Chapter 1592 - 1566: Marcus Quinn Takes Adan to the County Town (Part 2)

She thought it over: once the Holiday Village gains fame, with Marcus Quinn’s culinary skills and the expertise of Uncle and Aunt Spencer, it’s unlikely for villagers to compete by opening snack bars; they can only open guesthouses. So, it’s best to procure local agricultural products from the county.

Marcus Quinn had long considered this issue. Raising chickens is not an option, as it’s dirty, and too many chickens risk avian flu. Raising cattle and sheep is viable; it’s fine to build large sheep pens and cow sheds on dry land, and drive them to the mountains during the day where there’s plenty of grass. Pigs also need to be raised primarily for New Year’s consumption; home-raised pigs are certainly different from those bought outside. Not many villagers raise pigs; they mostly raise a few chickens and ducks.

Speaking of raising chickens and ducks, Marcus Quinn also found it problematic as it affects the Holiday Village’s sanitation. He figured the chickens and ducks should be bought from the neighboring village. When villagers are wealthy, they won’t even need to raise chickens or ducks. Hence what Ata said — letting villagers turn their own houses into guesthouses — is excellent, considering the Holiday Village only has 15 houses, and can’t accommodate more than ten or twenty people.

"Cattle and sheep can be raised, pigs should be raised too, what else would you like to raise?" the man looked at Ata, eyes smiling gently.

"Currently, just thinking about beef and lamb, fish is in the lake, nothing else really," Ata thought seriously and laughed.

"Alright," Marcus Quinn readily agreed. The two then went to the fruit section, buying a box each of mangoes, grapes, limes, and calamondins. Marcus Quinn mused that any missing fruits should be planted on the mountain tomorrow. Moreover, they should plant some local spices not found here, especially various types of chili peppers. Thinking of this, he felt there was still a lot to do.

It was already ten in the morning when they drove back from the county with a full car of ingredients. The stalls at the scenic area had long packed up, as within these two hours, only 20 out of 100 pounds of pig’s trotters were left unsold, and even the secret recipe pig’s trotters for lunch were running out. Uncle Spencer stubbornly refused to deliver more trotters, and the ugly mandarins were nearly sold out too. Ata was astonished by the speed, no wonder her phone kept ringing with notifications of money being deposited.

Wang Gang and Calvin Zamora were exceptionally clever, leaving two boxes of ugly mandarins for tasting but not for sale; those wanting to buy had to pick them in the orchard themselves. This definitely drew the crowd towards the Holiday Village, as today was the first day of National Day, and the crowd was sizeable. Marcus Quinn thought more crowds would be a problem for the Holiday Village’s reception capacity, so he called the two to pack up the stall and head back to the Holiday Village together.

In the Holiday Village, Uncle and Aunt Spencer were busy rushing about, and Irving Spencer also went to the county to buy things, all leisure tools like chess and fishing equipment. Marcus Quinn moved the ingredients to the village cafeteria and began preparing lunch. The leftover marinade from yesterday made the pig’s trotters easy to prepare; washing them and marinating was all that’s needed. Aunt Spencer, with the help of four village women, had already peeled and soaked all the potato strips and cleaned the greens; they were now busy killing the blackfish.

Uncle and Aunt Spencer learned from Old Quinn, so their cooking skills are unquestionable. Even villagers, due to Old Quinn, are picky about food and everyone has some culinary skills, so cleaning fish was done swiftly and fish fillets were neatly sliced.

Ata was surprised seeing nearly 200 lunch orders already booked. Fortunately, the cafeteria was spacious; if crowded, they could share tables. Those who couldn’t fit inside could dine outside, with meals served in batches.

Upon returning, Marcus Quinn took over the kitchen, and soon it was bustling with activity. Marcus cooks with remarkable speed, especially with ingredients already prepared; it only requires stewing and stir-frying. In the cafeteria, Uncle Spencer cut the remaining 20 pounds of pig’s trotters into portions. In the large stove pot, Marcus cooked two dishes simultaneously: sour soup fish fillets and spicy and sour potato strips, each a massive potful. His bold and generous personality showed in using ample oils, salts, sauces, and spices. The spicy and sour potato strips were crisp, tangy, spicy, and refreshing, steaming hot and fragrant with chilies from afar. The sour soup fish fillets were seasoned thoroughly. Uncle Spencer handled plating, and Marcus fried the last dish of green vegetables, completing the lunch package for 30 people.

People waiting to eat at the cafeteria salivated at the scent, and upon seeing trays of meals being served from the kitchen, with two meat dishes and two vegetarian dishes, a bowl of rice as white as pearls, complemented with a plate of ugly mandarins, everyone craned their necks expectantly.