Chapter 122 - Chapter 122: Rules of Tasting (3)

By the time breakfast was over, Martin opened his mouth.

“Min Joon, I think it’s about time I ask you. May I?”

“Are you talking about the recipe?”

“Yes. Well, I don’t even expect the recipe. Can you get all the ingredients right?”

Cho Min Joon closed his eyes for a moment. He could see all the ingredients in the item window. Even all the small details that not even Kaya could get right were written there. He could even tell them where the beans were sourced.

‘But where should I draw the line?’

It was important to draw it where the public could understand. Cho Min Joon slowly opened his mouth.

“For one thing, all ingredients are from Brazil.”

“… What?”

“All the ingredients are from Brazil.”

Cho Min Joon smirked and pointed at the menu. ‘We only use Brazilian ingredients.’ After seeing the words in English, Martin sighed. He was surprised thinking he even knew where the ingredients came from.

‘That wouldn’t be human.’

Martin calmed himself down and opened his mouth again.

“Stop teasing. Do you know the ingredients? It’s hard, isn’t it? The flavors are too mixed together since it’s been cooking for days…”

Rather than answering, Cho Min Joon took another bite of the Feijoa. He then thought about what his tongue sensed rather than what his system said. It wasn’t bad. Before, he could get four or five ingredients right out of 10… But these days, he was confident he could get 7 right.

If he had to go back to that disqualification mission, he was confident he could’ve passed without the system. He was that good. Of course, he still wasn’t as sensitive as Kaya, but he was better. He was more sensitive now. Cho Min Joon smiled with confidence.

“I’m not sure. I can taste it all. I can taste the black beans, the kidney beans… Oh, there are lentil beans as well. How unique. The place yesterday only had black beans and kidney beans, but this place added lentil beans. They used the back ribs of the pig… Oh, and it was peeled off. After boiling it whole, they peeled off the meat once it was soft enough. I can also taste the bone broth clearly.”

“… You can taste all that?”

“Of course. If we couldn’t taste the broth, why would people spend so much time making it?”

He wasn’t solely depending on his system. Seeing which ingredients were included helped him taste it that much clearer. Of course, he wouldn’t have known without the help of the system…

There was the saying, ‘ Know what you’re eating.’ Chefs didn’t explain every dish at fancy restaurants just because they wanted to make the mood feel fancy.

“Other than that, garlic, bay leaf, bacon, black pepper, onion, olive oil, and there’s one more…”

Cho Min Joon trailed off and then smirked with a shrug.

“I don’t know the flavor though. I’ve never tasted it before.”

“… Oh, that’s true. No matter how sensitive your tastebuds, you wouldn’t know what you never tried. How does it taste?”

“I’m not sure. It’s a little bitter and sweet… Maybe it’s a fruit or an herb. I’m not sure, and there isn’t much of it.”

He could see the name of it in the system message, but they would’ve thought it sounded weird if he tried to say it. It was too unfamiliar. At that moment, Rachel opened her mouth.

“Anona Cacans.”

“… Sorry?”

“The ingredient Min Joon doesn’t know is Anona Cacans. It’s a fruit grown in Brazil and Paraguay. It’s a small fruit that cute animals eat in Paraguay, and if people eat too much of it, it causes diarrhea. And it’s too bitter for some people to enjoy.

“Are you saying that ingredient is in the Feijoa?”

“Like I said, Martin. I’m friends with the owner here.”

Martin nodded in awe. Martin looked like he wanted to ask more, but he shut his mouth. Perhaps, that desperation came through because Anderson asked what he was wondering.

“If it could cause diarrhea, why did they add such a risky ingredient? It’s not like the flavor’s all that special.”

“I’m sure you know if you’re a chef. Just a drop of vinegar. Even the smallest addition can change the balance of a dish entirely. Douglas believed that the Anona Cacans could make the dish more innovative.”

“I can’t tell the difference though.”

Cho Min Joon hesitated before speaking. He didn’t want to speak ill of Rachel’s friend, but the dish wasn’t so impressive that it deserved praise.

“It’s impressive to have the passion to add such a new ingredient, but I don’t know if it created a great result. To be honest, the bitter taste helps the overall flavor, but it also turns me off from wanting to eat it.”

It was different from how people added herbal medicine to pigs’ feet or Bossam. It was also different from how the Chinese added herbal medicine to their broth. The bitter taste of the fruit made the tongue tired rather than intrigued. Cho Min Joon’s face was frozen still. He was not yielding when it came to food.

“My mouth is getting tired. I’ll make it simple. It doesn’t taste good. It’s shameful compared to the other dishes, and the reason is clear. Why did they add something like that?”

“I understand.”

Rachel offered a short answer. Cho Min Joon was taken aback by how she nodded as if she expected that evaluation.

“There are many things lacking in the flavor of this Feijoa, but I can provide reasons behind it. Min Joon, do you know the origin of Feijoa?”

“No, I’ve never tried it before.”

“You know Brazil used to be full of Black slaves, right? Feijoa originated from the slaves who put the leftover pig’s ear, tail, and feet together and cooked it with beans when they were hungry. To be exact, the dish originates from poverty.”

He didn’t know. Korea also had a similar dish.

“And that’s what happened 50 years ago in Brazil. I don’t know if it’s worth discussing how poor the slaves were at the time… But one thing’s for sure. Douglas was also so poor that he had to add Anona Canans to his Feijoa. Even while knowing it caused diarrhea.”

The atmosphere grew heavy. Emily spoke in a touched voice, “The dish has quite a bit of history.”

“Yes. But that doesn’t mean Min Joon’s criticism is invalid. No matter the reason, a bad dish is a bad dish. But the reason why I told you the story is because it’s not just food critics in this place. Anderson and Min Joon, you’re both chefs. Between a chef who wants to make a bad dish and the customers who want to eat it, I’m sure you can sense something in that.”

Cho Min Joon and Anderson looked around them. There were quite a few older customers enjoying the Feijoa. It reminded him of the grandfathers and grandmothers of Korea who ate Kimchi stew made of leftover meat parts. His heart tingled.

“It’s not a good dish. The recipe is bad, but I see worth in the dish. The proof? It’s simple. The fact that people seek it means it’s of value.”

The cameraman pointed the camera at the other tables. At that moment, a thick and rough voice stuck out their neck.

“I don’t know if it’s a compliment or an insult. Camelia, you tell me. Should I be mad or thank her?”

“You shouldn’t get mad. It’s not good for your aneurism. What if your blood pressure goes up and you collapse again?”

“Okay. I’ll hold back. Why did she come back to eat a dish that she called a piece of crap?”

“Long time no see, Douglas. How long has it been?”

“I haven’t seen you since Daniel died, so around 10 years.”

“Has it been that long? You sure have gotten old.”

“People probably think we’re the same age. Don’t you take care of your skin with all your money? Look at your wrinkles, tsk.”

It sounded like ridicule, but her voice was full of pity. It was possible all sorts of memories were hidden in that rough voice, but there was no need for the others to worry about that.

At that moment, Cho Min Joon’s phone rang. He thought it was on silent, but it was on vibrate instead. Cho Min Joon was about to reach for it when he stopped himself. Anderson saw the name that popped up on the screen and knitted his brows. He then looked at Martin and asked,

“Can we take a break?”

“Sorry? Why?”

“It looks like Rachel wants to catch up with her friend…”

Anderson glanced at Cho Min Joon.

“And it looks like he needs to go to the washroom.”

***

Thanks to Anderson’s consideration, Cho Min Joon was able to answer the phone in the washroom. After a moment of ringing, he heard a faint voice.

[Is this Min Joon?]

He thought the voice sounded faint because of the signal, but when he listened carefully, that wasn’t the case. She just sounded tired.

“Yeah, it’s me.”

[Sorry, I just saw your messages. I didn’t even have time to charge my phone for the last few days, but I answered your text first. So don’t be disappointed, okay?]

“Why would I be disappointed? You’re busy.”

[… Yeah. I know. I’m just saying.]

The conversation halted for a moment. Cho Min Joon put his ear to the phone. He felt as though Kaya was breathing right next to him.

“Are you tired?”

[Is it that obvious?]

“There’s no strength in your voice. What’s wrong?”

[Yeah…]

Her calm voice surprised Cho Min Joon. Kaya smirked and then spoke in her usual excited voice.

[But don’t worry. I always solve my own problems. You’ve helped me a lot, but I can do it on my own this time. No, I have to. That’s why I called. If you see something on the news… don’t worry. I just wanted to tell you that.]

“… The news? Why? Is it that big?”

[No, not really… I don’t want to talk about it. If I do, I might depend on you again. Just tell me about yourself. How’s it going?]

“Sorry. I want to, but I don’t have much time because we’re filming, but I can call you back at night… Where are you right now?”

[Australia. Brisbane.]

“The time difference… Oh, it’s a 12-hour difference. We’re on the opposite sides of the world.”

He laughed. It wasn’t long ago that they were cooking right next to each other. Kaya answered.

[I’ll wait for you. Call me at night. I’ll answer if I can. I want to talk to someone. I can’t really open up to anyone here… So I feel stuffy.]

“Okay. Sure. But don’t wait too long.”

[If it’s night for you, it’ll be morning or afternoon here. Don’t worry.]

“Okay. I won’t worry.”

[… No need to say all that.]

He laughed at her sad voice. He felt as though he felt a little lighter after hearing the story about Rachel’s friend, Douglas.

“I’ll call you.”

The call ended there. Cho Min Joon smiled at the screen before tilting his head.

What was Kaya talking about?