Chapter 166
Chapter 166
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 166
Chapter Title: Blind Taste Test Challenge
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It wasn't cooked the usual way for regular customers—instead, they'd made it sweeter to suit just one person, Song Woo-yeon?
"Then what's the point of getting a taste evaluation?"
The customers who'd come before and those who would come after were all different.
Such doubts surfaced on everyone's faces.
Choi Mi-seon didn't stop there and piled on even more.
"That's right. I've seen it on a few broadcasts too—you toss in handfuls of sugar. We don't usually make it this sweet, but we added just a tiny bit more to match Song Woo-yeon's taste."
Do Kyung rolled his eyes in bewilderment. Im Hye-eun tried to smooth things over.
"Haha. Owner, we appreciate the sentiment, but we specifically asked you to make it the way you normally do for customers..."
"Aw, we did that. But adjusting to customers' tastes is part of our job, you know."
Choi Mi-seon showed no signs of backing down. Im Hye-eun glanced at the monitor.
Sure enough, Song Woo-yeon's expression had gone ice cold.
-Owner.
"Yes?"
-Then come down here and make it again.
"Pardon?"
-You said you made this army stew to suit me. So to give me an accurate evaluation, you need to remake it like you do for regular customers.
"Just think of it as a bit less sweet. We only added some sugar."
-No. How much does sweetness define the flavor of army stew? It's the most crucial part, so you need to remake it to be sure.
"......"
As Choi Mi-seon made a displeased face, Song Woo-yeon continued.
-But if it's still sweet even after remaking it, contrary to what you said... I can't help this place.
"Pardon?"
Choi Mi-seon looked utterly baffled.
"What kind of talk is that?"
-Someone who won't admit their mistakes or accept my feedback—solutions are pointless for them. No matter how much you talk, it won't matter. I don't want to waste effort on that. Better to spend that time helping somewhere else.
"......"
-Owner. Think back on what you said. You made it sweet because I like sweet things? This isn't the kind of sweetness you get from an extra spoonful or two of sugar.
Song Woo-yeon scooped up another spoonful of broth and ate it.
-This isn't army stew—it's like tteokbokki. Owner, when's the last time you made this and actually tasted it yourself? Not right after cooking, but after simmering it like you would for customers.
"......"
-You don't even remember, do you? If you'd tried it yourself, you wouldn't say that. Who would like army stew this sweet? Plus, the onions and cabbage already make it overly sweet—no added sugar needed.
Reprimanded harshly, Choi Mi-seon hunched her shoulders involuntarily. Her son, Park Jun-beom, glanced at her sidelong from beside her.
-If you want to continue the solutions, stop making excuses and accept the issues I'm pointing out. Got it?
"Yes......"
-If you lie to my questions again, I'm really leaving. Don't do that.
"I'm sorry."
Choi Mi-seon replied in a subdued voice.
-Army stew should be saltier than sweet to taste good. I'll explain that later...
Song Woo-yeon stirred the army stew once more. Square hams and long-sliced ones filled the ladle.
He picked one out and popped it in his mouth.
-Hmm... What kind of ham do you use?
"Garlic ham and SpX."
-Garlic ham? Why?
"I bought different kinds and tried them all—that one's the tastiest. It has great flavor, and the garlic goes so well..."
Song Woo-yeon tilted his head at that.
-The ham in army stew needs to absorb the broth's flavor well to be good. But this garlic ham has such a strong taste of its own that it kills the broth. And the garlic flavor seeps into the broth, making it murky.
Song Woo-yeon fished out another ham and took a bite as he spoke.
-SpX pairs well and works fine. Not the unsalted kind, right? Salty ham adds saltiness to the army stew and brings out that rich, oily flavor that makes it more substantial.
He added that ham for army stew should have saltiness to be good—unsalted is better grilled.
"Ooh, I see. Song CEO, you're quite the expert on army stew too."
Im Hye-eun felt an exclamation slip out naturally. From what she'd researched beforehand, he didn't even run an army stew franchise. How did he know so much, like a walking encyclopedia?
'Of course, as a self-proclaimed culinary researcher, I figured he had plenty of cooking experience...'
But this was beyond imagination. Recipes could be figured out with dedicated research or staff.
Yet here he was, evaluating without prior notice of the restaurant, spotting issues after one bite of army stew and rattling off which hams pair best.
'This broadcast is going to turn out way more entertaining than I thought.'
The more talking points, the better the show. Just collecting what Song Woo-yeon had said gave plenty of editing angles.
'And this side is better than expected too.'
Im Hye-eun glanced at Do Kyung.
Idols taking up space on variety shows wasn't new.
But plenty just showed up, filled their slot perfunctorily, and left.
She knew entertainment companies were big clients for broadcasters, so no one messed with them, and she had a rough idea of the tangled adult politics.
Still, as a freelance MC who'd clawed her way to a spot through bone-grinding effort, she'd gritted her teeth plenty.
Do Kyung wasn't throwing out many broadcast-friendly lines, probably tense for his first shoot.
But he was playing a far better role.
'You can read his real thoughts right off his face!'
And what that meant was this.
"I've tried over thirty kinds of ham, and that one's the best, I tell you?"
When Choi Mi-seon stubbornly doubled down again, Do Kyung's expression shifted dramatically.
His big eyes perfectly captured his inner feelings.
'What nonsense is this? ...That's what his face is saying.'
It was like a panacea for the show. Without a word, his face was fulfilling its duty perfectly. It felt like he was voicing the viewers' thoughts more than anyone.
Im Hye-eun thought that while tossing out a smoothing line.
"Ah~. So you tested them all yourself and picked the one that suited your taste, Owner?"
"Yes. My son and I tried them all together."
"That's what she says, CEO."
Song Woo-yeon's face twisted again upon hearing it.
-You tried them yourselves? Then you really shouldn't be using this.
Choi Mi-seon shot back.
"I tried it myself, didn't I? It was the tastiest to my taste buds."
-......Even if it suits your taste, Owner, I'm explaining what the general public likes. Sure, maybe a niche fanbase. But this won't appeal to most customers.
"We have plenty of regulars who come specifically because they like it."
As Choi Mi-seon refused to yield, Song Woo-yeon asked incredulously.
-Owner, you applied for solutions because business is slow and sales are down. So if you insist the food is perfect, what are we supposed to do? By your logic, this place should be thriving—no need for my help. Right?
"The location here is the issue. Not many people pass by, so it's tough."
Song Woo-yeon blinked his round eyes in disbelief.
-......What are you saying? So the location is the only problem, and everything else is fine?
"The bad location is the biggest factor."
-Owner, then you should've moved to a better spot instead of sticking here.
"That's why we're on the show—it's not easy to move~."
-Pardon?
Song Woo-yeon let out a hollow laugh, then asked with a defeated smile.
-So, Owner, you're just here to promote the place? Raise awareness, and it'll boom since everything else is perfect?
"That's not how you put it."
-That's exactly what you mean.
"No, I just thought having my son on this show would help spread the word about the shop, and it'd be nice to hear Song Woo-yeon's advice. So I told him to go for it..."
"Mom."
"What? Did I say something wrong? You told me to do it!"
As Choi Mi-seon snapped irritably, Park Jun-beom let out a deep sigh. Finally unable to stand it, Im Hye-eun stepped in to sort things out.
"Yes~. So basically, Owner, you decided to appear on [Alley Secrets] thinking it'd help the business. Right?"
"Yes, that's it."
"Got it. Our show's whole point is to visit struggling mom-and-pops in alleys, provide solutions, and give them exposure. So maybe take it easy, Owner, and pay a bit more attention to the solutions. That's why you're here, isn't it?"
"Right. Yes."
Choi Mi-seon was still lukewarm in response, so Park Jun-beom fidgeted and jumped in to salvage it.
"I'm sorry. We'll do our best!"
But the chilly atmosphere didn't lift. Song Woo-yeon, arms crossed and deep in thought, soon spoke up.
-Then shall we check? Like you said, Owner—maybe the army stew is fine, and it's just the location.
"Ah, CEO. Got a good idea?"
-PD. You mentioned a tasting panel last time—can we round one up now? Or the crew here could join in.
The sudden proposal stirred the production staff.
"PD. Possible?"
"Gathering a full panel right now would be tough, but we can mobilize the crew. For a proper panel, we'd need about a week."
"That's the situation, CEO."
-Then I'll ask the crew to help.
As the staff nodded, Song Woo-yeon continued.
-Let's do a blind taste test.
His smiling face filled the screen.
-No revealing whose is whose. Just taste and vote for the tastier army stew. How about it?