I am working with YAML data stored in a PostgreSQL database and using YamlDotNet to deserialize it into a C# object. One of the fields, cooking_instruction, can either be a single string or a sequence of strings. I want to deserialize this field as a single string in my C# object, regardless of its format in the YAML.

Format One:

name: Tomato Chutney Three Ways
description: Tomato Chutney in three ways: Spicy Tomato Garlic Chutney, Sweet Tomato Chutney, and Oil-Free No-Cook Tomato Chutney.
cooking_instruction: |
  For the Spicy Garlic Tomato Chutney:
  - Heat 2 tbsp of oil in a pan.
  - Serve with idli, dosas, and parathas.

  For the Sweet Tomato Chutney:
  - Heat 2 tbsp of oil, add asafoetida, fennel seeds, nigella seeds, dried red chilies, tomatoes, and salt. Cook for 5-7 minutes.

  For the Oil-Free & No-Cook Tomato Chutney:
  - Soak dried red chillies in white vinegar for 30 minutes.

Format Two:

name: Chicken Tikka Caesar Salad
description: Chicken Tikka Caesar Salad with romaine lettuce, bread croutons, and a flavorful dressing.
cooking_instruction: 
  - Take a bowl and combine hung curd, red chili powder, turmeric powder, coriander powder, garam masala, salt, ginger garlic paste, and chicken. Marinate for 15-20 minutes.
  - Fry the marinated chicken in a grill pan with oil until crisp and golden brown.

Format Four:

name: Crispy Pata Pork Recipe (Deep Fried Pork Hock)
description: An easy deep fried pork recipe from the Philippines that is sure to win hearts over. What other pork recipes do you want to see?
cooking_instruction: |
  - Boil everything except for the hock and the baking soda.
  - Bring the liquid to a simmer, add in the hock with the lid on.

And here’s my RecipeDto class:

public class RecipeDto
{
    public string Name { get; set; }
    public string Description { get; set; }
    public string CookingInstruction { get; set; }
}

I want to deserialize the cooking_instruction field as a single string in the RecipeDto object. I tried the following deserialization code:

var deserializer = new DeserializerBuilder()
                     .WithNamingConvention(UnderscoredNamingConvention.Instance)
                     .Build();

var recipeDto = deserializer.Deserialize<RecipeDto>(yamlData);

However, I get an error when cooking_instruction is a sequence of strings:

No node deserializer was able to deserialize the node into type System.String, System.Private.CoreLib, Version=8.0.0.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=7cec85d7bea7798e

How can I handle this scenario and ensure that cooking_instruction is deserialized as a single string, whether it’s a plain scalar or a sequence of strings in the YAML?

Is this the correct way to handle the deserialization of a field that can be either a scalar or a sequence? Is there a better approach or any improvements to this solution?