I Got the Almighty Tongue - Chapter 44



Only Noblemtl

Rumors

[Robberyströmming]

Ding dong deng

“That’s right. It’s Surströmming, a Swedish pickled herring. You all probably know it. It’s been voted the world’s stinkiest food several times.”

Billy takes the opener and opens the can. Then, a terrible smell suddenly fills the studio. Everyone in the audience holds their noses and makes a scene. Honestly, I don’t think it’s that bad, but it’s fun to watch on TV because the reactions are good.

“Everyone, I have some news for you today. It’s been three years since we started this program, and today we have our first contestant who got the first two questions right. Please give us a round of applause.”

The audience and performers all applauded. Fearing that the mood would be ruined, I held my nose and made a nasal noise to receive the greeting.

“The instructor is Hammi.”

Everyone bursts into laughter. Fortunately, it avoided becoming a screen.

“Now, here comes the last dish of the day. Since you’ve had your meal, you should have dessert, right? It’s a chocolate cake made with Belgian chocolate, Danish milk, and French flour. Just so you know?”

Billy smiles sinisterly. The servers bring out the dessert plates. It looks like a normal cake. But I sensed something off from the smell.

“I really don’t like eating this. It’s a smell I really hate.”

The cake smells like bad protein. I guess the price for having a delicate palate is that I have a low tolerance for bad food. It feels like my body is rejecting the wrong food.

“Me too. What is this strange smell?”

Jennifer also has an uneasy expression on her face.

“Come on. Everyone, since we’re going to eat it anyway, it would be better to taste it quickly.”

Jimmy eats the cake first. He chews it once, twice, then gulps it down and drinks the water.

“Look. It’s surprisingly edible.”

I couldn’t help but cut a small piece of cake and taste it. Jennifer also ate it with a sad face.

“It’s not as bad as I thought. The chocolate flavor is so strong that it overpowers the other flavors.”

I rinsed my mouth with water after eating the cake. Protein in cake is definitely an odd combination. But what was even stranger was the unfamiliar taste. It was a protein I had never tasted before.

“Jennifer. Do you know what’s inside?”

Billy asks.

“It tastes a bit rich. It doesn’t taste like chocolate cake.”

“Okay! Now, let’s all write down the answers we think of.”

Jimmy takes out his sketchbook and starts writing down his answers. At that moment, everyone in the audience covers their mouths and looks surprised. It seems like the answer has been revealed.

“Okay. Let’s start with Jennifer. Please hold up your sketchbook.”

[Animal blood]

Ding

“You were wrong. Why did you think it was blood?”

“The cake tasted like protein. I could tell because I eat mostly protein and exercise. It wasn’t like protein powder, but more of a primal taste, like meat or blood.”

“How did you write it, Jimmy? One, two, three!”

[biltong]

“I had a similar thought. Maybe they ground up some beef jerky and added it?”

Ding

“You were wrong. Now, lastly, Chef Shin Je-hee. Please listen!”

[Fried insects]

Ding

“It’s not specific enough. I’ve contacted the production team and they asked me to give them a chance to give a more specific answer.”

Insects are right.

When I tasted it, it tasted like condensed protein. It had a rich, high-protein flavor and ingredients that I couldn’t easily predict. It also had something similar to the pupae I ate as a child.

If you combine the clues, the only answer is insects. But the problem is that I have never eaten insects. In the end, I have to choose one, so let’s choose the insects that are most familiar to Americans. I wrote down the answer again.

[Fried Grasshoppers]

Ding dong dang

“That’s correct. More precisely, it’s a Ground Grasshopper. No, how on earth did you get this right?”

Billy asks me in surprise.

“The other two people seemed to have tasted the taste of protein. That’s easy. I’ve tasted many kinds of protein due to the nature of my job. But I’ve never tasted anything like this. It’s definitely a very rich, high-protein food. From here on out, it’s a matter of conjecture. Besides, fried larvae are a pretty popular snack in Korea.”

I shrug my shoulders and pretend I just got lucky.

“I thought that if I grind it and put it in a cake, no one would know, but it has an unbelievable taste.

Insects are also eaten in Mexico and the United States, and are a common food in China and Southeast Asia. They contain more than twice as much protein per pound as beef or pork. They are worth studying as a future food.”

There may come a day when we will have to eat insects when there is nothing else to eat in the future, but I am skeptical about this.

Visual and olfactory appeal are very important elements of food. Even if it is delicious and nutritious, it is difficult to become a popular food just by that.

Then Billy looked at the production crew.

“What? Really?”

It’s a form of communication. Live shows in the US are full of these kinds of unexpected situations.

I remember in the past, Johnny Yoon became a hot topic on a talk show by showing off his eloquence and filling the empty spot when the next guest skipped the show. This is an episode that happened before I was born, but it is one that all Koreans of my generation know.

“The production team is telling Chef Shin Je-hee that they will serve one more dish. It seems that Chef Shin’s pride is hurt because she got all the questions right. Now! Bring me the food. Jimmy and Jennifer, please taste it too. Now that the meal is over, they are going to serve drinks.”

Three servers brought us pink drinks in tall glasses.

“A cocktail made with organic strawberries, pomegranates, bananas from Brazil, and coconut cream from Thailand, this is the Gold Medalist. Isn’t the color beautiful? But there’s a hidden ingredient here too. Now! Try it and write down the answer.”

I thought it was a bit too obvious since it was supposed to be three courses. Is it because he somehow has to see me make a mistake to feel better?

“It tastes not bad. It’s a little different from the regular gold medalist, but it’s still edible.”

Jennifer takes a sip, tilts her head, and takes another sip.

“It’s a shame it’s non-alcoholic. It’s a chance to have a drink under the pretext of being on air. I’d like something like a pina colada.”

Jimmy also seems to be thinking about alcohol when he drinks cocktails. He used to be an alcoholic. If he served alcohol on air, it would obviously be met with protests from viewers.

“Now, please write down the correct answers. Starting with Jennifer.”

[ketchup]

Ding

“Wrong. Did it taste like ketchup?”

“It tasted like something I would get when I eat tomato sauce. Too bad it wasn’t like that.”

Jennifer sighs. She really wanted to get it right today.

“Okay, now it’s Jimmy’s turn. Please listen.”

[Wasabi]

“I was thinking of sushi. I think they grated the wasabi from sushi and added it to it.”

Ding

“Wrong. Will I be able to get it right this time? Chef Shin Je-hee, please listen.”

[soy sauce]

Ding dong dang

“Wow! This is amazing. It contains clear soy sauce produced in Japan. It doesn’t affect the color of the cocktail. It was a trick of the production team, but they got it right. What’s the secret?”

“Soy sauce is rich in amino acids. As an Italian chef, I have used tomatoes more than anyone else. Tomatoes are also rich in amino acids. That’s why Jennifer confused the taste.”

“Does the taste differ depending on the ingredients even if they have the same ingredients?”

“That’s understandable. Jimmy probably confused the taste of soy sauce with the sushi.”

“Ah! Now that I think about it, I was wondering why I was thinking about sushi. I feel relieved after hearing what Jaehee said.”

“I never thought I would see the production team lose. A chef with truly amazing taste appeared today. Please give everyone a round of applause.”

The audience cheers loudly. America is crazy about these talent shows. I have a feeling that what I was worried about is about to happen. I will become famous not as a chef but as an eccentric person. That is something I must avoid.

“Thank you for inviting me today. I had a great time. If you have time, please stop by our restaurant.”

Let’s make a joke and everyone laughs.

After the broadcast ended and I was about to leave, Jimmy and Jennifer called me aside.

“Jehee, thank you for coming on today. Thanks to you, I was able to give the Tonight Show a shot.”

“That’s a bit uncomfortable to hear. It makes us sound like some kind of villain.”

“Huh! Feeding insects? If not a villain, then what?”

Jennifer opens her eyes wide and looks at Jimmy.

“Chef Shin. I heard that today’s broadcast had good ratings. Can I invite you again next time?”

This must have been the main point. Whether it’s the US or Korea, broadcasters will do anything if it gets good ratings and becomes a hot topic.

“It’s okay for me to appear in the media as a chef, but I would like to refrain from being consumed as a mere sensation. If this continues, no one will remember that I’m a chef. I’ll just be an eccentric person.”

I told him honestly what I was worried about.

“I understand what you are worried about. I will take that into consideration when recruiting. Please do.”

I haven’t made a definite answer about my next appearance. I plan to carefully consider it and make a decision when I receive an appearance request.

Maybe because it was a live broadcast, when I came out of the broadcasting station and turned on my iPhone, there were a ton of messages and missed calls. I got calls from not only Romeo and Nicole, but also my colleagues and juniors from the CIA, regulars at the restaurant, and Rachel.

“As expected, the buzz on television is incomparable to that of magazines.”

I called Joohee.

“Did you watch TV?”

-Yeah. Oppa, you came out really cool. I watch the Tonight Show sometimes, and I never thought you’d be on it. You’re going to be famous now. No. Are you already famous?

“I was worried that I might feed it something weird, but it wasn’t as bad as I thought.”

-There’s chaos on Facebook and Twitter right now.

“why?”

-People are fighting. I think there are quite a few reactions of disbelief.

“Just leave it alone. After a few days, no one will care.”

But two days later, the topic was still trending on Twitter and Facebook, and it was even in the newspapers. And then I got a text from Jimmy asking me to contact him urgently.

“Hello, Jimmy. What’s up?”

-Haa. I’m not okay. I’m in big trouble.

“What’s the big deal?”

Jimmy’s voice is excited as he talks on the phone. He’s trying to hold it in even though he’s dying of excitement.

– An MIT professor was interviewed. He said that it is impossible to find out the soy sauce flavor mixed in the gold medalist by using amino acid hints due to the structure of our taste receptors. He said that manipulation is suspected.

“yes?”

oh my god.

Something that was once thought of as fun has now actually happened in real life. Jimmy must have been excited at the thought of boosting viewership with a follow-up broadcast.

────────────────────────────────────

────────────────────────────────────