I Got the Almighty Tongue - Chapter 148



Only Noblemtl

148 Italian (2)

Kyle stands alone in the kitchen.

He closes his eyes and thinks for a moment, then takes out a notebook and begins to write something down.

[What is Kyle doing?]

[Kyle, 33, Seattle]

“It was a kitchen that anyone who loves cooking would dream of. It was spacious, clean, and had all the ingredients. However, I didn’t want to use ingredients that Chef Shin Je-hee knew. Then, I happened to think of a good recipe, so I asked the production team for their understanding and asked them to get the ingredients for me.”

Kyle started cooking. Soon, a delicious smell began to fill the kitchen.

“This is a soup I happened to try, and I begged the chef for the recipe. It was so good, I modified it a little to make it my own.”

An hour later, Kyle came out with a plate of soup.

“Please taste it.”

[Kyle finished the soup. Will Chef Shin Je-hee be able to keep her word?]

“This is Moroccan Lentil Soup. It features lentils and tomatoes. It is finished with yogurt and citrus.

Moroccan cuisine is an indigenous cuisine based on Arab culture, but it has been developed under the influence of Spanish immigrants and Jews. It also has a lot of African influence due to regional characteristics. It is an interesting region in many ways.”

After explaining, Jehee scoops up some soup with a spoon and puts it in his mouth.

“It’s delicious. I sautéed diced chicken breasts in olive oil, and when they were cooked to a certain degree, I added finely chopped onions and celery. The spices I used were turmeric powder, smoked paprika powder, chili powder, and ginger.”

As Jehee speaks, additional materials on the screen are underlined.

“But if you do it this way, the ingredients will be separate. You need to build a base that will receive all the flavors and aromas by adding tomato paste. If you only use paste, the flavor will be weak, so I also ground up some raw tomatoes and added them. After that, add chickpeas and lentils, pour in chicken stock, and boil for a long time.”

Kyle’s eyes widen as he listens to the explanation. Most of the ingredients on the screen have already been checked. The production staff is also impressed by Jehee, who is not just matching the ingredients, but reciting the recipe.

“While boiling, I added cinnamon sticks and bay leaves for accents. I think the only seasoning I added was salt and pepper. Chop parsley and cilantro and finish with yogurt, which is a typical Moroccan recipe. Pour yogurt on the finished soup and squeeze lemon juice to finish.”

Now there was only one ingredient left in the list on the screen.

“Usually, when making soup, the ingredients used to adjust the thickness are wheat, potatoes, or, very rarely, cornmeal. Kyle used wheat. But it’s not just any wheat. It has other flavors mixed in.”

Tension runs high on set.

“What do you think you put in it?”

The PD can’t hold it in any longer and asks a question.

“They must have ground the pasta noodles and added them. You can taste the unique egg flavor that goes into pasta dough.”

The last ingredient is underlined with a sound effect.

“Ah… no, how.”

Kyle looks at Jaehee blankly, speechless.

“Kyle, I want to commend you for not adding unnecessary ingredients. That’s what a chef should do. If you had intentionally messed up the dish with other intentions, I would have been very disappointed.”

“Chef. There are so many spices that go into Moroccan soup. How did you pick out exactly what I used?”

“What else is there besides taste? You have the potential to be a decent chef. Don’t be obsessed with fame. Even if it’s not, your knowledge and culinary sense will shine one day.”

Jehee pats Kyle on the shoulder and leaves. Kyle looks at his back for a long time.

[Kyle, 33, Seattle]

“I think I misunderstood the concept of taste. I thought it was all about experience, knowledge, and a keen sense. And I had all of those. But I didn’t. There really are people who have been chosen by God.”

Kyle looks relieved and says to the camera.

“I will try to become a great chef with a pretty good sense of taste, although not an absolute one.”

Master Chef Season 2, which attracted viewers’ attention with its interesting subject matter, succeeded in recreating the glory of the previous season by gaining momentum in viewership ratings. It surpassed the viewership ratings of the past.

But what left the deepest impression on viewers was not the contestants, but Shin Je-hee’s appearance as a chef.

* * *

“Ambassador, you have a dinner appointment with the Minister of Agriculture this afternoon. You should start preparing now.”

At the Italian Embassy in the United States, Ambassador Giuseppe Prezzolini frowns at his secretary’s words.

“You cheap Yankees. Where are you going to take me this time?”

The last time I had a meeting with the Under Secretary of Commerce, we continued the meeting in the office while eating delivered pizza.

I remember the face of the vice minister who said, “You’re Italian, so of course you like pizza, right?” and recommended a pepperoni pizza without even asking for his consent.

“This country is not normal. Anything that comes to America is ruined. If our ancestors had known the humiliation that Italian food is suffering in America, they would have been beating the ground and wailing.”

Giuseppe makes a disgusted expression as if he thinks about it.

“There’s nothing we can do. It’s a sensitive time right now.”

It has been almost a year since the boycott of American dairy products began in the home country. However, there is still no sign of the situation calming down. This is because the United States continues to supply fuel and inflame the Italians. Not long ago, a newspaper article about pizza and pasta destroying the health of the American people was translated into Italian and took over the Internet.

As a result, the boycott movement continued without any signs of cooling down, and Giuseppe was under pressure from both his home country and the United States.

Ugh.

Giuseppe wanted to take responsibility for the situation and resolve it, as he had left unnecessary comments on Twitter. However, as the meeting and conversation continued, he could not control his anger, which was building up.

“Okay.”

Giuseppe sighed, got up from his seat, and started preparing to go out.

* * *

The meeting was held in a conference room on the second floor of the Department of Agriculture. As I entered, I saw a mean face. It was Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack.

“Nice to meet you, Minister.”

Like a diplomat, Giuseppe shows no sign of discomfort and extends his hand for a handshake.

“Thank you for coming, Ambassador.”

After a brief greeting, the discussion began.

The American official gave a long briefing on the damage the Italian boycott had done to the dairy industry. Giuseppe was already starting to feel a headache.

“Mr. Ambassador, last year Italy had a trade surplus of $700 million with the United States. In the first place, Italy does not import many items from its own country. We import all kinds of food, luxury goods, and even wheat, which we produce the most in the world. If this continues, there could be a boycott in the United States.”

Tom speaks to Giuseppe in a gentle but firm tone.

This was the problem. In order to appease the US, which was pressuring the country with a trade deficit, they imported dairy products. However, since the results were not as good as expected, it was obvious that pressure would soon come to expand imports to other products.

The best way would have been for Italy to end its boycott and find a proper compromise, but it was not an easy task, as it was an extremely emotional issue.

“In Italy, too, American influence is growing every year. Italy has the tenth largest number of McDonald’s stores in the world. It also relies on the United States for steel, machinery, and chemicals. The current boycott is only temporary. There is no need to respond so hastily.”

Giuseppe believed that the Italian people’s anger would naturally subside over time. He just had to buy it a little time.

“We can’t afford that. We have to submit a report by this quarter, and it will affect our policies for the next year. I don’t understand the problem in the first place. What’s wrong with carbonara with cream?”

Giuseppe felt a sudden urge to throw the papers at his face. America greedily devours and Americanizes everything.

If you ask people living in North America or Asia what pizza is, nine out of ten will think of American pizza, represented by Domino’s Pizza.

The proud Neapolitan pizza may have already lost its place to the fake, and now America is asking what’s wrong with carbonara mixed with cream.

But Giuseppe controlled his expression with the superhuman patience of a diplomat.

“It’s a sensitive issue for the Italian people. It’s not that simple.”

“Minister, Ambassador. I brought you food. Your schedule is tight today, so I think you should eat while you have the meeting.”

While we’re talking, the secretary brings lunch.

Americans are like this. They eat and talk during meetings without any problem. Giuseppe took pity on these poor people who couldn’t fully enjoy their mealtimes and picked up his fork. Then he turned his gaze to his plate.

ping.

In that moment, Giuseppe, who had been holding on to his sanity with all his might, lost his reason.

The lunch menu consisted of meatball pasta with ketchup and mac and cheese.

“Italians don’t eat pasta and meatballs together. And of course, they don’t put ketchup on them either.”

Everyone’s attention is focused on Giuseppe, who is speaking in a low voice, suppressing his anger.

“Italians don’t put chicken in pasta, they don’t eat chicken and cheese together, and they certainly don’t use it as a topping on pizza. That damn pepperoni isn’t salami. But every single pepperoni they put the words “Italian salami” on it.”

Giuseppe looks straight at Tom Vilsack and says,

“What is this mysterious sauce that Americans call Italian dressing? We have never heard of it. So why do Americans make such a terrible dish by naming it after our country?”

Gulp.

The diplomats at the Italian embassy swallowed their saliva and turned pale at Giuseppe’s straightforward words. Regardless, he continued speaking.

“We don’t eat macaroni and cheese together. I don’t think there’s any other country in the world that would think of cooking pasta in such a bizarre way. Now, when you say macaroni, no one thinks it’s pasta from Italy. Thanks to America.”

Giuseppe frowns at the mac and cheese in front of him.

“You ask what’s wrong with putting cream in carbonara? Do you need me to explain? Everything is wrong.

You are destroying our splendid food culture that we have developed over two thousand years. Are we supposed to just sit back and watch this happen just because we are the most powerful country in the world?”

The atmosphere in the conference room becomes cold as Giuseppe pours out everything he has been holding in his heart.

The Minister of Agriculture, Vilsack, was looking at Giuseppe with a blank expression.