I Got the Almighty Tongue - Chapter 74



Only Noblemtl

Master Chef US Episode 2

Dingdong

“You’re late!”

Ye-yoon sees Soo-jeong and cries out in dismay.

“I couldn’t help it. My schedule is finally over.”

Soo-Jung takes off her mask and sunglasses, seeming tired.

“Is the broadcast over?”

“No, it’s the middle now. Dominic and Ella have passed.”

“Really? I need to watch Ella, but I’m screwed. I’ll have to watch it on reruns.”

“Isn’t Raewon really handsome?”

Ye-yoon says while looking at Leon who is cooking on the screen.

After the last broadcast, Ye-yoon became a fan of Leon. Thanks to Leon’s videos being edited and spread throughout the community, Leon’s popularity is skyrocketing in Korea.

“There’s definitely something about her that triggers her maternal instinct. And maybe it’s because she’s still young? She doesn’t know how to dress up well.”

“If I had a gem like that, I would raise it well and make it great.”

“There are hundreds of thousands of guys who like you. Why don’t you choose one of them?”

“No. I want to date someone who doesn’t know me. I’m too tired of showing myself as a celebrity.”

“I understand too.”

“Let’s watch TV. Concentrate.”

[Many contestants left the kitchen.]

The screen changes to a man being judged in the Master Chef kitchen.

“We want to see what you cook, not what you burn.”

Gordon looks at him with a cold expression.

The screen switches again.

“We’re currently holding auditions to find America’s first MasterChef, and one thing’s for sure: it’s not you.”

At Joe’s words, a female contestant leaves the kitchen with tears in her eyes.

A contestant is looking at Jehee. Jehee tastes the food he brought with a thoughtful face. Then, he runs to the trash can, opens the lid, and spits out the food.

“Damn, Emma! Pork belly with mayonnaise and gravy! Even the inmates at Alcatraz had better food than this.”

[Opening the mystery box, the time given to them is only 5 minutes, and the penalty of only being able to choose the desired ingredient once. This mission pushes the participants to the limit.]

The camera focuses on one contestant cooking.

“Oh, fu*k! What the hell.”

[What happened to this contestant?]

The camera pans to a contestant who, unable to contain his anger, throws the ingredients he brought onto the floor.

And then the screen switches and he’s sitting on a chair.

[Lucas Perez]

“Mission? It’s totally crazy. I opened the mystery box and there was Fork Valley. For a moment, my mind went blank. I couldn’t think of what to cook. But time passed by..”

Lucas sighs.

“I finally decided to cook the dish I often made for my friends. But while I was cooking, I realized that I had not brought enough of the ingredients I wanted. I panicked for a moment and couldn’t control my actions. It was so immature.”

Lucas looks at the camera.

“But I have to do something to make it work, that’s what Master Chef is all about. I just did the best I could at that moment.”

Lucas walks towards the judges, holding his plate.

“What kind of food is it?”

“Honey Butter Garlic Pork Belly.”

“Just hearing it makes it sound like an over-the-top dish.”

Gordon looks at Lucas and says. Lucas shrugs. His expression is confident.

Three judges look closely at Lucas’ dish.

The cube-shaped pork belly is coated with honey and butter, giving it a subtle glow. The meat, which has been seared to a moderate degree and has a brownish color, looks delicious.

“I cut the pork belly into cubes and seared it in a pan. Then I made a sauce by adding butter to the remaining oil, honey, minced garlic, and various herbs such as thyme and cinnamon. I spread that on and finished it in the oven.”

Jehee tastes and analyzes the food.

“At first glance, it looks like they just threw in whatever, but it tastes good.”

Joe says while eating meat.

“It’s a flavor that women would like. It’s not my style, but I liked the sweet and salty taste. The herb flavor that you can taste after you finish eating also helps to suppress the richness of the dish. It’s well made.”

Lucas cheers as Gordon passes.

[Even in the harshest of environments, contestants do their best to prepare food in order to survive.]

Leon is shown chopping vegetables and cutting pork belly with a knife.

The screen changes. Leon is being interviewed.

“A mission? It was too harsh. We are just amateur chefs.”

Leon chuckles, remembering that time.

“While I was cooking, I looked around and everyone was out of their minds. There was even a contestant who cried during the cooking. The food didn’t turn out the way they had imagined.

“Even the contestants who chose to cook simple dishes by cheating were eliminated. The judges couldn’t have ignored such shallow ideas. I just did the best I could.”

The screen changes. Leon is standing before the judges.

“What is this dish, Leon?”

“You’ll know once you try it.”

The judges were presented with a jambalaya and pork chop. The judges took a bite of the jambalaya and then tasted the pork chop again.

“This pork chop is quite unique. Is it a Korean-style meat dish?”

Joe looks at Jehee.

“There is a pork dish in Korea called Jeyukbokkeum. It looks similar at first glance, but it is completely different. Jeyukbokkeum is made by cutting the meat beforehand and then frying it, so it loses moisture.

But this dish is moist on the inside. It was probably finished in the oven. And the sauce is unique. It’s made with gochujang, yogurt, parsley, oregano, thyme, garlic, cilantro, and a squeeze of lime juice.

At this point, it would be correct to say that it is a Cajun style with a bit of Korean elements added.

“It’s definitely delicious. The meat is tender and moist. And the seasoning is addictive. You can’t stop eating it.”

Jehee eats Leon’s cooking over and over again to see if it’s delicious.

“How did you get it done in such a short amount of time?”

Gordon questions.

“The problem is that when you cut it and bake it in a pan or put it in the oven, the meat loses most of its moisture. But if you put it in whole, you have to raise the temperature, and the outside gets burnt. So I mixed spices with a large amount of yogurt. I rubbed it on the meat and baked it in the oven at a high temperature. I added enough water to the bottom of the oven to create steam.”

“Oh my goodness, they designed it so that braising would happen artificially. Have you ever cooked something like this?”

Joe looks at Leon in surprise.

“No, but I’m an engineer. I just thought about how to cook meat efficiently. I thought about New Orleans style, which I like, and Korean gochujang. Gochujang goes really well with pork.”

Leon looks at the camera and smiles innocently.

“A smart cook always succeeds. I enjoyed the meal. I also liked the dish served with jambalaya. They go well together.”

“thank you.”

Leon receives the pass sign and heads up to the second floor. Tension rises among the contestants who have not yet reached the second floor.

The camera pans to the second floor. There, about a dozen participants are leaning their arms on the railing and looking down. Some look worried, some look relieved. Then, one participant confidently walks forward.

[Colin Powell]

“I don’t care what kind of mission I get. I’m confident I can cook any dish well. Pork belly is a food that Mexicans often eat. No problem.”

Colin places his plate of food on the table, and the judges’ eyes widen.

“Colin, what the heck is this?”

“It’s pork belly sticks.”

“We know that. It’s definitely pork belly and it’s clearly a stick shape.”

Joe frowns.

In front of them was a long stick of pork belly fried in oil. The meat and fat were fried in oil and contracted, forming a crescent-shaped curve. The brown, golden-fried pork belly evoked a strange sense of oppression.

“Try it without any preconceptions. Of course, it’s not the same. You have to eat it with guacamole.”

Colin smiles at the judges.

“It looks similar to Spain’s Torrezno, but thicker. I’m a bit confused, but I’ll give it a try.”

Joe picks up a pork belly stick, dips it in guacamole, and puts it in his mouth. The moment you do, you can hear a crunching sound as you chew on the crispy pork belly.

“Holy moly!”

“Wow! I never even thought of a dish like this.”

“This is groundbreaking. This dish is crazy.”

“The pork belly is infused with herbal flavor. I seasoned the pork belly in advance. Then I added bay leaves and pepper and boiled it once. Then I removed the moisture and fried it whole in oil. Oh my god. Who said to fry pork belly whole? I want to make it absolutely illegal to do this.”

Jehee shakes his head.

“The guacamole is delicious. Well made. Avocado, lime, shallots, parsley, cilantro?”

Gordon scoops up some guacamole and takes another taste.

“They also mixed in a little mayonnaise. They boiled the oily pork belly once and then fried it, but the fat layer was fried until it was crispy, so it wasn’t as greasy as I thought. And it was delicious when eaten with refreshing guacamole.”

Jehee also dips the pork belly sticks in guacamole and eats them, making slurping sounds.

“Damn. I’m going to end up in the hospital after eating this twice. But it sure is delicious.”

“How did you come to make something like this, Colin?”

“In Mexico and South America, they eat like this. My friends don’t care about health and just eat whatever they want. Samgyeopsal is delicious. If you fry something delicious, it becomes even more delicious. I just cooked it with a simple mindset.”

Colin explains with a cheerful smile.

“Guacamole is usually served with totopo, a deep-fried corn tortilla. But it also goes well with pork belly. I wouldn’t recommend it, but it’s good enough to get a pass.”

Jehee gives Colin the pass sign.

“thank you.”

The screen changes. Colin goes up to the waiting room on the second floor. The contestants who had already come up look at Colin with sharp eyes.

“You passed too, sir?”

Dominic looks at Colin and says something provocative.

“I won’t fall before you, Kid.”

As the contestants keep each other in check, the number of contestants remaining in the Master Chef Kitchen has also decreased significantly.

The screen changes and a white man sits on a chair. His hair is neatly combed with pomade and he is wearing a smart suit, giving off an intellectual vibe.

[Michael Bailey]

“I have a dream about cooking. Being an elite has nothing to do with this dream. Yes, that’s right. I graduated from Princeton and I’m currently working in San Francisco. One day, I’m going to open a restaurant that will conquer the place.

“Mission?”

Michael taps his head with his index finger.

“It’s all about calculations. You just have to run a simulation in your head. Then, you just have to choose the right materials for the process, so it’s not difficult.”

[Can Michael deliver a dish that will wow the judges as he boasts?]

The camera shows Michael confidently walking towards the judges, holding his plate.

“Michael. What kind of food did you prepare?”

Gordon looks at him and asks.

“This is pork belly braised in tomato sauce.”

The camera pans over Michael’s cooking. A plate is covered in tomato sauce, and a whole pork belly is on top of it. The surface of the pork belly is shiny, as if it has been grilled with sauce on it.

Michael finishes by sprinkling chopped parsley over the dish. The red tomato sauce, well-cooked meat, and green parsley create a luxurious dish that looks like something straight out of a fine dining restaurant.

“It looks good. It must taste good, right?”

“Try it. I’m confident.”

Cho cuts the pork belly with a knife and tastes it with the sauce.

“It’s delicious. I first seared the pork belly, then placed tomato sauce in an oven dish and braised it on top. As it cooked in the oven, the flavor of the tomato sauce permeated the meat well. It’s moist and full of flavor.”

“This looks like it was made by a professional. It was really well made. It was a great dish.”

“Thank you, Chef.”

Michael thanks Gordon.

But the camera focuses on Jehee, who has a serious expression on her face. Jehee tilts her head and takes another bite of the sauce with her fork. Then she glares at Michael and says,

“Michael. Are you sure you made this dish using only ingredients you got from your own pantry?”

Suddenly, music that fits a suspense movie starts playing. Then, the camera crosses between Michael with his eyes wavering and Jaehee looking at him with a cold face. And then the subtitles appear.

[To be continued next week]

“Ah! What the heck, really!”

“What are you going to do if I cut it off here!”

Sujeong and Yeyoon screamed.