We Want Magical Mapo Tofu!

Stark was lying at home, with an issue of Cooking Master Boy on the table and an open bag of chips beside him.

Reading the manga, Stark felt a wave of satisfaction wash over him.

It was a moment of face-smacking success!

And it was incredibly satisfying.

Is this really a food manga?

Since when can a food manga be this exciting?

It's just like Chinese kung fu!

Thrilling! Heart-racing! Exciting!

This is a pure world of food, where the dishes made by chefs are their weapons!

Even though there were only about ten chapters, Stark was already deeply captivated by this manga. It was a unique food manga that stood out from all other similar genres. Only after reading it did Stark understand what real Chinese cuisine was!

If you say the Chinese food in the manga can't be made, Stark would disagree.

Because each dish is explained in detail, he believes that by following the detailed instructions in the manga, these dishes could be made!

"Gulp!"

Stark's throat rolled as he realized he was starting to feel hungry.

Especially looking at the food in the pictures, Stark felt a strong craving. He subconsciously grabbed a chip and put it in his mouth.

"Crunch crunch... yuck!"

After a few chews, Stark suddenly found the chips tasteless.

So, he wasn't just hungry; he wanted to taste the protagonist's dishes!

Just then, his good friend Napier arrived: "Hey, Stark, did you read the manga? How was it? If you think the food isn't that great, I could lend you my Chinese kung fu comics."

"Huh? Kung fu? Chinese food is way better than kung fu!" Stark sneered with disdain.

Napier's eyes widened: "Oh, Stark, how dare you say that? In that case, I need to see what you mean by this Chinese food. If it's not good, you'll have to kiss Mrs. Susan's butt next door!"

He loved kung fu the most, and someone daring to badmouth it, even his best friend, was unforgivable!

"Ha, if it's better than kung fu, you'll treat me to authentic Chinese food tonight!"

Stark handed the manga to Napier and took out the volume of *Your Name*.

He wanted to see what this manga was about.

...

In the evening,

The two met at Stark's house.

As soon as they met, Stark burst into laughter: "Napier, your wallet is going to be empty tonight!"

"Oh, Stark, don't be like that!" Napier's face fell, and he begged Stark, "How about we skip the Chinese food? I could treat you to Mrs. Susan's apple pie instead."

"Ha." Stark didn't say a word, just sneered.

It was clear he didn't agree to Napier's tempting suggestion.

"Alright, alright, you annoying guy, get in the car!"

Seeing this, Napier drooped his head and drove Stark to the nearest Chinese restaurant.

As soon as they arrived, they found the owner: "We want the most authentic Chinese cuisine, Magical Mapo Tofu and Golden Fried Rice!"

"???" The owner was bewildered. "Magical... Mapo Tofu and Golden... Fried Rice?"

What are those? He had never heard of them.

Mapo Tofu was just Mapo Tofu, so where did the magic come in?

And Golden Fried Rice... he had heard of people putting edible gold leaf on ice cream or chocolate, but on rice?

"Hey, Stark, I remember in the manga, even that Commander Li didn't know how to make it. Maybe these dishes, like kung fu, are secret recipes. If the owner knew how to make them, he wouldn't just be running a small restaurant. We should tell him the recipe," Napier whispered in Stark's ear.

"That's right!"

Stark's face lit up in realization.

He also liked kung fu manga and knew that in China, some things were family secrets, sometimes even passed only to sons.

"Here, look at this!"

The two of them quickly showed the manga they had brought to the restaurant owner. "We know that the glowing part is probably an exaggeration, but the recipes here must be real, right? We want you to make Magical Mapo Tofu and Golden Fried Rice."

Looking at the recipes and explanations in the manga, the owner was stunned.

Although some parts seemed off, after reading the explanations, he thought maybe they could be made?

After a moment of hesitation, he looked at the two eager foreigners and said uncertainly, "I'll try? But it will cost more."

"Of course, as long as you can make it!"

They nodded.

A little while later...

"What's this?"

"Oh my god, it just tastes like regular Mapo Tofu!"

"Owner, you turned something so delicious into something so ordinary!! I'd rather go back and eat Mrs. Susan's Stargazy Pie."

"Why does this bean collapse at a touch? It should bounce back like in the manga!"

"This Golden Fried Rice tastes just like your regular fried rice!"

After tasting the so-called Magical Mapo Tofu and Golden Fried Rice, they banged on the table and glared at the owner, feeling cheated.

"But I made it exactly as described in your manga!" The owner wanted to cry. "After all, it's just a manga. It must be fake."

When he saw the finished dishes, he also thought something was wrong.

"How can that be? Look at the recipe here. Doesn't it make sense?" Stark believed the owner couldn't cook, so he waved dismissively. "Forget it, let's just eat this and never come back."

They didn't want to argue anymore.

They quickly finished the food and left.

Meanwhile, a man sitting at another table watched them leave, his eyes showing a hint of contemplation. He paid his bill and followed them out.

"Wait a moment, you two in front."

The voice made Stark and Napier stop and look back at him.

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