Chapter 55: Chapter 55: Volcano Grilled Sausage
Street food comes in all varieties, and debating the tastiest would probably lead to an endless three-day argument.
But when it comes to which one you see the most, there is no suspense.
——Grilled sausages.
At any time, in any place, as long as there are street vendors, grilled sausages are always present, and sometimes several stalls selling them can be found in one area.
The reason for this is partly that out of all street foods, sausages are probably the easiest to make.
You don't even need any cooking experience; just a gas cartridge stove, a grilling pan, a table, or even an electric scooter to set up shop.
Starch sausages, used as the main ingredient, can be directly purchased online with a cost of just 40 to 50 cents each, and since they're easy to store and don't go bad, they are favored by stall-starting beginners.
Some people work during the day and sell grilled sausages at night to make some pocket money to help with household expenses.
For customers, grilled sausages are cheap, high in oil, salt, and starch, which also makes them more satisfying to eat.
What's more, the price of grilled sausages had basically standardized across the country at two to three yuan each.
However, The Universe's Number One Snack Stall had brazenly broken this iron rule, inflating sausage prices and deeply wounding the hearts of sausage enthusiasts everywhere.
So, the sausage aficionados flooded the streets, resolved to unite, and teach this deceitful vendor a lesson, even coming up with their own slogan.
——If you don't buy, and I don't buy, the price will drop by 5 tomorrow!
"This time, we must stand together! Show the spirit of our Aerospace University!" cried a righteous volunteer.
Ma Lu noticed that although there were many people this time, the atmosphere seemed somewhat subdued and didn't swarm the stall immediately like in previous occasions.
But Ma Lu wasn't worried, for he had an ace up his sleeve.
As Old Wang pulled out the ingredients from the insulated box, the thick and plump sausages instantly captured everyone's attention.
Looking at them, 16 yuan each didn't seem so expensive after all.
Some were already itching to reach for their phones and scan the QR code to pay.
Fortunately, their companions quickly held them back, and someone pointed to the A4 paper in front of the stall, reminding these noble warriors, "Look at what it says there!"
The warriors focused their gaze and saw the print of "50g" on the paper and couldn't help but exclaim how close they were to falling for the merchant's trap again!
Just knew it, how could that merchant be so kind-hearted to sell such a big sausage for only 16.
Ma Lu actually hadn't thought about playing clever on this issue, otherwise, he wouldn't have clearly marked the portion sizes and even bolded the print.
But you can't overestimate the righteousness of the noble warriors, who could ignore the black on white right before their eyes.
By this time, Old Wang had already started frying the sausages on his own.
When they first heard about volcanic grilled sausages, most people thought of those TikTok famous sausages made with black pebbles imitating volcanic rocks laid out on the grilling plate.
But The Universe's Number One Snack Stall obviously didn't follow that trend.
Old Wang was just using a regular iron skillet to fry them, but those sausages looked a bit different.
It wasn't just the size that stood out, but also their color.
Unlike usual grilled sausages, this one had a deeper red tone and staring at it for too long almost gave the illusion that what was wrapped under the casing wasn't meat, but blazing hot lava.
Additionally, during the grilling process, these sausages would hiss, reminiscent of the prelude to a volcanic eruption, causing a crowd to widen their eyes in amazement.
Under the effects of the Merad reaction, the sausages quickly developed a brown char on the outside, with fat oozing from within.
Old Wang, however, was not in a hurry, occasionally using tongs to turn them, ensuring each side was grilled evenly.
Then, in the final moments of cooking, he took out a blowtorch and gave a shake over one end of the grilled sausage.
The next moment, a miracle occurred, as the sausage burst into flames like a volcano, to the crowd's astonishment.
This performance, akin to an acrobatic act, left everyone speechless.
Afterward, Old Wang used the blowtorch to ignite the remaining three sausages, proving that the spectacle was not an accident.
Only then did the onlookers snap out of their daze, excitedly pulling out their phones, opening the video function, eager to capture this magical scene.
Someone urged, "Quick, do it again! Perform that... that fire-blowing thing again!"
However, Ma Lu was unruffled, pointing at the sausages left on the grill, "These haven't been sold yet; I can't make any new ones."
Before he had finished speaking, impulsive buyers had already rushed up to pay, "Quick, I'll take one!"
"Me too! And I want to see the sausage spit fire!!!"
As more and more people began to waver, the righteous ones also grew anxious, "My lord, you're mistaken to be deceived by such trickery; he's selling each sausage for 16!"
"But his sausage can spit fire!"
"If we lose this battle, the new products' prices will only get more outrageous! Soon we'll all be like fish on the chopping board, at the mercy of others!"
"But his sausage can spit fire!"
"We just need to hold out for a few more days, then the situation of attack and defense can be reversed!"
"But his sausage can spit fire! Get your hands off me; I still want to see the sausage spit fire!"
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As more and more people rushed to buy the volcanic grilled sausages, the righteous ones knew the tide had turned and couldn't help but feel disheartened, filled with a sense of emptiness, wishing only to cover their faces and leave.
But after a few steps, they stopped; mainly because they wanted to watch the fire-spitting sausage one more time. They couldn't help it, it was such a rare sight.
The Giant Lizard Grilled Sausage, like the Sandworm Hamburgers, was also a ★★☆ delicacy, yet it was clearly superior in visual impact.
Old Wang ingeniously applied the Chinese culinary technique of wok-heating to the grilling of sausages, deliberately leaving an air cavity inside the sausage when stuffing them. As the sausage heated up, the juices flowed into the cavity.
As the heat continued, the juices mixed with fat turned into an oily mist, which, upon contact with the blowtorch's flame, ignited, creating the miraculous fire-spitting phenomenon in the sausages.
Ma Lu felt that the creator of this dish must be a genius for using this method to imitate the Lava Giant Lizard's attack effect.
The first time he saw it, he too was blown away by the spectacle.
It turned out a dish could not only conquer the noses and palates of the diners but also deliver immense satisfaction to the eyes.
This was also why Ma Lu was so confident in the Giant Lizard Grilled Sausage; aside from its excellent taste, it was also a visual feast!
It didn't take long for word to spread throughout Aerospace University about The Universe's Number One Snack Stall's volcanic grilled sausages that could actually spit fire, and the number of people coming to appreciate and taste them grew steadily.
Later, someone posted the video to TikTok and Xiaohongshu (Little Red Book), and by the afternoon, numerous people from outside the school were also drawn in, coming over to join the trend.
This time, Ma Lu had Old Wang prepare 100 sausages, divided into 10 segments each, amounting to 1000 servings. Unexpectedly, they sold out before 5 p.m.