Chapter 144: The Hands of a Master (1)
Chapter 144: The Hands of a Master (1)
If Westerners were asked to choose the most popular Asian cuisine, most would probably think for a moment before choosing Japanese food. Its clean flavours might be too restrained to become everyone’s favourite, but perhaps for that very reason, it was one of the easiest cuisines for people everywhere to enjoy.
Jo Minjoon had always liked noodles, so naturally he liked ramen as well. If he were judging purely by texture, udon was more appealing, but there were not many udon restaurants that managed to properly infuse the noodles with the flavour of the broth.
In truth, that was unavoidable to some extent. Udon noodles were far thicker than ramen noodles, which made it difficult for the broth to penetrate them unless they were handled skilfully. Of course, leaving them in the broth longer would eventually allow the flavour to seep in, but then their elasticity would suffer. The result varied somewhat depending on the dough ratio and resting time, but even then, udon could not absorb flavour as readily as ramen.
That was why Jo Minjoon preferred ramen. Simplicity was important, but what he liked most was the way the flavours of several different ingredients fitted together like pieces of a puzzle, ultimately creating something that still tasted simple. Broth and aromatic herbs, char siu, bean sprouts, spring onions, and noodles—when all of them came together properly, he thought few dishes could compare.
(Translator’s Note: Char siu — Cantonese barbecued pork traditionally roasted with a sweet-savoury glaze. It originated in southern Chinese cuisine. Japanese ramen adopted the name as chāshū, although Japanese ramen pork is often braised rather than prepared in the Cantonese roasting style.)
Yet despite how much he liked ramen, what occupied Jo Minjoon’s thoughts now was sushi. More precisely, fish dishes.
The reason was simple.
The 3.11 Great Earthquake.
Less than half a year remained before the disaster that would later be known as the Great East Japan Earthquake. After it happened, concerns over radioactive contamination would inevitably make people suspicious of food products coming from Japan. Years later, the Japanese government would insist that the products placed on the market posed no danger to human health, but frankly, Jo Minjoon found it difficult to accept such assurances without reservation.
This might be his last opportunity to eat Japanese seafood without that concern hanging over every bite. Once the disaster occurred, no matter how much money or influence someone possessed, they would not be able to recreate this exact moment.
I should eat as much fish as I can.
Saliva gathered in his mouth as he imagined grilled Atka mackerel, cod simmered in soy sauce, sushi, and countless other dishes. He was also happy at the thought of eating proper white rice again. After Grand Chef ended, he had stayed in Korea for a while, but since then, it had been a long time since he had eaten a proper meal of rice and side dishes.
(Translator’s Note: Atka mackerel — A North Pacific fish widely eaten in Japan, especially in Hokkaido and northern Japan, commonly split open, dried, and grilled.)
“You really seem to be looking forward to this. You look happier than when we went to Olive Island.”
It was morning, and Anderson was watching him curiously as they left the Tokyo airport. Jo Minjoon smiled.
“You’ll probably remember this trip for a very long time.”
“Why? Because we’re filming it?”
“Just wait. You’ll understand when the time comes.”
Jo Minjoon answered bitterly. It was frustrating to know that the earthquake would happen and still be unable to do anything about it. But even if he went around announcing, There’s going to be a massive earthquake next March, so evacuate, how many people would take anything but a madman from those words?
He had not returned to the past to become a hero or an oracle. However painful it was, right now he had to focus on cooking and the programme.
Jo Minjoon turned towards Martin.
“So how are we doing things today?”
“It’s simple. Pair up and go wherever you want. You don’t need to worry about the cost of the meals.”
“You’re unusually generous today.”
“Japan is a leisurely country.”
At Martin’s words, Jo Minjoon glanced around. The road was packed with cars, perhaps because it was the morning commute, so he found it difficult to agree.
Martin continued calmly.
“Decide the pairs yourselves. I won’t interfere.”
The moment Martin finished speaking, both Jo Minjoon and Anderson turned their heads.
Towards Rachel.
Jeremy, standing beside her, immediately grumbled with a dejected expression.
“Even at my age, it seems I’m still not the popular type.”
“Hey, don’t be like that, Jeremy. Come with me.”
“Hoho. Will this old man really do?”
“The experience of a food critic doesn’t disappear with age. I want to combine your experience with mine today.”
Emily smiled brightly and linked arms with Jeremy. Sera watched them and smirked.
“Linking arms with another man? Alan would hate seeing that.”
“Alan isn’t that petty…… In the first place, what does Alan have to do with this?”
Emily started to answer instinctively, then stopped and glared at her.
Sera merely shrugged before turning towards Jo Minjoon and Anderson. She spread her arms playfully.
“One of you two, hurry up and come court me. Rachel, reject someone quickly.”
“Hmm……”
Rachel looked carefully between Anderson and Jo Minjoon, but she did not take long to decide. She turned towards Anderson with an apologetic expression.
“Anderson. This time, I’d like to experience Minjoon’s palate for myself. How about spending the day with a younger and prettier woman than me?”
“Yes. I understand.”
Anderson looked disappointed, but he did not complain and immediately nodded. Defying Rachel was apparently beyond imagination for him.
Sera linked her arm through his and raised the corner of her mouth.
“Wouldn’t it have been better if you’d come to me in the first place?”
“……Let’s go.”
After Anderson and Sera left, followed by Emily and Jeremy, only Jo Minjoon, Rachel, their cameramen, and a few members of staff remained.
Jo Minjoon looked towards Rachel.
“Teacher, is there anywhere you recommend?”
“Hmm, I wonder. Most of the restaurants I know in Japan are European restaurants…… At times like this, you have to trust your feet and your nose. Why don’t we walk around and go wherever smells good?”
“But sushi restaurants mostly just smell fishy.”
“You want sushi?”
“……Actually, yes. I’m curious what sushi made in Japan tastes like. There were people in Korea who were called sushi masters, but their restaurants were so expensive that I couldn’t even think about going.”
“That might be part of it, but didn’t you also think that sushi was basically all the same?”
At Rachel’s knowing smile, Jo Minjoon gave an embarrassed laugh and nodded.
“Honestly, that too. In the end, sushi is mainly about the flavour of the fish and the rice…… I’ve always wondered whether the way a master slices the fish or shapes the rice really makes such a clear difference. What do you think, Teacher?”
“Minjoon. Do you remember what I told you before? That food becomes delicious when you put your heart into it?”
“Yes.”
“If you believe something invisible, like the heart, can change flavour, then isn’t it easier to believe that slicing and shaping—skills refined over many years—can change it too?”
Put that way, it sounded reasonable. Even so, Jo Minjoon still found it difficult to believe that the way someone shaped rice or sliced fish could become such a major variable that it actually changed the cooking score.
Apparently his doubt showed on his face.
Rachel looked at him gently, then reached out and lightly pinched his cheek.
Jo Minjoon did not avoid her hand. Rachel reminded him of a real grandmother, but beyond that, almost anything she did left him oddly flustered. His role model and friend Kaya had become his comrade, and now Rachel was someone towards whom all his previously directionless admiration seemed to be gathering.
“Let’s go eat first. No matter how much I explain it, words can’t compare with tasting it yourself.”
“You just said you didn’t know anywhere in particular.”
“That’s why we’re going to find somewhere.”
They headed into a residential district some distance from the main streets. Restaurants appeared here and there between the houses, and several times Martin relayed information from their local guide about particularly old establishments. Some had histories stretching back fifty years, while others boasted more than a century.
Jo Minjoon could not hide his envy.
Restaurants with a hundred years of history were difficult to find in Korea. Many had lost their history during the Korean War, while others had later closed because there was no one willing or able to inherit them.
(Translator’s Note: Korean War / 6·25 War —The war that began with North Korea’s invasion of South Korea on 25 June 1950 and continued until the armistice of 27 July 1953. In South Korea, “6·25” is a common shorthand for the conflict. The war destroyed or displaced many older businesses, restaurants, and family traditions.)
“It always feels regrettable when a restaurant with a long history closes.”
“These days, there are plenty of cases where owners pass their restaurants to disciples rather than their children.”
Rachel said it while giving Jo Minjoon an unusually meaningful look.
The weight behind her gaze was so strong that Jo Minjoon instinctively looked away.
Rachel laughed softly.
“If I said I wanted to make you my successor, would you be confident you could carry everything on?”
“No. I wouldn’t.”
It was an extremely blunt answer.
Rachel looked at him sternly, almost reproaching him for lacking confidence.
Jo Minjoon continued carefully.
“Not right now. I still have too much I’m missing. But if you teach me everything I lack……then even if I have to stay awake night after night, I’ll make all of it mine. So teach me as much as you can.”
“……You’re unexpectedly shrewd. So in the end, whether you succeed depends on what I do? Ahaha. Fine. Challenges are always welcome, no matter how old you get.”
Rachel laughed brightly.
Jo Minjoon stopped walking.
Even while they had been talking, he had continued examining the small signs and windows of the restaurants they passed. He did not need to enter to see the cooking scores of dishes being served inside.
In most sushi restaurants, even the better pieces rarely exceeded a score of 6. That was not necessarily because the chefs lacked skill. Sushi was fundamentally a simple dish, which naturally limited how much could be done with it.
Just then, the guide whispered something into Martin’s ear.
Martin pointed towards one restaurant.
“For reference, that place has been open for about a hundred and seventy years.”
Jo Minjoon turned towards it and immediately made a strange face.
Its large glass windows and overall design looked far too modern for a restaurant with that kind of history.
“The building looks pretty new.”
“The original building apparently became too old, so they rebuilt it.”
“Hmm……”
Jo Minjoon let out a low sound.
The building itself did not matter.
What bothered him was the system information he could see beyond the windows.
Many dishes had cooking scores of only 5, while even 7-point dishes were rare. Even allowing for sushi’s simplicity, the scores were remarkably low for a restaurant with a hundred and seventy years of history.
And more importantly……
……The quality isn’t good?
Intermediate.
He saw no ‘High’ ratings at all.
Every piece of sushi he could see was rated as only intermediate quality.
Jo Minjoon looked towards the others.
“Does this place have a good reputation? For a restaurant with that much history, the quality doesn’t seem very good.”
“……You can tell that just by looking?”
“Yes. From what I can see, they’re using fish of only average quality.”
Martin looked surprised and immediately started speaking with the guide.
The guide frowned in confusion, pulled out his mobile phone, and began searching. A moment later, his expression changed.
“Ah. You’re right. Apparently its reputation has fallen quite badly over the past few weeks. The previous owner’s son recently took over the kitchen, but it seems he still has a lot to learn. I’m sorry. I haven’t been there in quite some time, so I didn’t realise the situation had changed.”
At those words, Martin, the staff, and the cameramen all stared at Jo Minjoon in surprise.
Rachel nodded proudly.
“You certainly understand food well. It’s not easy to judge the condition of fish just by looking. You must have studied a great deal.”
“Rather than studying……I think I just have good senses.”
“There’s no need to be that modest. Effort always shows eventually.”
Rachel looked at Jo Minjoon with a smile that was not merely approving, but almost affectionate.
Jo Minjoon found himself smiling in return.
There was certainly a misunderstanding involved, but with someone showing him that much goodwill, there was no way he could feel bad about it.
Rachel spoke again.
“If you’re this knowledgeable, I think I can leave choosing the restaurant to you. Then, future teacher, will you escort me?”
“I’ll do my best.”
Jo Minjoon smiled faintly and offered his elbow.
Rachel placed her hand on his arm, and the two continued walking slowly. If they had not been of different races, anyone watching might have mistaken them for a mother and son with an exceptionally close relationship.
They looked that comfortable together.
Jo Minjoon checked each restaurant kitchen he could see through the windows.
Of course, sometimes there were no customers, which meant there were no dishes for him to inspect. But in the first place, a restaurant completely empty at this hour was unlikely to be especially good.
Then, after walking a little farther, Jo Minjoon stopped in front of another restaurant.
There were quite a few customers inside, though that alone was nothing unusual. They had already passed several similarly crowded places.
What caught Jo Minjoon’s attention was the food.
Most of the sushi pieces had cooking scores of 7.
And among them, one had a score of 8.
Jo Minjoon unconsciously burst into a smile.
Tamago sushi, huh.
“Let’s go in here.”
“Does it seem different from the other places?”
“Yes. The ingredients look good, and most of all, the shape of the rice and the texture of the fish look much more alive.”
The last part was mostly improvised praise.
He could hardly say, The cooking scores are high, so let’s go inside.
At that moment, however, the guide whispered something to Martin with a surprised expression.
“That restaurant is relatively new. Mostly people who already know about it come here. The owner used to be responsible for Japanese cuisine at a hotel in Shanghai. Its reputation is excellent enough that people say it may become a Michelin candidate. But who exactly is that man? Even among people extremely familiar with Japanese sushi, I’ve never seen anyone judge quality so accurately just by looking……”
The guide stared at Jo Minjoon as though scrutinising him.
Martin followed his gaze, then murmured with amusement,
“He’s the cooking fairy God gave me.”