I Got the Almighty Tongue - Chapter 77



Only Noblemtl

Super Team

There is a reason why the Italian people are so furious.

A few years ago, the New York Times ran an article suggesting that pasta was contributing to obesity in Americans by encouraging excessive carbohydrate intake.

In response, La Repubblica, one of Italy’s most influential dailies, ran an article on its front page titled, “It is absurd to make such a claim in a country that enjoys such low-quality food as fast food.”

And on TV, all day long, there were famous nutritionists and philosophers explaining how absurd the American claims were. Of course, in America, no one even pretended to listen.

That’s not all.

After McDonald’s entered Italy, there was a precedent where the advertisements they aired on TV got on the Italians’ nerves.

The commercial features a little boy pestering his parents to give him a Happy Meal instead of pizza.

The place that reacted most violently was, of course, Naples, the city of pizza. Naples produced its own video and aired it on TV, in which a child says to his parents in a very strong Neapolitan accent, “Why do we have to eat that disgusting hamburger when we can have delicious pizza?” Eventually, as protests from ordinary Italian citizens continued, McDonald’s could no longer hold out and issued an apology before pulling the ad.

With the US and Italy already having a deep-rooted culinary bond, an American whipped cream manufacturer and a French chef have once again touched upon Italian pride. And with carbonara, a dish loved in both the north and south of Italy, where relations are not good.

“I saw the video. I can guess what happened.”

Roberto called me early in the morning and I’m talking to him.

-The situation is more serious than the chef thought.

Roberto’s voice is quiet.

“What is your condition?”

– There are signs that a boycott of American milk and cream will occur in Italy. If this causes conflict, it will put food companies like ours in a difficult position. In addition, when Raphael made carbonara with cream, he used our pasta noodles. We are halfway caught up in this.

“That’s too bad.”

-If a boycott were to occur in Italy right away, Barilla might also become a target of a boycott in the United States.

“I understand the circumstances. I will also be keeping an eye on it.”

After hanging up the phone, I took a moment to press my temples with my fingers to relieve my fatigue. It feels like a series of incidents are happening at the same time these days. Is this proof that I have finally entered the mainstream? There are more than one or two places where interests are intertwined.

And many Italian chefs, even those without a direct stake like me, were eager to join the fight.

[That’s not carbonara. If you’re an American with a decent palate, you’ll have a great time at Marcolino’s in San Francisco.]

[It’s unclear why Americans and French put cream in carbonara. It’s because it’s too difficult for them to make a delicious pasta with just cheese, cilantro, and eggs. I understand, my friends. So leave Italian cooking to the Italians.]

Of course, the Americans were not far behind. At some point, it felt like it was impossible to tell whether it was a debate or a publicity stunt, but the atmosphere was definitely heating up.

[I’ll make a more delicious carbonara with cream and bacon. Those narrow-minded Italians won’t be able to say it’s delicious because their pride is hurt. They’ll sneak it home and eat it in secret in the basement.]

[Our restaurant offers both types of carbonara. Isn’t it obvious that a good chef can make both? Of course, the carbonara with cream sells better.]

And gradually, ordinary people also began to speak out.

[Italians still believe that crappy Neapolitan pizza is the best in the world. No one in America would look for a pizza with only cheese and basil on tomato sauce and poor toppings. If Italians tried Detroit or Chicago pizza, their concept of pizza would change. The same goes for carbonara. Carbonara made with good milk and cream is much tastier than the Italian original. There are just Italians who can’t admit it.]

[America doesn’t know shit about food. It’s not that hard to understand when you think about who America’s roots are. But please, I want you to only eat that disgusting pineapple pizza and that unknown pasta made with milk and cream at your own table. Just looking at it makes my mouth water.]

The debate over carbonara is increasingly spreading to all aspects of eating. And with the increase in emotional writing, it is gradually moving beyond the realm of reason.

Netizens who search for interesting events on the Internet flock to famous chefs’ Facebook accounts or Twitter to ask for their opinions on carbonara. This was an outrage that reminded me of the ideological verification that was popular during the Cold War. I have never felt more fortunate than today that I did not create a Facebook account.

The atmosphere was too heated. This was not a problem I could solve, so I decided to take some time and see how things went.

* * *

The 15 survivors of Master Chef live together in a communal living quarters provided by the production team.

The production team provided each contestant with a private room with a bedroom, bathroom, and kitchen, so that the contestants could focus on the competition without any complaints about accommodation.

And the cameras were only installed in the lobby and restaurant that everyone used together, but as time passed, the participants became almost unaware of the presence of the cameras.

“Michael. Did you sleep well?”

Leon, who was sitting on the sofa in the lobby, sees Michael walking towards him with tired eyes and greets him.

“So-so. I think it’s gotten a little better now.”

Michael suffered from guilt after his wrongdoing and had difficulty sleeping for several days. He suffered from nightmares.

“Thank goodness. The second round will start soon. You need to get back in shape. The judges all praised your cooking.”

Leon comforts Michael.

“Leon, you’re lucky to be a part of the show. Judging from your SNS, you seem to be the most popular among us.”

Michael looks at Leon with envy and says:

“After the show ends, no one will remember me in a month. I’m happy about the attention I’m getting for the first time, but I have to do mind control every day so that I don’t get caught up in it.”

Leon says calmly.

“The young guy is strangely fooled by the old man. Enjoy it while you can. I’m going to get a lot of strange messages today too.”

Michael suffers from the daily flow of malicious comments and messages. He receives dozens of messages a day, such as, “Cheaters, go back,” and “You must have gotten into Princeton through cheating, right?” It is no wonder that he has nightmares every night.

“You’ll be forgotten soon. Have you thought about what you’re going to cook for the next round?”

“I don’t even know what the topic is yet, so it’s hard to prepare. For now, I’m just organizing the recipes I know. What about you?”

“I’ve never really studied cooking. I just got lucky with the know-how I gained from my practical work. That’s why I’m studying cooking a lot.”

Leon started studying cooking in earnest. He bought cookbooks on French, Italian, and Korean cuisine and studied every day, practicing in the kitchen.

“That’s why you’re scary. You’re already doing well, but I can’t imagine how much you’ll improve.”

“Because I’m scared of Chef Shin Je-hee. If I make a weird dish and she spits it out..”

Leon shivered as if he was getting chills.

“That’s true. It’s terrifying to even think about. That person is a tasting god. It gives me goosebumps to see a recipe I worked so hard to make dismantled. It feels like I’ve been stripped naked.”

“I rather liked that.”

The two turn to the direction of the sound. Ella, who heard it somewhere, walks toward them and joins their conversation.

“I feel understood. He completely understands what efforts I have made and what concerns I have had. That’s why I feel comfortable. ‘Ah! This person really knows me in every detail.’ That feeling?”

“It’s serious. Calm down. I heard Chef Shin has a girlfriend.”

Leon shakes his head and looks at Ella with a pitiful expression.

“That’s not it. I’m talking about a higher level of understanding that kids like you don’t know.”

“It’s hard to bear to hear the word ‘kid.’ Aren’t you the same age as me?”

Leon explodes at Ella’s words.

“Physical age is not important. Kant wrote Thoughts on the Proper Measure of Living Force (Gedanken von der wahren Schätzung der lebendigen Kräfte) when he was twenty-two.”

“I guess you’re a librarian. I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

The two of them wondered for a moment why they, who were highly educated, could not understand what Ella, a high school graduate, was saying, and then returned to their room.

* * *

The competition day arrived. All the contestants gathered in the Master Chef Kitchen, waiting for the judges.

There were a lot of empty seats because there were a lot of eliminations in the first round. The contestants looked at the empty seats and prayed that they would not be the next ones to leave the kitchen.

The camera lights up and the large door opens for the judges to enter.

“200 people selected from all over the country participated in this audition. You were selected as the top 30 and advanced to the finals. And half of them went home.

Congratulations! You are now one of the top 15 amateur chefs in America.”

Gordon’s opening always touches people’s emotions. Some of the contestants’ eyes are already red.

“Let me explain today’s mission. Today is a team mission. Each person will recruit and form a team of three. Then, you will bring us a three-course meal consisting of an appetizer, main dish, and dessert.”

When Joe announces the mission, everyone looks around. It seems like it’s obvious who they want to be with, or who they don’t want to be with.

“You can never work alone in the kitchen. Collaboration is not an option for a chef. And a person who has poor relationships with colleagues or poor communication skills cannot become a great chef. We will take all of these factors into consideration when evaluating.

First, contact people on your own to form a team, discuss within the team, and decide on the part each person will be in charge of. I will give you 20 minutes. Let’s start (From now).”

As soon as I finished speaking, the participants started to move busily.

The most popular one was Ella. She was a great cook and had a great personality, so she became the top target of the contestants.

Some contestants are also sending love calls to Dominic and Colin. Lucas and Leon are also talking to several contestants. Kimura and Karen are shaking hands, indicating that they have already formed a team.

Among them, Michael stood alone and lonely. Michael will be penalized for cooking in this mission. His image to the viewers is not good either, so the contestants will have a hard time accepting him as a team member.

Then Ella pushes away the people around her and approaches Michael.

“Do you want to do it together?”

Ella holds out her hand.

“It is an honor.”

Michael smiles and takes Ella’s hand.

“Can I join you?”

Leon smiles at them and offers to join them.

“good.

In this way, a super team was formed that the production team did not intend.