American forensics, but the gourmet system

"There are two key points to making sweet and sour pork: one is the batter coating the pork when frying, and the other is the preparation of the sweet and sour sauce... When making the sauce, you must use rice vinegar..."

Russell walked into the Chinese supermarket carrying two pounds of pork tenderloin in one hand and a mobile phone playing a tutorial on making sweet and sour pork in the other.

The so-called tenderloin is actually the longest back muscle of a pig, also known as the erector spinae muscle in humans. It is a long muscle group on both sides of the spine, responsible for maintaining the extension and movement of the spine.

It's the cut of meat with the perfect balance of firmness and tenderness.

After being coated in batter and deep-fried, it is entirely possible to achieve a crispy exterior and tender interior.

"Boss, do you have rice vinegar?"

Russell asked the shop owner, who was playing on his phone behind the counter.

"have."

The shop owner didn't look up, but simply raised his hand and pointed to a shelf deep inside the supermarket.

Russell did indeed find rice vinegar there, but the price...

"Two dollars a bag?"

Russell was somewhat taken aback.

People are cheap when they leave their hometown, but things are expensive when they leave their hometown. Bertrand Russell remembered that in Chinese supermarkets, a bag of rice vinegar was priced at 2. When he arrived in New York, the price number remained the same, only the unit changed.

Damn American units...

Just as I was about to take the rice vinegar to the front desk to pay, my phone automatically started playing the next video.

"These days, who makes traditional sweet and sour sauce for sweet and sour pork? Supermarkets already sell pre-made sweet and sour sauce, so you don't need to thicken it or calculate proportions. It's convenient and quick..."

Russell scratched his chin.

He didn't know which recipe Aina's grandfather used when making sweet and sour pork.

Theoretically speaking, the old man should be a traditionalist.

  

But what if it's a trendy old man who doesn't mind pre-made seasonings?

Russell poked his head out from behind the shelf:

"Boss, do you have pre-made sweet and sour sauce?"

"Yes, there are two shelves behind you."

The boss didn't even look up, and the selection of goods remained complete.

The pre-made sweet and sour sauce was much cheaper than Russell had imagined. A bag of rice vinegar cost two dollars, so a bag of pre-made sweet and sour sauce must have cost at least five dollars.

result:

1.99 dollars.

Russell picked it up and looked at the ingredient list, only to find that tomato sauce was the first ingredient listed.

No wonder it's cheap.

In the United States, the cheapest large bottle of tomato sauce can sell for $3 for 64 ounces, which means that for three dollars you can take home 1.8 kilograms of tomato sauce, enough to coat all your food surfaces and last for a month without using it all.

I have to convert ounces to kilograms again, damn American units!

Russell took the rice vinegar and tomato sauce to pay the bill. He planned to try both the traditional and new methods tonight. After all, it was a newly released task from the system, and there was an elite-level technology reward, so it was worth Russell taking seriously.

……

Meat strips coated with starch batter bubbled happily in the oil, while in another wok, the pre-made sweet and sour sauce bubbled lazily.

Russell meticulously monitored the situation in both pots, and with his master-level heat control skills, he handled the dual-tasking operation with ease.

Even adding two more pots wouldn't be a problem.

Unfortunately, the gas stove only had two burners, otherwise Russell would have definitely shown off his skills to Aina...

Russell scooped the golden-brown pork tenderloin strips from the oil and dropped them into the bubbling sweet and sour sauce. Holding the wok handle with one hand, he stirred the meat in the pan with a spatula in the other...

The coating process was a bit slow, so Russell had to temporarily remove the wok from the flame to lower the temperature and prevent the sweet and sour sauce from burning.

It's a pity Russell can't flip a wok...

If you can toss and stir-fry at the same time, you can definitely get it out of the pan faster and more accurately.

And it looks more professional, more pretentious—

Finally, two plates of sweet and sour pork, prepared in different ways, were served one after the other.

The braised pork tenderloin with pre-made sweet and sour sauce has a bright red color, thanks to the tomato sauce.

The traditional style of pork tenderloin, made with rice vinegar and white sugar, doesn't look as vibrant; instead, it has a subtle yellowish-brown color.

Russell took out a roll of braised beef wrapped in plastic wrap from the refrigerator. Compared to when it was fresh out of the pot and trembling, the braised beef after being wrapped and refrigerated was firmer and more chewy.

Once cut open, you can clearly see that the dark brown beef contains translucent, light amber-colored connective tissue.

Two plates of sweet and sour pork, one plate of braised beef, and the main dish was the cheapest white bread from the bakery downstairs.

That means the money was spent wisely.

Russell brought the dishes to the table, and Aina immediately jumped up from the sofa, moved closer to the table, her beautiful blue eyes sparkling...

"This looks amazing!" Aina exclaimed, pointing to the glistening red plate of modern pork tenderloin. "It looks so appetizing... but my grandfather's is more like this..."

Aina couldn't wait to pick up her chopsticks, put a piece of traditional pork tenderloin in her mouth, and chew it with a crunching sound.

"Mmm!" She swayed her shoulders contentedly, her eyes half-closed. "That's the taste! But my grandpa always burns the meat..."

Russell would swear that burning meat is definitely wrong; his masterful control of the heat would never allow him to do that.

But... sometimes, perhaps imperfection is the more memorable mark we leave on our memories...

However, the semi-transparent system interface still popped up.

Clearly, for Aina, fond memories of the past and the recognition she receives now are two different things.

[The "Sweet and Sour Pork" dish, which the host had successfully cooked, was approved by the diners.]

[Task Reward: Wok Tossing and Holding Skills (Elite Level)]

[Wok-flipping and wok-holding techniques (elite level): Precise control of arm and wrist strength allows for skillful and effortless handling of even the heaviest woks, as if they were extensions of one's own body.]

Russell and Aina finished off all the dishes on the table. Although the innovative pork tenderloin didn't taste like Aina remembered, and the tomato sauce was a bit too strong, it was still quite delicious.

The two lay back on the sofa, one on each side, and Russell felt his mind going blank.

Today was a perfect day...

Moreover, the new skill rewarded by the system seems more normal now, and Russell can't think of how to use this new skill in his forensic work.

Otherwise, Russell could only suspect that his system possessed a dark, morbid humor...

"I'll go wash the dishes..." Aina struggled to straighten up from the sofa, patting her still flat stomach. "I really need to start an exercise plan. Eating so well every day, I'll gain weight quickly..."

Russell has similar concerns. Although Russell is currently 183 cm tall and weighs 75 kg, with a fairly standard BMI, there are many cases of obesity due to overwork, both in the Coroner's Office and the NYPD.

He certainly didn't want to die from overwork and then be too overweight to fit into a standard crematorium...

"Take me with you," Russell said, straightening up as he addressed Aina, who was clearing the table. "I also want to exercise and stay in shape."

"No problem." Aina smiled easily. "I'll take you to the gym whenever you have time."

Thank you very much.

Russell lay back down on the sofa, secretly pleased with himself.

He had to admit that his motives were not so simple.