Chapter 36

How do you make fish cutlets? Basically, there's not much to it; British food can be summed up in one word: simple! Remove the flesh from the sea fish, ensuring there are no bones or spines, then lightly pound it with a heavy object to break down the fibers. After that, coat it in egg and flour and fry it in oil. As soon as the surface turns a light yellow, take it out; don't delay. The color will deepen after it's out of the pan, and if you wait until it's golden, it will turn brown after a while.

What next? Then it's time to eat it. If you're not afraid of the heat, you can eat it right away; if you are, wait a bit. You don't even need to add salt, as the sea fish is naturally salty. If you prefer a stronger flavor, you can pair it with a sauce made from cream, jam, and wine. Generally, you can eat it directly, or you can serve it with bread. To put it simply, it's like a soft-fried pork loin, just easier.

"Is this rapeseed oil?" In the kitchen, Hong Tao truly understood the culinary culture of the Southern Song Dynasty. The seasonings were quite complete, with almost everything used in later times available, except for chili peppers. There were scallions, garlic, ginger, pepper, Sichuan pepper, soy sauce, vinegar, garlic sprouts, mustard, garlic bulbs, and even a few spices that Hong Tao didn't recognize, even after smelling them. What surprised Hong Tao the most was that the Song Dynasty already had woks, even double-handled iron woks, and the oil used was definitely not lard but rapeseed oil. What kind of rapeseed oil, Hong Tao wasn't sure, but it was likely rapeseed oil.

"Rapeseed oil! Does your hometown not use this?" Luo Youde stood behind Hong Tao, watching him fry the fish cutlets with great interest. From his movements, it was clear that Hong Tao was no novice.

"My hometown mostly uses soybean oil!" This was a fib, and Hong Tao felt a bit embarrassed making it. He usually ate blended oil, and even when he bought peanut oil, it was fake. Where would he get soybean oil? However, he couldn't mention peanuts because they definitely didn't exist in the Song Dynasty; they were a specialty of the Americas and wouldn't appear in Asia until the discovery of the New World.

"Soybeans? Can the soybeans used for tofu also be pressed for oil?" Luo Youde wasn't pretending; he was particularly attentive to anything related to food. Strangely, he wasn't fat at all, not even a belly, which was a bit unscientific!

The fish cutlets fried quickly. The kitchen on the ship didn't use charcoal but coal, high-quality smokeless coal. Where this came from, Hong Tao planned to ask later, but now he didn't have time because he had to teach Luo Youde how to fry fish cutlets. After he took the first bite, he thought it was quite good. Although it didn't make him exclaim, he wanted to be able to make it himself in the future. As a wealthy man, he had to learn how to cook himself before teaching the chef, a trait he shared with Hong Tao, who was also a hands-on type.

After learning how to make fish cutlets, Luo Youde was very pleased and gradually accepted Hong Tao's claim of coming from a mysterious continent in the South Seas. He boasted that he had traveled to all the countries marked on the sea chart and tried all the local foods, but he had never eaten fish cutlets, nor even heard of them. The way Hong Tao spoke and the words he used were also unfamiliar, especially his demeanor, which clearly didn't belong to a common fisherman who had been working hard for a long time. The original-colored hemp clothes he wore were not only made of unique fabric but also had a unique style, with round ivory buttons that made Luo Youde marvel at their beauty and practicality.

When he heard that Hong Tao could also cut and sew clothes, he immediately became even more friendly, holding Hong Tao's hand like a pair of glasses, unwilling to let go. He wanted Hong Tao to help him make a set of Australian clothes. He not only enjoyed tasting delicious food but also liked unique and novel clothes. Whenever he saw something, he had to buy a few pieces to show off to his friends back home, taking pride in it.

"Does the government not regulate this?" Hong Tao was confused by Luo Youde's question. This guy was like a fashionista; how could he survive in the Song Dynasty? Wouldn't he be crushed by all the rituals and etiquette?

"Government? Why would they care about what I wear? I'm not an official or a student. After the Maritime Trade Office takes its cut, I can wear and eat whatever I want. Why would they regulate it? Does your hometown not allow people to dress freely?" Luo Youde was confused by Hong Tao's question. Why would the government care about what people wore?

"Oh, I just heard from my ancestors that there are strict rules here for eating, dressing, speaking, and doing things. If you don't follow them, you might be ostracized or even get in trouble with the government. After I was stranded, I didn't dare to approach towns, fearing that my strange behavior and accent would cause trouble. Fortunately, the Tanka people took me in, or I might have starved to death." Hong Tao began to understand that the Song Dynasty seemed more open than the Ming and Qing dynasties, with less strict control over the people by the government.

"Hahahaha... Your ancestors might have been talking about the Tang Dynasty, but even that is an exaggeration. As far as I know, even in the Tang Dynasty, people wouldn't be punished for what they wear, eat, or say. But there is a possibility that your ancestors were officials, in which case they had to be more careful. For people like you and me, merchants, we don't need to be so cautious; otherwise, what fun would there be? Even if an official saw us, they wouldn't be displeased; they might even give us a second look." Luo Youde felt he had found a treasure. Discussing the customs and culture of their respective countries with someone from an unknown land was a pleasure, refreshing and interesting.

"So, if I go to a town, no one will treat me like a monster, and I can stay at an inn and buy things without any identity documents?" Hong Tao still found it hard to believe. The household registration system existed in every dynasty, controlling everyone's lives, even in his own time. Why would it be different in the Song Dynasty? It didn't make sense!

"If you are a Song citizen, there's no problem! As a foreigner, you need to register with the Maritime Trade Office, and then you can live and do business like a Song citizen. You can't take exams or become an official, but you can buy property and do business. After living in one place for five years, you can become a Song citizen just like any other!" Luo Youde gave another answer that left Hong Tao speechless.

This was something Hong Tao hadn't expected. The Song Dynasty was so open! Wasn't this 13th-century American imperialism? It turns out that the Americans didn't invent it; they plagiarized it from our Song Dynasty!

According to Luo Youde's introduction, the household registration system in the Tang Dynasty was indeed very strict, with a distinction between registered and unregistered households. Registered households were free people, essentially citizens with full civil rights and household registration. Unregistered households were low-class people who could only engage in low-status occupations, could not take exams or become officials, and were hereditary, similar to the caste system in India. They didn't even have household registration and were listed on the household registration of registered households, considered family property, and had the same status as livestock.

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