Culinary God in Wilderness

Chapter 450: Chapter 284: Wilderness Survival Experience

Old Zack’s shout was a reminder for Lin Chen. He immediately grabbed two new plates, filled them with fried chicken skins, and went from stall to stall offering free samples.

Westerners might not usually eat chicken skin, but they didn’t have much of a psychological aversion to it. After all, it was just skin, not something like offal that could make people squeamish.

It was just like fish skin; as long as a restaurant made it delicious, people would still eat it.

The reason they didn’t normally eat it was simply that they didn’t know how to prepare it, or couldn’t be bothered.

After making a round, the simple yet potent fried chicken skins had won over almost everyone.

He had just returned to his stall when he found more than a dozen people already gathered around. Behind them were several other stall owners who hadn’t gotten their fill and had followed him back.

"Lin, how much are the chicken skins? I want to buy a portion!"

"Me too, me too! Please give me a portion as well!"

"Everyone, please calm down. Don’t worry, there will be enough for all of you."

Lin Chen hadn’t expected the little snack he’d come up with on a whim to be so popular. He quickly raised his hands to gesture for calm.

"This was a spur-of-the-moment idea, and I got the chicken skins for free from Old Zack. As a newcomer and your neighbor, I’m giving these away for free. I hope that in the future, if you have any unwanted or unused scraps, you won’t be in a hurry to throw them away. Who knows, maybe I can turn them into something delicious?"

Hearing they were free, everyone cheered on the spot. Some of the more eager ones even reached out to grab some from the large basin.

Luckily, Magnus was quick and slapped away those mischievous little hands before clearing his throat.

"Ahem! As the market manager, let us first give a formal welcome to Lin!"

Thunderous applause erupted. Everyone, from the stall owners to the curious customers who had gathered, looked at Lin Chen with gazes full of curiosity and anticipation.

Erica keenly aimed her camera at the scene, precisely capturing everyone’s facial expressions.

The stall owners, who faced dozens or even hundreds of customers every day, weren’t camera-shy at all. They even started actively making funny faces for the camera.

"So, are we going to be in a vlog that gets posted online?"

"Come on, come on! Everyone is welcome to visit! If you’re buying chicken, remember to find me, Old Zack! Our chickens are slaughtered and delivered fresh every morning, absolutely fresh!"

"The fruit at my stall is all grown on my own farm. Healthy, pollution-free organic fruit, perfect for kids~"

While these naturally outgoing people were promoting themselves to the camera, Lin Chen had already taken out disposable paper cups and started portioning out the chicken skins.

"This was just a trial run, so there might not be enough. Let these customers have some first. Old Zack, do you have any more chicken skins at your shop? If you do, give me some more and I’ll make another batch."

"Uh, I don’t think there are any left this morning, but there will definitely be some this afternoon."

"What about fish skin?"

The lady who ran the seafood stall suddenly raised her hand. "I have a lot of leftover salmon skin, tuna skin, and about a dozen other types. Can you fry those?"

Lin Chen’s eyes lit up. "Yes, of course, I can!"

"However, fried fish skin might not have as rich a flavor as chicken skin. The fat content and taste are different, and it will have a bit of a seafood flavor, which not everyone might enjoy."

"That’s not a problem," Magnus said, waving his hand dismissively. "Don’t forget, this is a port, right on the coast. Anyone who settles down here definitely eats seafood."

’That does make sense, doesn’t it?’

Lin Chen blinked, having almost forgotten that he was now in Albion Port, not Toronto.

In any case, the raw materials were free scraps that others didn’t want. After frying the chicken skins, fish skins, and garlic crisps, the oil in the pot was richly flavored and could be reused.

The only ingredients he had to provide were things like garlic, breadcrumbs, scallions, ginger, and chili powder. They didn’t cost much, and it was definitely worth it to build good relationships with his neighbors.

As he kept himself busy, the time unknowingly slipped into the afternoon.

Thanks to the influence of the free fried chicken and fish skins, news of a new, young celebrity chef from Great Xia at the market spread like wildfire through the surrounding neighborhoods.

Almost all the customers who received the free snacks in the morning were smugly showing off these unheard-of, delicious treats in their social circles.

Especially after two in the afternoon, when elementary and middle school students returned home, the deliciousness of the fried chicken and fish skins became a hot topic of conversation among housewives and their children.

Some of the smarter ones asked around and eventually managed to find Lin Chen’s social media account. They planned to follow him and see if they could learn the specific recipe once the video was uploaded.

But as they scrolled through his account, they gradually became captivated by his videos of cooking in the wilderness and ended up watching for most of the night.

The next day, when Lin Chen appeared at his stall, the customers coming and going were all exceptionally enthusiastic. Many even came to ask him how he came up with so many cooking methods out in the wild.

Albion Port was already remote, and many of the people here were fishermen and Hunters. Every so often, they would wander out to sea or into the mountains to get some wild game to satisfy their cravings.

Through conversations with the locals, Lin Chen learned that whether it was fishing, crabbing, or gathering shellfish, the local government had set limits. Each person could not exceed a certain amount per day, and for some species, there were even size requirements.

Hunting also required reporting and had quantity limits. Although you wouldn’t necessarily run into the police checking, if you were unlucky enough to get caught, you could face a huge fine. In serious cases, you could end up in serious trouble.

He had already heard some of this information before coming, but he wasn’t clear on the specific details, as the regulations varied slightly from city to city.

In addition, many middle-aged men who were avid mountaineers, upon hearing the news, came to the market with their wives to buy groceries just so they could chat with him and ask questions they had accumulated about finding prey and food in the wild.

Lin Chen didn’t hesitate to offer guidance, but this kind of thing was easier said than done. Only by actually experiencing it firsthand in the wild could the brain truly remember it.

For example, things like wild mushrooms could be found everywhere after it rained. Even if he showed them photos to take with them, once they were actually in the mountains, they probably wouldn’t be able to tell for sure if what they found was an edible species.

Poisonous mushrooms are one of the deadliest things in the wild. Even Westerners, who often enjoy tempting fate, wouldn’t dare to take such a risk lightly.

Perhaps because of his special status, after he had only been at the market for three or four days, they produced a preliminary survey report for him.

The local government and the forestry and agriculture departments surely already had general information on this land. The so-called survey was really just a new sweep based on existing data to see if there were any obvious changes.

For instance, whether the populations of aggressive species like wild wolves and Black Bears had increased or decreased, as well as the numbers of deer herds, rabbit populations, and so on.

Based on the results of this survey report, he would be granted a certain degree of special privileges on his territory, such as being allowed a certain hunting quota.

He hadn’t expected the survey results to come out so quickly. For now, he could only put the market stall aside. In any case, he wasn’t actually selling anything; it was just a filming location, so it didn’t matter if it wasn’t open for business.

He spent a few days hiring professionals to come over and design the road layout. Planning for the manor’s location, an In the Forest cabin, a warehouse, farmland, a restaurant, a dock, and other facilities were also part of the discussion.

After much discussion, they finally came up with a rough price range.

When he saw the number, Lin Chen could only smile wryly and cast a pleading look at Erica.

Just building this entire set of facilities would cost him over three million US dollars, and that was only the first step. It didn’t even account for the subsequent interior furnishings and supporting equipment.

Then there was the restaurant—all the tableware and ingredients would cost money, and so would hiring staff.

The most expensive part, of course, was the private manor. He didn’t even dare to think about how much money he’d have to sink into the interior design to create a manor befitting its vast footprint.

In response, Erica simply spread her hands, indicating that she definitely wouldn’t be investing right now.

"If you want me to invest, you first have to build up a part of the business. At the very least, you need to start turning a profit. Only then can I see the hope of a return."

Those were her exact words.

Since the little rich girl wasn’t investing, he would have to make the most of the just over one million US dollars he had on hand.

He would have to scrap part of the design for now and build the money-making sections first. Only after achieving profitability could he bring the entire estate to life.

After considering it for a full day, he finally came up with a preliminary plan.

He would start by offering a wilderness survival experience. Then, he’d clear a few plots of land for farming, buying and transplanting mature fruit trees and vegetables from other farms to create a farm-like atmosphere.

Since he was going to develop farmland, he would definitely need to clear an area. He could then use the felled timber to build a log cabin for temporary rest and tool storage.

"My friends, do you see this mountain range I’m pointing to? Including those few small islands in the distant sea—this is all my territory now!"

Lin Chen stood atop a hill, holding his camera and panning it around his surroundings. Finally, he aimed the lens at several construction vehicles working on the roadside at the foot of a distant mountain.

"Once the road over there is built, you’ll be able to drive right up to the entrance. I’ll be setting aside an area for a parking lot."

"Due to a limited budget, I have to find a way to make money first. Filming videos at the market is actually part of that experiment."

"I have an idea now. After we finished filming the show, I saw that a lot of my fans and friends expressed a strong interest in wilderness survival, but they haven’t been able to try it because they lack the right conditions or a reliable guide."

"Well, now’s your chance! Erica and I are right here, and Andre will be joining us in a little while. This mountain range is new to us, too. Any friends who want to experience wilderness survival, please send me a private message!"

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