Infinite Cosmic Cafeteria Chapter 68: Queen’s Crisps

Translator: Stellar Novels Editor: Stellar Novels

After an intense and thrilling adventure, Ma Lu returned to his rented apartment, carrying a large bag of fresh meat, and slumped onto the sofa.

It had to be said, this time the ingredients were rather unique.

Previously, the Two-Headed Jackal, Thousand-Toothed Sandfish, and Lava Giant Lizard were strange, but they were still within the realm of animals.

However, this time, the Stinger-Legged Whip Spider Queen felt closer to an insect, although strictly speaking, spiders are not insects.

In the field of natural sciences, insects are defined as having three body parts—head, thorax, and abdomen—six legs, and a pair of wings.

Spiders, on the other hand, have their head and thorax fused into one, possess eight legs, and lack wings, thus being excluded from the insect class.

But in terms of taste, the two are quite similar.

Ma Lu had heard that eating spiders is a tradition in Southeast Asia, and there are similar dishes in Yunnan.

The ethnic minorities there fry Ornate Orb-Weaver and Striped Golden Spider or roast Large-Sack Ground Spider, and it’s said that they taste pretty good.

Additionally, spiders and insects are high in protein. Because they are far removed from mammals, the viruses they carry rarely cross-infect, making them a high-quality, healthy food.

However, most people find it hard to accept psychologically.

Therefore, Ma Lu decided to exclude some dishes that were too visually unappealing.

He pointed at one of the dishes named 【Queen’s Crisps】 and asked, “What’s this?”

“If you’re asking about the texture, it’s somewhere between sweet and sour pork and potato chips.”

“Oh, that sounds great, and it even has a deliciousness rating of ★★☆, the same as Lava Lizard Sausage. Can you make me a serving to try?”

The ingredients needed for Queen’s Crisps were few, and ever since they started running the food stall, their kitchen was well-stocked with various ingredients and seasonings, and they happened to have everything needed for a trial.

Old Wang put on an apron, took a segment of whip spider leg meat from Ma Lu, and went straight into the kitchen.

He first cut the whip spider leg meat into 3 cm thick slices and coated them in potato starch.

Ma Lu had lived with Old Wang for quite some time and had seen him handle many ingredients. Although Ma Lu hadn’t cooked himself, he had gradually learned some basic cooking processes. Curious, he asked:

“Aren’t you going to remove the gamey smell from the meat this time?”

“No need. Compared to mammals, spider and insect meat has almost no gamey odor.”

As Old Wang spoke, he picked up a rolling pin and began pounding the coated meat slices, working quickly with both hands. About a minute later, the meat slices were as large as the cutting board.

At the same time, the meat had become extremely thin, about 1 millimeter thick, almost like paper.

Through pounding, the starch molecules had embedded into the spider meat fibers, achieving a final powder-to-meat ratio of 2:8.

Old Wang then used a chef’s knife to cut the thin meat sheet into small pieces and heated the pan.

He poured in soybean oil, and once the oil was heated to a moderate temperature, he added the meat slices.

In no time, the surface of the meat slices turned a light golden color, and Old Wang quickly fished them out to drain the oil.

He then re-fried them over low heat, and when they came out, the meat slices were a deeper golden hue, looking quite similar to potato chips.

Ma Lu took a piece and popped it into his mouth; it was indeed crispy, and since it was made of meat, it tasted richer than regular chips.

Old Wang was right—the spider meat, unlike other animal meats, had almost no gamey taste. High in protein, it had a slightly sandy texture, like chewing on egg yolk.

Ma Lu had originally intended to just try a piece, but found himself unable to stop eating.

Old Wang then chopped onions, tomatoes, green peppers, and a small handful of cilantro, mixed them together, and drizzled lime juice and a pinch of salt over the mixture to create a fresh dip. He poured it over the Queen’s Crisps, making the dish even more refreshing and appetizing.

Ma Lu finished a whole plate in less than three minutes.

Wiping his mouth, still unsatisfied, he said, “Let’s go with this dish. We can make the portions a bit smaller. The protein content is high this time, so we should raise the price a bit—let’s set it at 18 per serving. I’ll go buy the ingredients now.”

“Alright.”

Ma Lu went to the farmer’s market for supplies, not expecting to be recognized while parking.

An older lady carrying two bundles of green onions and a bag of pork ribs passed by him, suddenly stopping and pointing at him excitedly.

“It’s you, young man! I know you! Your sausages shoot fire! I saw you on Douyin!”

“Uh...”

The lady took out her phone, getting ready to scan a QR code, “Perfect timing, let me try your sausage.”

“Ah, sorry. If you’ve seen our videos, you should know the cooking is handled by someone else,” Ma Lu explained. “Besides, it’s not our business hours right now.”

“What are you talking about? Street vendors don’t have business hours. You stop and cook whenever, right? Come on, I haven’t even had breakfast,” the lady insisted.

“I really can’t, I don’t even have the ingredients with me right now,” Ma Lu said, spreading his hands.

“This is the farmer’s market, young man! If you’re missing something, just go buy it.” The lady persisted. “How about this—give me a discount, and I’ll make a video to promote you online.”

“No need, no need. We have plenty of publicity already. In fact, I’m starting to feel like it’s a bit too much.”

Ma Lu wasn’t trying to humblebrag; he was speaking from experience.

In the internet age, the spread of a trending topic can be exponential.

Ma Lu initially just wanted to use the fire effect of the Lava Lizard Sausage to attract attention and keep the unruly juniors and sophomores paying up.

College students might find it hard to justify spending 16 on a regular Grilled Sausage, but a Grilled Sausage that spits fire, like a cat that does backflips, takes on a special significance beyond its appearance.

According to Shen Yue’s incomplete stats, since the launch of the Flame Grilled Sausage, the campus beauty of the Ancient Poetry and Literature Club, Little Shi, had received over eighty Volcano Sausages, half of which were sent anonymously.

Little Shi couldn’t even find the senders to return them. Therefore, Shen Yue had indulged in so many Grilled Sausages over the past week that even her burps tasted like them.

And that’s just from the lovesick admirers. Couples in love found these flashy, trendy items even more irresistible.

Can’t visit the Aegean Sea on the Greek Peninsula? Well, you can still buy a Volcano Sausage at West Gate, can’t you?

Love her? Just buy it!

As a result, Volcano Sausage not only went viral within Civil Aviation University but quickly spread outside the campus.

The most popular video about it had over 200,000 likes and 120,000 shares, landing it on the local trending list, right between “Man Wins 200 Million from a 100,000 Lottery Ticket” and “Federal Reserve Raises Interest Rates Again.”

Afterward, a local food blogger with five million followers visited to feature the stall, creating a video that was posted on multiple platforms.

The blogger’s team had noticeably more refined filming and editing techniques, and the presentation was more engaging, expertly capturing viewers’ attention. Combined with the blogger’s substantial following, the video boosted Volcano Sausage’s popularity to new heights.

Since then, Ma Lu never had to worry about attracting customers, but at the same time, he started to experience some of the side effects of fame.

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