"Aren't these condiments you normally use to cook food? I don't think you should put too much on our meat. Just a pinch of them is enough, we only need to taste a little."
Kruger put down the jars of seasonings on my camping table and then started to help me chop meat, we didn't stop talking while preparing those skewers, and he put forward his suggestions to me.
"We beasts can eat a huge amount of food per meal, and we don't need food anymore for a long time after a big full meal. Under this premise, many single beasts think it takes too long to wait for the meat to be cooked, meanwhile, cooking requires a lot of extra preparations — they'd rather change to the animal form and eat the raw meat."
According to my observations of Kruger's eating habits these days, I did find out that beasts don't eat at a certain or regular time. However, I didn't expect that they even not bother to cook, isn't it a bit too primitive for humans?
"Then what do females in your tribe generally eat?" I asked.
"Roasted food. There is a kind of sour fruit in the jungle during autumn, you can sprinkle the squeezed juice on the meat while you are roasting them, it produces a good flavour and makes the meat taste less greasy. Uncle Hugh and Kirra showed me once, it's really delicious!" Kruger swallowed after answering my question.
"...So, you are one of the raw food eating beasts, too?" One of my eyebrows raised.
Kruger scratched his head with an embarrassed smile, "Ho ho, I don't know the reason but every time I tried to cook, it didn't come to a good result. Either the food tastes terrible, or it's hard for me to chew... Sometimes, the cooked food even turned black... In this case, it's better for me to eat the meat raw, at least I can enjoy their fresh taste..."
It is because you put the food too close to the burning fire and overcooked them! I should not expect Kruger as a good chef, he even can not be a good cooker, rather, he is like a black hole in the kitchen!
"What is this face supposed to mean?!"
Hearing my sigh after knowing he can't cook, Kruger's voice became louder:
"Pleeease, don't look at me like that! I will learn how to cook and learn it by heart from now on! I am a beast who has found the destined mate at this time, it is my responsibility to take care of you and keep you in good health."
Facing my "a-ha" looks, Kruger almost became annoyed from embarrassment — his face blushed. Turned my eyes back, I pretend nothing has happened:
"Well. Come and help me slash this meat into small cuts, I need to marinate some of them."
Considering they have never tried such a strong flavour, as for those meat prepared for beasts and females to eat, I just seasoned them in a lower proportion of each spice, and only tentatively added a slight pinch of chilli and pepper powder.
The meat of the moas is a little similar to the turkey's meat — they are both red meat, their muscle fibres are thicker, and have their own unique flavour. Just the same principle as roast mutton kebabs taste the best with cumin, after charcoal roasting the moas meat, sprinkle some mixed spice on it, and the aroma of the moas will be fully stimulated.
"Wow! It smells sooo good! Once I thought eating the raw moas meat is tasty enough, I didn't expect that it will become more delicious after you put some seasonings and cook them."
Holding a big leg of the moa, Kruger was eating happily and making his mouth and hands oily. Watching him doing the "mukbang" really made me feel hungrier, too. So I speedily put the "heavily seasoned" vision of the moa — I prepared for myself with extra chilli — on the grill, which is also one of the camping stuff I brought here.
When the chilli met the fat, a wonderful chemical reaction occurred, diffusing some sort of choking but irresistible smell. With cumin, pepper powder and other spices, multiple aromas are added together, making this dish become an aroma bomb.
The bomb made everyone who had been busy eating the mild version of the barbecue that I cooked before raise their heads and sniff around, and then a dozen pairs of bright curious eyes stared at me, full of appetite.
...
"Mine added lots of chilli and pepper, you guys should not be able to stand it." I tried to stop them from gazing at my food.
"LuLu, we are not cowards! We beasts can even eat raw food, what else can't we eat? Pleeeeease, just let us try some of this meat!" Kruger showed his begging puppy eyes to me again.
Curiosity killed the cat, it can also kill you thylacines!
However, I do understand that it is not easy to only smell something good but can't actually taste it. It might be better if I control the quantity and let them taste a little.
Cut several small pieces with a knife, I shook them on purpose to make the chilli powder fall down, and then I asked Kruger to distribute them to everyone. When all the beasts got a copy, Kruger also can't wait to pick up a piece with his hand and throw it straight into his mouth.
"It smells nice so I think it should taste good... Aah Ah... That hurts! My tongue is on fire now!!! My mouth is PAINFUL!"
"WHY?! What going on here?! And I can't feel my lips, now it starts to numb! LULU!!!"
After a few chewing, Kruger's whole face quickly turned red, and his eyes were red, too, shortly filled with tears. I was just about to warn him not to touch his eyes with his hands because there might be some chilli powder left on his hands before, Kruger had already raised his hands and wiped the tear that was about to fall.
Then...
"AHHHHHH! OH! HELP! MY EYES!"
"LULULULULULULULU!"
"Am I going to be blind from now on?!"
"Oh no, what the hell is this horrible thing! That's super awful!"
It looks like things are becoming worse, Kruger began to run and cry around the bonfire, shouting like it was the end of the world. I held the laugh back and spoke in my loudest voice:
"Go to the stream and wash your face, then rinse your mouth! It's not a big deal, you will be fine sooner after all the chilli is gone!"
Kruger raised his arm and translated my words to the beasts in a high voice. And then those beasts who are also circling around the bonfire and crying at the same time, all rushed to the stream — like pouring several dumplings into boiling water, they just flopped down to the creek one by one.