I Got the Almighty Tongue - Chapter 137



Only Noblemtl

Episode 137 Two Kinds of Chefs

As Jehee calls out the order, the kitchen begins to come to life with the chefs’ loud responses. The sounds of turning on the stove, the sound of cutting, and the sound of pans colliding begin to mix together chaotically. Just yesterday, Jenny could read anxiety and sensitivity in those sounds. But now, it’s not like that. On the contrary, she can even feel excitement in their movements and sounds.

‘You and I both have a long way to go.’

Jenny looks at Sam and thinks.

The evening service time passes by in a flash, and Jenny notices something that is noticeably different than the past few weeks.

‘All the plates are empty.’

This was Segreto before Jehee left. When had she gotten used to having food left on her plate? And she felt empty that it was such an easy problem to fix.

* * *

“Chef! I’ll leave it here.”

Eric leaves the mail from Segreto on my desk and leaves. When I return, the restaurant is back to its original state in no time. I thought it would take a little longer, but it seems I was wrong. However, I am busier than usual because there is so much paperwork that has piled up while I was away.

In the United States, checking your mail is very important, because everything from bank checks to driver’s licenses, social security cards, and even metal car license plates are delivered by mail.

After being away for a long time, I had a lot of mail to check. Looking at the countless letters in the box gave me a headache. I took a sip of coffee and started sorting the mail from the top.

There were a lot of invitations. There are charity parties in many places in the United States. This is because the culture of donations has been established for a very long time. And the United States is a country that gives great tax benefits to donations.

I donated a significant amount of money to the community, following the advice of my accountant. Then, one day, invitations to charity parties started flying in. They were mostly held by local politicians, and I had to write a polite letter of refusal and send it to them. Of course, if it was a good cause, I sent a check with it.

After finishing sorting out the mail, I looked at my watch and saw that it was almost time for our appointment. I quickly changed my clothes and left the restaurant.

* * *

“Jehee! It’s been a while.”

Romeo extends his hand to me with a welcoming face.

“Nice to meet you, Romeo. How have you been?”

Romeo has a great fashion sense, as expected of an Italian man. He wears a neat suit and a scarf around his neck instead of a tie, giving off the look of a mature and classic middle-aged man.

“I had a hard time for a while after you left. Of course, it was harder for Federico than for me.”

Since I was in contact with Romeo occasionally, I was also vaguely aware of what was happening in Luce de Sole.

“Are Jason and Federico still at odds?”

Both Federico and Jason are hot-tempered men. I heard that after Jason, who was not convinced by Federico’s point, lashed out once, the atmosphere in the kitchen became very bad.

“I managed to sort it out somehow. But it would be a problem if this situation continued. Fortunately, it hasn’t affected the food. They’re both adults after all. They’re doing their jobs diligently.”

Romeo says it lightly as if it were nothing.

“The kitchen staff must be uncomfortable.”

No matter where you work, the hardest part is always human relationships. I always keep this in mind, so I pay close attention to even the smallest details so that my staff doesn’t feel uncomfortable, outside of work-related matters.

“It happened all the time when I was young. There were a lot of fights in the kitchen.”

“There’s a knife next to you?”

The kitchen is a place where all the conditions for an accident to occur are met. Sharp knives, heavy pans made of metal, fire, oil, gas, and alcohol make it the perfect environment for people to get hurt.

In fact, there are probably only a few chefs out of ten who have never experienced an accident. I also remember when I was a trainee, someone slipped on oil that had been spilled on the floor and not wiped off, and I almost got seriously hurt. Since then, I have strengthened the safety rules and made them into a manual.

“Back then, everyone was very careful about keeping to the proper line. If I were to talk about this these days, people would say I was being old-fashioned and boring.”

Romeo’s lips turn up as he reminisces about the good old days.

Was the past really good? Or is it just a glorification in our memories? I am no longer young, so sometimes I feel burdened by the rapidly changing world. When I first returned, I felt uncomfortable because I could not use a smartphone, but now that iPhones have become popular, I feel regretful.

Now, analog will completely disappear into history. Handwritten letters will gradually disappear, and eventually, we will enter an era where we will not even make phone calls that require direct voice contact.

“So what happened? You wouldn’t have asked me to meet you for nothing, would you?”

As I watched the guests who frequently visited Segreto recently, one thing came to mind. So I tried to meet Romeo and ask him about it, and he was indeed a tough guy.

“I was going to come see you even though nothing happened.”

“I’m not blaming you. I always say that if you do this, you’ll lose your friends. It’s okay.”

It was just as Romeo said. Working too long hours at a restaurant made my relationships with people become more and more strained.

“I have a few questions to ask you.”

“say it.”

“We are now slowly preparing to launch a new course. I would like to introduce a new menu every quarter if possible.”

“That’s what diligent chefs do. But why?”

“I just had a question while I was planning the dish. I want fame. I want Segreto to get three Michelin stars and be praised by the public as the best restaurant in the world.”

“It sounds like Americans love hamburgers. Do you think there’s a chef out there who doesn’t want that?”

“I just wondered if the purpose of cooking itself was not a star. That’s not the essence of cooking.”

Romeo looks at me with an expression that is difficult to read.

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

“I’m saying this because I think it’s time for you to think about that too. It’s something that every good chef has thought about at least once. It’s something that you should do.”

“In what way is that so?”

“Jehee. Do you remember the book I was always reading?”

“Oh! That old book?”

Whenever I went to Romeo’s office, I thought of the book that was always open. When I cook Italian food, I often have to read original books, so I had no choice but to study them, but at first glance, I could tell that they were not books written in modern language.

“Yes. It’s a book published in the 1820s. It’s a document that mainly records cuisine from the 16th to 18th centuries. I’ve been interested in classical cuisine since I was young.”

“Have you actually tried making it?”

“Of course. I’ve cooked not only Italian cuisine, but also classic British and French cuisine. What do you think it tastes like?”

“I don’t think it would have been very good.”

Past cuisines differ greatly from modern ones, from the way ingredients are prepared to the way they are cooked.

“If a restaurant were to serve the dishes that the nobles enjoyed back then, it would close in less than a month. No one would come.”

Romeo says, giggling as he thinks about it.

“Is it that bad?”

“I’ll lend you the book, so you can try making it later if you want.”

“thank you.”

“Then what do you think the cuisine was like 20 years ago, not 200 years ago?”

I thought about it for a moment. The basic ingredients probably don’t differ much. But there are many differences in the equipment from 20 years ago and now. And the current cuisine, with its crossover between continents in many ways, has a much more colorful flavor.

“That must be quite different from the present.”

Romeo nods.

“Simple dishes like hamburgers may not have changed much. But fine dining is completely different. In that sense, I don’t think negatively of the Michelin Guide’s scoring system, which gives bonus points to restaurants that try new things. Food culture has constantly evolved and will continue to do so. I think chefs who contribute to it deserve to be rich and famous.”

Romeo continues speaking quietly.

“If I have seen further, it is because I have stood on the shoulders of giants.”

“That’s a quote from Isaac Newton.”

“Yes. It’s the same with cooking. When someone tries something new and develops it, it benefits all the chefs and the customers. From Escoffier of the past to Hervé This, who created modern molecular gastronomy, they were all giants.”

“Romeo also wants to leave his mark.”

“If possible. I think there are two types of chefs.”

“What kind is it?”

“Beneficiaries and contributors.”

“Haha. That’s a pretty harsh assessment.”

“There’s nothing wrong with being a beneficiary. Can you criticize a chef who has been making the same dish for 20 years in one place for the neighborhood?”

“I wish there was a restaurant like that. I wish the food I like would stay the same and not change.”

“Me too. Even now, whenever I go to Italy, there is a restaurant that I always visit. It has been making and selling Agnolotti dal plin (Italian-style dumplings) for generations. I hope that it will remain the same.”

“I agree.”

“But preserving tradition and the present is something that many people are already doing. There is no reason for you and me to join in. You have a natural sense of taste and cooking sense. You are also very knowledgeable.”

Romeo swirls his wine glass, savoring the aroma, then takes a sip.

“You have a job to do. A talented person has a duty to use his talent, just as Escoffier and Hervé Thiss did in the past. Don’t waste your energy on useless worries.”

Romeo looks at me with a serious face.

“You obviously wanted to keep the menu, didn’t you?”

This guy is really a ghost. How did he know?

When I nod, Romeo smirks as if he knew I would.

“You must have thought that if you revamped the menu and tried something new, your regulars would be disappointed. You also wanted to be a warm restaurant that would serve the dishes they liked whenever they came and ordered. That’s not a bad thing. There are many restaurants like that. But you must do what only you can do. That’s an order from a teacher.”

I didn’t know Romeo expected this much from me.

My mind is clear. Now I feel like I can run forward with peace of mind.