Chapter 5: On 92nd Street in New York (1)
Chapter 5: On 92nd Street in New York (1)
“Grand Chef Season 3 winner… Kaya Lotus.”
Jo Minjoon wrote down everything he remembered in his notebook.
The season that aired in 2010 was the third season. Although he had not watched every episode, he had seen all the important parts: who won, what kind of abilities she had, and how she performed. Of all the contestants that season, Kaya Lotus was also the chef Jo Minjoon respected the most.
Perhaps she had been the most talented contestant ever to appear on Grand Chef. She was certainly one of its most popular winners.
And Jo Minjoon thought she deserved that popularity.
She was white, eighteen years old, pretty, and spoke with a British accent. On top of that, the fact that she had come from a poor family made her the perfect Cinderella story.
(Translator’s Note: Cinderella — A traditional European folktale about a mistreated young woman who rises dramatically in social status. Among the most influential literary versions are Charles Perrault’s 1697 French version and the Brothers Grimm’s 1812 German version. In the story, the name is used figuratively for a dramatic rise from poverty to success.)
As one might expect from someone who had grown up in rough circumstances, she had a foul mouth and swore often. Yet there had not been a single occasion when the judges failed to praise her food. It was difficult to believe that dishes of that quality could be made by someone who had never received any formal culinary education.
Even in Korea, the name ‘Kaya Lotus’ had risen to the top of the search rankings.
“Will I be able to beat her?”
Background did not matter.
Grand Chef was not an audition programme selecting singers or actors. It was a war between cooks, and the winner was decided entirely by the food placed before the judges.
Cooking was everything.
However…
Kaya Lotus was like a bottomless pit.
Honestly, she was so formidable that Jo Minjoon almost wished she would not participate in Season 3 at all.
She was a monster no ordinary amateur could hope to defeat.
“My weapons are knowledge and the system. Hers is talent…”
Jo Minjoon did not remember everything, but he remembered what kinds of challenges appeared in the competition. There were gaps in his memory, but he was confident that some of them would return when the appropriate moment came.
And in tasting missions, for example, where contestants had to identify the ingredients in a crêpe, Jo Minjoon was confident he could name every single one without making a mistake.
(Translator’s Note: Crêpe —A very thin pancake strongly associated with Brittany, France. Crêpes have been part of Breton and wider French food culture for centuries and may be served with either sweet or savoury fillings.)
That was the power of the system.
Even if someone placed a dish in front of him and told him to reproduce it exactly, he could do that as well, because tasting a dish allowed him to learn its recipe.
More precisely, however, he could only analyse dishes whose required tasting level was lower than his own Tasting Level.
And Jo Minjoon’s current levels were as follows.
[Jo Minjoon]
Cooking Level: 5
Baking Level: 4
Tasting Level: 7
Decoration Level: 4
Since returning to the past, the only stat that had changed was his Tasting Level, which had increased by one.
It was the result of deliberately trying to distinguish every flavour whenever he ate something.
And certainly, after his Tasting Level rose, eating became more enjoyable. He could perceive flavours in greater depth. He could identify the characteristics of individual ingredients more precisely with the tip of his tongue, and he seemed to understand them better as well.
“I need to raise my Cooking Level.”
Jo Minjoon muttered in disappointment.
From what he had observed while visiting various restaurants, the chefs at establishments he considered reasonably good generally had Cooking Levels of four or five.
That meant his own ability was around the same level.
For an amateur, that was already quite impressive.
But it was not enough.
He wanted to win.
He did not want to become merely another ordinary chef. He wanted to become someone who could make better food than anyone else.
And Grand Chef would be his first stepping stone towards that goal.
He suddenly grew curious.
What level could Kaya Lotus be?
At the airport, in front of the security checkpoint, Lee Hyesun sighed.
“Ugh. I still can’t believe you’re going to the United States.”
“I’m sorry I’m going alone. We can go together next time, Mum.”
“Who said I was complaining because you’re going alone? No, actually, I have every right to scold you. Going alone to such a dangerous place…”
Lee Hyesun seemed to regard the United States as a country filled with guns, gangs, and drugs.
To be fair, she was not entirely wrong.
Even though it was a developed country, there was still plenty of crime. That was simply part of the reality of the United States.
Jo Minjoon smiled.
“Even so, New York is a major city. It won’t be that dangerous.”
“Do crimes in Korea only happen in the countryside?”
Jo Minjoon laughed at her response.
“But New York has Spider-Man protecting it.”
(Translator’s Note: Spider-Man — A Marvel Comics superhero created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko, first appearing in Amazing Fantasy #15 in 1962. The story uses him both as a humorous reference to New York and as an example of a superhero who also experiences vulnerability.)
“Good grief.”
Lee Hyesun laughed in disbelief.
Jo Minjoon hugged her briefly.
It really was only for a moment.
Lee Hyesun looked startled by the sudden gesture, and Jo Minjoon spoke before she could say anything.
“I’ll be back.”
“…Call me when you arrive.”
“Yes.”
After passing through security and passport control, Jo Minjoon headed towards his departure gate.
Naturally, he was flying economy. His finances were nowhere near sufficient for business class.
[Dear passengers, thank you sincerely for travelling aboard Mokdong Airlines Flight 127…]
As the announcement continued, the aircraft rose into the sky.
Getting to New York would take twenty-four hours.
A direct flight would have taken only fourteen, but saving ten hours would have cost him an additional 300,000 won.
That was money Jo Minjoon could not afford to waste.
At least for now, ten hours of his time were not worth 300,000 won.
“Grand Chef. I’m counting on you.”
He hoped those ten hours would not be wasted.
He wanted them to become ten hours worth far more than 300,000 won.
The flight itself was painfully boring.
Meals were served periodically, but most of them only scored four or five points. Considering that airline meals were prepared in advance and reheated in an oven, even achieving that score was impressive.
However, after repeatedly training his palate and becoming accustomed to better food, Jo Minjoon had become much more sensitive to differences in quality.
And now, he was tasting his fourth in-flight meal.
[Red Jambalaya]
Freshness: 76%
Origin: Hidden (Contains too many ingredients)
Quality: High
Cooking Score: 6/10
(Translator’s Note: Jambalaya — A rice dish associated primarily with Louisiana in the southern United States, shaped by Spanish, French, West African, and local culinary influences. It developed during Louisiana’s colonial period, particularly in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. Creole-style “red jambalaya” commonly contains tomatoes, while many Cajun versions do not.)
To be honest, he was satisfied.
If a dish reheated in an aeroplane oven could taste this good, it made him wonder how delicious it would have been when freshly prepared.
It was the sort of dish that could make many chefs stop and think.
Jambalaya was a rice dish commonly eaten in the southern United States. When tomatoes or tomato sauce were added, giving the dish a reddish colour, it was generally called red jambalaya.
It was soft like risotto, with a deep, rich flavour. The slightly heavy texture of the rice completed the dish beautifully.
(Translator’s Note: Risotto — A northern Italian rice dish prepared by gradually adding liquid to rice while cooking, producing a creamy consistency while retaining some firmness in the grains. Rice cultivation became established in northern Italy during the late medieval and Renaissance periods, and recognisable risotto dishes developed by approximately the nineteenth century.)
Jo Minjoon closed his eyes and tried to separate the flavours one by one.
Of course, he was already thinking about the jambalaya’s recipe, but he deliberately tried not to rely on the system. He wanted to figure it out using his own ability.
The sausage in his mouth had developed a sweet, savoury aroma through the Maillard reaction.
(Translator’s Note: Maillard reaction — A series of heat-driven chemical reactions between amino acids and reducing sugars that create browned colour and complex roasted flavours in foods such as meat and bread. It was scientifically described by French chemist Louis-Camille Maillard in 1912.)
Simply put, it had been browned well.
A typical jambalaya recipe began by frying meat in an oiled pan. Onions, garlic, celery, and similar ingredients were then cooked in the same pan. Afterwards came mushrooms, spring onions, and various seasonings.
The most important part was the seasoning.
Tabasco sauce was commonly used, but the final flavour of jambalaya could vary tremendously depending on what sauce and herbs were added.
“I really can’t tell the Tabasco apart… What herbs did they use? Saffron? No, it’s too weak to be saffron… Maybe lime?”
(Translator’s Note: Saffron — The dried stigmas of Crocus sativus, valued for their aroma, flavour, and intense golden colour. Saffron cultivation is ancient; evidence and historical reconstruction place its domestication in or near the eastern Mediterranean, particularly Greece, during the Bronze Age.)
Jo Minjoon checked the system window.
Then he smiled brightly.
There was definitely lime in it.
Beyond that, there was also a distinct sweet-and-sour flavour from the sauce.
The recipe itself was almost exactly what Jo Minjoon had expected.
Lime juice and Tabasco sauce were boiled together, after which the seafood was cooked in the mixture. Rice and chicken gravy were then added, and all that remained was to wait until the rice was fully cooked.
Jo Minjoon felt his heart beat faster and selected the section labelled ‘Tabasco Sauce’.
But the message that appeared made him sigh.
[Your Tasting Level is too low to view and analyse this recipe.]
Although he had already been able to analyse the jambalaya itself, he could not do the same with the Tabasco sauce.
In other words, the sauce itself was sophisticated enough that his current Tasting Level could not break it down.
Considering that the finished jambalaya had still earned a Cooking Score of six despite being served as an in-flight meal, that made a certain amount of sense.
Jo Minjoon was disappointed, but at the same time, he became curious about the creator of the recipe.
He even felt a touch of admiration.
Looking around, he could not see anyone who seemed dissatisfied with the jambalaya.
It really was the sort of dish almost anyone could enjoy.
When he realised that simple fact, admiration quietly filled one corner of his heart.
After finishing his final meal, Jo Minjoon eventually arrived at LaGuardia Airport in New York.
It was 26 February.
The weather in New York did not feel especially different from Seoul. The moment he inhaled, the cold air made the blood vessels in his nose constrict, and Jo Minjoon unconsciously began breathing through his mouth instead.
“Ah, it’s pretty cold.”
After boarding a bus from the airport, he watched the scenery outside.
Beyond rows of bare winter trees, streets lined with attractive houses came into view. Most were built from red brick.
Seeing scenery so different from Korea made Jo Minjoon let out an awkward laugh.
For some reason, he felt embarrassed.
He did not even know what there was to be embarrassed about.
Perhaps, deep down, he felt proud that he had actually made it this far.
Jo Minjoon got off the bus.
He did not even know the name of the neighbourhood, but he decided to walk around and find somewhere to stay.
At that moment, he noticed a poorly dressed man standing nearby with a vacant expression.
Jo Minjoon approached him, took out his wallet, and handed him a five-dollar bill.
The man stared at him blankly, perhaps surprised by the unexpected gesture.
Just as Jo Minjoon was about to say something, a boy came running towards him at full speed.
The boy slammed into him and kept running without stopping.
Jo Minjoon stumbled and fell awkwardly onto his backside.
Frowning, he stared after the boy as he disappeared into the distance.
“What was that…?”
Why would someone shove into a stranger and not even apologise?
Was that just how New Yorkers were?
He was about to complain when his expression suddenly froze.
It was gone.
The thing that had been in his hand only moments earlier had vanished without a trace.
“My wallet!”