Chapter 314 - Dangerous Cohabitation (2)

“That’s your problem! Don’t expect customers to understand your situation. Just think you’re working in the kitchen, not a food truck. Can you put your feelings on the plate just because you guys quarrelled?

“No, I don’t think so.”

“That’s my answer. If you quarrelled or not, you guys have to solve it. If you can’t, that’s your problem.”

Then she briefly explained how they should run the truck. After she was done, Anderson hardened his expression in front of the truck.

Min-joon asked, looking at him with an uneasy expression, “Did you really have to tell it to Rachel like a kid?”

“Yeah. I’m a kid. So I can’t even drive. You drive, okay? Let me take a nap.”

“Hey, hey!”

Instead of replying to him, Anderson got into the passenger seat immediately. As if he didn’t like Anderson’s attitude, Min-joon looked at the truck door that Anderson had closed then muttered with a sigh, “Well, I really don’t like this coworker today.”

Janet turned to Rachel, looking at Min-joon’s clenched fist.

Rachel was watching Min-joon and Anderson’s truck with some concern.

Janet asked, “You did team them up on purpose, right?”

“What do you think?”

“Well, I think you did it deliberately, be it for an emotional or logical reason. I know you always need a reason when you are doing something.”

“You already know the way I’m controlling my staff.”

“I don’t know much. But I know it this time,” Janet said curtly.

Rachel put her hand on Janet’s shoulder and said, “I don’t hate them quarreling that much.”

“Well, I wouldn’t describe it as just quarreling. It’s more than that.”

“Yeah, it might be more accurate to describe it as their competition. Anyway, cooking needs competition. You may think if you alone cook well, everything will be okay, but someone who competes right next to you really influences you a lot.”

“Yeah, competition does help.”

“Sometimes, it doesn’t help. Sometimes, it frustrates you because your rival looks so tough.”

“I’m not frustrated. I would have worked harder in that case.”

“Do you know why competition is helpful? The more you compete, the more intense my desire to win is, the more you finally realize that real cooking…”

What Rachel was trying to say could hardly be heard because of the loud siren of a fire truck passing by. But Janet could guess what she meant.

She nodded and said, “The thing is whether the two can find it.”

***

Music was great. It would be difficult to find anyone who didn’t agree with it. Antonio and Maya wanted to rely on the greatness of music right now. That was one of the reasons why the loud Mexican-style club music was playing in their food truck.

“Do you think music has paid off?”

“Just a little.”

When he winked at her, holding the steering wheel, she nodded.

The silence lingering between Min-joon and Anderson was incredibly uncomfortable and unpleasant.

Antonio and Maya hoped that the power of the club’s music would soothe the two demi chefs. Maya rolled her eyeballs and looked at Min-joon and Anderson sitting in the back seat.

As soon as she saw their faces, she felt almost choked and turned her eyes away.

“How do they look?”

“Well, the music is not working.”‘

Maya and Antonio briefly communicated with each other by winking and making facial expressions. She squeezed her seat belt with an anxious look. Since Anderson and Min-joon always mingled well, she once thought it would be nice if she had such a chef friend someday. But she was disappointed to see them being hostile toward each other at the moment.

“Hey turn off the music. It’s annoying,” Anderson said in a quiet voice.

His voice was barely audible, but obviously, Antonio was tense at the moment, checking their expressions. Antonio quickly turned off the music then said cautiously, “Shall I play other music?”

“No, I just want to take a nap.”

“Yep,” Antonio replied in a strict voice then looked at Maya in frustration. He felt relieved to hear the Latin music playing on, but with the music off, it was really driving him nuts.

Still, Min-joon had a mellow personality, so Antonio wondered if he could solve this situation quickly, but he didn’t. Min-joon opened his mouth only after the truck arrived at the market parking lot.

“Now that we have had a good break, let’s make a plan,” said Min-joon.

“If you’re talking about a recipe, I’ve something in mind,” said Anderson.

“Really? Just tell me. Let me give you feedback,” Min-joon said in a calm voice.

Antonio and Maya let out a sigh of relief at the moment. Although they talked about the food truck menu, they felt much relieved to see the two finally speaking to each other.

Anderson opened his mouth in a calm voice.

“Do you remember the food truck mission when we were at the Grand Chef mission?” Anderson asked.

“Of course, I do. So what?” Min-joon quipped.

“At that time, the best seller was the Norimaki we made, and the next bestseller was Chloe’s team’s grilled skewers.”

“I don’t think you want to make Norimaki again. You want to make grilled skewers?”

“No. Instant steak.”

When Anderson said that, Min-joon made an ambiguous expression. Not caring at all, though, Anderson said, “It’s simple and intuitive. First of all, our cooks here don’t have to have a hard time. One cook is a cashier, you and I will be grilling the meat, and the other cook is in charge of making sauce and serving. How about that?”

“You don’t mean you want to make a steak that they can taste everywhere, right?”

“Of course not, because the way we roast and sear it will be different.”

“We are from Rose Island. People don’t just come to our truck because they want to eat just any food. They come because they want something special and unique. So, I don’t think just plain steaks will do.”

“Why are you always talking about special food?” Anderson frowned.

While Maya and Antonio were watching the two nervously, Min-joon Cho said with a sigh, “Hey, what’s wrong with special food?”

“I’m not saying special food is bad, but since you are always talking about something special when you cook, it’s like we are tying ourselves.”

“I’m not tied because of that. I like ordinary dishes, and I like trying to make them, too. But right now, I just want to satisfy our customers’ needs. I want to show them that the dishes they’ve always dreamed of do really exist. Am I wrong?”

“Let’s ask you one thing. How come you think steak is an ordinary dish? Even if you roast the same steak on the same grill, it tastes completely different, depending on the chef’s skills. How many among those in San Francisco you think have tasted authentic steaks?”

“Yeah. You’re right. Steak looks simple to cook, but it’s not easy. Even though they will be eating the steak, they will be impressed with the steaks we make here. But there is no reason for us to stop there. We are the chefs of Rose Island. We’ve seen Rachel making so many dishes so many times. In other words, we remember so many recipes. Then, why do you want to focus on simple dishes rather than exploring them?”

When Min-joon said that, he didn’t reply but just looked at Min-joon with an uneasy expression.

At that moment, Antonio quickly cut in and said, “Chef, why don’t you make both dishes?”

“What?”

“As you said, there are two demi chefs here right now. So, you can cook your own dish.”

“No, we can’t. If you make several kinds of dishes in one food truck, we may be distracted and our work might not be as efficient as we think.”

“Then, you guys make steaks on your own. Chef Anderson grills a regular steak, while Chef Min-joon grills a special steak. How about that?”

Anderson and Min-joon remained silent for a while.

At last, Min-joon nodded and said, “Alright. I have no problem with that, Anderson. What do you think?”

“Not bad. Let me go and buy some ingredients. Let’s buy them separately.”

“Sure.”

After entering the market, the two and their cooks parted to buy their own ingredients.

Maya asked Min-joon cautiously, “Chef, are you angry right now?”

“Don’t worry. I just feel under the weather a bit.”

“How can’t I worry? I’ve never seen you getting upset like this before.”

“Thank you.”

He held out his right fist with a smile. Maya shook her head, wrapping his fist.

“No, Chef. We don’t have to feel like we are in Los Angeles when we are here in San Francisco.”

“Got it. Then should I politely shake hands with you?”

“I hate that, too.”

“You’re so cocky these days, Maya.”

“Well, it’s because I’m excited. Please understand me, Chef Min-joon.”

“Yeah. I have to understand you and Anderson… By the way, who do you think is trying to understand the other person more, me or Anderson?”

“Are you asking me who is wrong?”

“Sort of.”

Min-joon looked down at the pomegranate hanging at the vegetable store diffidently.

His voice was filled with hesitation.

He said, “Sometimes, I’m not sure if I’m doing all right. To be honest with you, it made me feel guilty when Anderson said I was obsessed with something special. There was a time when I was really into it. I still can’t get out of it. It looks like I have to stay with it for the rest of my life.”

“It’s natural you stick to something special. Anybody would, even if you are not a chef because people always want to look special to others.”

“I don’t think so. I know how delicious cooking can be. And I know that people in the world have fewer opportunities to try dishes at restaurants. So, when I meet them, I would like to serve them dishes that are a little more unexpected than they think.”

“You’re greedy, Chef.”

“Greedy?”

“Don’t you think so? You like something special, and you want to satisfy people. So, you had a quarrel with Chef Anderson, raising your voice. But now, you want to be a good person. You want to embrace all opinions and humble yourself, and you want to be a wise man. By the way, Chef, do you know what you are lacking?”

When she asked, he just looked at her casually as if it was not a big deal. She raised her index finger and said in a confident voice, “It’s shitty power.”

“What power?”