Culinary God in Wilderness

Chapter 409: Chapter 254: A Man Who Cooks Seriously is the Most Handsome

The sudden confession caught Lin Chen completely off guard. He’d never imagined that Erica, who was always laughing and joking around, would say something like that at a time like this.

Having spent a long time abroad, he had some understanding of how direct foreign women could be.

Usually, he was just a spectator to this kind of thing. But now that it was actually happening to him, his mind went completely blank. He had no idea what to say.

But he couldn’t stay silent for too long; after all, silence was a response in itself.

He hurriedly took a deep breath to collect his scattered thoughts.

"First, thank you for being so honest with me. In Great Xia, while it does happen that women confess their feelings first, it’s very rare—probably less than one percent."

"It’s not just Great Xia; the culture is similar throughout Asia. Women are expected to be reserved and shy, so they usually won’t take the first step. It’s almost always the men who make the first move."

"I never imagined a woman would confess her feelings to me, so for a moment, I didn’t know what to say or do. But that doesn’t mean I’m rejecting you."

"Of course, it doesn’t mean I’m agreeing, either."

Hearing this, Erica visibly relaxed, letting out a sigh of relief. She blinked her big, beautiful eyes and looked at him, puzzled.

"So, what you’re saying is..."

"For Da Xia People, dating is all about the ’feeling.’ First, of course, you have to be attracted to each other. Then, you spend time together. Only when you feel a spark between you, and you both know you like each other, do you confess your feelings. And only then do you get together."

"In other words, there’s a process that takes you from getting to know someone to falling in love. This can take as little as a month or as long as several months to even half a year. We haven’t even known each other for a full month, and the actual time we’ve spent together probably adds up to only a week."

"We barely know each other. How can we just rashly decide to get together?"

"To be honest, I never really considered dating a foreign woman before. The differences in our mindsets and how we see the world are just so vast, and I thought it would be exhausting to make a relationship work."

"How about this? You’re interested in my cooking, right? After filming wraps up, I’ll take you to an authentic restaurant to see how well you handle Daxia Cuisine."

"I’m a chef, you know. If you can handle it well, that means we’ll be compatible when it comes to food. If we can’t even get on the same page with something as basic as eating, there’s no point in talking about building a life together."

"Eating?"

The corners of Erica’s mouth turned up as she lifted her chin confidently. "Then you just wait and see. There hasn’t been a single cuisine I couldn’t handle—except for British food."

"...Agreed."

"Have you ever had a Swedish surströmming sandwich?"

"No."

"Have you had Russian black bread with borscht?"

"No."

"Have you tried Italian hard bread dipped in olive oil?"

"Nope."

"See? You’re a chef, and I’ve tried more cuisines than you have. I can’t say I loved all of them, but I could handle them. And since Great Xia is one of the world’s most renowned culinary nations, I refuse to believe Daxia Cuisine will be the one to shut me out."

"French and Brazilian cuisines are my favorites, and I’m sure Daxia Cuisine will be the next!"

She didn’t foresee food being a problem at all. Most of the dishes Lin Chen had made so far presented flavors she’d never experienced, completely upending her perception of those basic ingredients.

’Authentic Daxia Cuisine must be so much better than these simplified versions,’ she thought. ’I’ll probably get so hooked I won’t be able to stop, just like when I first got into French and Mexican food. I ate nothing else for six months before I finally went back to normal.’

"What you just described are the customs in Great Xia, right? I respect your customs. But in return, if you’re not opposed to getting closer to me, shouldn’t you respect our customs, too?"

"Of course," Lin Chen replied, nodding instantly. A moment later, he processed her words and asked, "Are you referring to North American or European customs?"

"Both. I’m mixed, after all."

"Well, I don’t really know much about Europe, and I’m not that familiar with North America either. Why don’t you tell me?"

"It’s simple, really. Both places are pretty similar. You just need to loosen up a bit and not be so resistant to physical contact. In our cultures, physical touch is the key bridge to developing feelings."

’I guess that’s true?’

’Foreign movies are always showing people kissing on the cheek—that seems to be a European etiquette. In a lot of places, people hug as a greeting, too. Foreigners really are fond of physical contact.’

"It’s not that I’m resistant to physical contact. What straight man would turn down physical contact with a beautiful woman? It’s just that we Da Xia People are more conservative. We wouldn’t do something so intimate with a woman who isn’t our girlfriend."

"Oh, so that’s how it is!"

Erica’s eyes lit up, her whole presence seeming to swell with newfound confidence.

"Let me ask you, then. That last time... you really wanted to touch me, didn’t you?"

"..."

Lin Chen’s expression froze. He averted his gaze, a flicker of guilt in his eyes, and gave an almost imperceptible nod.

’Damn it. I’ve made a fool of myself on an international stage. Good thing the cameras can’t see this, or I’d want the ground to swallow me whole.’

"I see! So men’s instincts are the same all over the world. But you were able to control that impulse because of your morals and self-discipline. You’re exactly the man I thought you were! That one thing alone puts you ahead of ninety percent of men in the world!"

"Ahem, please stop," Lin Chen coughed. "That’s hardly something to be proud of. It’s mortifying."