The Game of Life

Skewering and grilling is a source of joy for most young and even middle-aged people during the summer.

Whether it’s the office workers enslaved by the 996 work system, the college students juggling studies with their love lives, or the young girls who chant about dieting but haven’t lost an ounce, none can resist the temptation of skewers.

Barbecue, one of the most primitive cooking methods, involves heating food in dry, hot air near the heat source. Meat, vegetables, seafood, insects, and even other strange foods can all be barbecued. There’s a rich variety of ingredients to choose from, a dazzling buffet of options.

Jiang Feng hadn’t had barbecue for a long time, and his impression of it still revolved around the smoky charcoal-grilled stage, but due to the excessive smoke produced when grilling meat, most of the barbecue stands in Beiping used smokeless electric grills or smokeless charcoal.

The electric grills and smokeless charcoal barbecue, having lost the soulful presence of smoke, could only make up for it with the chef’s excellent skills.

For instance, the barbecue chef at the shop by the east gate of Jiang Feng’s community was quite skilled.

Jiang Feng’s barbecue level was at a beginner stage – skewered lamb, beef, prawns, sliced potatoes, lotus root, green beans, topped with an eggplant. The lack of variety was a bit pitiable.

Wu Minqi couldn’t eat such stimulating food due to specific health reasons.

“Right, Jiang Feng, I don’t think I’ve ever seen you and Mr. Jiang do barbecue. Can you guys grill?” Ji Yue was still chastising herself for having eaten three Eight Treasures Chestnut Fragrant Pigeons that afternoon, and as self­punishment, she decided to only eat vegetables for this barbecue meal.

“No, our family just runs a restaurant, how could we possibly know how to barbecue?” Jiang Feng grabbed a skewer of lamb and took a big bite.

The lamb skewers here weren’t cheap, which corresponded to the high quality of the ingredients.

The skewers were made of lamb leg, with the meat connected by tendons, perfect for marinating.

The lamb was tender, high in protein, and low in fat. After a period of grilling, the fat melted into the leg meat, and with seasonings like cumin sprinkled on top, it was fragrant without being greasy or gamey. Crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, it was mildly spicy and deliciously savory.

Love it.

“Is it good?” Ji Yue chewed on a piece of lotus root but her gaze kept sticking to Jiang Feng’s lamb skewer, with eyes almost popping out.

“It’s pretty good,” Jiang Feng said and ate another skewer.

“I feel like the barbecue here in Beiping is different from back in my hometown.” In an effort to not look at Jiang Feng’s lamb skewer, Ji Yue tried to shift the topic.

“It is different. The barbecue in my hometown of Z city isn’t like here either. The lamb skewers rarely use actual lamb. Although I don’t know exactly what meat they use, it’s pretty delicious.” Jiang Feng spoke with his mouth full of lamb, his words slightly muffled.

After swallowing a couple of bites of lamb, he continued, “When I was in middle school, there was a mobile barbecue stall at the entrance of my neighborhood every night. The lamb skewers were one yuan each, and I’ve been eating them for years without any problems. I think our local barbecue is pretty normal, nothing particularly novel or exciting. There’s definitely no such thing as grilled silkworm pupae.” Jiang Feng felt that grilled silkworm pupae was the darkest barbecue dish he had ever encountered, bar none.

“We don’t have grilled silkworm pupae back home either, but I remember the barbecue stand outside my mom’s workplace had especially delicious grilled leeks, super tender, not tough at all! But are you really not going to try the grilled silkworm pupae? I think they’re quite tasty, theyjust look scary but are actually good!” Ji Yue enthusiastically recommended the grilled silkworm pupae, “Why don’t we order a couple of portions then?”

“No, thanks, no, thanks,” Jiang Feng shook his head like a rattle drum.

“The barbecue from my place is pretty different too,” Wu Minqi said thoughtfully after taking a sip of cola, “quite a lot of differences.”

“How so?” Ji Yue pressed on.

“Take Yibin, for instance; there, the barbecue doesn’t involve pre-marinating. You just brush on the sauce, grilling and brushing simultaneously. You have to thoroughly cook it over an open flame, using thin bamboo skewers. When grilling, you keep turning the skewers to ensure that the food is charred outside and tender inside. After sprinkling on the spices, you can also pair it with dipping sauces,” Wu Minqi explained.

Ji Yue and Jiang Feng were already getting a vivid picture.

“Then there’s the variety at our barbecues; I’m not sure if you have pig snouts where you’re from, but grilled brain, which is quite famous, can also be considered part of the barbecue, right?” Wu Minqi was somewhat uncertain.

“Is grilled brain delicious?” Ji Yue asked, as if she’d never seen such a thing before.

“It depends on the skill of the grill master, and whether the brain is fresh or not.”

Looking at the grilled potato slices on her plate, Ji Yue suddenly felt that these crispy, golden brown, slightly spicy, and subtly sweet slices weren’t quite as tasty anymore.

“I heard that where you’re from, they also grill crayfish, is that true?” Ji Yue inquired.

“Yes, but it’s not common. Many traditional barbecue spots don’t serve it, but some of the new places looking to innovate have made quite a name for themselves with it,” Wu Minqi nodded.

Ji Yue gulped down a skewer of yellow throat.

“Wait, didn’t you say you were sticking to vegetables and not eating meat tonight?” Jiang Feng keenly spotted Ji Yue’s attempt to divert from her stated plan.

“This is yellow throat, pig’s heart tube, how can you call it meat!” Ji Yue argued back, swiftly changing the subject, “Hey, I also want to eat grilled crayfish, no, just crayfish. Hey, does this place sell crayfish?”

Jiang Feng & Wu Minqi & Sun Jikai:…

“Excuse me, do you have crayfish here?” Ji Yue was someone who acted on her desires immediately.

“Yes, we sell it by the pound. How many pounds would you like?” the owner asked.

“Four pounds!”

“I just had my fill; I’m not eating anymore.” Wu Minqi had come down just to accompany Jiang Feng for the barbecue. She had finished half an eggplant, two skewers of Chinese leek, one of enoki mushroom bacon rolls, and one of tofu before calling it a day.

Ever since their chat began, she’d been drinking water constantly.

“Qiqi, you’re not eating crayfish? Then never mind, owner, make it three and a half pounds!”

“Alrighty!”

Jiang Feng: ???

Jiang Feng felt that their barbecue gathering that evening had veered off onto an unpredictable path.

What was once a pure and simple barbecue got mixed up with spicy, savory, bright red and shiny crayfish.

As an invasive species that ended up being cultivated by humans, the crayfish’s status and deliciousness on dining tables was evident.

On a summer night at a barbecue stand, where skewers, crayfish, electric fans, and a gentle breeze intermingled, if you didn’t pair it with a few glasses of ice- cold refreshing beer, it was simply one of life’s great regrets.

Once adamant about not drinking, Jiang Feng and Sun Jikai eventually succumbed and joined in the heavenly summer life of skewers, beer, and crayfish; air conditioning, WiFi, and watermelon.

Jiang Feng had said he didn’t drink for fear of accidentally overindulging and suffering a headache the next morning.

As for Sun Jikai, it was probably because his alcohol tolerance was just too low.

Everyone could see it – after just one beer, he seemed to be drunk.