Webnovel Author In The Apocalypse World

He wasn't entirely sure if the mutated dogs could handle spices, but since they seemed to eat everything happily, he chose to take on the side of caution and feed them plain food.
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"The pot is boiling; feel free to dig in," Kim Haru called out after feeding the dogs. Seeing that no one else had picked up their chopsticks yet, he urged everyone to start eating.

The hot pot meal was lively and boisterous. By the end, Kim Haru had underestimated the appetites of these ability users. The food he prepared in advance wasn't enough, but the group, now much more relaxed around him, wouldn't let him go through the trouble of cooking more. Instead, they got up and started helping themselves—one slicing meat, another washing vegetables—making sure they all ate to their hearts' content.

Thin slices of pig meat only needed to be swirled a few times in the boiling broth until they changed color before they could be eaten. The half-fat, half-lean pig meat, when cooked in the spicy broth, didn't even need extra dipping sauce; it was already incredibly flavorful. When cooked in the clear broth, a quick dip in a mixture of sesame oil and minced garlic created an equally satisfying bite.

The crispy fried pig meat was made with lean meat, coated in a thin layer of starch. Even after frying, the texture wasn't dry at all. The meat was seasoned, and the starch had a touch of flavor too, making it delicious enough to eat on its own while still hot. A quick dip in the spicy broth gave it an added layer of numbing spiciness and umami, creating an unbeatable taste.

The unfried tender pig meat slices, on the other hand, were perfect for the clear broth. Cooked just right, their delicate and smooth texture combined with a balanced ratio of starch and meat made them irresistible—one bite was never enough.

The fried pig meat, however, needed to be deep-fried, and after finishing an entire platter, the group felt embarrassed to ask Kim Haru to make more. Even though Kim Haru offered, they insisted he sit down.

"There's no way we're letting Mr. Kim cook for us while we're here just enjoying ourselves," they said, firmly holding him in his seat.

Without the fried pig meat, they moved on to the tender pig meat slices, which were much easier to prepare. All that was needed was to cut the meat into strips, season them, coat them in starch, and bring them to the table. To eat, they simply dropped the slices into the clear broth to cook.

After eating four platters of tender pig meat, they finally turned their attention to the other dishes.

Tofu made from soybeans, whether silken or firm, was a highlight. Tossed into the broth, both types tasted amazing. Despite being a group of large, burly men, their control over their chopsticks was impeccable. They fished out the tofu with just the right amount of pressure, never breaking a single piece.

On this front, Kim Haru fell short.

Especially with silken tofu, every attempt he made to pick it up resulted in the tofu breaking apart.

In addition to tofu, they had soybean puffs, which were airy and spongy. These soaked up the broth's flavors, bursting with deliciousness when bitten into.

The rest of the vegetables were equally delightful. The radishes and cabbage were the crowd favorites. Both absorbed the soup's rich flavors, and when coated in a layer of the hot pot oil, each bite brought unparalleled satisfaction.

"What the hell is this?!"

Ryu Hyunwoo had just taken a few bites of mushrooms when he poked around the pot with his ladle and scooped up something that looked eerily like a brain! Startled, he nearly knocked over the condiment bowl in front of him.

Luckily, Shin Woncheon, sitting beside him, had quick reflexes and caught the bowl before it tipped, not even spilling a drop of the sesame oil inside.

Go Okrim rolled his eyes at Ryu Hyunwoo. "It's brains. Didn't you see Mr. Kim put it in earlier? Now you're scared?"

The others coughed awkwardly.

Go Okrim's comment hit a nerve—they all had the same reaction earlier.

When Kim Haru had first brought the plate of brains from the kitchen to add to the hot pot, the sight had genuinely startled everyone. The plate contained a perfectly intact brain, uncut and unmashed, with its grooves and ridges clearly visible. Thankfully, there was no trace of blood, but that didn't make it any less intimidating.

Even without blood, it was still creepy!

The brain was roughly the size of a human brain, and as they watched Kim Haru calmly place it into the pot, some of them couldn't help but wonder if he was serving them zombie brains. If not for their trust in Kim Haru's character, they might have genuinely believed it was human!

For a brief moment, their minds had flashed back to the zombies they'd fought before. Their brains had looked just as pale and delicate as the one on the plate.

Fortunately, these men were steady by nature, so they quietly stuffed a few pieces of cabbage into their mouths to calm their nerves.

Ryu Hyunwoo glanced around at everyone's expressions and scratched his nose sheepishly. "I didn't notice earlier."

"You were too busy grabbing the meat, weren't you? You've eaten at least a third of all the pig meat in this pot," Go Okrim snorted, rolling his eyes at him again.

Go Okrim and Ryu Hyunwoo were the two most competitive when it came to grabbing meat during the meal. Judging by Go Okrim's expression, it was clear he'd lost the contest this time.

Go Okrim watched as Ryu Hyunwoo tried to put the brain flower back into the pot. Suddenly, he said, "Don't put it back! It's been cooking long enough. You like meat so much, don't you? Come on, take a couple of bites. This brain is a delicacy also good for your brain."

Ryu Hyunwoo: "..."