Once the lights completely went out, Ikegawa Yoshihiko began speaking in a stream of Japanese, and the kimono-clad girl beside him immediately translated:
"Does everyone know why yakitori is so delicious?"
"In Japan, there is a legend. A long time ago, in the mountains of Japan, a forest fire accidentally broke out, killing some wild pheasants and birds."
"Some hunters living nearby found these cooked chickens and birds. After tasting them, they found them to be exceptionally delicious—countless times better than raw meat."
"And so, these hunters mastered the art of yakitori, and the technique has been passed down ever since."
?????
!!!!!
After hearing the simultaneous interpretation of this story, Li Xiao felt his face start to twitch.
It wasn’t for any other reason; he was simply trying his hardest not to burst out laughing.
He actually knew a thing or two about this so-called Japanese yakitori.
Yakitori was said to have originated in the Edo period of the 17th century. At the time in Japan, chickens were called "niwa no tori" (garden birds) because they crowed at dawn. Like cows, horses, and dogs, they were forbidden to be eaten.
Only a few powerful figures were allowed to eat them. Eating chicken was tantamount to poaching, which made it a fashionable and high-end food at the time.
It wasn’t until the Meiji era that the Japanese government began encouraging people to eat meat to improve their physical health.
Chickens, being relatively easy to raise, were then removed from the list of forbidden animals.
Yakitori shops began to appear slowly. Then, in the 1930s, after Japan adopted broiler chicken breeding techniques from the Star Country, chicken was no longer considered a luxury.
Mass-market chicken skewers became widespread, and yakitori entered its golden age.
Therefore, this story about a forest fire cooking wild pheasants was completely baseless. It was an over-the-top mythologizing of the food.
Besides, if this so-called story were true, it would seem to prove that the Japanese were truly a backward civilization that ate raw meat and drank blood.
After a round of nonsensical hype that added a touch of mystique to the yakitori, the lights in the room came back on.
The charcoal had already been prepared, so the grilling began soon after the story was finished.
In the livestream chat:
"Wait, I just looked it up. Yakitori is the same thing as our barbecue skewers."
"Last time I went to Japan, I ate yakitori until I was stuffed for 100 per person. How does this ’Immortal’ have the right to sell it for 1700?"
"Am I the only one who noticed that the Bird-Burning Immortal’s apron is covered in dirty handprints?"
"This place has only been open for half a month, right? How can this ’Immortal’ not even afford a new apron?"
"Look at the edges of those grills! Why are they covered in stains???"
"The lady downstairs who sells 5-yuan *shaobing* cleans her teppanyaki grill spotless every day. This Akatori place charges 1700 per person and they can’t even bother to hire someone to clean the grills?"
While waiting, Li Xiao also noticed these comments from his viewers.
He had also seen the stains on the grills the viewers mentioned. They were clearly residue from dripping sauce and meat juices; it would take several days of neglect to build up like that.
The issue with the apron was also quite serious.
If the dirty grills were the fault of the waiters or other chefs and not the so-called Bird-Burning Immortal...
...then the filthy apron he was wearing was definitely Ikegawa Yoshihiko’s own responsibility.
An apron that dirty? Forget wearing it; a normal person would be disgusted just looking at it.
’Seeing all this, Li Xiao was already starting to have second thoughts.’
’He even considered leaving early.’
’A clean restaurant isn’t necessarily delicious, but if a place can’t even handle basic hygiene, then even the best ingredients and top-tier culinary skills are useless.’
’But since I’m already here, it would be a bit embarrassing to give up halfway.’
Although Ikegawa Yoshihiko had to grill—no, prepare yakitori—for 16 guests at the same time...
...he had a full six assistants helping him.
As a result, Ikegawa Yoshihiko’s pace wasn’t too slow. After just a short wait, a steaming hot skewer of yakitori was placed in front of Li Xiao.
It was a skewer of chicken thigh meat and chicken skin, a delicacy that combined tender meat with slightly crisped skin.
This was a staple signature dish at nearly every yakitori shop, so it was normal for it to be served first.
Unlike the long bamboo skewers used for regular barbecue, this chicken skewer was threaded onto a short, palm-length stick.
Coated in sauce, the tender white chicken had been grilled to a golden brown. A faint, charred aroma wafted from the skewer, making it look quite appetizing.
Li Xiao raised an eyebrow slightly. The skewer of yakitori before him actually looked surprisingly good.
’Could it be? Was all the bad stuff from before just due to my own prejudice against this Bird-Burning Immortal???’
However, just as Li Xiao picked up the skewer, the corner of his mouth twitched.
He hadn’t noticed from a distance, but up close, all sorts of small problems were immediately obvious.
This seemingly golden-brown chicken skewer had no less than four burnt spots on it.
And on one piece of chicken skin, there was a translucent pinfeather that had been half-burnt.
’Well, well, well. No wonder he felt that the lighting in this so-called Yamada Residence was a bit dim.’
’He had originally thought it was to create an elegant atmosphere.’
’But now, it seemed the dim lighting was meant to hide the flaws in the food.’
Looking at the food in his hand, Li Xiao had no desire to eat it whatsoever.
If it were just slightly burnt in one or two spots, he could have chalked it up to some special grilling technique or school of cooking he was too ignorant to have heard of and given it a try.
But for a single skewer of yakitori to have four burnt spots, and for there to still be a feather on the chicken skin...
If this were a roadside stall charging 20-30 per person, he felt he could reluctantly accept such a basic lack of attention to detail. After all, you get what you pay for.
But this place, Akatori, charged a whopping 1700 per person. For them to fail to even clean the feathers off properly was something Li Xiao could not tolerate.
He put down the skewer and waved to the kimono-clad girl not far away.
The girl’s service was actually very good. Seeing Li Xiao wave, she immediately hurried to his side and asked in a low voice:
"Excuse me, sir, is there anything you need?"
Li Xiao wasn’t in the habit of taking his anger out on a young girl.
He picked up the nearby chopsticks and pointed at the yakitori on the plate.
"One skewer of yakitori, burnt in four places, with a feather still on the chicken skin. Are you sure this is the kind of product that should be served to a customer?"
Following Li Xiao’s gesture, the kimono-clad girl immediately noticed the problem with the skewer.
She had been about to offer an excuse, but when she saw the phone next to him that was clearly livestreaming, she swallowed her words. The girl quickly bowed deeply and apologized profusely:
"I am so sorry, so very sorry."
"This was our mistake."
"The chefs in the back kitchen must not have prepared the ingredients properly, leading to this issue."
"Please wait a moment. I will immediately ask Mr. Ikegawa Yoshihiko to remake it for you."