I Got the Almighty Tongue - Chapter 42



Only Noblemtl

public enemy

-Is it okay if I introduce you to the real Ellis?

I got a text message from Joo-hee saying it was urgent, so I called her. She said that Chairman Seo asked Joo-hee to arrange a blind date for Kim Soo-ho. Since Chairman Kim requested it, I couldn’t ignore it, so Joo-hee hesitated and contacted me.

When Joohee confided to me that she had no friends to introduce, a name came to mind.

Ellis Jung.

She is a third-generation Korean-American who is a classmate of Joo-hee’s at New York University. Her father is the first Korean-American to serve three terms in the U.S. House of Representatives, so she is quite well-known in Korea. After finishing this term, she will run for the Senate and eventually be elected. Of course, only I know the future.

I saw Ellis hanging out with Juhee a few times during my college years. She was a striking beauty with exotic features. I think her grandmother might have been a white European.

Her father can also be a strong supporter of Kim Soo-ho, who has a lot of business to do in the United States, and Ellis is also a talented person who currently works at McKinsey, the world’s largest consulting firm.

It’s hard to think of Kim Soo-ho’s tastes and my tastes separately, so this blind date has a high chance of success.

The problem is her personality. To borrow Joo-hee’s words, she is kind and charming, but like a highly educated American woman, she is strong-willed.

Given Kim Soo-ho’s personality, there’s no benefit to just blindly trying to accommodate him. In many ways, I think Ellis is a good match for him.

I hope he lives a happier life than I did in my previous life.

“It’ll be okay. Ellis is someone that Kim Soo-ho would like.”

-Okay. I only trust you and call you, oppa?

“Okay. After you finish your exam, let’s have you meet Kim Soo-ho and Ellis naturally. Since you’ll probably have to meet in the US, you can come to our restaurant.”

-Your second brother and sister will come too?

“I’ll make a reservation for you when it rains.”

-Okay. Now that the exams are almost over, I need to eat something delicious. That’s good.

“Is studying hard for you?”

-Don’t be ridiculous. I can barely sleep and I feel like a zombie.

“If you were a zombie like me, wouldn’t everyone catch you?”

-No, that’s not it. I’m really dirty right now.

Joohee’s voice softens as she says that. There’s no way I’d fall for such a basic trap.

* * *

“Niam! The vegetables are all gone. Prepare them in advance.”

Sam, who is in charge of the cold part, speaks to Niamh while looking at the vegetables that are running out.

“All right.”

Niamh was promoted from trainee to 3rd Cook. But the work was the same. The trainees under Niamh always made mistakes, and the chefs scolded Niamh instead of blaming them for not taking responsibility. In the end, he had to check everything himself.

The work that started at 8 a.m. continues without a break. It was something he had prepared for since entering culinary school, but the work in the kitchen was harsher and more difficult than he had imagined.

“Niam, we’re running low on salad dressing. Make some more.”

Nicole says something and passes by.

“Yes, Chef.”

I answer weakly and start making the dressing. Still, as I repeat the same thing every day, my skills improve. The time I spend preparing the vegetables decreases. It’s been a while since I heard the request to make the dressing again.

“Niam. Is this what you’re making as consomme? It’s cloudy because you didn’t filter the foam properly. Taste it. Do you think you can serve this to a customer?”

There are some things that don’t last. Sous chef Jehee takes a taste and dumps the consommé into the sink. It’s painful to see a dish that was made with so much effort being thrown away.

What is not a problem by his own standards is a problem to the sous chef. He clearly made it according to the recipe he gave him. He knows it tastes better when he makes it, so he can’t raise an objection.

Niamh felt an overwhelming urge to vent his anger on the trainees. But then he remembered that no one had ever reprimanded him when he was a trainee.

Come to think of it, I’ve been suffering like this since I officially became the 3rd Cook.

‘The trainees aren’t worth getting mad at.’ I feel a little better. At least the chefs are mad at me now. It means there’s something to look forward to.

“Niam, when will the garnish for the steak come out?”

The devilish sous chef is nagging. He clearly heard the order being called out, but he forgot. Niamh hurriedly takes out the asparagus and mushrooms, butters them, and starts frying them.

At lunchtime, a course for 50 people was served. All the guests who had made reservations showed up. Niamh went out the back door, exhausted, and crouched down in the corner, sighing.

‘I didn’t come here for this. Why on earth am I working here?’

The salary is higher than other restaurants, but considering the working hours and intensity of labor, it is definitely not a job I would recommend.

From 8 AM to 9 PM, I organize and prepare ingredients, then cook according to orders. If I look away for even a moment, I get scolded.

Everyone is doing their job well except for themselves. The orders don’t pile up, and the dishes they make for Jehee or Romeo aren’t rejected.

After graduating from culinary school, I looked for restaurants to work at. I received job offers from many places I submitted my resume to.

Chefs are notorious for low wages, hard labor, and long working hours. There is no way there won’t be a job. I chose three places and went to eat at all of them. However, I was not impressed by any of them. The food didn’t appeal to me.

Then, I was captivated by Luce de Sole, where I had made a reservation with great determination to experience high-end dining.

“I was crazy. Coming here.”

I’m crying. It’s been a month since I got promoted. But I don’t think I can endure this anymore. Every morning, I wake up and grab my aching thighs and force myself to take a shower. When I try to wash my hair, my arms won’t go all the way up.

It’s so painful, but the work that’s actually done is trivial.

Niamh made up his mind.

“Let’s throw away fine dining. You can make a burger at any pub and make twice as much money as you can here.”

Finally, I decided to make a staff lunch menu. I wanted to make a dish that would impress the sous chef, nicknamed “God’s Tongue.” Then I would coolly turn around and leave him behind. It was a small revenge for the fact that he had made me work so hard to prepare vegetables and make dressing.

Niamh started making the dish she was most confident in.

“It’s lunch time. Everyone gather around!”

Jason brings out the freshly baked lasagna and calls the staff together. Everyone wraps up what they are doing and sits down at the table to eat.

Niamh looked at his watch. It was almost 4 p.m. The lunch crowd had finally left and it was time to eat.

“Jason, this lasagna is amazing. It’s ingenious that they use eggplant instead of pasta.

Nicole is amazed by the taste. Niamh is also curious about the taste, so she takes a piece on a plate and tries it. The eggplant is sliced ​​thinly, baked, and then made into layers of lasagna. It has a light and pleasant taste.

“Eat more vegetables at least once a day. Eggplant is delicious.”

At some point, vegetables began to appear more frequently in Luce de Sole’s staff meals. It probably started with kimbap.

“I rather like this.”

Sam makes lasagna. The mozzarella cheese stretches out, whetting your appetite.

“Sam, the chicken mayo you made isn’t bad. It would be even better if there was soup.”

Jason picks up the chicken mayo with his familiar chopsticks.

“Jehee. Would you like to taste it?”

Nicole puts the cold pasta she made on a plate and hands it to the sous chef.

“Cold pasta with basil pesto, paprika, and olives. The basil pesto is well made. It goes well with other vegetables. But is this a vegan menu?”

“Yes. We do have a vegan menu, but we can’t help but pay less attention to it than to other menus. I’m thinking about digging into that.”

Nicole still hasn’t given up and is working to get her dishes on the menu.

“Just because it’s vegan doesn’t mean you can excuse the taste. This pasta lacks flavor. It’ll be difficult because it doesn’t use broth. Still, try to overcome it by doing some research.”

“Yes, Chef.”

Nicole answers cheerfully and eats lunch. Surprisingly, no one is interested in Niamh’s cooking. I think this is it, and I’m about to leave to submit my resignation, but Jaehee eats Niamh’s cooking.

“Curry-cooked prawn dish.”

The sous chef closes his eyes and tastes. His palate is said to be the best in New York. His palms sweat.

“I made vegetable stock with carrots, onions, and celery. I added blanched spiny-foot shrimp with the shells peeled. I melted butter in a pan, added chopped shallots and shrimp, and sautéed them. Then I poured in white wine and vegetable stock and deglazed them.

The liver was seasoned with salt, pepper, and several spices: cumin, turmeric, parsley, and fenugreek.”

Niam couldn’t help but be astonished at Jehee’s ability to accurately dismantle the recipe for a dish he had made. ‘Is this a genius? Is this the kind of person who becomes a sous chef at a Michelin three-star restaurant before he turns thirty?’ Niam opened her eyes wide and stared blankly at Jehee.

“It’s tasty. It’s basically sensible. The acidity of lemon, the softness of white wine, and the flavor of blended curry and parsley are all well combined.”

“Thank you, Chef.”

“Isn’t that a compliment? The shrimp died because of that. If you boil shrimp once, the flavor dies. Learn how to boil them so that the flavor doesn’t disappear.

And where did you throw the shrimp guts and heads? Don’t you know that shrimp flavor is concentrated there? You should have used a blender or found another way to bring out more shrimp flavor. If you had, the dish would have been twice as good.”

Without realizing it, Niamh took out his notebook and began writing down the sous chef’s comments.

“But I’m looking forward to the future. Please continue to work hard and take care of me.”

Jehee pats Niamh’s shoulder and passes by.

“Yes, Chef.”

I came to my senses belatedly and answered. I don’t know why, but tears welled up in my eyes.

After finishing his meal, Niamh went out the back door, looked up at the sky, and sighed.

“Should we try a little more?”

He got up from his seat and headed to the kitchen.

* * *

“Okay, everyone. Now, you can add the last of the boiled noodles to the sauce and stir. You can see the emulsification reaction that occurs as the oil and water mix. This will create a very creamy aioli.”

Chef Ji-Hyung Wook makes pasta in front of the camera and starts eating with the panelists.

“Oh my! Chef, this is so delicious.”

The performer reacts excitedly.

“Thank you. Aglio Olio is a very simple pasta, but it is not as easy to make it taste good as you might think.”

He shows off his pride and elicits compliments from the panelists.

“Can I always eat such delicious pasta when I go to your restaurant?”

“Of course. Come anytime.”

“If you eat here, you can enjoy pasta that would make you envious of Chef Shin Je-hee. Everyone.”

“Cut! Thank you for your hard work.”

The director gives the okay sign.

“Ah! Director. Please edit out the part about Chef Shin Je-hee that was mentioned earlier. I was there, so talking about other chefs is a bit…”

Ji Hyeong-wook speaks with a troubled expression and an awkward tone.

“Don’t worry, Chef. I’m also incredibly good at keeping business ethics, so don’t worry.”

There have been more than one or two instances where he has aired a part that he asked to be edited out after saying something like that. Ji Hyeong-wook suppressed his boiling anger.

After the recording was over, he packed his cooking utensils and went into the waiting room, where he met Chef Shim Seon-chang, who was just coming out of filming in the studio next door.

“Huh? Seonchang, are you going back after filming too?”

“Yes, brother. Today, a home shopping channel asked me to bake some dumplings.”

He was a chef, but he was more passionate about broadcasting. As he appeared on TV, the restaurant’s reputation increased and he saw the sales increasing, he realized that this was his calling. Until the bomb exploded.

“Damn it. Why are the broadcasts like this these days?”

Ji Hyeong-wook roughly throws the towel away.

“Why are you like that?”

“Here’s Shin Je-hee, there’s Shin Je-hee. It’s not the first or second time that the atmosphere has become awkward because of that one guy.”

“I’m like that too. I live off of my experience in Dubai hotels and eat out, but people’s reactions are different than before. I wonder when everyone became interested in fine dining.”

A few years ago, there was a huge job advertisement in Dubai for kitchen staff. There were a lot of luxury hotels opening, but there were no people to work there.

As some of the chefs who entered the market first brought in their juniors, and these juniors in turn brought in their acquaintances, the kitchens of Dubai hotels began to be filled with Korean chefs, taking charge of one axis of the group.

And some of them returned to their home country and became chefs active in the broadcasting industry. They may have exaggerated their careers a bit in the process, but isn’t that something everyone does?

“Thanks to you, Brother Andrew is causing trouble here and there. He’s so dirty, I should just beat him up or something.”

However, if the show is not aired right away, the restaurant’s sales will be cut in half, so they have no choice but to try to please the producers and writers and appear in as many cuts as possible.

The thrill I get every time people recognize me on the street is what keeps me going.

“What’s so great about fine dining? When you actually go and eat at a Michelin-starred restaurant, it’s all just so-so.”

Shim Seon-chang grumbles.

“What I’m saying is, if people show it on TV, everyone will flock to it and praise it.”

“Is it true that Shin Je-hee is good at it? Didn’t she get into that restaurant after graduating from the CIA and through school ties and regional connections?”

“Isn’t this the case everywhere? You started as an intern? We could have done the same thing if we were in that position. We just didn’t do it because we had to make money.”

“What I’m saying is, the image making was done really well.”

“By the way, you went to Gourmet Road too, right? How was the atmosphere? Do you think you can secure a spot? If there’s a spot, please put me in.”

“I don’t know. This is my first time going out, so I don’t have time for that.”

“Is Jeong Su-jeong pretty?”

“I’ve never seen such a pretty person before. I thought she was an actress. I gave her my business card, so I hope she comes.”

“If you say you’re coming over for dinner, don’t forget to call me too. Got it?”

Park Ji-seok, who had just finished recording the program and was returning home, saw this and turned around with a blank laugh.

“Senior Jehee is a total public enemy. Should I at least tell you in advance?”

Even before returning to her country, Shin Je-hee had made quite a few enemies without even knowing it.

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