Chapter 74
Chapter 74
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 74
Chapter Title: First Victory: Chinese Braised Pork Noodles
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"I'll go with this one."
Huang Wei's chosen winner was...
Eyes followed his fingertip. The spot Huang Wei pointed to was the plate right there on his side.
"Chinese Braised Pork Noodles!"
The two MCs called it out together.
"Chinese Braised Pork Noodles! Chef Song's Chinese Braised Pork Noodles takes the first win!"
"How did this happen?! What an amazing reversal!"
"This is the revolt of young blood! Chef Song, who trained for over ten years under the master of Chinese cuisine, overcomes his prized disciple and claims the first victoryyy!"
The MCs made a huge fuss celebrating my win.
Clap clap clap clap!
The chefs applauded and offered their congratulations.
"Congratulations. It was delicious."
"Tell me the recipe in detail. I wanna try making it at home next time. Haha."
I couldn't tell if it was empty flattery or not. But after tasting my dish once, the way they looked at me had clearly changed.
Before, they probably looked down on me a bit for my short career, and even felt a little offended sharing the same show. But a master recognizes a master.
You can tell a person's depth just from watching their hands at work. The chefs had just read that unexpected quality in me.
'They know now I'm not an easy opponent.'
That's why respect welled up in them as fellow cooks, leading to these compliments.
"Thank you."
I bowed my head in thanks and gave an awkward smile. To be honest, I had used a little trick.
'This was one of the new menu items I prepared before my regression. The new menu development team all jumped in, and I'd vetted it dozens of times myself, so of course it couldn't taste bad.'
It was meant for one of my brands, but it never saw the light of day before I returned to the past.
In a way, you could call it an ill-fated dish.
"Huang Wei, both were so delicious you must've agonized over it. Is there a reason you chose Chinese Braised Pork Noodles?"
"Oh, both were incredibly tasty. It was really hard to pick."
Huang Wei looked back and forth between me and Anderic as he spoke.
"The Mapo Tofu was outstanding. It even reminded me of my hometown for a moment. What was amazing was how you toned down that funky aroma and made it easy for anyone to enjoy. I'd love the recipe for that one too, if possible."
"You're sparing no praise for the Mapo Tofu! So what made you pick Chinese Braised Pork Noodles despite that?!"
At the MC's question, Huang Wei pondered for a moment before speaking.
"This one felt like something my friends would like more."
"Oh, your friends?"
"Yeah. The theme was dishes good for Korean friends, right? Mapo Tofu is delicious, but one or two might not like it. Because of the doubanjiang aroma."
"Right, it does have a bit of an exotic scent."
"But this? Korean friends would love it. It's a shame it doesn't have more Chinese flair, but I think my friends would devour it, and I could replicate it easily too."
"It's tough to replicate a flame show at home~."
"Fire control is key in Chinese cooking! It's not easy to make Mapo Tofu like that on a home gas stove."
"That's what chefs can pull off."
The MCs chattered away busily. As expected, mass appeal wins.
Didn't I say it?
When regular folks are judging, I can make something tastier than any chef.
Of course, it's hard to deny that caters to sweet, salty, addictive tastes.
Lost in those thoughts, I heard another voice from the side.
"Congratulations, Chef Song."
"!"
I turned to see Jeong Haneul smiling kindly at me. Recognition from the master of Chinese cuisine himself.
I hurriedly replied.
"Please, call me casually. I'm still not quite worthy of 'chef' yet."
"Too much humility can be poison. From where I stand, Chef Song more than qualifies."
"You're too kind."
"Really. You handle Chinese cuisine so cleverly. I always tell my disciples: move your hands while you think."
As Jeong Haneul spoke, the other chefs nodded along, listening intently.
"You can't just move without knowing why, following recipes blindly. That might mimic the appearance, but you won't achieve true flavor."
Wise words.
"In that sense, Chef Song, you're doing exactly what I wish from my disciples. You can tell you've thought deeply and researched it."
"Thank you."
I bowed deeply in gratitude, and Jeong Haneul chuckled heartily before continuing.
"No need. I'm the grateful one. For giving my disciple a good thrashing."
"Your disciple..."
"You've realized by now, right?"
Jeong Haneul's gaze slipped past me toward my back.
I turned to see Anderic standing there, staring blankly down at his dish, stunned by the loss.
The mood around him was so heavy no one dared approach.
Tap.
Jeong Haneul gave my back a light push.
"What are you doing? Go tease him already."
"Huh?"
His playful tone made me think I'd misheard. But Jeong Haneul just grinned mischievously.
"Why? I mean it. Go rub it in good. It'll fire him up to work harder."
He raises his disciples tough...
"He may look fierce, but he's not a bad kid. He won't take it the wrong way. Don't worry, go on."
No, I don't have anything particular to say to him. But with Jeong Haneul urging me on, I couldn't pretend not to notice.
In the end, I walked over and stood before Anderic. Sensing me, he looked up.
His expression was blank, but a cold chill hung in the air. What a scary face.
"Good match."
I extended my hand first.
"The Mapo Tofu—I tried it earlier, and it was really delicious."
A chef is a chef.
Pulling off that flavor in such poor conditions. Honestly, Anderic's was more refined.
Of course, that edge shines with a taster who can appreciate it.
"I was really confident, actually. In this recipe of mine. I didn't think I'd lose easily... but tasting your Mapo Tofu gave me a real sense of crisis."
Ah, am I gonna lose? That thought had flashed through my mind.
My palate's well-honed from tasting and studying countless dishes, so I pick up subtle differences easily.
"Looks like I just got lucky."
I grinned, and I could see Anderic's eyes tremble slightly.
But come on. Shake my hand already?
My outstretched hand was getting awkward, so I considered pulling it back just as—
Grab.
Anderic clasped it.
"I should be saying that. I learned something today."
He shook it firmly twice and let go cleanly. A polite handshake.
"Chef Song."
"!"
My eyes went wide. Chef? Did he just call me Chef?
This prideful guy?
Seeing my puzzled face, Anderic continued calmly.
"I was surprised when I tasted it. It was delicious."
Turns out he's not as stubborn as I thought. Most would feel it's tasty but deny it—"No way"—and rationalize.
Add tons of sugar, of course it's good.
Uses MSG, so no umami depth. It's shallow.
Excuses like that are easy to come by. How many can admit "delicious" so straightforwardly?
"I was rude earlier."
Rare to see someone own up to their mistake and reflect.
Oh my oh my. I could hear Jeong Haneul exclaiming from behind, his voice full of pride like watching his grown son.
"What's this? What's going on?"
"Huh?"
Bong Gangmin butted in out of nowhere, so I reflexively asked back. He didn't care and replied.
"Is this that? Rivals?"
"Me?"
Please don't spread rumors like that. Against my wishes, Bong Gangmin kept going.
"Totally that vibe~. The genius protagonist who skipped formal training versus the elite rival. Boom, instant manga plot."
"Ooh, yeah."
People around started murmuring and agreeing one by one.
Guys, why the exaggeration.
"Nah, come on. I just got lucky today, that's all."
I tried to smooth it over, but it was too late.
"Ah, so Chef Song and not-quite-Chef Anderic as rivals?! Clear characters from episode one~."
"Hahaha. It'll be fun watching these two clash from now on. The day Chef Anderic gets his revenge won't be far off!"
"Alright, let's tidy the kitchen and move to the next matchup?"
"Next up, Bong Gangmin Chef, who drew numbers 3 and 4, versus Chef Park Junsu..."
Wait, we're just moving on like this? I glanced at Anderic, now suddenly my rival by accident.
I figured he'd be furious, but he looked unfazed.
'This... I'm worried how it'll air.'
Suddenly framed as a genius. Driving me crazy!
"Hahaha... hahahahaha!"
Kim PD—Kim Seol—let out a whoop as he watched the pouring viewer ratings.
"Yeehaw!"
3% ratings.
For cable TV, hitting this in just the first episode was a massive hit.
And who was it all thanks to?
Sure, credit to Bong Gangmin Chef for his entertaining ad-libs, or the MCs rummaging the fridge with witty banter.
But in [Raid the Fridge], the hottest star was someone else.
Song Uyeon.
