HLM – Chapter 893 A Unique Experience

Wang Bo wasn’t very interested in the competition, but if he had the chance to participate, it wouldn’t be bad, since he had a bunch of Rottweilers and Alaskan sled dogs at home.

These dogs didn’t have a “Heart of Soul,” but they were fed the best beef and lamb. With the “Heart of Nest” and “Heart of Kennel” improving their physical abilities, they were absolute top dogs.

He left it at that and decided to put the matter aside for now. After all, it was Christmas—he came to enjoy the holiday and just wanted a relaxed and happy time.

Jackson, being sensible, exchanged contact information after hearing him and simply left with a “Merry Christmas.”

About half an hour later, the dog sled race ended. Just as Jackson had said, Zhuang Ding and Queen took the championship trophy.

Some media came to photograph them. Two dogs beating five was clearly great news, even though the race wasn’t official and didn’t attract much attention.

Dale went on stage to receive the award, her chubby face smiling like a sunflower.

Zhuang Ding and Queen received a beautiful crystal trophy, featuring a small sled on top, and a small cash prize of two thousand euros.

Dale eagerly put the money into her pocket, squinting with anticipation: “Dale can make money too! Does that mean Dale’s grown up?”

Eva kissed her on the cheek and said, “Yes, Dale is a big girl now.”

Dale asked again, “Does being a big kid mean I don’t have to go to school anymore?”

“Dream on!”

More and more Christmas activities were appearing on the streets. By now, it was almost six o’clock.

Wang Bo felt a little hungry—the cold weather around them was consuming more energy than usual.

He had already booked a Christmas Eve dinner. Taking Eva with him, he drove the bullet-shaped sled car toward the outskirts of the city.

On the way, Eva asked curiously, “If you want to eat, why not go to a hotel? As far as I know, tonight the hotels in Rovaniemi will have lavish dishes!”

Wang Bo smiled, “I don’t believe any of those fancy dishes will taste better than what Kobe can make.”

The car reached a plain on the outskirts. Under the lights, small crystal-like cabins appeared scattered across the landscape.

These cabins were translucent. From the outside, the interior could be vaguely seen. Each had only a chandelier; there was no other furniture or appliances.

Some of the cabins were very beautiful, glowing with multicolored lights—some looked like the aurora had yet to disperse, a dazzling, flamboyant red.

Eva gasped in surprise, “My goodness, these are ice houses?”

“Yes, ice-house restaurants. What do you think, like them?” Wang Bo asked.

He had been fascinated by them after seeing an online introduction. These standalone restaurants were built by locals.

The cabins had different shapes but the same material—very solid ice blocks stacked together. As for the adhesive, water was poured over the blocks, quickly freezing to bind them together.

After getting out of the car, Wang Bo made a call. A woman came to guide him to a cabin at most two and a half meters high.

Inside, the space was even smaller. To ensure safety, the ice blocks were thick, making the walls solid.

A chandelier hung from the ceiling, and Wang Bo could choose the color he liked. The lights were normally white when no one was there, but switched to different colors when guests arrived.

This explained why the cabins had appeared so colorful from the outside.

Understanding this, Wang Bo smiled mysteriously. It was similar to some red-light district rules: when a customer arrives, the light turns pink.

The ice-house restaurants were all homemade, so naturally the food couldn’t match a grand hotel or professional chef’s masterpiece—it was all home-cooked dishes.

But for tourists, this was a positive: they got local flavors. Hotel dishes were often adjusted to international tastes, making them less authentic.

Even the clearest ice couldn’t reach the transparency of crystal or polycarbonate, so the interior looked a bit different from the outside.

For instance, Wang Bo had assumed there was no furniture or appliances inside, but there were actually tables, chairs, a cash register, and Finnish national radio playing a Christmas special.

Once seated, the woman started serving dishes.

First came a sandwich-like dish: small buns filled with sausage and pickles, accompanied by fried onions, tomato sauce, mustard, and garlic sauce.

Wang Bo took a bite and, noticing the sausage was hot, asked in surprise, “Was this just made? Where was it cooked?”

The woman laughed, “We rented a food cart. All the dishes are made inside, very clean and hygienic. Don’t worry.”

They also brought drinks: rum, dark beer, hot beer, and ice fruit wine.

Wang Bo had never tried ice fruit wine, so he poured himself a glass. It was icy, sweet, and tart, with light alcohol content—more like a chilled fruit drink.

He offered Eva a taste. She chose bold rum instead, laughing: “I used to drink ice fruit wine in Ukraine. It’s made from frozen fruits, giving it a crisp, chilly flavor.”

One by one, more dishes arrived.

Wang Bo had ordered the Christmas set. He had expected roast turkey and the like, but was in for a small surprise.

The first dish was a dessert-like treat: minced meat wrapped in puff pastry. The woman explained it was reindeer tenderloin, chopped finely to preserve the texture and stuffed in sweet pastry.

The dish had no English name—it was a local specialty.

The main dish was minced meat patties with soft braised onions, a Finnish farmhouse dish dating back to medieval times.

Before the Industrial Revolution, Finland was very poor, lying within the Arctic Circle. Crops were scarce, and farmers had little money and couldn’t eat meat like the nobles.

During festivals, they would chop leftover meat and mix it with vegetables to make patties. Onions were among the cheapest vegetables and pairing them with beef was considered perfect.

The woman explained that it wasn’t entirely accurate to say onions paired perfectly with beef—it was more out of necessity.

People were too poor to waste the leftover beef fat after frying the patties. They realized onions could absorb the fat, and adding vinegar, salt, and pepper made it delicious, hence this dish came about.

Wang Bo tried the minced meat patties with fried onions—it was indeed very tasty. The savory meat, fragrant onions, and slight spiciness whetted his appetite.

Hearing his praise, the woman smiled: “Of course, it tastes good. Nowadays, we use beef eye meat, not scraps. The onions aren’t just tossed in the pan—they’re fried in beef fat.”