America: A Prodigy of Stereotypes

Li Qun left the pawnshop through the back door and returned home into the cold wind.

Li Qun took out his phone and sent a list of several movies to John Wick, as well as to the others at the Saturday party.

Peter had watched the movie "E.T." at home when he was a child, and it awakened his childhood imagination about aliens. This alien movie was released in 1982, making Peter older than Li Qun and his friends.

Are any of you afraid of dogs?

Li Qun was taken aback when he saw the message John Wick sent him.

Do you have a dog at home?

"It belongs to a friend. He'll be bringing a puppy over on Saturday."

"I'm not afraid of dogs."

"Ask other people for me."

"OK."

……

Regarding the dog, Li Qun chose to ask Peter, Gwen, and Harry during school lunch time.

“John’s friend will be bringing a dog. Is anyone afraid of or hate dogs?” Li Qun asked the other three people at the table.

"Dogs? I actually only care about breeds."

"I hate poodles, Dalmatians, Chihuahuas..."

“These dogs aren’t good-looking, and they’re not very smart either. They just bark wildly at strangers. I prefer big dogs, smart big dogs,” Harry said, frowning.

“Dogs? I was chased by dogs when I was a kid. To be honest, I’m a little afraid of dogs,” Peter said hesitantly.

“I prefer cats,” Gwen said.

“Liqun, did John tell you what breed of dog it is?” Peter asked.

"I forgot to ask."

“There shouldn’t be any problems,” Harry said.

"John's friend's dog couldn't be a stupid dog."

“Harry, are you sure?” Peter looked at Harry.

"What if?"

“What else can we do? We can’t exactly tell John, ‘Your friend brought his dog, so we’re not playing with you anymore,’” Harry said.

“Let’s skip this topic,” Gwen said.

"So what shall we talk about?"

While having lunch, the group naturally started talking about food.

They went to John Wick's house on Saturday afternoon to prepare dinner together, and Peter, Gwen, and Harry all agreed that Liqun was the expert on food.

“We have to consider Helen’s physical condition and she needs to eat something mild,” Li Qun said.

What type of mild food?

"Hot soups, or foods like dumplings."

“I can think of many things,” Li Qun said.

“The only thing I can think of is Aunt May’s apple pie, but Aunt May has never been able to make her apple pie successfully,” Peter said, looking troubled.

“Peter, isn’t that a bit contradictory? How does an unsuccessful apple pie make you think of milder foods?” Gwen asked.

“French cream stew,” Harry said.

"Have you ever had porridge?" Li Qun asked.

“I’ve only ever had oatmeal porridge. Is it the same as the porridge you’re talking about, Liqun?” Peter asked.

"Chinese porridge is made by cooking rice, and it's like a thick soup. You can add any ingredients you like, such as vegetables, seafood, and various meats. Different combinations result in different flavors and experiences," Li Qun said.

“I’d like to try it. Will you make it on Saturday?” Harry looked at Li Qun expectantly.

"Cooking porridge takes a lot of time, but I can cook it at home and bring it over."

“When I’m feeling unwell, my family’s cook makes me fish soup, which is as white as milk,” Harry said.

"This is a phenomenon called fat emulsification," Li Qun explained.

“What do we do?” Gwen asked.

"I haven't tried it myself, I only know a little about the theory. Generally speaking, you need to boil the soup over high heat."

Li Qun's answer dashed Gwen's hopes.

"Are there any Chinese restaurants that don't require too much technical skill or equipment?" Gwen asked.

"Gwen, you don't dislike green peppers, do you?"

"No, but I can't eat very spicy chili peppers."

"Bell peppers and green peppers, when buying green peppers, be sure to buy the non-spicy ones."

What should it be paired with?

"Ground beef and tomatoes. Season with minced garlic and a little bit of chopped green onion."

"It's very simple."

"The process is like this: first, put some oil in the pot and sauté the minced garlic until fragrant, then add the ground beef and stir-fry until half-cooked. Chop the tomatoes, green peppers, and bell peppers into small pieces, put them all into the pot, stir, add some water, and simmer until cooked."

“This adjustment was made based on the heat output of your kitchen stove, Gwen,” Li Qun said.

"Sprinkle with chopped green onions after it's done cooking," Li Qun added.

“I’ll try this on Saturday! I want to make this!” Harry felt this dish was perfect for his challenge.

"It feels like a dish developed by Mexicans," Peter said.

"To be honest, Mexican cuisine has a lot in common with the cuisine of southwestern Yunnan and Southeast Asia. They are all particularly good at using similar techniques to process various fresh chilies and niche wild vegetables and spices."

"Anyone want to try the chicken feet?" Li Qun laughed.

Gwen, Peter, and Harry all felt that Liqun's smile was very evil.

What are chicken feet? How could there be such an evil food?

"I'll bring some Dai-style pounded chicken feet over on Saturday for you guys to try," Li Qun said with a wicked grin.

"No way?" Young Master Harry looked troubled.

"Don't worry, the bones have been removed, so no one will gnaw on them," Li Qun said.

"Then it's just a single layer of skin?" Peter asked, puzzled.

“That’s right.” Li Qun nodded.

"I don't have a good appetite today."

Gwen tried to stop imagining the shape of chicken feet and to stop thinking about why people would develop chicken feet as a dish to eat.

……

……

On Saturday, Li Qun carried her bag and walked to John Wick's house.

He was well prepared.

In his bag, there was a rice cooker with cooked seafood porridge, a food storage container with cold Dai-style pounded chicken feet, and the rest depended on what ingredients John Wick had at home, which he would prepare on the spot.

Around four o'clock in the afternoon, Li Qun rang John's doorbell, and Helen opened the door for Li Qun.

"Welcome, Lyon!!"

Helen gave Liqun a hug.

Li Qun walked into the house and asked to change into slippers, having brought his own pair of disposable slippers.

“Neither John nor I have this habit,” Helen said with a smile. Li Qun’s act of changing into slippers reinforced Helen’s stereotypes about Asians.

"Only when your feet are free at home can you truly feel at home," Li Qun said.

"I'll try it too." Helen changed into slippers as well.

"Hasn't the others arrived yet? Isn't John at home?"

Li Qun went into the kitchen and took out a rice cooker and a food storage container from his bag.

"John went to pick up a friend, and Gwen called me to say she'll be there soon."

"what is this?"

The seafood porridge in the Liqun rice cooker didn't pique Helen's curiosity, but the boneless cold chicken feet did catch her attention.

"Open it and take a look," Li Qun said.

Helen opened the food container, and a complex and captivatingly refreshing aroma immediately filled her nostrils. She had never encountered such a complex scent before, as if she had been transported to a rainforest in the equatorial region.

"Guess what it is?" Li Qun smiled, carefully observing Helen's expression.

Helen carefully examined the glistening boneless chicken feet and said, "Jelly skin?"

"Would you like to try some?"

"I'll go get a fork."

Helen picked up a small piece and put it in her mouth. The intensely flavorful taste exploded in her mouth. The chicken feet were chewy yet slightly crunchy, and the flavor was perfectly absorbed.

The sour and spicy flavor immediately awakened Helen's taste buds.

"It's a little spicy," Helen said, panting.

"Have some porridge to calm down."

Li Qun served Helen a bowl of seafood porridge; the mild porridge washed away the pungent taste of the boneless chicken feet.

“I prefer this one!” Helen exclaimed.

"I brought you a gift."

Li Qun took a ceramic jar out of his bag and placed it on the table. Helen lifted the lid and saw that the jar contained a white, solidified substance.