happening!"

"It's biting!"

The fisherman instantly stood up excitedly, pulling at the fishing rod. Everyone's eyes were on the river. But the next second, the hook was yanked out of the water by the man. It had come off!

Fish these days are getting smarter. Some can strip the bait clean off the hook without getting caught. Fishermen feel a nibble, think they have a bite, and pull up an empty hook. It's no wonder they grind their teeth in frustration at these clever fish.

Seeing the black fish escape the hook, the crowd of fishermen immediately voiced their regrets.

"What a pity, what a pity!"

"Damn, so close!"

"What a shame!"

Though they exclaimed their pity, the corners of the onlooking fishermen's mouths were still turned upwards. After all, watching others make money can feel worse than losing money yourself, and the same applied to watching someone else catch a big fish.

"Braised pork really works!"

"This meat can attract black fish!"

"Holy Moly! Executive Chef Jiang is truly a Culinary God! He even has this trick up his sleeve!"

"Seriously? I've already finished my rice combo set!"

"Let's go ask again!"

Saying this, some eager fishermen hurriedly ran towards Jiang Feng's stall.

Jiang Feng had already sold all the rice combo sets and was planning to go fishing again and play with the cat, when he saw several middle-aged men rushing towards him.

"Boss Jiang, Boss Jiang!" they shouted as they ran over.

"'What's up?' Jiang Feng asked, a little puzzled.

"Boss Jiang, do you have any more rice combo sets? We want the ones with braised pork!"

"None left, all the rice combo sets have been sold out!"

"Ah! Just a step too late!"

The men immediately looked extremely vexed, their faces filled with regret, a sight that left Jiang Feng somewhat bewildered.

"'What's the matter? There will be more tomorrow,' Jiang Feng quickly asked.

"Executive Chef Jiang, you don't know! Just now, someone who bought extra rice combo sets used the braised pork for chumming and attracted several big black fish," one of the men hastily explained.

"Then they used braised pork for fishing and actually caught some."

"So we thought we'd buy some too?"

Black fish? There are black fish here? Jiang Feng was intrigued. "Black fish is perfect for sauerkraut fish!"

So, such a thing actually happened? But using braised pork for chumming is still a bit outrageous; fishermen really do come up with all sorts of tricks. I've heard of using leftover rice for chumming, but never braised pork. The rice combo sets were still sold too cheaply.

Jiang Feng was packing up his stuff. He had a green two-wheeled cart with him, filled with empty rice combo set containers. Jiang Feng had hired an old man who scavenged in the area to collect the containers. The old man was quite happy and would even go to the riverside specifically to collect containers from the fishermen. One must protect the environment, after all.

Having packed up his things and parked his vehicle, Jiang Feng took out a bucket, a fishing rod, a bag of bait, a small basin, and a little folding stool from his storage box. He too was planning to enjoy some fishing for a while. Especially since black fish had appeared in Moon River, catching some would be even better.

Does braised pork really work? Jiang Feng mused. I originally kept two rice combo sets, one for myself and one for Little Black. Looking at it this way, Little Black will just have to make do.

He took out the last two rice combo sets and Little Black's food bowl. He poured the rice and moo shu pork from one rice combo set into the bowl, leaving all the braised pork in its original container.

Little Black was never a picky eater and happily ate rice or steamed buns. It immediately lowered its head and ate with gusto. Jiang Feng ate the other portion.

After they finished their meal, Jiang Feng, carrying his fishing gear and a container of braised pork, made his way to the bank of Moon River.

At this time, many people were trying to catch black fish. Braised pork was indeed effective against black fish. You could see that as long as braised pork was used as bait, the black fish would bite.

But these black fish were also clever. They didn't bite down hard all at once but nibbled bit by bit until all the braised pork was gone, and then they would swim away nonchalantly. The prey was very cunning.

"Got a bite, it's a black fish!"

"Damn! It got away again!"

"Try again!"

"Who has braised pork rice combo sets? I'll pay 30 yuan!"

"I'll pay 50 yuan!"

Many anglers, seeing the effectiveness of the braised pork, shouted one after another. But for anglers, fishing is more important than anything else; it's not something that can be bought with a mere thirty or fifty yuan.

Moon River had completely come alive. Not only did people love eating Jiang Feng's food, but the fish loved it even more.

Now, in the eyes of the fishermen, Jiang Feng was truly a Culinary God! What good was anyone else's delicious cooking if it couldn't attract black fish? It had to be Executive Chef Jiang! His culinary skills were beyond question.

When Jiang Feng arrived, several people approached him, hoping he would make some braised pork and sell it in the afternoon as well. Jiang Feng didn't know whether to laugh or cry. This is getting ridiculous. I sell rice combo sets, how did I become a fish bait seller? Black fish aren't that easy to hook!

"'It'll have to be tomorrow; it's too late today,' Jiang Feng could only respond. 'I'll make some more tomorrow.'"

Things were developing in an absurd direction. He still couldn't quite believe that such a thing was actually happening.

However, most of the time, the fishermen here came to catch freshwater herbivorous fish. It was rare for them to specifically target ferocious freshwater carnivorous species. It could only be called a coincidence.

I need to get fishing quickly; wild black fish are much tastier than the ones raised in restaurant tanks. Jiang Feng cared more about the quality of the ingredients. Wild black fish were constantly on the move, sometimes swimming upstream, sometimes rapidly catching small fish, which made their flesh very firm. This kind of ingredient was hard to come by.

If he caught one, he planned to put a selection of aromatics and some pickled mustard greens into a pot, bring water to a boil, and then slide the thinly sliced fish into the simmering broth. Once cooked, the fish would be scooped out—fresh, firm, and with an excellent texture! Jiang Feng didn't want to miss out on such a delicacy.