I Got the Almighty Tongue - Chapter 112



Only Noblemtl

Episode 112: Suspicious Guest (2)

On Wednesday evening, business was already over, but Segreto’s staff stayed behind to clean up the hall. They had received a notice that they would be accepting one more table after business hours.

“Isn’t this the first time something like this has happened?”

Denny, who is serving in the hall, speaks to Malong.

“It’s the first time. The head chef has never granted such a request before. Drake called to ask if he could dine alone after hours, and you declined.”

“I heard that you even turned down an offer to rent out the entire hall for a party on a regular holiday.”

The two men chatted as they changed the tablecloth and set new cutlery, plates, and vases.

Drrrrrr

The door opens and a man in a black suit comes in. He holds his hand to his ear for a moment as if listening to a radio, then speaks something in a low voice. At that moment, the head chef comes out of the kitchen. And the man wearing the earphones approaches Jehee and speaks.

“Is it okay if I check the room for a moment?”

Jehee responds to his endless requests with a relaxed look on her face.

“As you please.”

Denny and Malone had no idea what was going on here.

A moment later, three more agents wearing black suits, just like the man we saw before, came in. And they began to inspect the room together. After thoroughly checking from under the table to the second floor hall, and then to the kitchen and storage room, they nodded.

“No abnormalities indoors.”

-Copy. Renegade and Renaissance are expected to arrive in 3 minutes. Please be ready.

“Copy.”

“I apologize for not informing you in advance. The VIP will be arriving in 3 minutes. I know you know this without me saying anything, but I ask that you be polite and refrain from unnecessary words and actions.”

“All right.”

Jehee nods as if he had expected it, but the staff didn’t.

“Who is the VIP?”

“Are you an idiot? Don’t you know what the mood is like? You’re the president.”

“Really? President Obama is coming here?”

“Then how are you going to explain those big guys?”

“Was our restaurant like that?”

As the staff chatter, one of the agents looks outside, opens the door, and President Obama, dressed in a dark suit, walks into the restaurant with his wife, Michelle.

* * *

“Haha. Chef. Are you uncomfortable with me coming to see you?”

President Obama extends his hand with his signature good-natured smile. I shake his hand and look to the side. A tall black woman in a one-piece dress is looking at me with curious eyes, with Obama’s arm linked.

“No. You came with the First Lady today. It’s a pleasure to meet you. It’s an honor.”

“Actually, today is Michelle’s birthday. Last year, I was so busy that I just missed it. This year, I wanted to celebrate properly with some delicious food. I also had some plans in New York.”

He looks at his wife with loving eyes. They make a beautiful couple.

“I kept saying that the food at the dinner party was delicious, so I wanted to come and see it too. It’s a good thing I ended up coming. Can I look forward to a delicious meal today?”

She pats Obama on the shoulder lightly as if she finds it funny.

“Of course. We have a course that is about to start. We haven’t shown it to anyone yet, but the President and the First Lady will be our first guests.”

By some coincidence, the course began in front of a distinguished guest.

“That’s really lucky.”

“I’ll take you this way, Mr. President.”

Jenny steps in at the right moment to show the two to their seats. The staff also barely manage to escape from the panic and quickly do what they need to do. I pass the guards guarding the passage and enter the kitchen.

“Does everyone know who our guests are today?”

You should always do your best, but today is especially important.

“Yes! Chef!”

It’s different from the G20 when they were cooking in a separate space. The chefs are aware of the situation and are terrified. They must be thinking that if they make even a small mistake today, a disaster will happen.

“Come on, let me show you. Where is the best restaurant in New York?”

I feel the tense, frozen air in the kitchen slowly thaw at my playful words.

“Of course, us.”

The chefs looked at Sam, who was smiling and talking, and started preparing the course according to my instructions. I couldn’t just sit back and watch today, so I went into the kitchen and lifted the pan myself.

“Chef. It’s been a while since you’ve been in the kitchen. Have you noticed that your skills have gotten rusty? Most head chefs say that.”

Actually, that’s true. The head chef is the director, and the staff below the sous chef are the players. It’s inevitable that they’ll use less physical work than the active players. But that doesn’t apply to me. That’s because I’m practicing constantly. My hands and tongue shouldn’t be rusty yet.

“It’s too early to say 10 years. So-young! How much amuse-bouche is left?”

I ask Soyoung, who is piping meringue with a piping bag.

“2 minutes left.”

“Okay, the speed is fine now. Let’s just keep it like this.”

The kitchen is running smoothly. All the staff are doing their jobs perfectly. They have also grown through their experiences. I am happy to see that. I turned on the stove and heated the pan. I put olive oil on it and started to concentrate.

* * *

“Now tell me the real reason. Why did you bring me here?”

“You’ve always been interested in food, so I’m not at all surprised by what you’re doing now.”

Michelle was starting to prepare for reforming school lunches these days.

School lunches in the United States are so terrible that you can’t even call them developed countries. Schools don’t have the budget to hire cooks, so they outsource their lunches to food companies, and the companies lobby to relax the nutritional standards set by the government. As a result, they are able to make huge profits by supplying snacks, fast food, and instant food as school lunches.

America is sick. Childhood obesity is on the rise, and the average age of adults with diabetes is rapidly decreasing. Michelle firmly believes that school meal reform is the only way to solve this problem.

“There are more than one or two problems. I don’t know if I can really do this.”

It is a matter of vested interests of many groups. Michelle has come to think that she was naive these days. She believed that if she did the right thing, people would support her. However, the reality was not easy, and she is still discussing solutions while coordinating different opinions with various organizations.

“You can do it. You are the smartest and strongest woman I know.”

Michelle’s face softens at her husband’s warm words.

“But what does that have to do with me coming to the restaurant today?”

“This chef doesn’t just put out provocative and delicious food.

Before dinner, I was not feeling well. The current situation in the US is not one where you can be welcomed anywhere. But after eating Chef Shin’s food, I felt surprisingly light. I was curious about the reason, so I called the chef after dinner, and he said that he had put a lot of thought into preparing food that would be suitable for the tired leaders. You must be having a hard time these days. Why don’t you just enjoy yourself today without thinking too much? It’s your birthday.”

“thank you.”

While the two men talked, the server brought them champagne, butter with seaweed, and various kinds of ham.

“This is freshly baked bread. It’s delicious.”

“Butter and ham are also delicious. This chef is good at details. He doesn’t overlook even the smallest details.”

The two were able to enjoy some alone time together while drinking champagne.

He didn’t know it before becoming president, but what he realized after being elected was that the intensity of the work was beyond imagination. Now, after two years in office, President Obama is still relatively young, in his 40s, but he is already starting to get gray hair.

“It’s an amuse-bouche.”

The server leaves the food. It is a deep green finger food. It is a green bread that looks like a macaron, topped with cream, and then covered with a green sponge. And on top, young basil leaves are sticking out as if to say hello.

“It’s beautiful. It’s like seeing new shoots sprouting from the grass.”

“It seems to be a symbol of that shape. But it’s like a macaron, so I don’t really like sweet foods before meals..”

“Then let me try it.”

Obama picks up food with his hands and puts it in his mouth.

“Haha. Things really never go as planned.”

“Why are you laughing?”

“This chef loves mysteries. You can’t know what it tastes like until you taste it. Just try it. You won’t regret it.”

Michelle listens to Obama and carefully picks up the food to taste it. And her eyes light up. The first taste is the taste of rich vegetables. Then the taste of rich fat comes up on the tongue. Then the refreshing herbs cleanly finish the taste.

“It’s not sweet. It’s not a macaron. It looks like it’s made of meringue, but it’s not meringue. It has a strong kale flavor. And it’s incredibly rich and thick. What kind of food is this?”

“I thought the basil leaves were just for decoration, but the flavors blend well together in my mouth and give a pleasant aftertaste. I can tell one thing. There’s bacon in it. Even though I can’t see it.”

There was no trace of bacon to the naked eye, but Obama, a burger fanatic, could tell. It made me wonder how the chef knew his favorite ingredient so well.

“This is my second amuse-bouche.”

“What is this?

There was a drawing on the plate. A whole celery stalk was used, and on both sides, celery leaves and green sauce were used to express the leaves of a lush tree. The actual leaves and the drawing made with sauce were mixed together to create a strange three-dimensional effect. Michelle was inwardly amazed at the feeling of seeing a surreal modern art.

“I want to leave this in a photo.”

Click

Michelle takes out her iPhone and takes a picture.

“The stems are already cut off, so you can just pick them up with a fork.”

The server bows politely and steps aside.

“You have a great aesthetic sense. It wouldn’t look out of place even if you put it in a museum as a modern art piece.”

Obama picks up celery with a fork.

“Wow. I made a cylinder by sticking two celery stalks together. But the fork goes in very easily.”

Michelle followed Obama’s lead by picking up some celery and putting it in her mouth.

“Oh my god, it was lamb.”

The celery was hollowed out and very thinly sliced. Inside the celery, which had been processed to become very soft, was a filling made of lamb, various spices, and goat cheese.

“This is really a violence of scent. Celery is a plant with a unique scent. Was it to utilize this scent? The strong scent of lamb and the taste of spices I don’t even know about mix together, and it tastes like something I could never have imagined.”

It was a strangely familiar yet exotic food. One thing was certain: it was delicious. Michelle moved her fork busily. The more she ate, the more it felt new.

“This kind of food is pure talent. It’s like mixing dozens of paints to create just the one color you want. This chef must have a clear image of the flavor he’s trying to create before he starts making this dish.”

The two ate up the remaining celery without a trace. Even before the main course began, if the amuse-bouche was of this standard, they were looking forward to the main course, and smiled with satisfaction.

And then the server served the last amuse-bouche.

However, the two people looked at the food that was served and were speechless for a while.