I Got the Almighty Tongue - Chapter 99



Only Noblemtl

I got the omnipotent tongue episode 99

What does it mean to have a good family?

“Chef, what should we do?”

Soyoung looks at me. All the kitchen staff are waiting for me to open my mouth.

“Why is everyone making such a fuss? Everyone disperse.”

I pretended to be indifferent and calmed the staff down. If I showed signs of being shaken, their anxiety would be contagious.

“Sir, please look at me for a moment.”

Secretary Oh Young-dae nods.

We left the kitchen and entered the room that was being used as a conference room.

“What happened?”

I can understand why the banquet hall would change. But why a museum without a kitchen?

“There is no such thing as a plan. It was decided suddenly. The purpose is to naturally introduce the heads of state of each country to our country’s relics and let them know about the excellence of our country. It is embarrassing for those who are preparing, but this is also the job. There is nothing we can do.”

Oh Young-dae’s skin is rough, as if he hasn’t slept well. It also looks like he hasn’t shaved in about two days. It seems like he’s been suffering a lot in places that can’t be seen.

“They say there is no kitchen in the museum, so where should I cook?”

“There is a restaurant outside the museum. I think they serve food there.”

“How far is the kitchen there from the museum?”

“It’s about 200 meters.”

“That’s ridiculous. The serving distance is over 200 meters. It’s going to get colder in two weeks. The food will all get cold. You can’t do elaborate plating. It’ll all fall apart as you walk. It’s not realistic.”

“What do you think, Chef?”

“Can’t we set up a kitchen inside the museum? If there’s any empty space, we can probably set up a kitchenette somehow.”

“There are many artifacts inside the museum. They are vulnerable to fire. That’s why cooking is strictly prohibited inside the building. It would be difficult even if it was a banquet attended by heads of state.”

“So, is there an open space outside the building?”

“There is an employee parking lot at the back of the building.”

“I will set up a building there and set up a kitchen. If that is not possible, I will just give up and go back to the United States. I am not in a position to do anything. Since it is a national event, I would like to cooperate as much as possible, but it is not an environment where I can demonstrate my abilities.”

I don’t know how skilled the servers are, but it’s hard to expect the food to be delivered properly in an environment where you have to serve hundreds of meters and climb stairs. The process is not important. In the end, the result is what remains. I can’t stand it when the food that goes out under my name is messed up.

“How much do you think the budget will be?”

“I don’t know right now, but I don’t think the budget is the issue. Wasn’t this a dinner party that had to be successful somehow? Isn’t that why you came to me?”

Ugh

He rubs his temples with his right thumb and middle finger to see if he has a headache.

“You can do as you wish, Chef. I’ll take care of the rest. However, please make sure you gather all the documents regarding the expenses. I’ll have to process it properly later.”

“All right.”

After finishing the conversation with him, I closed the door and left. I walked down the hallway and thought about how I should make the kitchen. I wanted to do it on my own if possible, but this time, I couldn’t help it.

-hello?

“Hyung Min-hyeok. This is Shin Je-hee.”

I don’t know much about construction. This is the moment when I need expert consulting.

-Hey, Chef Shin. What’s going on?

Minhyuk answers the phone with a cheerful voice.

“I think I need to ask you a favor.”

-We’ve known each other for years, but this is the first time you’ve asked me for a favor. I’ve done it before, though.

He laughs cheerfully.

“This time things have become a bit urgent.”

-What does it mean to have a good family? I should help out in whatever way I can. Then where should I meet you?

“I will come to the company.”

-Okay, I’ll wait.

I went out and caught a taxi to the museum. I walked to the back of the building and there was a large parking lot for employees. There seemed to be enough space to build a kitchen. The distance to serve didn’t seem that far. If it was that far, a skilled server could serve the food without ruining it. I’ll have to rehearse with the servers a few times and decide on the plating.

I took out my phone and took detailed photos of the surroundings. Then I contacted Logan and emailed him the kitchen plan for Segreto. Now that I have it, I plan on making it into a kitchen that I can work in comfortably.

* * *

“Secretary Kim. Two cups of coffee, please. One cup is espresso.”

-Okay, I’ll bring it to you right away.

“Isn’t that espresso?”

Minhyuk looks at me with a smile and asks.

“That’s right. Thank you for taking the time to contact me so suddenly.”

“I’m not busy anyway. So what do you want me to do for you?”

“This time, the G20 dinner was held at the National Museum of Korea. However, there was no kitchen there. We reached an agreement with the preparatory committee to set up a makeshift kitchen.”

“So we need to build a kitchen? Where exactly is it?”

“This is it.”

I gave him a photo of the parking lot and the drawings I had gotten from Logan.

“How long do I have to make it?”

“Dinner is just around the corner. The sooner the better.”

The secretary came in with coffee. He politely placed the cup in front of me and Minhyuk.

“Secretary Kim. Contact Manager Joo Ho-sik from the design team and tell him to come here immediately.”

“All right.”

A moment later, a smart-looking man came into the office carrying a laptop.

“Manager Joo. How long do you think it will take to build a building here and set up a kitchen? Including water, lighting, gas, and electricity.”

It seems like Min-hyeok is an employee he trusts. Manager Joo Ho-sik nods as if he is familiar with the person and receives the drawing.

“Let me take a look.”

He looks at the materials carefully. After about five minutes of thinking while looking at the drawings and photos, he puts up a photo on his laptop screen.

“It’s a temporary building made of prefabricated steel and panels. Although it’s called a temporary building, it’s stable enough to be used semi-permanently. It’s usually used when building a warehouse. And it seems like it would be okay to set up a kitchen inside. Since it’s a one-time building, there’s no need to do any floor work. You just need to bring in electricity and connect the water and sewer. I think you should use LPG for the gas. Since it’s a kitchen, you’ll need to build a ventilation system.”

He answers, tapping away at his laptop.

“How long do you think it will take?”

“It usually takes about a week. However, if you have unlimited manpower and capital for a temporary structure like this, the period can be shortened much more. 3~4 days will be enough.”

He speaks with confidence, as if it were no big deal.

“Is this okay?”

Minhyuk looks at me and asks.

“That’s enough. Thank you, brother.”

If it weren’t for Minhyuk, the period would have been much longer. Fortunately, the kitchen problem was solved.

“No way. This is nothing. We can build a building in the middle of the desert in one day.

I’ll try my best to prepare the kitchen equipment listed on the drawing. If I don’t have the same one, I’ll just use something similar. I’m glad I can repay the debt I owe you for preparing the wedding meal.

“By the way, how is Joohee? She hasn’t been answering my phone lately.”

After getting married, Minhyuk’s hasty personality has become much calmer. He looks much more relaxed.

“It’s probably because it’s exam period. It’s my last semester. I’m also writing my graduation thesis, so I’m twice as busy.”

Joohee went back to school as soon as the vacation ended and is immersed in her studies. It has been several years since she started studying in the US, and I get a lot of courage from seeing her moving forward toward her goals without complaint.

“Don’t make me wait too long. Make sure you propose properly. I’ve been hearing complaints about myself for not being able to do it properly.”

He patted my shoulder with a playful expression. This time, I owed Minhyuk and Soohyun a lot. I left the company with the thought that I would have to repay them twice someday.

* * *

The kitchen began construction the very next day. One by one, the steel columns went up, and before we knew it, the next day, a decent building was completed. And soon after, the electrical and plumbing work was completed. It was an amazing speed.

When I went inside, the interior was a kitchen with a familiar layout as in the drawing. The stove, oven, and refrigerator were all properly installed. I moved all the ingredients from the hotel kitchen here and started preparing a full-fledged dinner.

According to the information I received, many leaders will arrive in Korea on the day of the G20 welcome dinner. There is one person who cannot eat beef and two who cannot eat pork. There will be few people who will arrive on the day and enjoy the dinner leisurely. They will be tired from the long flight and the time difference.

The G20 is basically a business meeting. It is better to avoid food that requires excessive use of cutlery or that can splatter on clothes. Since you will have to constantly talk while eating, it would be better to eat food that is easy to eat. I discarded the course I had planned in advance and started planning a new course. Among the ingredients I received, the oysters, pine mushrooms, and asparagus were in very good condition. I didn’t know that organic asparagus was produced in Korea.

The seasonal ingredients now include crab, shrimp, abalone, sea urchin, and some types of fish. I want to provide a dinner that is like a rest for the tired leaders. And I have to plan a course that can make them feel the autumn mood and beauty of Korea. When I look at the menus that list the favorite foods of the leaders of each country, almost all of them enjoy salad.

The image of the course comes to mind. I don’t need to come up with something new. I want to apply the dishes I’ve made so far and give them pleasure. I’ve planned a four-course meal that will consist of salad, primo piatto, main course, and dessert. The scheduled meeting time is two hours. Of those, the meal will be finished in about an hour. That’s about right.

I organized the images that came to mind and made a course meal. Now it’s time to focus on the marriage.

“Jenny. Choose a traditional Korean liquor that goes well with this. I was thinking about using the wine I brought, but I think there are definitely Korean liquors that go well with the food.”

I remember that among Korean traditional liquors, there were many that went well with Western food. I hope Jenny can find a good liquor.

In order to decide on the toast, I asked Secretary Oh to gather all the Korean liquors that had been suggested. He brought me a whopping 500 kinds of liquor. After removing the ones with insufficient content, there were still about 30 kinds left. Jenny and I tasted all the remaining liquors, being careful not to get drunk.

Then one wine caught my taste buds.

“Jenny, how about this wine?”

There are over 100 wineries in Korea. Most of them are of inferior quality to famous foreign wines, but not all of them. This domestic wine made from Cabernet Sauvignon is of such good quality that it would be good enough to serve in my restaurant.

“It tastes clean. It looks similar to Bordeaux wine because it uses the same grapes, but it’s different. It’s less sweet, but it seems to have a higher tannin content. The flavor is rich and the color is beautiful. It’s a wine that will be well-received by wine lovers. I think it would go well with the main dish.”

Jenny turns the glass around, smells it, and then tastes it again.

“I agree. Let’s settle on this. And for the aperitif, let’s have the apple wine we tasted earlier.”

Just when I was about to give up because I couldn’t find a decent white wine, the last apple wine I tasted went well with the aperitif and salad. This golden sparkling apple wine, aged in oak barrels, could develop much further if given the chance.

“No complaints. It had a fruity American feel, but it had a good flavor.”

In a previous life, the G20 toast was embroiled in several scandals.

The fact that there was an illicit request for the selection of the toast was revealed only after the G20 ended. Furthermore, the fact that the owner of the brewery was a relative of a high-ranking government official caused a lot of noise, but this time, we want to prevent such incidents in advance.

As soon as it became known that I was organizing the dinner, numerous requests came in through unofficial channels.

Most of them were requests for materials and alcohol selection. There was even an attempt to subtly pressure me by mobilizing high-ranking officials. However, I accepted this job after specifying in the contract the right to decide all alcohol and food, so I turned a deaf ear to such requests and did not even meet them.

If a product is selected as a toast drink at such an international event, its sales will increase by several times. We just hope that the liquor we selected will be properly evaluated and that this will be an opportunity to take Korea’s brewing culture to the next level.

Time passed quickly and the opening ceremony day arrived.