I Got the Almighty Tongue - Chapter 67



Only Noblemtl

Ceviche and Punghi Ripieni di Carne

[This kidney pie is something I made for my friends, so if it doesn’t taste good, please let me know. Shin Je-hee, [email protected]

]

I went to a new pub in Brooklyn and this was on the wall.

└Isn’t this person a MasterChef judge?

└That’s right. A person who throws up after eating that tasteless food.

└I saw you on the Tonight Show. Your absolute taste was amazing.

└Isn’t that an exaggeration?

└Absolutely not. You can watch the broadcast again, so watch it. An MIT professor came out and personally verified it.

└Why did this person put something like this up?

└A CIA colleague opened a pub and I think he gave it to me as a gift.

└Has anyone tried this?

└Go out to eat on the weekend.

└I went to try it. My preconceptions about kidney pie were shattered. It was really delicious. They told me to pour cream on it and eat it, and I thought this was a real British pie.

└That’s not a British pie. It’s a pie made by Shin Je-hee. British pie is a taste that you’ll never want to go back to after one bite.

└The funny thing is, while you’re eating, you hear British accents here and there. I guess it’s because this is a British pub. The owner is also British.

└Has anyone sent an email?

When I logged onto Facebook, it seemed like my notes were spread all over the place. Is this the life of a Facebook star?

But I don’t even have a Facebook ID yet. Facebook is a dying sun anyway.

Still, I’m glad that there aren’t any comments saying it’s not tasty. David and Anna can now get married with peace of mind.

Ring ring ring

“hello?”

-I wonder what you did after you retired, and you were hanging out with some British guys?

I officially retired a few days ago.

“Haha. Hi, Romeo. A friend of mine from the CIA opened a pub and I helped him out a little.”

-Yeah, good job. People like us don’t have time, so relationships aren’t easy. Look around and see if there’s even one real friend among the famous chefs around you. I don’t think there is. Including me, of course.

“I will be careful.”

-But you contacted me again, even though I retired! Hurry up and hire an agent.

“What kind of contact is this?”

– Food & Wine wants to publish your kidney pie recipe in their magazine. They’re doing a project to publish must-have recipes for the 21st century, and it looks like it’s going to be published there. They asked for my contact information, so I gave them my number, and they’ll be calling you soon.

“Okay, thank you.”

I’m surprised they thought my kidney pie recipe was worth preserving. I guess we’ll find out when we meet and talk.

I searched the Korean portal to see if there was anything else.

[Chef Shin Je-hee introduces Korean food in the heart of New York.]

[The globalization of Korean food is now gradually achieving results.]

[Interview with Director Lee Byeong-min, Bringing Korean Food to the World – There were hardships and adversities, but we made it in the end.]

[Why did an Italian chef grill pork belly in New York?]

The foundation called in reporters during the convention and quite a few articles came out. I clicked on one.

[There was a heated off-site competition at the World Study Abroad Fair held in New York last weekend. With over 200,000 people flocking to the two-day event, Korea took first place in the food festival with participants from 15 countries around the world.

This year’s Korean food booth, hosted by the ‘Korean Food to the World’ foundation, invited world-class chef Shin Je-hee to present samgyeopsal cabbage rolls and bulgogi bibimbap to visitors.

The response was explosive. In a two-day weekend vote, Korea beat out Thailand and France to take first place.

It was an event where one could experience the gradually rising status of Korean food.

└Why was Shin Je-hee called to some Korean food event?

└It’s obvious. He was drafted because he was doing an event. He’s not even a soldier, so it’s too much.

└Looking at the picture makes me really want to eat the food.

└It’s awesome. Doesn’t Shin Je-hee not know much about Korean food?

└If you’re good at one thing, you’ll be good at everything else. If you’re good at basketball, you’ll be good at football and baseball, too.

└Those who are good at math are also good at Korean and English.

└I heard they’re filming MasterChef this time. Have you seen the video?

└I was so nervous. I almost got nervous when the three judges came out at the end.

└When did you get so high level?

└It’s not that the level has increased, but the position has become unique.

└So when will the restaurant open in Korea!!

The photo of the pork belly cabbage roll and bibimbap looks delicious, as if it was taken with a good camera. The blonde beauty is happily eating bibimbap. The black youth and the Latin beauty are smiling and feeding each other the cabbage roll.

I need to sign a management contract quickly. The rejection of event invitations should be done by professionals.

* * *

I came back to Korea after two months. Joohee is so tired from the long flight that she can’t even open her eyes properly.

“Brother. Now let’s buy a car in Korea too.”

“Later. It’s okay since you can just drive around in Joohee’s car. I won’t be coming in often.”

“I wish I could buy one though. It’s such an old car, I feel bad for my brother.”

I guess she hates seeing me driving around in her old BMW. It shouldn’t be hard, I’ll just buy her the model she wants.

“Okay, let’s do that.”

I thought we had broken up, but Joohee went home to say hello and came back to my house. But she still hadn’t unpacked her suitcase.

“Stay here?”

“Yeah. Mom told me to do that too.”

Now he is treated as a complete son-in-law.

“What about father?”

“I don’t know. But that’s okay. I always beat my father.”

“Who can beat you in your house?”

I lightly grabbed Joohee’s cheek.

“I don’t know. I don’t want to be like that in Korea either, let alone in the US these days.”

“Me too. I’m worried about the aftermath, but it’s good to see you here.”

“Let’s go first. I don’t like the car. I’ll buy you one.”

I never thought I’d hear lines like this in my life.

“I will live the way you want.”

“I always get what I deserve. I want to do something for myself. This is the money I earned. I’m getting paid a salary from my company and my stock investments are going well.”

I advised Joohee that if she was going to invest, she should focus on big tech. She seems to have made a lot of money, so I wouldn’t mind getting a car or two.

“Okay, I got it. But it’s inconvenient to park a car that’s too big in Korea, so something moderate.”

“okay.”

We went to Dosan-daero and looked at what cars were available for immediate delivery. Porsche had just released the second generation of the Cayenne, and they said there was a car available for immediate delivery, so we paid an additional fee and signed a contract. We registered the car on the spot, got insurance, and drove the car out. In Korea, if you pay money, you can get a service that is on a whole other level than in the US.

* * *

It’s time to think about the menu. This is my first time preparing a banquet since graduating from the CIA. So I asked David, who has prepared many banquets at hotels, for some advice.

I need to create a course that can be prepared in large quantities without compromising on taste.

It is rare for someone to come to a wedding reception and eat a lot and leave. It is reasonable to have a four-course meal consisting of an appetizer, fish, main course, and dessert.

For an appetizer, I plan to serve Funghi ripieni di carne. It is a dish made by cutting off the bottom of shiitake or oyster mushrooms, stuffing them with various ingredients, and baking them in the oven. The combination of meat and mushrooms is always a good one, and this dish, with goat cheese, onion, parsley, and garlic, will be a great appetizer.

For the fish dish, I am thinking of Ceviche, which is themed with primary colors to convey the meaning of celebration.

The main dish is, of course, the most satisfying when using Korean beef. I should prepare tender sirloin steak. For dessert, I called over Lee Ji-hye, who I had a previous relationship with.

I tried making a course meal at home for practice and asked Joohee to try it.

“how is it?”

Joohee, who tasted all the food, gave it a thumbs up.

“Who would think that this kind of course would be shown at a wedding? It’s ridiculous.”

“The guests have tasted many delicious dishes. And they already know that I cook.”

My sister must have been excited about her upcoming wedding, so she bragged to her friends that I would cook for her wedding. If she’s bragging like that, she can do it. What else could I possibly do?

“Everyone will be satisfied. Don’t worry.”

It’s unfortunate that I can’t serve pasta because I have to prepare a meal for 300 people, but it can’t be helped. I still lack the experience to prepare a large quantity of pasta while maintaining quality.

I gathered the kitchen staff the day before the wedding, explained the menu, and told each person what to do. In this unfamiliar kitchen environment, clear and concise instructions are essential.

The day of the wedding came and I put on the suit and shoes that Minhyuk had given me as a gift.

“Wow! This is really cool. I guess my second oldest brother chose it well.”

Joohee exclaimed, “I like how you look in a suit,” and then she took out her phone and took a picture.

“It was a bit of a hassle to measure the size, but the fit is definitely different. I like the fabric too.”

“It’s a shame that I have to change into chef’s clothes.”

After arriving at the hotel, I greeted Min-hyeok who was standing in front of the wedding hall and went to the bridal waiting room to see my sister.

There was my sister. She was wearing a wedding dress, sitting carefully on a chair, smiling brightly. Next to her, Soo-min was stroking her hair.

“Brother. We should go and say hello too.”

“No. Let’s stay like this for a little longer.”

I watched them for a while, then took out my phone and took a picture of them.

* * *

Started preparing the meal.

Mince the beef. Then add anchovies, salt, pepper, and garlic and fry until the meat is completely dry. Cut off the bottom of the shiitake mushrooms and fill them with the fried beef, chopped onions, and celery. Sprinkle goat cheese and truffle powder on top and finish in the oven. Pungi Ripieni di Carne is a universal favorite. It is the perfect starter.

Japanese chefs dismantle and slice the sea bream and halibut. I marinate them in Italian white wine vinegar. Ceviche has a special sauce called leche de tigre (tiger’s milk). The sea bream bones are boiled to make stock, and onions, celery, lime, cilantro, garlic, chili peppers, and ginger are ground into it.

Remove the sashimi from the vinegar, remove the moisture, and plate it in a bowl. Using a mold, stack the sashimi in a circle in the center of the bowl and decorate with peaches and avocados on the side. Pour the leche de tigre into the bowl and decorate with green clovers and cherry blossoms, which symbolize good luck. Blend the grapefruit and pomegranate to give the sauce a red accent, and a colorful and beautiful celebratory dish is complete.

For the sirloin steak, we chose confit that can be cooked in large quantities.

Pour olive oil into a large fryer, season with garlic and various herbs, add meat, and sear it in advance. When an order comes in, it can be seared and taken out within 2 minutes.

Since there are no carbs in the diet, I prepared mashed potatoes and butternut squash as garnish.

“Wisdom, is dessert ready?”

“Yes. As you said, I have prepared two items: chocolate cake and strawberry mousse. We can go out at any time.”

I tasted two desserts with a fork. As expected, Lee Ji-hye’s skills are excellent. It’s a shame that she is reluctant to work in the US because she can’t speak English.

People are flocking in after the wedding. We are not taking orders today. There is only one menu.

“Okay! Let’s go on the course. Let’s focus.”

“Yes, Chef!”

The staff dispatched from the hotel restaurant move in unison. There are no difficult dishes today, so perfection is important.

I inspected each dish that went out to make sure there was nothing wrong and sent back any food that had a mistake. You might wonder why I would do this at a banquet, but my pride would not allow me to send out food that was below standard.

The plates come back. Most of them are empty. Ceviche is a raw fish dish that may be a little unpopular overseas, but it is perfect for the tastes of Koreans who enjoy raw fish.

“Chef! Can I have some more ceviche?”

“Tell them that it won’t work if you just prepare the quantity. Politely.”

If you start to give convenience to one or two people, the crowd mentality can lead to people around you demanding the same thing. If that happens, the course will be twisted.

The course is going crazy. Today, we decided to clear the soju and beer off the table and serve only wine. The servers are going around pouring me the two types of white wine and red wine that I chose.

The hall staff pushes empty plates on trays. It’s a battlefield. People are laughing and chatting and enjoying their food.

Sister Soo-hyun and brother Min-hyeok came out in suits and dresses and greeted the guests. I prepared sandwiches that the two of them could eat easily. It is difficult to prepare a meal on the day of the wedding.

Lee Ji-hye spreads butter on a toasted baguette and tops it with goat cheese. She adds ham, avocado, truffle mayonnaise, chorizo, lettuce, and olives to create a balanced, high-calorie sandwich.

The guests are starting to leave little by little. While I was cleaning up the kitchen, two people came over to say hello.

“Mr. Jehee, thank you so much. The guests often complimented the food on its deliciousness.”

My sister smiles brightly and thanks me.

“Brother-in-law, thank you so much. My friends are getting married soon too, and they’re asking me to introduce them to them.”

“I’m glad you all enjoyed it. I worked hard to prepare it.”

“Usually everyone just has a casual meal at a wedding, but today was different. There was a rumor that a new chef would be cooking, but the food was so delicious that everyone just ate without even greeting us.”

Sure enough, the plates came back mostly empty.

“I’m really happy that you two are getting married. I feel the same way.”

“That ceviche was really a celebratory dish, wasn’t it? It was so pretty.”

My sister laughs and giggles.

“Oh! You haven’t eaten yet? I made you a sandwich. You can eat it later in the car or at the hotel.”

I handed him the sandwich I had neatly packed in a box.

“You were such a delicate man? I was just hungry, so thank you.”

“Mr. Jehee, I sent the thank you gift to New York. Please open it when it arrives.”

Before leaving, my sister looks at me and smiles meaningfully. What did she send? She still has the personality of not liking being in debt.

I feel like I’ve finished my pending homework.

Joohee left first because she had a family gathering.

I drove out of the hotel alone. I was driving down the road when I stopped at a traffic light. I stopped the car and looked to the side, and saw the news on an outdoor LED billboard.

[Royal Construction CEO Choi Seong-jin, arrest warrant requested on charges of embezzlement and breach of trust]

“Kekekeke.”

Laughter leaks out. The signal has changed.

Boohoo

I stepped on the accelerator of my freshly released Cayenne.

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