I Got the Almighty Tongue - Chapter 150



Only Noblemtl

150 Kuriltai

“I’m head chef Shin Je-hee. Thank you for coming.”

Jenny didn’t recognize him, but he seemed familiar to me. We’ve had diplomats from Korea and Japan visit us occasionally, but I never expected the Italian ambassador to the United States to visit our restaurant.

“Nice to meet you. It’s finally time to meet you. I was wondering who the chef was the whole time we were eating. If I hadn’t heard in advance that he was a foreigner, I would have thought that a famous chef from my home country cooked the food.

He smiles brightly and shakes my hand.

“I enjoyed it too. All the dishes were equally impressive. I’m from Milan, but I felt a stronger Italian sensibility than the locals. Excuse me, have you ever lived in Italy?”

His wife was a beautiful woman. She put down her coffee cup with dignity and asked me a question.

“No, I didn’t. I just learned a lot from Chef Romeo, who was my boss and teacher. If you feel special about me, it’s because I still follow the principles of Italian cuisine that he taught me.”

Of course, I had been to Italy in my previous life, but Romeo played a big role in laying the foundation for my current cooking. It was because I learned the basics of cooking by repeatedly tasting his food. Now, no matter what I cook, it tastes Italian.

“Huh. Interesting. What do you think Romeo says are the principles of Italian cooking?”

Romeo is currently a near-cheating figure in Italy. There are few people in the country who don’t know him.

“Use only fresh ingredients. The basic principle of using sauce is to highlight the main ingredient, or to harmonize with the side ingredients. Do not give too much like the French do.”

Of course, he never forced these on me like the Ten Commandments. These are principles I naturally acquired while working under him.

“Hahaha. That’s right. Italian cuisine isn’t stingy like in other countries.”

He is happy when his country’s things are praised. He laughs heartily, takes out a notebook, and writes down what I said.

“What do you think are the best things about Italian cuisine? Of course, we could talk about this all day long, but I’d like to hear it from a foreigner’s perspective.”

It seems that nationalism is not limited to any country. I decided to understand, since he is a diplomat who has to participate in many events and give many speeches and interviews.

“I would say the overwhelming scalability.”

“Scalability?”

His wife asks me a question, as if my words are unexpected.

“This year, Oxfam, an Oxford-based charity, conducted a survey in the 17 countries where they work. The question was, ‘What is your favorite food?’ In nine countries, more than half, pasta came in first place by an overwhelming margin. In the rest, it was second or third.”

“Ah. I remember seeing the article too.”

Giuseppe nods proudly.

“The preference for pasta and pizza is not limited to any continent. It includes countries in Europe, Asia, North America, South America, and even Africa. I think this is the greatest strength of Italian cuisine.”

The influence of Chinese cuisine is so strong worldwide because they live everywhere.

They live together, forming towns, and making and selling their own cuisine. The accessibility is truly overwhelming, as you can find Chinese restaurants even in small and medium-sized cities in African countries.

But that’s not the case with Italian food. Most of the time, local people make it themselves and eat it.

“It was certainly a result that we can be proud of as Italians, because it meant that the world recognized the excellence of our food. But it also gave us cause for concern. In the midst of a flood of increasingly corrupted cuisine, it is becoming increasingly difficult to preserve our traditions.”

He frowns as if he has a headache.

“Your Excellency, you seem to underestimate Italy’s capabilities even more than I, a foreigner.

The history of Roman gastronomy has always been one of change, whether it was when they conquered Sicily and all of North Africa, or when they brought potatoes, chilies and tomatoes from the New World.

They have always wisely adopted new ingredients and recipes, and have developed a sophisticated food culture. Even the arrogant French cannot deny that the origin of their cuisine is Italy.”

I love Italian food, but it’s also true that I feel uncomfortable when I witness their excessive sense of superiority. Why was Italy so crazy about Romeo?

The Michelin Guide has not been very generous with its ratings for Italian restaurants.

Italian chefs were too proud to accept new cooking techniques and were lazy about trying creative ideas. Romeo was a kind of irregular who emerged in that atmosphere.

“Catherina de Medici gave us her cooking when she married and became the queen of France.”

Gianna nods and says.

“Italian is probably the most localized cuisine these days. The first appetizer we had today was made by a 21-year-old Korean female chef. She is also fascinated by Italian cuisine.”

“I’m not denying localization. However, because the influence of the United States is so great, there is a big problem that our cuisine is in danger of being transmitted in the wrong form. I’ve heard that in many Asian countries, carbonara with cream sauce is already known as the official recipe.”

“Haha. I understand what you mean. But there is something you are misunderstanding, Your Excellency.”

“Misunderstanding?”

“Food culture cannot be the subject of education unless it is harmful to health. If a dish is popular with the public, it is because the dish has a certain charm. In fact, if you ask what carbonara spaghetti is in Korea, many people will think of pasta with cream sauce. The reason this dish is popular is because its merits are clear.”

“What is that?”

“The method of boiling and simmering with cream and milk is a common cooking method for making stews. This method is easy to localize because it boils with various ingredients. Like in the US, bacon is added, and in Korea, mushrooms, chicken, onions, etc. are added and cooked together. Sometimes, spicy chili sauce is added.

The biggest advantage and disadvantage of American carbonara is that it is empty. The sauce is milky, so it is easy to adjust. On the other hand, Roman carbonara is a perfect dish in itself. It is the most delicious when cooked according to the recipe without any errors.”

Koreans have a special love for American-style carbonara. They make a variety of pastas using various ingredients such as gochujang, salmon, mushrooms, and chicken. It is even used in tteokbokki and ramen, so it is safe to say that it has surpassed its original origin in the United States.

“That’s what I’m saying! Why not have the most delicious carbonara and use cream?”

“There may be a reason why Pecorino Romano cheese is not popular, and another reason is that Roman-style pasta is relatively unknown. I think the two types of pasta are completely different dishes. I think the public will come to think the same way in the future. So I want to tell you that you don’t need to stress too much.”

“Cooking is not an object of instruction···.”

My words resonated with him, and he muttered to himself, lost in thought.

“In fact, it’s not just yesterday or today that Americans have been cooking as they please.

I believe that lasagna is the original form of the oven-baked pasta we enjoy in America. Since it is difficult to make bechamel sauce and bolognese ragu, you just boil meat and tomato sauce, add noodles and cheese, and put it in the oven.

The popularity of Italian cuisine continues to grow. Even if you started out with American recipes, you will eventually find yourself looking for the original. Isn’t that something to be happy about?”

In the not-yet-to-be-released future, a recipe for jambalaya with kimchi will become popular in America.

When a fried egg was placed on top of the finished dish, it was difficult to tell whether it was kimchi fried rice or jambalaya. America accepts everything and localizes it. But this was not a bad thing for Korea. It is also true that in the process, the influence of Korean food increased.

“I too was amazed when I ate pasta with okra and curry powder in Africa. But I didn’t feel offended at all. Thinking back now, I think it was because I didn’t think it was threatening our traditions.”

Giuseppe begins to write down something in his notebook as if something has occurred to him.

“In Korea, you can easily find pasta made with soy sauce or salted pollack roe. Since the ambassador has been in the US for a long time, isn’t it possible that he has become afraid of this country’s influence? It’s not surprising. The US’s ability to melt everything down like a melting pot and make it its own is truly amazing.

But don’t worry, Italy will continue to evolve and embrace new things, just as it did in Roman times.”

Half of it was sincere and the rest was lip service, but I gave him some advice in the hope that it would help Italians be a little more open-minded about their food culture.

“Today, I not only had a delicious meal, but it also helped me organize my thoughts. I feel refreshed. I think I wasn’t able to see the situation objectively because I’m Italian. I learned a lot from listening to the chef.”

Giuseppe extends his hand to me for a handshake, and with a refreshed look on his face, he links arms with Gianna and leaves the restaurant.

* * *

After work hours, Romeo suddenly came to see me without saying a word.

“Is this your story?”

Bam.

The front page of the newspaper he carelessly threw on the desk had Giuseppe’s face on it. As for what newspaper it was, it was ‘La Repubblica’, the largest daily newspaper in Italy.

I picked up the newspaper and began to read the article.

[As the Italian Ambassador to the United States, I agreed to be interviewed by the newspaper to add a few words about the recent Carbonara controversy and the boycott it has sparked.

Working as a diplomat in various countries, I get to experience the diverse local food culture. As someone who loves food, I find great joy here. In particular, discovering the influence of Italian cuisine on their lives was a small pleasure of my own.

I recently met an Italian chef in the United States.

Although he is Korean, he runs an Italian restaurant in New York and received a Michelin star.

He was a very promising chef, and I felt proud that a third-country national was studying our cuisine more passionately than anyone else in a foreign country. He was creating new dishes by incorporating all the delicious ingredients and recipes from around the world into Italian cuisine.

He said that the greatest characteristic and advantage of Italian cuisine is its overwhelming expandability. I felt embarrassed when he said that this was our advantage that had not changed since the Roman era.

syncopation

We may be under the arrogance that we have to do it Roman-style.

Just as Rome wasn’t built in a day, neither was food culture.

When wheat was first introduced to Rome 2,000 years ago, and when tomatoes and chilies first arrived in the Italian peninsula 500 years ago, we did not stop exploring. We accepted them and developed them, eventually creating the most splendid culture.

Why shouldn’t we embrace carbonara just because it’s made with cream?

I end my writing by asking for your tolerance. Viva Italia!]

“That’s really great. I heard the boycott is dying down.”

Romeo chuckles.

“I’m embarrassed. I didn’t know that Ambassador Giuseppe would write something like this in the newspaper.”

“Thanks to that, they’re calling the newspapers in their home country to ask who that chef is. They’ve even contacted me.”

“Why are you looking for me?”

“Did you know that every five years in Italy, famous chefs from all over the world gather to discuss?”

“I didn’t know.”

“It’s a tradition that has continued for over 25 years.

They’ve been doing it without anyone asking them to do so since Carlo Petrini founded the Slow Food Association in 1986.

This is the fifth year. This time, you will be invited. You will be able to see dozens of Michelin stars gathered in one place.”

No, it wasn’t some kind of Kuriltai. I had no idea there was such an event. But at the same time, my heart started racing with anticipation of meeting the chefs I admired.