Before Eric's bewildered and uncomprehending gaze, Thomas awkwardly lowered his hand.
"How about this." Michael proposed eagerly, his mind already calculating: "If we serve the organs at the communal kitchen every day, we can save a pile of meat for the winter!"
[That way, I can eat delicious food every day, hehe!]
Hearing this, the other warriors immediately nodded in agreement.
Today was just a trial run; Eric had originally worried that some people wouldn't be able to stand the distinct smell of the organs. After all, even in his modern era, many people didn't eat them.
But it seemed his worries were for nothing. In this land where food was scarce and cooking skills were nonexistent, there was no room to be picky.
Thomas roared with laughter, his voice booming: "Done! From now on, Sam will stay at the kitchen in the afternoons. No more training or night patrols for him! You will be in charge of this kitchen with Jessica and Iris!"
Hearing he didn't have to train, Sam was overjoyed. Even if it meant washing that smelly, slimy pile of organs every day from now on, it couldn't dampen his soaring spirits.
He happily slapped his hand on the ground with a thud.
"No problem! I'll definitely make sure the tribe members get to eat organs this delicious every single day!"
The people around also excitedly raised their bowls and cheered: "We're counting on you, Sam!"
[Eating organs every day...] Eric gently twisted a lock of hair at his temple. [Won't they eventually get sick of it?]
But then he reconsidered. They had been eating burnt grilled meat for years on end; their tolerance must be top-notch.
Pre-boiled organs could be transformed into a variety of dishes. If only he had more beans, he could sprout them to make bean sprouts for stir-frying with young intestines. With more spices, he could make hot pot or a mixed organ stir-fry.
But since this was the first day, he would just teach them to master the boiled dish first.
Suddenly, Eric remembered his "ace in the hole" dish and hurriedly pulled Max along to help. Jessica had set it aside for him, hidden carefully in a corner of the tent.
The pepper-stewed meat-stuffed stomach was still warm. Eric gave everyone a piece in their bowl, then sliced the rest and arranged it on a plate. Lacking his specialized fish scale knife, he simply used his own sharp claws to slice it.
Everyone thought it was just like the boiled organs from before and took a large bite. The outer stomach casing was crispy and chewy, while the minced meat stuffing inside was soft, fragrant, and thoroughly soaked in seasoning. The combination quickly conquered the most discerning stomachs of the Snow Wolf tribe.
Eric had already eaten a heaping bowl of organs and now ate quite a bit more, his stomach as tight as a drum. He wrapped up a portion for Leo then stood up to say goodbye to Thomas and the others.
From this day on, the communal kitchen officially began its operations, and Jessica and the others became much busier.
In the morning, while the warriors were out hunting, they would make pottery and build tables and chairs together.
At noon, when the warriors returned, the group would begin the task of processing the organs, washing them clean before putting them into large pots to boil.
Eric also taught them how to stir-fry. As long as one could control the fire, many stir-fried dishes could be flexibly adapted. This was a completely new cooking technique in this world.
Before long, the tribe's menu became significantly richer. There were kidneys stir-fried with star fruit flowers (he found this plant in the forest, and since the fruit's taste was quite similar to star fruit, he just called it that), lightly stir-fried liver, intestines stir-fried with pickled greens, and even spicy stir-fried heart stems... Every dish made people grin with delight as they ate.
There was only one drawback: the Snow Wolf people never seemed to eat their fill, unlike the Dwarfs who were always satisfied.
Those who were lucky enough to eat the meat-stuffed stomach that day never forgot it.
Every time they went hunting, they paid special attention to goat-like magical beasts. And so, not long after, the entire tribe was not only eating meat-stuffed stomach, but also hot goat offal stew and fragrant vinegar-dipped tripe.
This dish had to be eaten hot; if it cooled, the layer of fat would solidify, ruining the taste.
Eric used his share of the goat meat to make grilled goat ribs, roasted goat leg, and then there was stir-fried goat with lemongrass and chili, goat meat noodles, and beef and pickle fried rice... he was constantly inviting friends over to his house for feasts.
Life went on like this, busy and fulfilling.
Amidst the tribe members' complaints "demanding delicious food." Thomas and Patriarch Joseph finally decided to officially open the kitchen.
The rules were also clearly established: the Dwarfs would provide their own staple foods, while the Snow Wolf people who ate at the kitchen had to submit all their hunted and gathered items to the common storeroom.
Eric's summary was simple: room and board provided, no salary. But in a primitive society, such fairness and unity were already more than one could ask for.
To ensure the pace of work, Thomas assigned two more Snow Wolf people to help in the kitchen. Tang was one of them, a young man who always wore a cheerful grin.
Eric couldn't fathom what was so enjoyable about this dirty, tiring work. Was everyone a 'god of cuisine' like Sam, willing to brave anything for the sake of eating?
Thanks to the kitchen, the entire tribe's work efficiency skyrocketed. They were able to save much more magical beast meat, and Thomas was grinning from ear to ear all day.
Max said the pile of dried meat in the cave was already higher than in previous years. The only thing was, the smell was also more "intense." because this year they were also drying fish.
With the kitchen work taken care of by others, Eric had some rare free time. He shamelessly went to find Luban, asking him to forge a set for alcohol distillation. It was because he was closest to the old man, and Luban's skills were the most superb.
Luban was forging iron and was delighted when the boy came to ask for a favor. To him, this was the greatest form of recognition.
Everything here was inconvenient; there wasn't even paper. Eric had to use a small branch to sketch the design for the distillation set on the dirt floor. [Maybe I should take this chance to make paper] He thought distractedly.
[The season is almost over, and those soft leaves they used for wiping their behinds are about to fall from the trees...]
This thought made him jolt.
[Oh crap, I've been living too comfortably lately, I completely forgot about this crucial matter!]
His heart in turmoil, the lines he was drawing also became crooked. He hurriedly pushed the thoughts from his mind and focused on finishing the drawing.