Upon entering the "Yuelai Building," the waiter in the shop greeted Locke familiarly and led the six of them to a small private room separated by a screen.
In Chinatown, where Sichuan and Cantonese cuisine are everywhere, such a Chinese restaurant with Northwest flavors is really not easy to find. It’s unknown how Locke discovered it.
Among those present, three were Chinese, with only Zhou Ziang having been to Xinjiang, with so knowledge of the customs and cuisine of the Northwest. The others, Xiao Xian and Yiyi, had no concept of Northwestern food.
As for Aisha and Perry, they were purely there to spy.
After Locke ordered, after a while, a plate of flaky, golden pastry was served.
"Empress Dowager Cake is a famous snack from Shaanxi, China, said to be the favorite dessert of an empress dowager from the Han Dynasty. Everyone give it a try," with Aisha present, Locke didn’t say much else and started to eat properly.
Northeast pasta is renowned in the country. Xiao Xian and Yiyi used to love eating knife-cut noodles at a shop outside Sacred Heart Middle School.
Compared to the pizza often eaten by Europeans and Aricans, covered densely with vegetables, beef, and seafood, the Empress Dowager Cake in front of them was indeed simple.
Simply put, it’s a ball of dough mixed with lard, shaped into a cake blank after kneading, and brushed with egg white before baking. The advantage of such pastries is that they taste good both warm and cold.
Among them, the pickiest eater of all is Aisha, but so as not to lose face for Locke, she tore off a piece of cake and managed a few bites.
"Um, the taste is really good, the crust is very flaky without being burnt, the flour is warm and soft, and the salty and sweet flavors are balanced nicely," Yiyi praised enthusiastically after taking several bites.
"It’s passable," Aisha was sowhat surprised, not expecting such a plain-looking cake to have such a rich taste.
"You’re not quite lucky. Actually, the original taste of this cake is much better. But the original master baker is unwell, and now his son has taken over. Though his skill is good, it’s inevitably different from the genuine old craft, and the flavor is slightly inferior," Locke said, partly proud and partly regretful.
Several other dishes were served successively. During the al, Zhou Ziang served Xiao Xian several tis, which made Aisha a bit jealous.
"I’m done eating, it’s nothing special, greasy and dirty, the Chinese pastries made by our pastry chef taste much better than this." Aisha wasn’t in a good mood, so she vented her anger on the food and left the table in a huff.
Perry glanced at the remaining people, "Leader, you better be careful, otherwise, not only you, but they also won’t gain anything," after saying this, she followed and left.
"Locke, you didn’t call us here just to have a al, did you?" Zhou Ziang relaxed after hearing Perry’s warning, but didn’t show it, waiting until everyone left before voicing his doubts.
He pointed out that Locke isn’t soone who indulges in culinary pleasures.
"Well..." Locke’s eyes showed a montary loss of focus, as if recalling sothing, "You must be curious how a guy like , who’s always burrowed in the research lab, discovered this restaurant. I invited you over not just to eat this famous snack readily available in Northwest China."
Locke ordered a pot of tea; amidst the lingering tea aroma, he began to recount his connection to the "Empress Dowager Cake."
Locke’s father was a Jewish scientist; his mother was a Polish pianist.
His privileged background and parental education allowed Locke to bask in their love in the early years of his life.
But soon, rciless war shattered what should have been a colorful childhood.
When Locke was three, World War II broke out, and due to their nationalities, his parents faced persecution by the German Nazis.
His father, to preserve Locke and his sister, was taken to a concentration camp in western Poland and never returned.
With the help of a kind smuggler, Locke’s mother escaped to the United States.
Post-war Arica was sowhat easier to live in than Europe, but for a single, illegal immigrant mother with a son and daughter, life was very difficult.
Locke’s mother, being an illegal immigrant, struggled to find a job and ended up working as a dishwasher and waitress in the newly established New York’s Chinatown.
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