I Got the Almighty Tongue - Chapter 194



Only Noblemtl

194 Each person’s circumstances

“Um… It’s strange.”

Quinton says, glaring at the monitor.

“What’s strange?”

“I was eliminated this time too.”

In the United States, the new school year starts in September.

The food service vendor selection process begins in March, and Quinton has already checked out and submitted proposals from nearly every school in New York.

But I haven’t heard from any of them that my documents have been approved.

“It’s certainly strange. I might try it out of curiosity.”

Most food service providers sign long-term contracts with schools. The longer the contract period, the greater the benefits, so they carefully select providers with a view to three years, or even five years.

However, there are a few schools that change suppliers every year, and there must have been schools whose contracts expired this year.

“This is also a market where a few companies have a dominant influence. You can’t say there are no territorial interests. There may be rebates or other incentives involved.”

There is no industry without its share of local taxes.

But I know from experience that the company that always wins in the marketplace is the company that makes a better product.

The question is whether the company can survive until then, and our common view was that it would be difficult to survive for more than a year as there are still no sales.

If we miss this season, we’re going to have a tough time, as there won’t be another bid opportunity for at least a year after summer.

The bakery was supplying baguettes to existing customers at a low price and its hired employees were continuing to receive training.

Of the hundreds of schools that submitted proposals, only one responded.

I expected at least ten schools to show interest, but no matter how I think about it, it’s just strange.

But there was nothing we could do right away. The cartel was much more solid than we expected.

* * *

“It’s nice to see you again, Catherine.”

Quinton greets Catherine with a bright smile.

“Huh! I’m not happy at all. My hands still tremble when I think about all the troubles you guys put me through.”

Harper High School suffered through the First Lady’s visit.

Not only did all the students come out and clean the school, but the faculty and staff were also mobilized and called up for the event. It was like a bolt from the blue for them.

“Thank you for contacting me anyway.”

Quinton thanks you politely.

“The lunch we had at the food tasting was quite impressive. Our school has poor attendance. I just hope that the delicious food will keep the kids in school a little longer.”

She was nearing retirement age, and her modest goal was to clear her school of its reputation as New York’s worst school.

“I will do my best.”

“Our school receives a lot of subsidies because there are many children from low-income families.

If you add in the budget for the Child and Adult Care Food Program and the Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program, it doesn’t matter if the meal cost goes up a little.

Of course, this is based on the tasting session. If the quality is worse than that, we will add a clause to terminate the contract, so if you are not confident, back out now.”

“Don’t worry. Of course I am confident.”

“But why are you hated so much?”

Catherine asks with a smirk.

“Huh? What are you talking about?”

“Since last month, employees from various food service companies have been coming to visit us every day. They didn’t even care before, but now they’re coming to us and saying they’ll change our kitchen facilities. I told them I didn’t need it, but they said they could give us a scholarship.”

It wasn’t just one or two. As if they had colluded, all the companies came with good proposals. Not all the principals were corrupt. But they couldn’t help but be swayed by the promise to replace the old school facilities and provide scholarships to help children in difficult circumstances.

“Are rebates usually that aggressive?”

Quinton had seen all sorts of dirty tricks at the Department of Commerce, but this industry was just plain out of the ordinary.

“There were hints of it, but it wasn’t as blatant as it is now. It changed after you came.”

“But you didn’t accept it.”

“If there’s one thing I’ve learned in my 60-plus years of life, it’s that companies never sell things at a loss. In the end, all of that money goes into the kids’ lunches. It’s already so bad, and I can’t even imagine how far it’ll go.”

Catherine knew the greed of the food industry. She clearly remembers how many times she had asked for a change to the wilted salad, but it had not been granted. Now, she figured, there must be something fishy about the favor.

“Thank you. Thanks to you, we have at least a chance.”

“There’s nothing to be thankful for. I just want the kids to go to school.

* * *

“Factory Manager. Is this okay? This seems a bit too much.”

Kevin, the quality manager, says with a worried look on his face.

Ecofood, a company that subcontracts chicken nuggets, recently won a major contract to supply 10 million chicken nuggets over the course of a year. The problem was the unit price.

“We can’t do anything since they’re cutting the unit price like this. They said they don’t care about quality either, so don’t worry.”

Ecofood was famous for producing nuggets of various shapes.

What started out as an attempt to increase competitiveness by creating nuggets in shapes that children would like has now become Ecofood’s identity.

Wheeeeeeing

On one side of the factory, a crusher turns noisily.

Inside, chicken feet, chicken heads, and bloodless meat scraps are ground up and piled in a mixing tank. Salt, corn syrup, chicken stock powder, cheap seasonings, preservatives, and binders are poured on top. Giant wings slowly rotate to mix the ingredients.

On the other side, a compressor receives the mixture, mixes it, and stamps it out into the shape of a cute star. The nuggets move along a conveyor belt and fall into the black oil. The oil needs to be changed every day, but the same oil is used for three days in a row to meet the unit price.

Sizzling.

The black oil looked ominous, like the eyes of a demon.

The ingredients are fried, giving off a disgusting smell, and then travel down a tube to get coated in breadcrumbs.

“There won’t be any problems, right?”

“Of course not. They are all fried and taken out. Even if there are bacteria, they will be fried again at the restaurant, so don’t worry.”

Despite the factory manager’s assurances, Kevin’s stern face did not soften.

I’ve been making frozen food for over 15 years and I’ve never produced anything this bad.

Kevin instinctively began to secretly collect documents that would allow him to avoid responsibility in case something went wrong.

* * *

“Carol. Is this report true?”

Michelle frowns as she reads the report.

“It’s true. California and Vermont have sent out official letters saying they will not follow the school lunch policy starting next year. The state government has no choice because of the strong opposition from students and parents.”

Michelle lowers her head and places her hand on her forehead.

“I feel depressed.”

Just over a year ago, Michelle appeared on TV and made several arguments for reforming school meals. Her argument was very popular, as the need for a balanced diet made with fresh ingredients was a topic that resonated with the entire nation.

If two states formally abandon the policy, the exodus will accelerate.

“There are criticisms from within the Republican Party and even within the Democratic Party that this is an ineffective policy, so they will not stop it. They must have decided that they need to get out of here. They are clever people.”

“That company was good last time. What happened there?”

All she needed was one success story. If she could secure at least some evidence to claim that she was right, she could turn the arrows elsewhere.

“It’s going to be tough. Almost every school except Harper High School, where we had the tasting, has rejected the contract. They’re going to go bankrupt.”

Carol’s voice is gloomy. She, too, had high hopes for ‘Lunch Box’, but it was not a trend that a small business could change.

“I remember all the parents were satisfied. Was it because of the rebate?”

“That’s probably true. Not only the school principals, but also the school lunch committee under the Office of Education has been subsumed by large corporations for a long time. I heard they move there after retirement. It’s been over 10 years since the connection was formed, so I don’t know where to start.”

ha

Michelle sighs.

“Can’t we ask the prosecution to investigate?”

“If you insist on investigating without any evidence, you will be treated as an idiot. Public opinion is already bad enough.

“The only hope is to blow the whistle, but even that is unlikely. Not only will you be kicked out of the industry, but big companies will find fault with you and sue you. Your life will be completely ruined.”

“So you’re saying there’s nothing I can do? Am I dreaming in vain, Carol?”

Carol looks at Michelle with a pained expression on her face.

She felt like she would sell her soul to the devil if she could turn back time.

They were too naive. This is the result of chasing after ideals without properly understanding the reality of the industry or corporate greed.

If she had assisted him properly, she could have achieved better results. Carol hung her head, cursing her own incompetence.

* * *

“Okay. That cleared it up nicely.”

Fred smiles with satisfaction.

“Aramark and Sodex must have felt the same sense of crisis. They welcomed our proposal.”

The plan to bury the lunchboxes with aggressive rebates worked brilliantly. They thought they could get five schools to drop out, but they only managed to secure one account.

“I found out that the chef has some money. It’s just a hole-in-the-wall restaurant, but it should be able to last a year. If we don’t get the contract next year, it’ll collapse without us even being able to do anything.”

They thoroughly investigated the lunchbox, and were able to transparently look into the owner’s family relationships, assets, and even stock holdings.

“Your in-laws are rich, so wouldn’t they be able to hold out a little longer?”

Matthew, the senior director, couldn’t hide his surprise as he conducted the investigation.

Because Shin Je-hee’s wealth was too much for an ordinary chef. She even had a strong in-law family, so it was difficult to touch her. In addition, the assets of CEO Quinton were not something to be ignored.

“No. I wouldn’t put my chips into a gamble where I know I’ll lose. The rich are quicker to cut their losses. It seems like they’re making a decent profit from the restaurant, but they can’t afford to lose money. I heard it’s doing well, so I’d like to take over the place later.”

Fred waves his index finger and says incredulously.

“It was a wise decision. But last year, the lobbying expenses were too high. This year, the management is not in good shape due to the rebates, so it seems like it will take a few years to build up the substance.”

“There are plenty of ways to squeeze profits out of an oligopoly. Where are the nuggets being produced?”

“It’s eco food.”

“Find a company that is in urgent need like that and place a bulk order.

“If we use pink slime (minced meat with the fat removed and treated with ammonia) for sausages, we can reduce the unit cost by 15%. If we use cow by-products for hamburger patties, we can do it. We’ll get some flak this quarter, but it doesn’t matter.”

“All right.”

Matthew gathers his papers and leaves.

Fred gets up and takes a bottle of water out of the fridge.

Gulp gulp

“Wow. That feels refreshing.”

It felt like even the vague sense of anxiety that had lingered was being washed away.