God of Cooking Chapter 241:
<Not Normal (1)>
If you are reading from a pirate or aggregator site, please read from the translator’s site: yado-inn (dot) com I have to put the link like this or else the bots will remove it, sorry
Most people in the world think they’re special, but normal at the same time . If anyone were to ask if this was the case to Minjoon, however, he’d reply no . Minjoon was a person who thought himself to be normal through and through . He used to be happy with this fact, too . After all, Korea favored those who were normal . Those who could blend in . Being normal there was not a problem at all .
He started feeling a little abnormal more recently .
‘Cooking level… 7 . ’
Kaya and Anderson were both at level 8 at this point, but that didn’t make him feel any worse . To begin with, he didn’t even know when they became level 7 . There was no way for him to really compare his growth against theirs .
‘I raised two levels in a single year . ’
There were a lot of reasons for that . First, he’s had tons of experience points from years of work . When he was in the kitchens, when he was a teacher, and even when he was a student… He’s always practiced .
Of course, he wasn’t able to grow properly without a teacher, but the experience was experience .
Plus, there was also Grand Chef . Minjoon was able to work together with fellow chefs in tons of missions . All that experience finally got put to work during the show .
Maybe his level of cooking didn’t actually rise during the show . Maybe all his experience was finally being worked properly for the first time .
And right now, Minjoon knew for sure that the dish that he was currently making… Would be the best he’s made so far in his career .
‘Five flavors of parmigiano reggiano . ’
Not just five flavors . he was planning on cooking 5 different cheeses all differently . But that ended up…
“Chef, you’re going to die at this rate . Are you planning on eating just cheese for dinner?”
“…I need to taste it a bit more . ”
It wasn’t just five different flavors from five different kinds of parmigiano reggiano . Each part of every little cheese tasted different . The rind, the center, everything .
‘This… Would taste better as a foam . And this…’
Maya clicked her tongue inside as she watched Minjoon work . She knew the man was weird, but watching him make stuff like this made her a little freaked out inside . How could anyone focus on one thing for so long? It almost made her worried for him .
But contrary to Maya’s worries, Minjoon was having the time of his life . He’s realized that he wasn’t normal . No, he’s realized that he didn’t have to act normal . A chef had to be special . Imaginative . They had to be someone who could make foods that most people could only dream of .
‘I can’t satisfy anyone… If I were just normal . ’
Minjoon started making a stock out of the rind of the cheese . As Maya stepped forward to help out, the cameraman called her over .
“Ms . Maya, can I interview you real quick?”
“Now? … . Fine . ”
“Here, this way . ”
The cameraman took Maya to the break room at the back . Thankfully, there was no one there . The cameraman asked her a question as soon as they sat down .
“What do you think of Minjoon?”
“As a chef, or as a person?”
“In general . ”
“He’s a bit … of a difficult person . Not in the sense that I can’t deal with him, but in the sense that he’s hard to predict . He’s like a boy sometimes, and he’s like an adult others . Sometimes he’s incredibly calm and level headed, and other times he’s burning up with some weird passion . ”
“Yeah, I can understand that . I wonder if he’s a genius?”
Maya wasn’t able to respond to that . Was he a genius? There were rumors going around the chefs about it, actually . Minjoon was only 21, no, 22 now . Becoming a demi chef at that age… It wasn’t that uncommon, actually . Some head chefs got their michelin stars at that age .
But the word “genius” held gravity . It made her hesitate from actually using it .
“I think Kaya’s a genius . Chef Minjoon was at least able to practice with ingredients he wanted . But Kaya ended up winning the show even without that . I think the word genius belongs to people like her . ”
“So Minjoon’s not a genius, then?”
“I’m not sure . His tongue’s world-famous already, after all . He has to be different one way or the other . I do see sparks of a genius in him at times . Especially with that dessert from last time . ”
“…So what is it, then?”
“I don’t know . Chef Minjoon is a question in himself . He’s the sort of person that makes everyone in the kitchen think for a second . That’s why I like him . He seems far more reachable than someone like Kaya . ”
It was a little complicated, but still understandable . Maya smiled .
“Maybe I like him because he isn’t a genius . We’re people, after all . We like things that are at least a little imperfect . Plus, all that aside… As a person, he’s one of the best I’ve ever seen . ”
“You like him quite a bit, huh?”
“It’s not like I can really say bad stuff about my boss, right? Especially on television . ”
Maya grinned .
Minjoon was still busy cooking when they came back . He looked at Maya with an apologetic smile .
“Sorry, Maya . I’ve held you back all night . ”
“No, you’re experimenting . I’d like to be a part of that . Plus…”
Maya looked around the Kitchen . Pretty much everyone was still in the kitchen . The reason was simple . They were all focused on developing their own recipes .
“Didn’t you say something about working together last time?” The cameraman asked in a confused tone .
“Of course . But the people coming this time are from Michelin itself . Everyone’s getting a bit greedy . They want to put out a recipe that’s ‘theirs’ . ”
Javier was the most greedy out of all of them . He didn’t forget the importance of working together, of course, but he still wanted to get something done by himself .
“You always said that you shouldn’t express your own greed in the food you make . That bad feelings would create bad food . ” The cameraman asked .
“Greed isn’t always bad . Making food with the mindset of ‘I’m going to empty this guy’s wallet’ is bad, but… This is more of a dream . A dream as a chef . The dream of making great food . ”
“…Great answer . So, do you feel value in working by yourself?”
Minjoon smiled confidently .
“I already got the answer to that . You’ll see the results of my work soon . ”
“Appetizer, right?”
“Yes, but I’ve switched to making a dessert . ”
“Hm? Why?”
“I thought the saltiness of the cheese would play out nicely as dessert, but…”
Minjoon breathed heavily . He seemed almost unable to contain his excitement .
“You’ll see soon enough . ”
Minjoon began moving . The first step was to make the foam sauce . Air and foam . The first thing he made was the air . He took the stock made with the rind of a 40 month old cheese, then ground it with the 50 month old rind . He then filtered all this with a coffee filter, then blended it all in with lecithin . The sauce was completed with that .
The foam was even simpler . He would boil chicken stock in a thermomix, then add 30 month old parmesan in it . He’d create a foam out of it in a siphon afterwards .
The galette came next . He made a dough using corn starch, cheese, and melted butter . He spread the dough out on a silpat mat afterwards . After cooking it for 2 minutes in the oven, he ended up with galette .
There were only two things left . First was the cheese sauce he made before with cream, chicken stock, salt, and 36 month old cheese . Minjoon formed the base of the dish with the sauce .
Next came the souffle . He took smoked ricotta, parmigiano reggiano, and cream and mixed it together . He folded in meringue, then baked it in the oven . He put the souffle on top of the sauce, then topped with the foam and the air . He then stuck a galette in between the foam and the souffle .
“Wow…”
Everyone watching in the kitchen made an amazed face . The dish looked amazing, despite looking so simple .
Minjoon’s vision was almost obscured with countless images, but he took all of it away . Right now, he didn’t want to see anything other than his dish .
“I’ll be back . ”
Minjoon took the dish and started walking . It was obvious who he was taking the dish to . Maya gulped, then tasted the bit of sauce left in the thermomix . Her face became colored with joy . As the rest of the people in the kitchen crowded over the thermomix, Minjoon knocked on the office door .
“Come in . ”
He heard Rachel from the other side . A feeling of nervousness came over him, just like last time . But he was confident . Confident that he would pass . Rachel seemed to have noticed this in him .
“You seem confident today . ”
“Yes, I am . I’m confident that anyone who tastes this would love it . ”
“Oh, you’re making me quite excited . Did you know, by the way? None of my students got an ok from me on their first try . ”
“I’ll be the first . That’s great . ”
“Who knows? I’ll have to try it first . ”
Rachel lifted her spoon . The sauces, galette, and the souffle shone under the light like little gems . At least, it was a gem at that precise moment . A gem that would disappear as quickly as it appeared .
Rachel’s mouth opened . Minjoon closed his eyes as he watched the spoon enter . In the darkness, one line was shining brightly in front of him .
[The score of the 5-flavored, 5-textured parmigiano reggiano is ten points!]
If you are reading from a pirate or aggregator site, please read from the translator’s site: yado-inn (dot) com I have to put the link like this or else the bots will remove it, sorry
<Not Normal (1)> End .