I Got the Almighty Tongue - Chapter 193



Only Noblemtl

193 Showtime (3)

I look around the kitchen.

The staff, who had completed two weeks of training, were busy preparing food. I didn’t know exactly when the presentation would end, but I wanted to match the timing as precisely as possible.

Ding.

The oven timer has ticked. On one side, roast beef is sizzling, while on the other side, a deliciously cooked lasagna is catching your eye.

Today, thirty staff members are mobilized to prepare all the dishes in a frenzy. Harper High School used to have thousands of students, so the size of the kitchen was not inconvenient.

Division of labor is essential in any kitchen.

Team leader Darren puts the roast beef on the meat slicer and starts chopping it up. Next to him, he is cutting bread, receiving meat, and making sandwiches. The pilaf and bibimbap lines also seem to be running smoothly.

The finished foods begin to pile up on the trays one by one.

And Quinton sent a sign.

The atmosphere in the conference room was a strange mix of distrust and anticipation.

Ding ding.

As trays are brought in, cutting through the tense air, and each dish is placed on the table, the audience lets out gasps of admiration.

“wow!”

“Is this real school lunch?”

Click.

Click.

I can hear people taking pictures here and there.

Even though it was an event attended by many VIPs, they didn’t change the food. They just paid a little more attention to the plating. But that alone would have been enough to break the stereotypes they had about catering.

There were too many people in attendance today to line up and serve food directly. There couldn’t be enough food for everyone. There were two types of tables, one for six people and one for four people, but regardless, I gave instructions to put up one of each menu.

“Okay! Now you have all received your meals.

There are five menus in total. Students will receive these meals from Monday to Friday. I would like to inform you in advance that we had no choice but to unify the menus in order to lower the unit price.”

The audience nods at Quinton’s words.

School cafeterias in the United States have separate menus for vegetarians and Muslims, but it’s impossible to satisfy everyone on a budget of less than $4.

I boldly excluded the vegetarian menu. There are Muslims who do not eat pork or anything other than halal food. However, most Muslims are not that picky.

“It’s amazing. I thought the pictures I saw in pamphlets and PPTs were exaggerated, but I never expected to receive meals of this quality.”

Michelle admires the food.

Quinton changes the PPT screen. The screen shows the ingredients, calories, sodium and sugar content of each menu item.

“Please refer to the ingredients on the screen. Our company complies with the government’s nutritional standards for school meals. Now, please taste it.”

One by one, the audience members begin to taste the food by tearing open their disposable forks.

* * *

Jehee starts to place food on Michelle’s table. This is because Secret Service requested that a trusted person be assigned as a server due to security issues.

And as each dish is placed on the table, Michelle’s expression changes dramatically.

“Chef Shin, please be honest. Will the students receive the same menu I received today?”

The quality of the food served in the lunch box far exceeded her expectations. She was accused of being an idealist, but she was not so unrealistic as to make such demands on a three-dollar meal.

But no matter how she looked at it, the food on the plate looked like it cost more than $10. So she couldn’t help but be suspicious.

“Of course. The children will receive exactly the same food we are serving today.”

Michelle is relieved by Jehee’s firm answer.

“Everyone, come and taste it.”

She offers food to the distinguished guests seated at the table.

“Oh my god!”

“Doesn’t it taste better than the USDA cafeteria?”

“That costs twelve dollars?”

Exclamations burst out from their mouths one after another.

“What kind of food is this?”

Michelle asks, pointing to the bibimbap.

“I arranged the Korean food called bibimbap to suit the taste of American children. Korean food is very healthy. It has a good balance of vegetables, grains, and meat.”

The gorgeous visual of bibimbap served in a stainless steel bowl is catching everyone’s attention.

“This is really delicious. I don’t like soy sauce, but I don’t mind it because it has butter in it. How do I eat this?”

Everyone seemed unfamiliar with bibimbap, and they were each picking up a topping with a fork and eating it.

“In Korea, people eat it mixed, but it’s not necessary. It’s better to break the egg yolk and enjoy it with rice and toppings.”

Michelle nods, sampling each topping with her fork.

“This is really healthy. This sandwich is definitely better than the famous franchises. How is this possible?”

Michelle asks Jehee with a look of incomprehension.

“We fermented the bread at low temperatures for 12 hours. Of course, we used the best wheat and did not use any additives. The harmony between the filling and the bread is the most important thing in sandwiches, so we paid special attention to that part.”

“The sauce is delicious, too. The roast beef is fresh and has a light taste. If I lived near the White House, I would buy it and eat it every day.”

“Thank you for the compliment. There are few countries that love sandwiches as much as the United States. That’s why they are so sincere about their taste. I’m glad that the effort put into the bread and filling paid off.”

“The lamb pilaf is really good, but this salad is very unique. Could you explain it to me?”

“It’s a mixture of fried breadcrumbs, various vegetables, and fruits based on a mayonnaise sauce. It’s a popular dish in Korea. It goes especially well with rice.”

“I thought you’d serve pasta since you’re a famous Italian chef, but I was wrong.”

Michelle smiles with satisfaction.

“I like this lasagna the best.”

A gentleman with impressive fine white hair neatly cuts lasagna with a fork and knife and puts it in his mouth. It was Taylor Spencer, the Under Secretary of Agriculture.

“thank you.”

“It may sound like an old man’s rambling, but 35 years ago, school lunches weren’t like they are now. Every student in the country had a fresh salmon salad and soft, buttery bread for lunch. Pizza had a lot of toppings, and mac and cheese was better than what Mom used to make at home. So how did things get like this…?”

Taylor sighs, seemingly remorseful.

In 1981, when the Reagan administration came to power, the United States implemented a large-scale austerity policy. School lunches were no exception, with a budget cut of nearly 30%. Since then, school lunches in the United States have been on a downward slope.

“I’m sorry. This lasagna reminds me of high school.”

“Rather, it is an honor. Excuse me, Vice Minister, but how much did the school lunch cost when you were in school?”

“I don’t remember exactly, but it was probably around a dollar.”

“Compared to 1980, the CPI (Consumer Price Index) in 2013 rose by about 180%. Prices have risen by about three times, so if companies were to be less greedy, they could still provide quality meals to children.”

“How do you know that? Did you also study economics, Chef?”

Reagan’s tight monetary policy is a topic studied by many economists because it reduced the inflation rate from 13.5% in 1980 to 4% in 1983.

I also wrote a thesis on this topic. Michelle and Taylor, who didn’t know about it, asked in surprise.

“It’s shallow knowledge. My wife has an MBA from Harvard, so I have picked up some things.”

“It is possible if you let go of your greed… The purpose of a company is to pursue profit, right? Why on earth did you plan this kind of business, Chef? Don’t say it’s for good intentions or public interest. The good intentions of a company are as empty as the honesty of a politician.”

“Of course, I plan to expand my business based on this. But it is also true that children will benefit in the process. I want to make money in a way that is both beneficial to society and sustainable.”

“Looking at the screen, all the ingredients are from the US. Fruits are cheaper in Central and South America, and grains are cheaper in China. Most food service companies mix in imported products, so is there a reason you insist on using domestic products?”

“Because we have to coexist with farmers. Considering freshness and distribution costs, there is not much difference.”

“If all businessmen were like you, Chef, there wouldn’t have been such a mess today. Thank you for inviting me today.”

“It seems like the Vice Minister was more impressed than I was.

I hope that the day will come when children not only in New York but all across America can eat meals like this. I sincerely hope that your business prospers.”

“thank you.”

The event ended successfully.

Parents were asked two or three times to make sure that their children’s schools included school lunches. On the other hand, school principals and business executives left the meeting with complicated expressions.

And the lunch box became the centerpiece of the news that evening.

* * *

“Hello, this is CNN News.

An innovative model of a company leading the way in school meal reform is gaining much attention. Today, a tasting event held at a public school in New York attracted attention, with the First Lady and other government officials in attendance. Reporter Jessica has the details.”

“I am standing in front of a company in New York right now. This company contracts directly with farms to get fresh produce. The quality of the food is high because there is no middleman.

The baguette in my hand is bread produced directly by this company. It tastes just like a homemade bakery, and the sandwiches made with this bread also received a great response at the tasting event, drawing a big round of applause.

Above all, it seems that it will create waves in the industry as a healthy diet that does not use any additives or processed foods.”

The tasting session footage and Jehee’s interview are shown on the screen.

[Quinton Smith, CEO of Lunchbox]

“If children are truly our future, governments and businesses need to take a more responsible stance. It’s not the children’s fault that we have the highest rates of childhood obesity and childhood adult diseases in the world. It’s our fault.”

[Shin Je-hee, CEO of Dosirak]

“Food is more than just satisfying hunger. A proper, balanced diet is also essential for students’ brain and physical development.

As a chef and the CEO of this company, I will do my best to provide students with delicious and healthy meals.”

“First Lady Michelle Obama, who attended an official event for the first time in a long time, also expressed great satisfaction at the tasting.”

“I think this company exemplifies what I was trying to achieve with the Childhood Starvation Prevention and Health Act.”

Michelle looks at the camera for the first time in a while and smiles brightly.

“Chef Shin Je-hee, the CEO, stated her goal is to provide delicious and healthy meals at a reasonable price to all children across the country.

“I hope other companies will continue this innovative effort in the future,” said Jessica from New York.

Stop.

Fred, chairman of a large food company’s commerce group, turns off the TV in the conference room with a press of a remote control.

“What do you think?”

Several executives were gathered in the conference room.

“Even so, it’s a new company. Do we need to worry about it?”

An executive cautiously voices his opinion.

“No. I don’t feel good. A normal person wouldn’t set up a distribution company and take over a bakery just to sell school lunches.”

The Commerce Group not only produces various processed foods, such as canned foods used in school meals, but also operates a consignment business by establishing its own subsidiary.

In his opinion, Doshirak’s actions did not make any sense whatsoever.

“Shall we take action?”

“In what way?”

“We will pressure the companies that do business with us to cut off their supply of food.”

“Now is not a good time. It is not wise to touch a company that the First Lady supports, when we are already watching the government closely.”

“Then what should we do?”

“Raise the rebates given to principals. If there’s anyone who doesn’t take them, offer to replace all the kitchen facilities. You could even give them scholarships.”

“Ah! I guess we can just block the contract from being made. Okay.”

Fred always made his way up to this spot by knocking on the stone bridge.

This time too, he did not ignore the warning his intuition was sending him.