Gourmet: From a Stall in Northern Europe

Chapter 450 - 362: Chef Is Definitely Fine, So the Problem Must Be Me

"This isn’t going to work, the boats are limited in number. If they all get taken up by fishing, today’s earnings will definitely take a hit."

Rovena frowned, instinctively putting her thumb in her mouth and chewing on it, her eyes scanning the remaining eight fishing boats at the pier, before looking to the other side.

In the neighboring area, there were quite a few fishing boats docked, but those didn’t belong to the Redison Group; they were the local fishermen’s own boats.

These fishermen usually don’t rely on fishing for a living; it’s purely a personal hobby, and sometimes they take tourists out for sea fishing.

However, their boats don’t have divemasters with diving certificates, so they can’t offer diving services, only fishing.

Rovena’s eyes darted around a few times, and the corners of her mouth lifted as she quickly came up with an idea.

Just then, a few more tourists walked over, and his face lit up with a bright smile once again.

"Good morning, gentlemen and ladies!"

"We..."

"Ah~ just here to fish, right? That’s fine, but I personally have a better suggestion. Not sure if you’d be interested in hearing it."

"See the dock over there? Those fishing boats belong to the locals and also offer fishing services at a cheaper rate than we do."

"If you’re just looking to pass the time, choosing them might be a more cost-effective option, after all, our boats are from a big company, and the prices are relatively high."

Having said that, Rovena winked at them and lowered his voice: "Of course, please don’t mention it to others, or I might get complaints from other customers."

The tourists looked enlightened, glanced at the boats over there, thanked him, and then walked straight in that direction.

Just as Rovena watched the tourists board the boats and thought everything was settled, he saw the group coming out from the cabin, and boarding another fishing boat.

After repeating this a few times, they actually started walking back to the shore!

No, to be precise, they were walking back towards him!

"What’s wrong, did you encounter some difficulties?"

Rovena quickly stood up, his face full of concern.

"Although their prices are cheaper, it’s not by much, just ten to fifteen euros less."

"But the condition of their boats is really bad, with rotten decks, moldy tables and chairs, leftover pizza boxes, and even the stench of dead fish and shrimp!"

"Ugh... that smell, I’d never want to smell it a second time!"

"Yes, exactly, I wouldn’t want to entrust my life to such lazy, sloppy people."

"After discussing, we’ve decided unanimously to rent one of your Redison boats. At least the hygiene is guaranteed, and they’re all the newest boats, so there’s no worry about equipment safety."

"This... this..."

Rovena was dumbfounded, stammering for a long time, and finally had to nod in agreement, even offering a smile.

"Alright then, indeed, I didn’t consider this thoroughly. To be honest, I’ve never visited their boats either. So, would you prefer card or cash? Any preference for the color of the boat?"

While smiling, he was cursing in his heart about those lazy people, wondering why they didn’t bother cleaning their boats properly.

It’s no wonder you hardly see any tourists choosing their boats!

He used to think it was because his side offered better conditions, squeezing out their living space.

But now it seems that wasn’t the case at all, those guys just don’t care about these things!!

He even knows a few single drifters who live directly on the boats, treating them like home.

On a few occasions, when he finished work late, he’d seen hairy bare buttocks sticking out on the deck, utterly disgusting!

"Damn, this isn’t going to work if it’s all fishing orders today, what will I do?"

After sending off this batch of tourists and watching that white fishing boat sail out of the pier, Rovena didn’t even notice his thumbnail being chewed to unevenness, sweating profusely from anxiety.

Although he’s in management, his actual work isn’t much different from sales.

Every time he closes a diving order, he earns a bonus.

The amount isn’t much, but it adds up.

If today’s orders are all for fishing, his actual income will be even less than the salaries of these employees under him.

Yet, there’s no solution in sight right now!

"Damn it, oh my God, why the hell doesn’t any of today’s customers want to dive?"

"Diving is so much fun, you can take underwater photos, catch fish and lobsters, and even taste fresh seafood you catch yourself."

"Um..."

As he was losing his mind, a woman’s inquiry suddenly sounded in his ears.

"Excuse me, do you have any recommendations for things to do here?"

"Diving!!"

He blurted out without thinking, "Diving is our most popular activity around here!"

"You two ladies have such stunning figures, putting on diving suits would make you look just like mermaids, the photos would turn out amazing!"

"Just imagine you swimming through schools of colorful fish!"

"Oh my gosh, I guarantee you’d be the most beautiful mermaids in the world!!"

"Thank you."

The two ladies giggled at his compliments, and one even flirtatiously winked at him.

But after understanding the full service, a touch of regret appeared on their faces.

"Sorry, although I really want to try diving, time’s a bit tight today. Maybe next time. Thank you for your enthusiastic service, Mr. Rovena."

"????"

Watching the two women swaying their peach-like hips as they left, Rovena was bewildered.

Can’t even catch a single fish now!

Did I get hit by some witch’s curse today?

The sales pitch wasn’t wrong; I always say it like this.

No, something must be off today, I just haven’t noticed yet!

Off... off... what exactly is off...

Thinking about it, his gaze involuntarily fell on the red catering truck surrounded by a crowd.

"No, the chef is here to set up a stall to attract people to the pier, the problem can’t be here."

"So many customers came today, but I couldn’t keep them; the problem must be with me."

"What if after I go back, the chef finds out that despite today’s efforts, the pier’s income decreased and thinks I’m incompetent, and then never comes back?"

"No, no, I have to think of something!"

Lin Chen had no idea that a pier manager was quietly lamenting nearby; he was too busy constantly pulling noodles and cooking them to bother with such trivial matters.

"Screech——"

A freezer truck stopped steadily by the roadside, with the driver and Angelica, sitting in the passenger seat, looking a bit puzzled at the crowded scene in front of them.

"Boss, what do we do if we can’t pass through? Do we unload here? It looks like a long way."

"Wait for me here, I’ll go check it out."

Angelica nimbly jumped out of the car and walked towards the front of the line, soon reaching the T-shaped area ahead.

There was a big red food truck here, busy with many people inside, but she immediately spotted the young Asian man in a black chef’s uniform with gold trim.

Is it him?

Angelica glanced at the line and the table lined up in front of the food truck, suddenly unsure how to start a conversation.

The folks looked so busy, almost spinning like a top.

In such circumstances, is it really okay to interrupt them?

"Sir, your peanut butter noodles!"

"Two meat sandwiches!"

"And what would you like, ma’am?"

"Don’t rush, everyone stay calm, one at a time!"

Dais was so busy that her face was red and beads of sweat visibly covered her forehead, and Elsa wasn’t any better.

The two of them were registering orders and handing out food, and if there were any special requests, they would take time to report them to Lin Chen.

Nicole and Su were fully occupied helping Lucas make ice jelly and handle fruit; otherwise, they simply couldn’t keep up.

Fortunately, making ice jelly is quick and easy. Last night, he worked for hours to prepare enough for dozens of coolers, almost blocking up the freezer floor.

The most ridiculous part is, this guy knew that bending over for long periods is bad for the back, and it’s impractical to move such heavy coolers up and down, so he just sat on a chair to work, then pushed the jelly directly into the fridge, focusing on painless work.

"Hello, what is this?"

Angelica hesitated for a moment, deciding to watch and observe the situation first.

She couldn’t help but feel curious seeing the blonde guy in front of her plating transparent jelly, and the surrounding diners holding vibrant and colorful fruit dishes.

"This is all-natural hand-made jelly made from plant seeds. You can see the process on the TV over there."

Without raising his head, Lucas casually pointed to the food truck.

They were selling their classic meat sandwiches and biangbiang noodles along with ice jelly, which were among their initial hit dishes when they started.

Since there were videos of the process, it was a good time to revisit the classics.

TV?

Following the direction of his finger, Angelica saw a TV mounted above the window.

The TV was displaying the process of making the sandwiches, and many curious diners were watching intently.

The peculiar kneading process looked like bread making, with circles of dark brown streaks intertwining white dough that seemed underbaked, not very appetizing.

But the steaming, tender braised meat was captivating.

"Is it really fat? How can this be tasty?"

After watching for a while, Angelica’s eyes became even more puzzled.

Puzzled as she was, the crowd of diners was undeniable reality.

Although not well-acquainted with Lin Chen’s work, she brushed up on him before coming, heard a bit from Magna, and watched several of Lucas’s viral videos.

It’s impossible not to be curious.

Particularly grilling premium Gillardeau oysters was unheard of.

She wanted to taste how good this garlic-grilled oyster was and why the video had so many views!

As an oyster expert, could she really not surpass others in tasting oysters?