I Got the Almighty Tongue - Chapter 79



Only Noblemtl

What the audition left behind

Ella, Leon, and Michael walk out together, each holding their own dishes.

“Who was in charge of the appetizers?”

“I did it.”

Leon brings out the plate first.

“They brought out the fish.”

Leon’s dish was a fried squid coated in flour in a deep dish.

“The snowball is a delicious fish. I’ll try it.”

Joe holds a fork and knife.

“Just a moment. I’ll pour the sauce on you first.”

It looks like the dish was served in a shallow dish, taking into account the sauce that would be poured over it.

Leon tilts the small teapot-like container and pours the sauce into the plate. The yellow hollandaise sauce changes the appearance of the food as it is placed on the plate. The golden-grilled fish, the green parsley sprinkled on top, and the yellow sauce gradually rise from the bottom of the plate, creating a beautiful harmony.

“You can eat it by scooping it up deep into the bottom with a spoon.”

At Leon’s words, Joe tilts his head, then breaks the fish flesh with a spoon and scoops it up deeply.

“There was risotto under the fish!”

“Let’s try it too.”

Gordon urges me to taste it, perhaps because my interest is piqued.

I scooped the fish with the risotto with a spoon. When I put it in my mouth, the soft taste of the hollandaise sauce spreads first. Then, the taste of the well-cooked fish and the lightly seasoned risotto mix together and change into a different taste. What is this feeling? It is similar to the feeling of eating a fish side dish on rice. But it is much richer.

“The fishy smell was removed with lime. The risotto was seasoned with chicken breast, mushrooms, carrots, onions, peppers, beef stock, salt, and thyme for flavor. Since they had to use hollandaise, it is commendable that they did not use too much flavor. It was delicious.”

“It was quite a creative dish. The impact of one bite is so great that it could be poisonous if the main dish is weak, but you seem confident.”

“I couldn’t find any fault with it, from the visuals to the taste.”

“Ella, let’s look at the main course.”

Ella brings the main course, but it’s not what we expected.

“What is this?”

Joe asks.

“I have arranged the Shashlik. Please wait a moment.”

On Ella’s plate sat a large skewer of meat and vegetables.

Ella begins to pull them out one by one with her tongs. There are large cubes of lamb, and various vegetables and meats such as leeks, peppers, zucchini, and eggplant are crisscrossed.

“It looks like it was grilled over charcoal. Judging from the way the vegetables look cooked, it looks like it was finished in the oven. That’s why it’s called shashlik. Kebabs are usually made by carving meat from a whole roast.”

“Yes. But just a moment.”

Ella removes the lamb and vegetables from the plate and arranges them evenly with tongs. She then pours the gravy into the plate and finishes by sprinkling parsley on top.

“It’s done now. Enjoy it with some pita bread.”

“It’s a meeting of Russian, Turkish and British cuisines. It’s definitely something new.”

Gordon took a forkful of lamb and tasted it first. I followed suit.

“The meat is marinated. It has onion juice, rosemary, cumin, turmeric, thyme, oregano, and coriander. It shows that they have tried hard to remove the smell of lamb. The vegetables are also much more delicious because they are put into the oven after their sweetness has been activated by the charcoal. The gravy is made using the broth from the vegetables and meat that came out of the oven. Excellent.”

“It’s amazing when you eat it with pita bread.”

Joga Kebab is made by putting vegetables and meat in pita bread and eating it with your hands.

“That’s true. It’s even more satisfying because it’s a meal that takes nutritional balance into account.”

When I followed them and ate it with pita bread filled with meat and vegetables, I finally understood the meaning of this dish.

When was the last time I had such an impressive meal? I closed my eyes and savored Ella’s cooking.

“There is absolutely no sugar in this recipe. Ella has used a variety of vegetables to bring out the sweetness and spices to create a delicious and healthy meal.

This one dish is rich in carbohydrates, fats, proteins, vitamins, and minerals. It also tastes great. There was a good reason for using gravy sauce. The fat in the sauce not only balances the nutrients, but also perfectly connects each ingredient.

“This was without a doubt the best dish of the competition.”

Ella’s eyes widen at my rave reviews.

“I think I know someone named Ella.

“The years she has lived, the thoughts she has while cooking now, and the way she wants to live in the future are all reflected in the dishes she makes. Even if she doesn’t win the audition, I think I will remember the chef Ella Schmidt for the rest of my life.”

Ella’s eyes turn red at my words. Then, one by one, the participants begin to applaud, and soon everyone is applauding her.

“Michael’s Lemon Cake also neatly summarizes the rather heavy course. It was a really well-balanced course.”

“thank you.”

As the three greet each other and return to their seats, tension builds in the kitchen. There is a growing sense of unwillingness to be called next.

“Lucas, Colin, Maylin.”

Three people walk out as Gordon calls their names. I look at their dishes. It’s a three-course meal of salad, steak, and chocolate cake.

“It was a course that made it difficult to see the participants’ individuality.”

It was as Joe’s brief assessment said. It was a consolation that each individual’s cooking was of a high standard.

Maria, Derek, and Robin, who came out next, used a lot of expensive materials, but failed to bring out their merits at all. The faces of Joe and Gordon, who were judging, became increasingly hard.

And the last team of the day was called.

“Dominic, Sarah, Frederick.”

Three people come out holding plates in a row.

Frederick prepared an appetizer using seaweed and scallops, while Dominic prepared a T-bone steak. Sarah baked madeleines for dessert. The course composition was good and the satisfaction was high, but the menu was too simple to show the contestants’ skills. It was a typical menu composition that never fails. Dominic seemed to have decided that it would be difficult to aim for first place with this team.

“Now, I will announce the winners of this round.”

When Gordon calls their names, the contestants who were eliminated bow their heads and cry. Then, the contestants who survived safely breathe a sigh of relief and go up to the second floor.

The audition went smoothly with various missions. Sometimes, it left behind a bitter pain.

“Damn! I could have done a little better.”

Colin overcooked the lobster because he wasn’t feeling well.

Sometimes it leaves behind evidence of growth.

“Thank you all. Although I was eliminated, I was able to learn a lot through MasterChef.”

Michael hugs the other contestants and asks us to shake his hand.

“I will now call the names of the three contestants who will advance to the finals.”

“Dominic.”

Dominic roars, clenching his fists.

“Leon.”

Leon is congratulated by those around him.

“And Ella.”

Ella smiles brightly.

This is how the finalists were selected.

* * *

“Dominic.”

Michael, dressed in a neat suit, opens the door to the café and comes in. He looks around for a moment, then sees Dominic and says hello.

“Michael.”

The two live in the same city, but Dominic is a local and Michael is an elite working in Silicon Valley.

“Are you doing well at work?”

The two began to occasionally drink coffee together after the competition ended.

“It’s the same as usual. If you stare at the computer all day, the sun will set before you know it.”

“You look better in a suit than a chef’s uniform.”

“I wanted to be a chef, too. But now I’m just content to be the best cook in Silicon Valley.”

“It also has the highest salary.”

“What about you? You must have gotten a lot of job offers, right?”

“I’ve been here so many times. But they’re all useless places. If I worked there, they’d put up a sign with my picture and name on it. Or some tacky lettering like, ‘This is the place where MasterChef Finalist Dominic works.’”

“It’s a shame about the finals.”

“No. I have no regrets. I gave it my all in the finals. And I still lost.”

“That was a really great final. I know them well because I was on the same team as them. They’re both really monsters. You’re a monster too, fighting on equal terms with those guys. Keep your shoulders back.”

Dominic shakes his head at Michael’s heartfelt consolation.

“I’ll cook for the rest of my life. I lost this time, but life is long.”

“Yeah. That’s just like you. What are you going to do now?”

“There are places that offer investment, but I’m still lacking. I need a place to train. I’m submitting my resume here and there. I don’t know if I’ll get a call.”

“Being vaguely famous can actually be a hindrance to your work.”

“That’s right. But like you said, people forget quickly, so it doesn’t matter.”

Dominic and Michael sat silently drinking coffee and looking out the window. They didn’t say a word, but they were both thinking the same thing. The days when they had been cooking together and living together in a dorm just a few weeks ago seemed like a dream.

“It was the best experience of my life.”

Dominic hums softly.

* * *

“Leon, how did your Korean improve so quickly?”

Kim Su-ryeon, Leon’s Korean teacher, praises Leon.

“But I’m Korean. Maybe I’ve been avoiding environments where I hear Korean intentionally. It brings back painful memories. Now that I’m thinking about learning it properly, memories from when I was young come back to me.”

Leon packs his Korean language textbooks.

“I think it’s okay to move on to the intermediate level now. You’re going to keep learning Korean, right?”

“Of course. I will continue to study even if it is not in class.”

Leon leaves the school and walks the streets of New Orleans. He no longer feels like a stranger here. The Master Chef experience has given him the opportunity to break away from his bitter past and open the door to his future.

“It’s Leon!”

A black woman with a friend sees Leon and screams, causing people to gather around her.

“Leon. Can I have your autograph?”

“Is it okay if we take a picture together?”

“Can I post this on Facebook?”

Of course, these things are embarrassing.

* * *

“Sister.”

A blonde girl who looks to be about 15 taps Ella’s shoulder as she stares blankly into her thoughts.

“Sister.”

Only then does Ella look back at her sister in surprise.

“Why are you calling?”

Ella answers, holding her sister’s hand affectionately.

“You’ve been blankly staring at me for a while now.”

“I guess I was absent-minded for a moment. Should I make you some food?”

“No. Now we can take care of ourselves. I’m learning how to cook, following my sister’s example.”

Ella’s younger sister Jane has been following Ella’s cooking at home since the start of MasterChef, and is now more than capable of preparing meals for herself and her older brother Luca.

“What are you thinking so about?”

“well.”

The scene from that day replays in Ella’s head again. Two weeks have passed since the audition, but she still shudders whenever she recalls the memory.

‘I think I will remember the chef Ella Schmidt for the rest of my life.’

He knew all the intentions behind the food he made.

“Sister. I heard this is a new app. You should use it too. All my classmates are using it.”

“What is that? Instagram? Something like Facebook?”

“Yeah. That’s right. You should install it quickly too. Follow me. I only have 20 followers.”

“okay.”

Ella downloaded the app as Jane had suggested, ran it, and found Jane and followed her.

“Okay?”

“Thank you. But I see a friend recommendation here. I guess some of your friends are doing this.”

“Huh? Who are you?”

Ella looks at her phone again and sees a name there.

[Shin Je-hee]

Ella discovers Jehee’s name and follows him, waving her fingers as if possessed.

“What is this?”

The screen was posted with a picture of Jehee taken at the entrance of a restaurant. Below it was a short comment.

[Kitchen staff wanted. Please bring your resume to the address below by 10:00 AM on July 20th.]

Ella quickly finds a pen and writes down the interview location and date on a piece of paper. Then she puts the pen down. Ella turns her head and looks at the shelf.

There is a huge crystal trophy that looks out of place in the small house. There is an inscription on the bottom.

[MASTER CHEF USA

1st, Ella Schmidt]