In the cyberpunk world, the economic collapse of 1994 triggered a series of aftershocks, including a global food shortage in 2002.
Crop yields worldwide were plummeting. Coupled with the fact that genetically modified high-sugar wheat occupied a lot of farmland, the cost of ordinary crops also began to rise sharply.
The world's oil crisis occurred long ago. To address the energy crisis, scientists developed a high-sugar genetically modified wheat and used it as a raw material to synthesize a special chemical substance called "Alcohol II".
Alcohol II is the primary energy source in the cyberpunk world. Everything, from cars on the road to flying vehicles, runs on it.
To provide the world with enough energy, most farmland was used to grow high-sugar genetically modified wheat, which resulted in ordinary crops becoming scarce and valuable.
Thus, profit-driven companies turned their attention to food, leading to the emergence of synthetic food.
The raw materials for synthetic food are actually artificially farmed high-protein insects, such as crickets and earthworms.
In addition to high-protein insects, biotechnology companies are also vigorously developing cultivated meat. People can even customize a steak using their own cells. It's called a steak, but to be precise, it should be a beef-flavored human steak, which is quite absurd.
Later, a pandemic caused by birds plunged Night City into a crisis chase, leading to the successful implementation of the "Bird Extinction Act". In the process of eliminating birds, numerous animals were implicated, only private pets were spared.
However, keeping pets in Night City requires paying a hefty tax, which explains why Night City not only lacks birds, but other animals are also rarely seen.
It was also because of this pandemic that Night City classified fresh produce as contraband, prohibiting people from privately selling fresh meat and spreading rumors that eating fresh meat could lead to a high risk of contracting the disease.
In reality, all of this was paving the way for the widespread adoption of synthetic food.
For the people of Night City, eating synthetic food has become commonplace. Many people don't even know that the meat they eat is made from insects.
However, Jiang Heng couldn't tolerate this at all. He could endure anything, but he would never compromise on food!
To that end, Jiang Heng went so far as to purchase animal meat from the black market and spent a fortune to obtain some vegetable seeds. He then turned his apartment's lawn garden into a vegetable patch.
He even built a glass greenhouse for his vegetables to accelerate their growth and spent a large sum of money to install temperature control and irrigation systems.
It can only be said that this kind of land really embodies the innate talent that lies within the genes of the Chinese people.
The meal Jiang Heng was treating Lucy to today was just a simple home-cooked meal before he transmigrated. But in Night City, it was a high-end delicacy that only the privileged could enjoy.
Companies concocted lies about how dangerous animal meat was and fed people "gruel" made from insects, but they themselves continued to enjoy the freshest steaks and vegetables.
It must be said that the power of corporations in the cyberpunk world is truly immense. They control almost everything about people's lives.
...
The dishes were all placed on the table, and the two of them took their seats.
"This meat, I actually bought it from the black market. As for the vegetables, some are from the black market, and some are grown by me. Look, those greenhouses outside, that's where I grow some crops."
Jiang Heng pointed outside the window, explaining the source of these ingredients to Lucy.
Hearing this, Lucy looked out the window and finally noticed the crops in those glass greenhouses, some of which were already quite tall.
Looking at those fresh crops, Lucy's eyes were filled with curiosity. She had never seen these crops growing from the ground before.
"Alright, let's not worry about those crops for now. Come and try the food I made. It won't taste good if it gets cold." Seeing that Lucy was distracted by the vegetable garden, Jiang Heng reminded her.
"Then tell me what these are." Hearing Jiang Heng's words, coupled with the strong aroma of the food, Lucy's mouth started to water.
"Ahem, listen carefully, this dish is called Fish Fragrant Pork Shreds, a famous dish from Sichuan cuisine, one of the eight major culinary traditions of China." Jiang Heng introduced it with pride.
When it comes to food, the Chinese definitely have a say.
"Fish Fragrant Pork Shreds? Is this made with fish?" Lucy asked curiously.
"Uh...no, it's made with ordinary pork, but it's cooked using magical culinary techniques to give it the flavor of fish."
"I see."
Jiang Heng continued to introduce the next dish. Today's lunch was a standard three dishes and one soup, with the three dishes being Fish Fragrant Pork Shreds, Spicy Chicken Cubes, and a simple vegetarian dish of Green Pepper Stir-fried Potato Shreds.
As for the soup, it was Carrot and Corn Stewed Pork Ribs Soup.
These were all simple, home-cooked dishes, but they left Lucy dazzled.
Lucy, in the past, had never seen these kinds of food. What she ate was mostly synthetic meat made into things like hamburgers and skewers, the taste of which was truly indescribable.
The ingredients themselves were already garbage, and the cooking skills were subpar. What they produced was simply pig slop. Even rich people's dogs would probably sniff it and walk away disappointed.
"Alright, I've finished introducing the dishes, so let's eat. Oh, I almost forgot something."
After introducing the dishes to Lucy, Jiang Heng immediately announced that it was time to eat, but he then noticed that both their bowls were empty and quickly took Lucy's bowl.
"What's missing?" Lucy asked curiously.
"Rice!" Jiang Heng answered.
Speaking of rice, it was something Jiang Heng had spent a considerable amount of money on. In the past month, most of the money he had earned from missions had been spent on food.