Culinary God in Wilderness

Chapter 440: Chapter 274: The Sun Rises from the West

Thanks to Lin Chen’s swift and decisive actions, the kitchen’s rhythm, which had been on the verge of collapse, slowly returned to normal.

The orders, which would normally have taken over two hours to complete, were all finished in just an hour and a half.

Even though it was the dinner rush, the dining area was already full, so the table turnover rate was extremely low. There was no need to worry about the kitchen getting overwhelmed again.

Lin Chen didn’t stay in the kitchen to help indefinitely. After all, this was Gray’s domain, and Gray needed to learn how to manage it himself.

He finally breathed a sigh of relief after leaving the kitchen. He took off his apron, placed it behind the bar, and walked into the dining area to gather feedback from the customers.

In addition to the standard Western dishes, White Whale’s current menu featured some recipes he had made on his show, a mix from the Alaska and Panama segments.

That made sense. He had created far too many dishes to add them all to the menu, and not every recipe was suitable for a Western restaurant. They could only select a portion of them to feature on a rotating basis.

The items that made it as permanent fixtures were either simple, tasty, and easy-to-prepare appetizers, or thick soups that could be prepped in advance.

After making his rounds, he found that the diners were all happy to try food from a different culture and thought it tasted quite good.

The garlic sauce for the grilled oysters, which he had just prepared himself, received unanimous praise in particular.

The two of them had originally planned to have dinner there, but after seeing the long line forming at the entrance, they had no choice but to retreat.

This food wasn’t anything new to them, especially the wilderness survival dishes. Lin Chen was the original chef, after all, and Erica had tried almost everything he’d ever made. Missing out on the White Whale version wasn’t a huge loss.

"Let’s go. We should leave the tables for the guests who’ve traveled so far. We can go for a walk."

On the road by the beach, not far from the restaurant, two food trucks were parked.

They hadn’t been there last time. They probably saw that White Whale couldn’t handle the high volume of customers and decided to get a piece of the action on the beach.

Some tourists staying at nearby resorts or hotels would hang out on the beach, and rather than wait in line at White Whale, they’d just grab a casual bite here.

"My treat. What do you want? Hot dog, sandwich, or a burrito?"

"In that case, I won’t hold back. I’ll have both. And the burrito should have double beef and double cheese. Oh, and a chocolate ice cream cone."

"...You’re gonna burst!"

Holding their warm food, the two ate as they walked back along the road, ready to take a ferry back to Hos Shubei Port. From there, they could take another boat directly to Vancouver Island on the opposite shore.

Vancouver, one of Canada’s most famous cities, isn’t actually on Vancouver Island. It’s located on a peninsula at the mouth of a river, across from the island.

The major cities actually on Vancouver Island are Victoria and Nanaimo, the latter of which was their destination.

The distance from Nanaimo to Victoria in the southeast, and to Albion Port or Banfield in the southwest, was roughly the same. Salt Spring Island was situated between Nanaimo and Victoria.

This area not only had bustling cities and shopping malls but also the well-known Vancouver Island University.

Outside of the Nanaimo-to-Victoria corridor, the rest of the towns on Vancouver Island were quite sparsely populated and were primarily tourist areas.

And from there, the trip to either Albion Port or Banfield was about two hundred kilometers, a drive of roughly two hours, which wasn’t too far.

’For Canadians, who often have an average one-way commute of over an hour, two hours really is considered pretty close.’

’Back when he’d just graduated, his commute from home to the restaurant took an hour by subway and streetcar, and he was living relatively close to the city center.’

’The most extreme case in the kitchen was a coworker who commuted three hours each way from the next city over, and he’d been doing it for more than two years. It really made him wonder what went through Westerners’ minds.’

’Three hours one way meant six hours round trip. Wouldn’t it be better to find a job locally? Why come all the way to the next city for a similar salary?’

’He could work a whole other part-time job with all that wasted time.’

By the time the two of them arrived in Nanaimo, it was already past ten at night.

This type of ferry was very slow. A trip that would have taken only a few dozen minutes by speedboat had been stretched out to an hour and a half.

While on deck, he had even looked it up. With a private helicopter, the flight from Nanaimo to Vancouver would only take twenty minutes, and getting to Albany Port would only take thirty. It was the fastest mode of transportation available.

’As for the price... the most basic model capable of carrying passengers and cargo cost around 300,000 US Dollars. Anything cheaper could basically only fit the pilot, which wasn’t very cost-effective.’

’Of course, there were plenty of more expensive options, ranging from the high hundred-thousands to millions or even tens of millions, but he didn’t need to worry about those for now.’

’Besides the helicopter itself, there were also annual mandatory insurance fees, typically 1-3% of the aircraft’s price. Fuel was expensive too, costing at least a few hundred US Dollars per hour. On top of that, you’d have to hire professional helicopter mechanics for regular inspections and maintenance.’

’This thing could only be added to his list of future must-buys. He most likely wouldn’t be purchasing it anytime soon; he had to sort out his housing and land situation first.’

Nanaimo was silent at ten-thirty. Most of the city’s lights were already out, leaving only the dim yellow streetlights standing in a lonely row.

A few taxis were parked near the ferry terminal exit, along with some private cars that looked like Uber drivers waiting for fares.

It was around the time the last ferry of the night arrived. After this fare, these drivers would be heading home to bed as well.

Although public safety in Canada was much better than in the country next door, because of legal drugs and firearms, nobody dared to wander around remote areas at night.

Even in Toronto, often jokingly called a "big international village," the downtown area was deserted after 9 PM, except for a few bustling intersections on the main drag where you’d see people heading out to clubs, bars, or the movies.

"You two need a cab?"

Seeing the tourists trickling out, a driver immediately approached to solicit a fare.

"Are there any bars or places like that still open at this hour?"

Before Lin Chen could say anything, Erica stepped forward and started the conversation.

"There are a few bars nearby, but they’re not quiet lounges. They’re... adult strip clubs. If you’re looking for a quiet bar, you’ll have to go pretty far. Oh, wait, I think there’s a Japanese izakaya that’s still open."

"Let’s go to the izakaya."

"You still want to drink?"

Although they had arrived together, Lin Chen couldn’t very well leave her to go to the hotel by herself, nor could he stop her from going out. He had no choice but to get in the car with her.

"I haven’t had a drink in ages! Just a few sips. Besides, izakayas have snacks, don’t they? It’s a great place to chat. The staff and the chef there will definitely know the area better than we do. We could gather some intel."

"How’s your tolerance?"

"Don’t worry, I won’t get drunk. Just a few drinks~"

「An hour or so later.」

Lin Chen supported a staggering Erica, who could barely walk a straight line, through the hotel’s main entrance. Under the wary gaze of the female receptionist, he pulled out both of their IDs.

"Two rooms. We booked in advance."

"Alright, sir. And what is your relationship to this lady?"

"Friends."

"Is she able to communicate clearly? According to our liquor license regulations, we have to ensure all guests are lucid upon check-in. Otherwise, we’ll have to wait until she sobers up before we can let you..."

"Of course I’m lucid!"

Before the receptionist could finish, Erica snapped upright, her glazed-over eyes instantly becoming clear.

"Uh... Miss, your name, please?"

"Erica."

"Age?"

"Twenty-five!"

"Place of residence?"

"Chicago."

"You live in Chicago?"

Lin Chen leaned in curiously. "I thought you lived in New York."

"That’s such a stereotype. What forests does New York have?"

"Fair enough."

He tapped his head. ’I almost forgot this girl was a forest guide.’

Chicago, like Toronto, was in the Great Lakes region. It was surrounded by abundant water and dense forests, which certainly fit her profession.

After asking for some more personal information and confirming that the seemingly intoxicated lady was indeed lucid, the receptionist finally processed their check-in.

Even though he was a millionaire now, Lin Chen didn’t spend his money carelessly, having only booked standard rooms.

The moment they stepped into the elevator, Erica suddenly leaned against him, holding her forehead.

"Oh my, I’m suddenly so dizzy. Why is this elevator so shaky?"

"...You could at least try to make it more convincing. The elevator isn’t even moving yet."

Lin Chen rolled his eyes, speechless. But after pressing the button for their floor, he didn’t push her away.

When they got to her room, he didn’t rush to open his own door. Instead, he stood quietly in front of hers and handed her the key card.

"Go on, open it."

’After being fooled so many times, he’d learned his lesson. He had to personally watch her go into her room before he could safely open his own door.’

They actually hadn’t drunk much earlier, just three fruity cocktails each, and they’d eaten seven or eight small plates of food.

There was no way she was actually drunk. The amount they’d had was only equivalent to two or three beers. But after being hit by the cold night wind, it was natural to feel the alcohol go to your head a bit.

’If she tried to pull any stunts right now, he was genuinely afraid he wouldn’t be able to control himself and might do something he’d regret.’

He had expected Erica to keep up the act for a little longer, but she simply reached out, took the key card, and opened the door with a BEEP.

"You should get some rest, too. Thanks for walking me back~"

CLICK.

He still couldn’t quite believe his eyes as the door closed.

’That’s it?’

’Nothing else?’

’Did the sun rise in the west?’

’Is this still the same Erica I know?’

Blinking a few times and confirming that her door was shut tight, he took a couple of steps over and swiped open his own door next to hers.