I Got the Almighty Tongue - Chapter 204



Only Krnovel

204 Pretzel

Best Chef Round 2 also became a hot topic on Chef Talk.

[Chef Yoo So-young is so overwhelming? Are all the people from Segreto that good?]

└He is a chef who is originally known for his skills.

└I’ve never heard of it before?

└You’re an original member of Segreto. I heard that you were the first person Chef Shin Je-hee scouted when she opened Segreto.

└Is it true that Soyoung and I were classmates at the CIA? We had a special bond ever since we were in school.

└I never knew you could arrange beef stroganoff as an appetizer. I’m totally in love with it.

└I thought Naomi was the favorite to win, but it turns out she was actually someone else.

[Question to chefs from Segreto, is it as tough as rumored?]

└I should say it’s tough. Rather than that, it’s brutal. But it’s fair, so there’s nothing I can say.

└ Internal competition is fierce. I left after working there for two months, and the stifling atmosphere was hard to bear.

└I’m a second-year Segreto member. At first, I didn’t understand the Segreto culture, but now I’ve gotten used to it. These people just want to be the best. They work hard, even cutting down on sleep, because there are many people who are better than them. I think it’s wrong to criticize them by saying things like it’s suffocating or brutal.

└Does Chef Shin Je-hee teach you personally?

└I’ve only had that happen twice so far. They gave me feedback on the food I made for the staff. I was so happy at that time.

└I would like to apply too, is there anything you would like to say?

└Yesterday, one of the trainees quit. If you feel like you can’t hold out and are about to leave, please don’t come here. There are a lot of people here who really put their lives on the line for cooking. If you come with a half-baked mindset, it’ll be hard on both of you.

* * *

“Chef Yoo So-young… .”

On Richard’s monitor screen, Soyoung, who won the second round, was smiling brightly.

She arranged beef stroganoff into an Italian appetizer.

-Tradition is important, of course, but this recipe is old. The way you cut the meat and fry it doesn’t fully preserve the juices. The taste is too one-dimensional. The presence of the cream sauce is too strong, so it’s hard to bring out the multi-layered structure of the taste.

The dish Soyoung served was an appetizer of Portobello mushrooms, hollowed out, filled with cream sauce, and medium-rare sirloin decorated like a flower. Chives and sage were used to add herbal flavor, and citrus and white wine, rather than sour cream, were used to add acidity.

“Melissa. Could you please find some information on Chef Yoo So-young? No, information on all the staff there, please?”

“Yes, Richard. I’ll look into it right now.”

Richard stared at the monitor, deep in thought.

‘This young chef’s success can’t be a mere coincidence. Is she naturally talented? Or is Segreto nurturing her?’

Richard deletes the column in which he wrote about his feelings at the spring banquet.

The course that was served that day was not something that could be prepared simply by the skills of one outstanding head chef.

In this industry, when fine dining gains fame, the head chef tends to get all the credit. Of course, the restaurant’s course reflects the head chef’s philosophy, so that’s not wrong, but the hard work of the staff behind the scenes should also be highlighted.

Especially for a restaurant like Segreto that serves difficult courses, the assistance of capable chefs would have been an essential element.

Knock knock knock

Richard taps his keys rhythmically as the topic for his next column emerges in his head.

* * *

A month after the introduction of boxed lunches, lunchtime scenes in New York public schools looked very different than before.

In the past, most students brought their own lunches or bought fast food, but now most students wait for their lunches.

“Stuart. What’s on the menu today?”

During lunchtime at Srent High School, Mike spots Stuart in the cafeteria and talks to him.

Two months after the mass food poisoning incident, many students at Srent High School initially complained to their guidance counselor about food phobia.

A number of students were taken to hospital by ambulance and some were hospitalized for up to a week.

In addition, the number of students complaining of psychological distress has increased since the shocking hygiene management practices of school cafeterias were revealed on TV.

But now it’s all in the past.

The consistent promotion of lunch boxes and the genuine menu opened the hearts of the children. The students recovered quickly because they were weak. Now, everyone happily waits for lunch time.

“My friend goes to the Bronx High School of Science and Technology and he wants to transfer to our school.”

Lunchbox is one of only about 200 schools in New York that provides meals.

Stuart’s shoulders shrug when he hears envy from a friend who attends one of New York’s most prestigious high schools, the Bronx.

“Sandwiches today?”

Stuart pokes his head out and looks at the other students’ trays.

“I’m hungry, please hurry up and get this!”

The microphone shouts at the students in front.

Previously, only about 40% of school students applied for school meals. But now, it is over 80%. This means that the lines have become more than twice as long.

After waiting for a while, they too were able to receive their meals.

“Wow. This is way better than Subway.”

The savory smell of freshly baked baguette stimulates the appetite. The generous portion of roast beef, lettuce, and tomato are revealed through the cross-section of the sandwich cut in half.

“Broccoli soup is also delicious.”

Stuart dipped his sandwich into the soup and took a big bite. He couldn’t help but hum as he dipped the thick sandwich into the buttery soup.

Each student had a different favorite menu, but there was never a single day that they skipped it.

* * *

“At schools that have contracts with us, the number of students requesting meals has increased dramatically. In some schools, it has even exceeded 90%.”

Quinton’s face was haggard. He must have been very busy recently, because even his neat clothes were wrinkled.

“You can tell how much effort it took without even looking at it. Are all 200 schools now properly supplied with meals?”

In order to maintain quality, we have expanded our feeding program sequentially. I bow my head to Quinton’s hard work of expanding distribution lines and going around farms to secure new business partners.

“There are many schools that want to sign with us for the spring semester in April. The waiting list is so long that it’s hard to estimate how long it will take to fill up the supply. But I think we’ll be done by September.”

Quinton says, tapping away at his keyboard.

“I think it’s time to start planning an offline shop.

“We will continue the concept of a healthy and delicious lunch, but it should be much more diverse. I have some thoughts on the menu. I will slowly come up with a plan and let you know.”

I haven’t been able to pay attention to lunch boxes because I’ve been so busy lately. Coming up with new menus and expanding the business will take a lot of energy.

Suddenly, Richard’s column flashed through my mind.

However, I do not think that fine dining is the only path I should take. I believe that the essence of food culture should be within the range that the general public can enjoy.

“Oh! And I had an interesting suggestion.”

Quinton tells me as if he suddenly remembered something.

“What do you propose?”

“Recently, many people have been asking if they can use the lunch box meal service at home. There have also been requests to have it delivered to the workplace.”

There are probably quite a few companies that are operating similar services, but this is not the path we should take.

“Unfortunately, I have no choice but to decline. Later, when an offline shop opens, we will naturally use that. Our goal is to provide global service.”

Quinton nods as if he knew what I was saying.

“I agree with you. It would be unreasonable to transplant the current school lunch system as is. But since it is a lunch that parents want to eat, it would be enough to use as viral marketing.”

Quinton laughs like a mischievous child.

Looking at my watch, I see I have some time to spare.

Now that I think about it, it’s been a while since I’ve taken a leisurely walk. Joohee has also been busy raising her children these days, so she probably hasn’t been out much.

Ring ring ring

-Yeah, brother.

“Would you like to come out for a moment? I’d like to go for a walk with you.”

-suddenly?

“Yeah. The kids can walk now.”

-Okay. Then just wait a minute?

Stop

I leave the office and walk down the street.

Walking down the streets of Manhattan, you sometimes get the feeling that you’re looking at a microcosm of the world. Tall skyscrapers stretch out into the sky, and yellow taxis race endlessly between them.

In India, people of all kinds are bustling about, speaking numerous languages.

A distinctive fragrant smell wafts from hot dog carts and pretzel stands dotting the streets.

I bought a bag of pretzels for the kids to eat.

“Oppa! Over here!”

Joohee approaches, waving her hand.

“dad!”

“Daddy!”

Twins wearing stylish fusion hanbok come running towards me, tottering.

I picked up the children all at once and lifted them up.

“My children. Did you miss your father?”

“Yeah. Mom tells me to clean every day.”

Yuna pouts and hugs me.

Joohee strictly educates her children. In the US, unlike in Korea, children are taught table manners from a young age, and cleaning is often done with parents.

“It’s a pretzel!”

Noah looked at the pretzel in my hand. I had bought it for him once, and he seemed to remember it.

When I opened the bag, the children took out a pretzel one by one and put it in their mouths.

“It’s too salty.”

“delicious.”

These kids really have different tastes.

“You made her wear a hanbok?”

Joohee, without makeup, is smiling happily while looking at the children.

In my eyes, Joohee’s appearance like that seemed much more beautiful than before.

“Yeah. My dad sent it to me, and I wanted to try it on. He was begging me to take a picture and send it to him.”

The children, cute as dolls, are wearing exotic hanbok, drawing the attention of passersby passing by the park.

“Mom. Look at those kids over there.”

“Shh! I can hear you.”

“The kids are so cute.”

“What country’s clothing is this?”

Click

Click

Central Park in March is a unique landscape where the end of winter and the beginning of spring coexist.

Although there is still a chill in the air, warm spring sunlight seeps through the trees.

People shed their thick winter coats and jog in light jackets and walk peacefully with their dogs.

“Guys, stay still! The pictures aren’t coming out well.”

Despite Joohee’s warnings, the children are busy running around like crazy.

“Mom! There’s a puppy over there.”

“There are squirrels too.”

The children, who were finally able to come outside, looked around in admiration and laughed.

Then a girl approaches the twins.

“I think our child wants to play together.”

A white man in a suit looks at us with an embarrassed look on his face and asks for our understanding.

Joohee smiles and nods.

“I am Daisy.”

The cute child introduces himself while touching Yuna’s skirt with his hand, as if he is curious about the hanbok.

“I’m Yuna, and this is Noah.”

The children, who had become close friends before we knew it, were running around on the grass, laughing out loud.

Click

“I finally got it right.”

Joohee looks at the photos on her phone with satisfaction.

It was a happy spring afternoon.