The Paris International Cooking Contest was the pride of France. The fact that there was no French chef in the finals made Min-joon wonder if the French people would no longer be interested in the contest. It was natural that they thought so because it would not really matter to them whether Dobby or Min-joon would win. What was important to them was that French chefs missed the finals.
‘I hear it’s the first time in almost twenty years that the French chefs didn’t advance to the finals.’
Fortunately, the management of the Paris International Cooking Contest was not so stupid. Rather, they used this crisis as an opportunity. As a matter of fact, most of the French men were not aware of the existence of the Paris contest unless they were particularly interested in cooking. However, when the American chefs including Min-joon stood out while their French counterparts lagged behind them, the contest management appealed to the people like this, ‘This is why you pay more attention to the development of our gastronomy industry.’
Min-joon wondered whether it was because of their lack of attention and interest that the French chefs lagged behind American chefs in this contest. Anyway, the poor outcome of the Paris contest gave them a rude awakening. Actually, they needed to look back at why the French chefs lost this time, given their unrivaled love for cooking.
‘The question is whether they can really face their defeat directly.’
Min-joon thought it would not be easy because that was what most of the French people felt was the most difficult thing. Min-joon and Kaya, and Dobby and Eva already hurt the pride of the French people. They would not be able to forgive the American chefs who hurt their pride, so Min-joon was confident that he would not be surprised even if the French people turned away from the American chefs including him.
But it also meant that the French weren’t ready for the situation where they would not turn away from the American finalists.
“Wow! The French people are great.”
Min-joon was just amazed by the French audience fully packing the venue.
Compared to the number of spectators in the semi-finals, they were by no means small in size. Min-joon couldn’t understand why they came out to this place. He would understand if this was a soccer game because it was still meaningful for them to see the historic final match even if their soccer teams failed to advance the finals.
But could they really feel the same way in a cooking contest? They couldn’t taste the food. All they could do was enjoy watching the chefs cooking from a distance. It was at that moment when Min-joon discovered something unusual in the crowds.
Kaya muttered blankly, “Are the French people generous? I don’t understand why they come to see the American chefs who beat their French counterparts.”
“Well, I don’t think they have come here simply because they are generous.”
“Then, what’s up with them?”
“Well, I just have that feeling,” Min-joon said in a low voice.
There was one fact that he could only confirm with his eyes. It was that most of the crowd here were above cooking level 5. Given that those at cooking level 5 were competent enough to open a small restaurant in a small neighborhood, it wasn’t strange that most of the spectators who came out today could be called chefs.
Of course, it was natural that the Paris contest drew lots of chefs to it as spectators, given the very nature of a cooking contest. Actually, some of them knew the name of Min-joon. But there were unusually a lot of them who knew his name today. It was as if the chefs came to this contest from all over France.
‘Oh my God! There are so many out there in the stands who are cooking level 9!’
Actually, he didn’t blink at all even when all the French media reported about the American chefs widely, but he was thrilled now. In his eyes, the reporters and general public in France watching them was obviously different from the chefs watching them. His world was in the restaurant, not in the media. And now, those watching him were the chefs who had been working in the kitchen like him.
‘Alright, I can show you something fantastic.’
Min-joon was confident that the more they came to know the dish he and Kaya prepared today, the more they would know its value. While he was getting ready for the contest quietly, Dobby and Eva approached him.
Dobby said with a smile, “So, are you fully ready now?”
“Yep, very much.”
“Hey, how come you can say it so easily even when you’re confident?”
“Don’t worry. I’m trying to answer humbly anyway,” Min-joon replied naturally.
Normally, Dobby would laugh loudly and crack a joke, but he didn’t this time. He just looked at Min-joon quietly.
He opened his mouth with a sincere voice.
“I don’t want to let down my guard just because we’re competing as chefs from Rose Island.”
“Well, I’m more thrilled than ever today,” Min-joon replied briefly.
At that moment, Dobby’s face stiffened. He thought all he could do today was just do his best seriously. After hearing Min-joon replying, however, Dobby felt he was wrong. After all, he was simply trying to do his best, while Min-joon was ready to enjoy competing. He knew there was a big difference between his and Min-joon’s attitude.
After all, Dobby slowly turned his back, feeling bitter deep down. Like he told Min-joon, he didn’t try to be arrogant or let down his guard. For today, he had to keep in mind that he was a challenger. Otherwise, he would be forced to show his weakness again to Min-joon and Kaya.
‘Okay, let me show you guys what I have learned from Chef June.’
Actually, those who knew June didn’t know exactly June’s cooking skills, distracted by her skillful business. Some even criticized that she was more skillful in winning over people’s hearts than cooking. But if she had been such a chef, Dobby wouldn’t have respected her from the beginning.
As far as he knew, June was the best and the most excellent chef. To be honest, she wasn’t a chef with great senses. However, since her senses were lacking, she devoted a lot of time and effort to make up for it to the point that nobody would have imagined it.
As a result, she totally relied on her own cooking theory and logic, not senses. She could teach her students the best of her cooking skills, and they could understand more clearly what kind of cooking she had in mind.
And now, he was thinking of borrowing June’s cooking method, which had become embedded in his cooking at some point.
“Uh?”
While watching Dobby and Eva, Min-joon thought there was something unusual about them.
Of course, he was not surprised after reading Dobby’s mind. He was now reading the system window that appeared over Eva’s head.
‘Oh, her cooking level went up!’
Apparently, she was cooking level 7 when he confirmed it last time. But she was cooking level 8 now. Of course, he understood why. The cooking competition was a great opportunity for chefs to improve their skills rapidly, for they felt pressed a lot because they had to compete with others, given the limited time and the cooking theme. So, naturally, they could show the best of their cooking skills in such a situation. When they surpassed themselves again and again while reviewing the dishes made by other chefs, it was pretty natural that their cooking level went up.
However, Min-joon didn’t care much about her level. He needed to pay attention to her new level, but he gave up the idea of competing with her and Dobby from the beginning. If he had been conscious of it, he would not have told Dobby that he was thrilled, for Dobby was a strong rival.
Min-joon enjoyed cooking. And he could realize his cooking idea best while working with Kaya. As a matter of fact, what he dreamed of was Kaya’s cuisine, and she was right next to him.
‘Besides…’
Cooking this was definitely something he could enjoy. In other words, he could not help but enjoy cooking it in front of many French spectators and chefs. It was the moment he clenched his fists, thinking about it when the judges stepped in front of them.
Bastien was the first to open his mouth. He had been proceeding with the contest with an exaggerated voice like the host of the event, but at this moment, he said with a calmly subdued voice, “Did you guys have a great time during the past one week?”
“Well, it was rather an agonizing time for us. But I think it will be fun from now on thanks to our cooking.”
“Hey, Kaya, your confidence is attractive. How about it? Like I said to you last time, if you could join my restaurant…”
“Well, if I answer that question, I think you’ll give me an unfair score.”
“Oh, you may be right. Okay, let me ask the same question when this contest is over. So, what kind of dishes have you prepared?”
“Well, it’s a dish that doesn’t belong anywhere. It’s a French dish, but it doesn’t look like a French dish. And you might be interested in what’s its main ingredient is. You might also be very curious about what kind of taste it has. Actually, we haven’t decided on its name yet.”
“Oh, I look forward to trying it…”
“You don’t have to. If you eat anyway, you may be so surprised as to bite your tongue,” said Kaya with a smile.
Clearing his throat, Bastien slowly opened his mouth.
“We don’t have any main ingredient this time. But all the ingredients are important. Each of them will display its own taste when you try it, and you will find yourself focusing on each of them.”
Of course, the Min-joon pair didn’t make the dish only in one week. They had witnessed so many dishes until now. For example, Rachel’s bacon foam potato soup was one such example. Obviously, it was potato soup, and it was served with slight bacon foam, but the scent of the bacon was so strong that it made them forget the potatoes.
Even one garnish could sometimes make people get confused about which was the main dish.
That was what Min-joon and Kaya took advantage of drastically. It wasn’t attractive enough to overshadow the main ingredient, but Min-joon made sure that each garnish should be felt strong enough to compare to the main ingredient.
And the signature ingredients that played such a role were tofu, foie gras, and chicken.
After he cut the chicken thigh into a round donut shape, he filled the hole in the center with tofu, cut out foie gras like a strip around it, and added a powder sauce made with soy sauce and wine, and wasabi foam.
So, when the judges tried it, they would not be able to tell whether it was tofu, chicken, or foie gras that they were eating. And at the same time, it was a dish that would make them feel the taste of each ingredient clearly. In other words, they were not putting three different dishes in their mouths at the same time, but they would feel the taste of three dishes in one dish at the same time. In the eyes of Min-joon and Kaya, the difference in taste would be like night and day.
And now, the pair were ready to show such a difference to not only the judges but also the chefs who gathered here. They were ready to show off. They were already thrilled, with smiles on their faces.
[The expected score for Min-joon and Kaya’s dish which looks like a nameless French dish with no main ingredients is 10 points!]
