Chapter 728: Special Barbeque
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
When it came to making friends and creating a sense of closeness, Hans was definitely a master.
Just from a string of horse meat sausages, he was immediately able to pull the boss into a conversation and ultimately, to their surprise, find out that they were distant relatives.
Despite that, Li Du felt that their distant relative relation was too distant as there was a cousin’s neighbor relation between them . . .
He wanted to ask if they were still considered relatives. However, he didn’t when he saw that the couple and Hans were having such an enjoyable, intimate moment and that they were greatly enjoying each other’s company.
This was understandable as it had been a few years since the couple had come to Australia. Compared to America, the land here was vast while the people were few. Moreover, they did not have many relatives and friends. As such, even if they were to meet ordinary, fellow townsfolk, they would feel close to them, let alone with someone who had familial ties with them.
In the afternoon, while Li Du and the others rested, Hans was still chit-chatting with the couple. When Li Du woke up after resting until the evening, Hans was, like before, chit-chatting with the couple.
After an afternoon of chit-chatting, both parties had already become pretty close with each other. The couple treated them to a barbeque party at the spacious backyard for dinner.
Americans’ love for barbeque was bone-deep. However, the barbeque prepared by the boss was not an ordinary barbeque. Hans asked Li Du excitedly, “Have you eaten kangaroo meat before?”
Li Du shook his head. “No. I don’t eat kangaroo meat.”
Hans was taken aback. “Why?”
Li Du replied, “The Chinese translation for kangaroo has a character for rat in it. As I am born in the year of the rat, I cannot eat food related to rats. If they changed the name to Dai Yang or Dai Nu, I wouldn’t mind tasting it.”
As this was the first time Hans had heard of such an explanation, he had a blank look on his face.
Sophie ridiculed, “Then what about those who were born in the year of the sheep and cow? They should be protesting.”
Hans did not understand what relevance Sophie’s words had and said, “Alright, then you just eat beef and mutton. Anyway, we have also prepared beef and mutton. As for the kangaroo meat? We’ll try it ourselves then.”
He turned his head around to look at Godzilla. “Hey, man, you like eating kangaroo meat?”
Godzilla replied, “There’s no ‘like to eat’ or ‘don’t like to eat . . . ‘”
Victoria, who sat at the side, added, “Only ‘can eat’ or ‘cannot eat.'”
Godzilla nodded in agreement.
The kangaroo was the strongest animal on Australia’s vast land. As there was a large number of them, twice the population of Australia, it was possible to encounter them even when driving in the many wildlands of Australia.
Due to there being simply too many kangaroos in Australia, the Australian government had planned to exterminate 100,000,000 kangaroos in a reasonable manner so as to save the grasslands and other animals. Otherwise, the ecosystem would be destroyed.
The kangaroo meat that was prepared by the boss had been frozen earlier to kill off the parasites and their eggs inside the meat. After which, the meat was placed under the scorching sun to dry for two days, which caused the meat to look a little like French ham.
Seeing the boss take out pieces of dark red kangaroo meat, Ivana hid behind her father’s thigh before grabbing onto his shirt and asking weakly, “Kangaroos are so cute, how could you guys eat them?”
After hearing her words, the boss laughed loudly and opened his arms in an exaggerated manner. “Cute? Little girl, you have never encountered one before. They are much more terrifying than bulls, especially when they are fighting like bullies.”
Frightened by his exaggerated gestures and tone, Ivana hid completely behind Brother Wolf.
The amiable lady boss smiled. “This child is like a joey. When a joey is afraid, it will also hide in its mother’s pouch like that.”
Brother Wolf calmly patted his daughter’s head before saying faintly, “They aren’t as amazing as Daddy.”
After hearing that Li Du wasn’t going to eat kangaroo meat, the boss persuaded, “You can give it a try. Truth be told, the meat may indeed not be that delicious. Nonetheless, I don’t think you guys will be able to eat it in America. Even in Australia, we don’t get to eat kangaroo meat all the time.”
As kangaroos were growing at an uncurbed rate, the government had been thinking of ways to catch and kill them.
However, this did not mean that the government could catch and kill them in whatever way they pleased. According to Australian laws, shooting kangaroos were only allowed a few months out of the year.
In addition, out of the 48 kangaroo breeds in Australia, only four kangaroo breeds were allowed to be hunted.
In the introduction that the boss gave to them, although kangaroo meat was a little like beef, it had a certain smell to it and hence, had to be prepared properly. Otherwise, it would not taste nice.
The Australian government understood that if they wanted to curb the growth of the kangaroo population, the best method was to get the masses involved, which would require them to be fond of eating kangaroo meat.
As such, Australia had an interesting program in one of their television channels that specifically introduced methods of cooking kangaroo meat. As the couple usually had nothing to do and would watch television, they had learned quite a few cooking methods.
“Australians are not very fond of eating kangaroo meat. Although the government is currently focused on exporting kangaroo meat as a way to earn revenue, I am not optimistic about it. After all, it is not a conventional food,” the boss said while cutting the meat.
Lu Guan asked, “How nutritious is kangaroo meat?”
“Extremely nutritious. It’s rich in nutrients such as proteins, iron, zinc, and vitamin B6 and B12. Its fat content is very low and it’s an environmentally-friendly food source.”
Lu Guan shook his head. “This won’t do. You can suggest to your government to collaborate with doctors and nutritionists in China to analyze the meat and see if it could strengthen the yin and yang energies in people. If it could, this type of meat would be in demand. Boss, don’t you think so?”
Li Du gave him a glare and replied, “That is also racism.”
“That isn’t racism,” Lu Guan said dejectedly. “That’s the truth. Nonetheless, if it could really straighten a person’s yin and yang energies, I think I would also like this kind of food. Stephen, don’t you think so?”
Stephen, who was a man of few words, nodded his head, which was an indication that he agreed with Hans’s point of view.
Hannah gave him a pinch and said in an unpleasant manner, “Don’t just participate in any conversation. He’s digging a hole for you to jump in.”
While they chatted, they completed the preparations for dinner.
The pieces of kangaroo meat that the boss had prepared were mainly from the thigh, tail, hip, and back regions of a kangaroo. The meat from those regions was of the highest quality, especially for the meat in between the thigh and hip regions, which tasted very tender and flavorful due to being firm, chewy, and having just the right amount of fat.
After the barbeque pit was set up, Big Quinn brought his two sons to help the boss while Li Du and Sophie went to walk the three furry children.
Ah Ow ran around the backyard while wagging her tail. Her whole body was very quickly covered with leaves from dashing and rolling on the ground. She felt hot and stuck her tongue out.
Sophie smiled. “She likes it here.”
Li Du responded, “Of course. You see, isn’t the environment here great? Without a single house in the vicinity, this place is hers. This place is very suitable for keeping pets.”
“But it’s not suitable for living,” the boss, who was not far from them, shook his head. “There’s no entertainment or people. It’s too dry.”
Initially, they had migrated over because of the good weather and environment. However, after migrating over, they realized that although the environment was indeed good, with no pollution and disputes, this place was too lonely for Americans who were used to the vibrant nightlife.
It was precisely this reason that the couple was so happy after accepting their business, so much so that they spared no effort in personally barbequing kangaroo meat for them to eat.