I Got the Almighty Tongue - Chapter 113



Only Noblemtl

Episode 113: Suspicious Guest (3)

“This is the kind of food that really makes you wonder how to eat it.”

On the plate was a flower the size of a fist. This flower, which resembled a sunflower, was so detailed that at first glance, you would believe it was a real flower that was picked and placed there.

“I get one thing. This chef has been serving dishes with a consistent theme. First it was the cotyledon. Then came the lush stems and leaves, and now it’s the flowers.”

Obama also realized this belatedly after Michelle’s words.

“You’ve incorporated metaphor into your cooking. You’re talking to your guests through food.”

“It looks like a sunflower. It’s so beautiful. I wonder if this is even considered cooking.”

The server, noticing the two people’s hesitation, comes and begins to explain.

“The head chef asked me to give you a brief explanation. The calyx is an artichoke (a vegetable similar to a lotus flower that is mainly consumed in Southern Europe).

The outer part of the artichoke was cut off, leaving only the softest flesh. Then, the upper part of the flower bud was cut off, baked in the oven, and then fried once. When fried in oil, the petals spread apart. After scooping out the inside, the seeds were expressed with caviar. The petals were made of rapeseed flowers, which are widely used as an edible ingredient, so you can eat them with confidence. The message was for you to taste the rest as you eat them.”

Only after hearing the explanation do the two nod their heads.

“When you eat it, first scoop up the caviar with a spoon and taste it, then cut off the leaves with a knife and eat it. There is sauce under the caviar, so you can enjoy it deliciously if you eat the leaves and stems together.”

Michelle scoops up some caviar with a spoon. She puts it in her mouth and closes her eyes.

“This is delicious caviar. The sauce underneath goes well with it. I want to try the leaves and stems too.”

Michelle looks happy.

“I have no words. This is the most shocking dish I have ever seen in my life. It is truly impressive. The new chef said he wanted to make a dish that would surprise people, and he really kept his word. It is amazing and delicious.”

The caviar was very fresh and of the highest quality. When I took a bite, the salty taste of the sea-embracing caviar wafted in my mouth, and the creamy sauce softly wrapped around my tongue to finish the taste. Obama picked up a knife, cut the artichoke, and ate it with the caviar. The sauce, caviar, and artichoke mixed together to create an amazing taste.

Obama, who was trying artichokes for the first time, recalled having eaten something similar somewhere.

“I thought I had eaten something similar, but it was bamboo shoots that I had eaten at a Japanese restaurant. But the artichoke was much wilder. And with the caviar and the sauce below, I felt satisfied as if I had finished the whole meal with just this. Why did the chef serve this dish at the beginning of the course?”

The chef he knew, Shin Je-hee, was a very smart person. It seemed unlikely that he would have made a mistake, so Obama began to wonder.

“Isn’t it because I’m confident? One thing is for sure, thank you for bringing me here today. I would have been resentful if I hadn’t known about this restaurant.”

Obama’s shoulders shrugged at Michelle’s rave reviews. As expected, he did not disappoint. He had been so busy with his schedule last year, not long after he was elected, that he had not been able to properly celebrate his wife’s birthday. But now he felt like he had finally gotten out of debt.

The server brought out the next dish: a creamy, spiral-shaped pasta dish.

“I know what this is. It’s cacio e pepe.”

When a dish that Michelle knows comes out, she happily tells her husband.

“I don’t know much about pasta, but you do?”

“This is the dish that is said to be the most important pasta in Rome. Carbonara and Amatriciana are said to be derived from this pasta. It is famous for being a pasta made with only four ingredients other than noodles.”

“That’s right, Madam. The noodles are linguine (flat spaghetti noodles, not round in cross-section) and are made only with Pecorino Romano cheese, salt, black pepper, and butter. Enjoy the cacio e pepe and look forward to the main course.”

If you fill every course with new dishes, guests will feel curious but will easily get tired. You need to give them a break with familiar dishes in between. Jehee chose Primo Piattori Caccio e Pepe. With this light and mild pasta, she wanted to dilute the strong impression of the appetizer and clean up the taste lingering on her tongue before eating the main course.

The two people picked up their forks and started eating the pasta.

“Wow. Is this really pasta made with only four basic ingredients? This is unbelievably delicious.”

Obama couldn’t understand how pasta made with such minimal ingredients could taste this good.

“I used to enjoy this when I was in college at an Italian restaurant in front of my school. There was no other reason, it was the cheapest. The cacio e pepe I had back then was nothing more than a way to fill my stomach, but this is what it was originally. I didn’t know it would be this different, even though it probably used the same ingredients.”

Michelle eats her pasta with admiration.

“It’s not just the chef’s skills. Everything here is made with good ingredients, so it’s fundamentally different from the restaurant in front of the school. It’s a good experience.”

Michelle was born into a poor family in Chicago, and President Obama was also raised by his grandparents in a poor divorced family. Although they later became successful and highly paid lawyers, their love of simple food remained. Cacho e Pepe was the pasta that was right for them.

The server took our plates clean and emptied. Then the sommelier came and changed the wine.

“This is Inglenook (Cabernet Sauvignon) made from Californian Cabernet Sauvignon. It is an American wine that goes well with the main dish you will be having. Enjoy.”

“It’s Cabernet Sauvignon. It’s a masterpiece of American grapes.”

“I like this grape too. Ingleuk is a good wine too.”

While the two were enjoying their wine, Jenny came pushing a cart. On the cart were plates of meat and garnishes of an unidentifiable type, and a brazier.

“Today’s main dish must be cooked right in front of you. Is that okay?”

As Jenny approaches pushing a cart, a security guard stops her. Then, when she tries to search his body, Obama stops her.

“It’s okay. Haven’t you already completed the background check? Please don’t be rude to this beautiful sommelier.”

The bodyguard nods and steps back.

“Thank you, Mr. President. Before I was a sommelier, I was also a chef who graduated from the CIA. You don’t have to worry about the main course.”

Jenny says with a smile.

“You are a very talented person. How did you end up working here?”

President Obama is interested in her story.

“Jehee and I were classmates. We studied cooking together. But I like wine more now due to my circumstances.”

While talking, Jenny sets up the brazier. She lights the oak charcoal and adds apple chips to give it some flavor. The guards who are watching Jenny’s graceful movements smile.

Once the fire was properly lit, Jenny put the grill on and started grilling the meat.

Obama asks if the meat on the grill looks strange.

“The color is unfamiliar. What kind of meat is it?”

“This is calf ribeye. It has been dry-aged for five weeks. You will experience a flavor and texture you have never tasted before.”

“I’ve had veal a few times, but I’ve never heard of it being dry-aged.”

Michelle, who likes strong spices, did not enjoy veal. She had only tried it a few times when meeting clients for work. But perhaps because it was aged, there was something different about this veal.

Jenny quickly grills the meat over charcoal that produces a strong fire. Then she starts plating on a plate. She places three pieces of meat in the middle, and it goes perfectly with the garnish she prepared in advance, creating a wonderful dish. Jenny places the plates in front of the two and pours the sauce she prepared.

“Have a nice time.”

Jenny said hello and stepped aside.

“The aroma is unusual. Let’s try it.”

The two cut the meat with a knife. The knife went in with incredible smoothness. And the moment they picked up the meat with a fork and put it in their mouths, their bodies flinched as if they had been struck by lightning.

“Oh my goodness. Now I know why you said it was a taste like nothing I’ve ever tasted before. What is this meat? It’s amazingly tender and rich in flavor. And this sauce!”

“I know. The sauce is so amazing. Working at a law firm in Chicago, I get to go to all sorts of French restaurants, but I’ve never tasted a sauce like this. It’s familiar yet exotic, and it goes so well with the meat. I can’t stop eating it.”

The two stopped talking and started eating the meat. The guards watching from the side gulped and swallowed.

“The garnish is also delicious. It’s white asparagus. And what are these mushrooms and potatoes? They all go well with the sauce.”

Jehee also spent a lot of time and effort deciding on a garnish that would go well with the new sauce. In addition to the traditional garnishes that are often used, she confirmed that lotus root goes well with the sauce and came up with a recipe that would be light to eat while maintaining a firm texture.

Michelle emptied her plate, which was rare. People around her were worried that she had not been eating properly due to extreme stress, but today seemed to be an exception. President Obama looked on with delight. The server came and cleared the plates. And then dessert was served.

“What is this?”

“This is our restaurant’s signature dessert, ‘Snowy Hill.’ Our head chef said it was a dessert he came up with after seeing a snowy hill. It’s also the pride of Segreto. Enjoy it.”

“It’s really beautiful. I think I understand why cooking is called a comprehensive art. You really have a natural sense of aesthetics.”

“And the sense of taste. It’s like he was born to be a chef. Just taste it.”

The strong scent of wood and earth rushed into their noses. And the flavor of soft cream and chocolate stimulated their tongues. The two closed their eyes and savored the dessert. Forgetting the national approval rating, the Republican offensive, and the complexity of international relations, the two were able to fully enjoy this moment.

“I’ve heard about this dessert. It was in the New York Times. But when I actually tried it, it was very different from what I read about it.”

Michelle reads the major newspapers every day. She remembered seeing an article in passing that featured this dessert.

“I guess I can go back today with only good memories.”

The server brings out the coffee, and Jehee walks over to the table to greet them.