I Got the Almighty Tongue - Chapter 72



Only Noblemtl

A slightly changed master chef

After the second preliminary round, the contestants were given two days to rest.

The contestants were all exhausted from traveling all the way to LA and going through the rigorous preliminaries. They happily stayed at the hotel provided by Master Chef to rest and relax.

Most of the participants spent time with their families or loved ones, but some stayed alone in their rooms or took quiet walks to think about the upcoming exams.

And today, after a sweet break, the main event began.

All 30 contestants who made it through the second round of the Master Chef Kitchen are gathered here. Some of them are already friends, joking around and laughing.

After some time, the broadcast staff begins to set up the cameras.

After a while the door opened and three judges came in.

“Congratulations on making it through the second round. You have now stood here after competing against thousands to one. I hope you will cook with the dreams of many people who desperately wanted to be there but could not. Please show a responsible attitude.”

Gordon takes the lead and gives his opening remarks.

“You are the pinnacle of amateur chefs in America. Please remember that our expectations are high for you.”

Joe looks around at the participants and says:

“We don’t want you to get eliminated without performing well. You will be given ample opportunity to show your skills. You will have absolutely no excuses.”

I looked around at the participants. They all looked excited. They were looking at us with eyes full of anticipation. As I looked at them, the faces of the trainees who had just started working at a fine dining restaurant overlapped with the faces of the participants. Most of them had completely different expressions in less than a week, so I wonder what they would be like.

The preliminary contestants finally get to have their own cooking stations. The Master Chef Kitchen only has enough cooking stations for 30 people. Everyone stands in their seats and waits for their mission.

“You have a mystery box in front of you. Inside it are the main ingredients that you will use today. You must create a dish based on those ingredients. You can freely choose any of the ingredients you need from the pantry.”

As soon as Gordon finished speaking, a heavy atmosphere filled the Master Chef kitchen. Everyone was looking at the box in front of them.

“After you open the box, we will give you 5 minutes. During that time, plan out your meal. You cannot talk to anyone. After 5 minutes, go to the pantry and select ingredients. Once you have selected an ingredient from the pantry and come back, you cannot go back. And you must use the ingredients you brought. We do not like improvisation. You must cook thoroughly according to the plan.”

Joe explains the rules.

“Of course, if you don’t need 5 minutes to come up with a recipe, you can go first and get the ingredients. Just keep in mind that you can only go to the pantry once. By the way, there is no set number of contestants who will be eliminated today. Anyone below the standard will have to go home.”

The participants flinch at my words.

“Now open the box.”

As Gordon finishes speaking, the participants open their boxes simultaneously.

“Shit.”

“What? It’s easy.”

“What do I do with this?”

“This is a mission for me.”

Joy and sorrow intersect among the participants.

Inside the mystery box was a whole pork belly measuring 30 centimeters wide, 20 centimeters long, and 5 centimeters thick.

“Pork belly is one of the most popular pork cuts in the world, but America is not making the most of this delicious cut.”

Joe is lucky.

“In America, we only consume this wonderful ingredient in two forms. You know the answer? Bacon and barbecue. In Pork Valley, there are so many more possibilities. There are so many different recipes in many countries. You can use them, or you can use your imagination and create your own. You can come up with a delicious pork belly dish in less than an hour.”

“Okay, let’s get started.”

As Gordon finished speaking, a countdown began on the LED screen. The timer was set to 5 minutes, of course. Time began to tick away. The participants’ worries also began. They could only go to the pantry once, so they had to first establish a solid image of the dish they were going to make.

After two minutes, a contestant walks into the pantry. She is Mei Lin, a Chinese female contestant.

There was a bit of internal controversy about this mission. Pork belly is an essential ingredient in China and many parts of Asia. So the argument that it was a mission that was advantageous to some participants was certainly persuasive. However, Gordon pushed ahead. He said he could not stand the American bacon and barbecue-oriented pork belly utilization. I agree.

Next, a contestant who has experience working at a Japanese restaurant walks to the pantry. Korea is a country that can’t be beat when it comes to samgyeopsal, but Leon still hasn’t moved. Slowly, the contestants move to the pantry one by one and start to gather ingredients. And five minutes have passed.

“Gordon, I’m really excited about this mission. Koreans love pork belly so much. Of course, I love it too.”

I have discovered an unexpected joy while being a judge. Sometimes there are contestants who cook in a way that I would never cook. They usually cook exotic and unique dishes, and I also learned a lot while being a judge.

“I wonder if it will work out as well as expected. I am very excited to see how many traps this mission will lead to.”

Gordon looks at the contestants and smiles evilly.

The contestants started cooking in earnest. Because of the one-hour time limit, there are restrictions on how to cook the pork belly. The whole thing cannot be baked in the oven. That was the intention from the beginning.

The contestants start cutting the pork belly. Correct. The smell of pork belly cooking fills the Master Chef kitchen.

In fact, the production team wanted a mission that was a little more mischievous and explicit.

I wanted to have entertainment elements, such as contestants nominating each other one-on-one and competing against each other, or stealing each other’s materials.

But I opposed it. The essence of this program is cooking. It is so unfair that the contestants disappear without being able to properly demonstrate their skills for ridiculous reasons.

This compromise method of making small concessions to each other is what makes up this mystery box mission.

“Now start cleaning up. You have 5 minutes left.”

As Gordon spoke, the participants’ hands began to get busy. We did not provide any help to the participants.

The Master Chef I saw in my previous life had a strong show business element. However, with my joining, the current Master Chef has transformed into a more professional cooking program. The ratings seem to be better than before, though.

“Time’s up!”

At Joe’s words, the participants stop their hands.

“Now everyone let go and each person brings out their dish.”

In this round, the judging will be done by having each person bring out their dish in a place where everyone can see. The contestants can all watch what kind of dishes they have made and what kind of comments they receive.

Mei Lin, who started cooking first, brings the plate.

“Can you explain the dish to me?”

Joe speaks to May.

“It’s pork belly simmered with soy sauce, wine, and various spices.”

May answers confidently. The thickly sliced ​​pork belly is coated in a caramel color and shines. It looks like she arranged the Dongpa pork in her own way.

“Let’s just taste it first.”

At Gordon’s words, we picked up our chopsticks together.

“The pork belly is cut and stir-fried, then the oil is drained and soy sauce, wine, sugar, pepper, star anise, ginger, and cloves are added and stir-fried again. Then, water is added and it is boiled.

“That’s smart cooking. I came up with a decent frozen pork recipe that can be made within a limited time.”

It’s a familiar taste, but it’s not a failure. It’s not the best dish, but it’s also a dish that never gets eliminated. May laughs brightly after hearing my comment, not knowing whether she knows what I’m thinking or not.

“It’s delicious. It tastes similar to Dongpo pork, but it’s also familiar. It must be because of the wine.”

Joe savors the taste of samgyeopsal while eating it.

“Basically, he has a good sense. Is it because he is familiar with the ingredients? Or is he good at cooking? We’ll find out when we see.”

Gordon also puts down his chopsticks with a satisfied expression.

The next contestant brought a dish. She was a black woman who introduced herself as a model living in LA. And I couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw the dish she brought.

“Carmela. Can you explain the dish to me?”

Joe looks at Carmela and says:

“This is Korean-style pork belly wrap. I live near Koreatown, so I’ve been eating it a lot since I was little. There’s no better way to eat pork belly.

“You can eat it by putting rice and pork belly on lettuce, adding various ingredients, and wrapping it together.”

Carmella looks at us with a charming smile and answers.

“Korean style pork belly! A classic in LA.”

Gordon takes the lettuce in his hand. He puts in rice, grilled pork belly, peppers, and garlic, and spreads ssamjang with his hands. A fairly large ssam is complete. Without hesitation, Gordon opens his mouth wide and puts the ssam in one bite. Joe and I also made ssam in the same way and tasted it.

“It’s delicious. The combination of crunchy lettuce and meat is great. Pork belly can be heavy because it has a lot of fat, but the rice and lettuce only bring out the goodness of the meat and offset the greasiness. The sauce goes well with it. Ssamjang is a fairly well-known sauce. It goes especially well with pork. It was delicious.”

Joe puts down his chopsticks after leaving a vague tasting comment.

“I had a good meal too. It felt like I was in LA’s Koreatown.”

With a short comment, Gordon also puts down his chopsticks. It seems that the villain role is mine. She has fallen into a trap. The problem is that the pork belly is too delicious on its own.

“Carmela. In LA, everyone knows that pork belly is delicious when it’s wrapped in lettuce and served with rice.

But where is your cooking here? Your skills? Your cooking philosophy? Even this wrap doesn’t satisfy me.

If you go to Koreatown right now and pick up a housewife on the street and ask her if she wants pork belly wrap for dinner, she’ll come up with a much more appetizing meal, complete with a variety of side dishes.

There are many ways to enjoy samgyeopsal. You can grill kimchi, and it goes well with various side dishes such as green onions or radish salad. There are even many cases where you can use sauces other than ssamjang.

What did Carmela do during the hour given to her? Did she cut meat, grill it, and cook rice? You have no idea what the purpose of your presence here is.

“Please pack your bags and leave the kitchen.”

“Oh… no.”

At my words, Carmela looks incredulous and starts crying. Finally, she starts sobbing and leaves the kitchen with steps dripping with regret. The atmosphere among the contestants becomes cold. The reactions are also varied, such as a contestant who is thinking deeply about something and a contestant who is staring intently at his own cooking. However, the audition continues.

“Now our hope is finally coming.”

When I turned my head at Gordon’s words, I saw Ella with an unusually confident expression on her face. Then, she slowly walked toward me, holding a plate.