Chapter 147 - Taste of a Master (3)

“Effort… doesn’t betray.”

As soon as Cho Min Joon opened his mouth after tasting the sushi, Yamamoto answered with a smile, “You know what they say about sushi? The sushi made by someone with 50 years of experience tastes better than that with 49 years of experience. It’s common for sayings like this to not have any basis, but I think this one is true because I’m much better than how I was a month ago.”

“I understand. After all, I’m a chef as well.”

He was different from before Grand Chef. Although it had only been half a year, he advanced by many levels. He nodded when Rachel opened her lips in a calm voice.

“That’s the case with skills. If you have keen senses, you might get a fast start, but it’s hard to see a big difference later on. After all, experience is something that’s accumulated regardless of talent. If only masters could make all of sushi, udon, or bread, talent wouldn’t control much of it.”

“Do you mean to say that’s not the case for things unrelated to skill?”

“Skill is about sharpening the same knife over and over again, but it’s different if you look at it from the production side of view. In order to make a knife, you have to imagine how to make it beautiful and sturdy. And you also need to express that imagination. You can’t achieve it with experience alone. And your palate… is no exception.”

Rachel smiled softly. Yamamoto listened carefully before asking, “Are you two… teacher and student?”

“Yes. I’ve recently managed to accept him as my pupil.”

“Managed to? I would’ve done anything to become your pupil.”

“Haha… Thanks for saying that.”

“How nice. I’ve never been able to have a nice conversation with my mentor. Is it because you’re from the west? Your vibe is completely different.”

“It’s not because we’re Western… She’s a warm person. She’s very good to me.”

In response, Rachel turned her head in embarrassment. This was the first time Cho Min Joon said such a thing in front of her, so his words made her feel warm inside, but she was unable to look at Cho Min Joon because she wasn’t the same person anymore. Kaya was unruly as well, but…

‘I was worse.’

Just as Rachel smiled sadly, Yamamoto took out the next fish. Cho Min Joon’s eyes sparkled.

“That’s a tuna belly.”

“That’s right. But it’s no ordinary tuna belly. Do you know what’s special about it?”

“Oh. You sliced it outside the tendon so that we won’t have to chew it.”

“That’s correct.”

Yamamoto lifted his knife. The way his sashimi knife slid through the tuna belly was fascinating. Cho Min Joon watched without missing a single second. The way he held onto the rice, how much wasabi he added, and how the brush bent as he brushed soy sauce onto the tuna belly.

[You’ve learned the master skills of sushi!]

[Your experience of cooking sushi has increased!]

[Your experience with understanding the use of the knife has increased!]

His skills leveled up just by watching. Cho Min Joon stared at the tuna belly in front of his eyes.

[Tuna Belly Sushi]

Freshness: 98%

Origin: (Too many ingredients for an accurate calculation)

Quality: High

Cooking Score: 7/10

7 points. It was a good score, but it wasn’t outstanding. But Cho Min Joon couldn’t underestimate the sushi in front of him. The score was only low because it was simple, so it was impressive that he could achieve such a score with rice, wasabi, and fish alone.

And the taste was fantastic. Tuna belly. It was the fattiest portion of the fish that was famous for being fatty. Since even the tendon was removed, it was much softer, and every time he chewed on it, he felt the oil leaking onto the rice.

And Yamamoto’s sushi didn’t end there. He took out pipefish sushi, eel sushi in soy sauce, halibut sushi, rockfish sushi, and octopus sushi.

But not a single one reached 8 points. Of course, since Cho Min Joon had a tasting level of 8, he was able to find out the recipes of all of them.

‘But with sushi, it’s not about the recipe.’

It was also about how to clench the rice and how to cut the fish. Even if he knew everything, if his hands didn’t cooperate, there was no point. But being able to know the secrets were still valuable.

“What do you think?”

“I’m jealous of your hand. I wish I could make sushi like that.”

Cho Min Joon’s eyes stared at Yamamoto’s hands with ambition, and as soon as Yamamoto saw his eyes, he felt a shiver up his spine.

‘They say all geniuses are crazy… This young man is crazy, too.’

But he understood. The more sensitive his palate, the more valuable he deemed food. It was possible that the sushi in his hands looked like a gem in Cho Min Joon’s eyes. Thinking about it that way made him feel good. After all, he was admiring his sushi. Yamamoto smiled and said, “I’m jealous of your tongue, but I’ll never have a palate like that. But if you work hard, you could have what I have.”

“Thank you for saying that. But I can’t help but get worked up after eating such delicious sushi. This is a cowardly taste.”

“This is the least I can do after dedicating my entire life to one food.”

Dedicating one’s life to one food sounded cool to him. He was right. If one focused on one food their entire life, they could produce very high-level sushi. No matter how capable Cho Min Joon became as a chef, he couldn’t make better sushi than a sushi chef if he focused on Western food.

But Cho Min Joon didn’t have the personality to dedicate his entire life to one food. There were too many cooking methods and ingredients in the world. He wanted to use all of them in order to produce the best results. That was the dream of all chefs, but Cho Min Joon had a bigger craving than the rest.

That might have been because the fact that he came back to the past was like a dream. Since his dream came true once, he believed that it could happen again. Cho Min Joon looked at Rachel and asked. “Rachel, I’ve always been curious. Restaurants always attempt different dishes. But if you keep changing it up every week, doesn’t that prevent them from being able to master it deeply?”

“Of course.”

Rachel answered in a calm voice. Cho Min Joon, who was expecting an argument, stared back at her in awe. Rachel smiled and continued, “Min Joon, you don’t have to become a complete chef in order to make a complete dish. But Chef Yamamoto had to. Since the beginning and the end of a sushi is in his hands, he has to be perfect when it comes to sushi.”

“… Are we different?”

“We are. The kitchen of a restaurant is a nation of its own. You get a flawless dish as long as everyone does their part well. Think about other restaurants. A patisserie makes the bread while talented noodle-makers collaborate as well. When it comes to Western restaurants, many people contribute to one dish.”

“Then what are we supposed to work on?”

Cho Min Joon knitted his brows. He had never thought about it before. And now that he thought about it, it was too complicated. Cho Min Joon stared at Rachel with thirsty eyes. Rachel opened her mouth.

“It depends on your rank, but I’ll tell you in terms of the head chef. After all, you’ll be a head chef one day, too. There are two categories. First, you must direct a kitchen. You have to be able to consider the equipment, stove, staff, and more.”

“What’s the second?”

“To imagine.”

Rachel opened her eyes wide and looked at Cho Min Joon. Her eyes sparkled so brightly that it looked like a glare. Rachel continued, “Imagine which path your kitchen should take. It’s up to you to imagine the people’s age, effort, and experience… It’ll all show in your recipes. Look at this sushi and let it stimulate you and touch you! Feel it and express it! Recipes aren’t just about ingredients and cooking methods. When you make that feeling into inspiration, that recipe becomes yours.”

Cho Min Joon’s eyes went blank. Countless thoughts crossed his mind. Cho Min Joon sprung up.

“I… need some fresh air.”

Rachel didn’t hold Cho Min Joon back. And as Yamamoto watched Rachel watch Cho Min Joon leave, he opened his mouth.

“You’re a good mentor.”

“… No, I’m a bad mentor. I’m pretending to be all that, but it’s possible that I’m more desperate than he is.”

“Why are you desperate?”

“I want to make that boy grow as soon as possible. It’s funny, isn’t it? It’s as if I just gave birth, but I’m already preparing for his wedding.”

Rachel smiled sadly. Yamamoto put his knife back on the rack.

“All parents are greedy for their children.”

“Yes. I’m planning to pour out all my greed on that boy.”

“I’m not surprised seeing how he has a palate like that.”

Rachel put a piece of ginger in her mouth without a word. She felt the sweet, sour, and the refreshing yet bitter flavor passing through her throat. Rachel then spoke in a more refreshed voice, “Luckily, what I can give that boy is nothing average.”

***

As soon as Cho Min Joon got out of the restaurant, he breathed in and out. As soon as some air entered his nose, Cho Min Joon’s mind functioned quickly like a computer.

‘Sushi. Sushi. Dishes using sushi.’

He couldn’t win with just ordinary sushi, but that didn’t mean he wanted to stay away from sushi forever. So inside Cho Min Joon’s head, countless ingredients and methods of cooking clashed and intertwined.

“7 points, 6 points, 8 points…. N-no, that’s not it. That’s not good enough.”

The cameraman, who was waiting outside, filmed Cho Min Joon’s mumbling to himself with a weird look on his face, but Cho Min Joon didn’t pay attention to the cameraman or the staff.

If they could film inside his head instead of his face, it would’ve been quite the sight. Countless recipes popped up before being discarded, and the flavor of the food was clear inside his mind. Just by imagining it, he felt like he could taste it. Cho Min Joon was salivating.

“It’s not enough to just use the knife properly. Should I use fire? No, that won’t make it perfect either. In that case…”

His mumbling stopped, but that didn’t mean Cho Min Joon made up his mind. His eyes were still staring into space, and his lips were open. He couldn’t help it. Dozens of windows were popping up and disappearing in front of his eyes.

And the rotation finally stopped after 10 minutes. Cho Min Joon’s eyes finally saw light again. His eyes were still staring into space, and the cameraman had a weird thought—that Cho Min Joon was seeing something that they weren’t seeing.

And he wasn’t wrong. After all, Cho Min Joon was looking at windows that no one else could see.

[The predicted score is 9!]

[You’ve come up with a 9-point recipe on your own!]

[Your recipe formation experience is increasing!]