My skill tree increases every day.

Chapter 101 Fried Skewers

This barbecue stall is newly opened; the owner rented a small shop on the street outside the back gate of Qingzhou University of Technology.

The newly renovated shop is very new and clean. There are no traces of grease or smoke from years of barbecues on the walls, and no glue marks left from years of catering on the tables and chairs.

The environment is quite nice.

Although the taste has not yet been verified by the general public, the restaurant has attracted many students from the surrounding area due to its attractive discounts offered since its opening.

Business is pretty good.

Su Wanqing found a seat and sat down, with Lin Yu sitting opposite her.

"Order whatever you want, it's on me." Su Wanqing waved her hand generously and took out her phone to scan the QR code on the table to order.

"Then I won't stand on ceremony."

Lin Yu took the phone from Su Wanqing, swiped his fingers a few times, and looked at the menu.

The items were fairly normal; apart from grasshoppers and silkworm pupae, there was nothing particularly special about them.

I was thinking of ordering some lamb testicles. They don't need to be washed too clean; I just like that slightly pungent smell.

Unfortunately, no.

After selecting a few common items from the barbecue stall, Lin Yu handed the phone back to Su Wanqing.

Although business was good and there were many customers queuing to order, the owner served the food very quickly.

The owner thoughtfully used a small electric stove to hold the skewers, keeping them warm and preventing them from getting cold.

"Aren't you going to order more?"

Lin Yu glanced at the skewers on the tray; they were all his own orders. Su Wanqing had added a few skewers of grilled corn and grilled potatoes.

Su Wanqing glanced at the sizzling skewers in front of her. Under the heat of the small electric stove, the oil on the meat was still sizzling. She swallowed slightly.

"Forget it, eating such greasy food so late will make me fat."

Su Wanqing quietly reached under the table and gently pinched the small belly hidden under her loose hoodie.

"I'll just eat some vegetables."

Su Wanqing reached out and took a skewer of grilled eggplant, placing it on the plate in front of her.

"You're not fat, what are you afraid of?"

"I'm not fat now, but I'll get fat if I eat this." Su Wanqing's eyes darted around, the aroma of the barbecue wafting into her nose.

"Alright, then I won't stand on ceremony."

Lin Yu smiled, deliberately picked up the lamb skewer with a large movement, waved it between the two of them, and then put it in his mouth.

Lin Yu could clearly sense that Su Wanqing's gaze was somewhat unfocused, eventually settling on Lin Yu's mouth as he tore into a meat skewer.

"Oh dear, you really can't eat this."

"what?"

Su Wanqing was a little confused. What was this guy still talking about?

As soon as he put it in his mouth, Lin Yu noticed a problem that wasn't really a problem.

The opening of a new store is naturally the best time to build up popularity. This store has put a lot of thought into everything from renovation and decoration to the details of various equipment, and the discounts are also quite generous. Naturally, they haven't engaged in any practices that would put the cart before the horse, such as using inferior meat.

The freshness and quality of the ingredients were fine, and the taste was pretty good. It's barbecue, after all. As long as the ingredients are good, how bad can it be?

Lin Yu felt that the problem lay in the restaurant's cooking methods.

"The skewers here are first fried and then grilled."

"I was wondering how their food could be served so quickly when they have so many customers."

Frying before baking can indeed significantly improve the efficiency of food preparation.

Moreover, this method is not without its advantages. Frying the food first creates a crispy crust on the surface, locking in the juices and making the food more tender and juicy.

However, skewers made this way naturally taste somewhat different from those grilled entirely over charcoal.

Of course, it's not a bad practice; both methods have their own flavor and characteristics.

However, this method results in a greasier product, making it less suitable for people who claim to control their diet and body shape.

"Huh?" Su Wanqing was a little confused. What was the difference?

"What I'm trying to say is, if you're afraid of oil, you're actually consuming quite a bit of oil yourself."

Eggplant is naturally a heavy absorber of oil, and after this deep-frying process—

In fact, the amount of oil consumed is not necessarily much less than that consumed when eating meat skewers.

"Huh? What should we do then?"

Su Wanqing reluctantly put down the half-eaten roasted eggplant in her hand and tossed it into the small plate in front of her.

"Eat this, it's high in protein and doesn't absorb much oil, so you won't gain weight."

Lin Yu took a string of silkworm pupae and placed them on the plate in front of Su Wanqing.

Su Wanqing's expression froze instantly.

She looked down at the string of brown, individual grains in the plate, each with a clear texture that made it possible to distinguish the beginning and end of each grain.

"Ugh—" Su Wanqing shrank back in disgust. "Take it away, take it away."

The food on the plate had already touched the silkworm pupae, and Su Wanqing disdainfully dumped the only two or three skewers of vegetables in her small plate into Lin Yu's plate.

"How could you eat something like this?"

"What's wrong with this? It's so delicious. If you can't accept this, then what about this?"

Lin Yu picked up the string of shrimp and showed it to Su Wanqing.

The grasshoppers in that string were all intact, with arms and legs complete, and you could even see their eyes.

"Go away! Take it away, take it away. Are you a little kid?"

Su Wanqing quickly pushed away Lin Yu's hand holding the grasshopper, as if shooing away a fly buzzing around in front of her.

"They really don't know how to enjoy life; they don't even open their mouths when good things are right in front of them."

With a crunch, Lin Yu took a bite.

Chicken flavor, crunchy!

Seeing Lin Yu eating so heartily, Su Wanqing couldn't help but succumb to temptation as well.

We can't just watch him eat, can we? That wouldn't be right.

I was just startled by Lin Yu holding the bug, so I need to eat a couple of bites to calm my nerves.

Su Wanqing reached out and picked up a skewer of lamb.

Since everything is oily anyway, I might as well just eat a couple of bites of meat.

The lamb skewers have a slightly crispy outer layer, but are incredibly juicy when you bite into them.

The Maillard reaction was just right, releasing the aromatic compounds in the lamb and spreading the flavors of cumin and chili in the mouth.

Forget about dieting!

Su Wanqing's eyes lit up.

"tasty!"

"What, aren't you afraid of the oil? Aren't you afraid of getting fat?" Lin Yu couldn't help but laugh.

I still couldn't resist the temptation.

Su Wanqing glared at him, then picked up another skewer of beef.

"Mind your own business! Whether I'm fat or not is none of your concern!"

After a few skewers of meat went into her mouth, followed by a sip of ice-cold beer, Su Wanqing's eyes lit up instantly.

"Not satisfied yet? Shall we order some more?" Lin Yu asked Su Wanqing, who still seemed to want more.

"No, no. If I eat any more of this high-oil, high-salt food, my face will swell up tomorrow."

I ate so much oily and salty food late at night, I'm sure I'll have water retention tomorrow.

Su Wanqing patted her cheeks, looking somewhat worried.

Fortunately, nothing important happens tomorrow, so I can just stay in my dorm and not see anyone.

"Really? I have a way to test whether you'll have water retention tomorrow."