Chapter 602: Two Sides of the Coin (5)
Chapter 602: Two Sides of the Coin (5)
“Oh, you came because Rachel introduced you to me?”
“Yes. Has Chef Rachel bought cows from you, too?”
“Unfortunately, not recently. She used to be a client, but since she left Rose Island ten years ago, she’s been off my list. As I told you, all the cows at our ranch are fully booked. Even Chef Rachel can’t take priority over existing bookings. Oh, wait a minute.”
With that, Jimmy, the ranch owner, went into the slaughterhouse. Running both a ranch and a slaughterhouse wasn’t unusual, especially in a vast country like the United States. Watching him go, Minjoon felt a pang of sympathy—he could only imagine how difficult it must be to slaughter cattle one had personally raised. Of course, he didn’t ask Jimmy about it.
While waiting, Minjoon glanced up at the sky. Wearing only a short-sleeved T-shirt and loose shorts, he was already sticky with sweat.
“Do we really have to eat this?” Kaya asked.
“Why not?”
“I guess he wants to serve roast beef. But I doubt he’s particularly good at cooking. Besides, if it’s delicious, I might get a bit angry since we couldn’t even buy any cows here.”
“Just wait.”
Minjoon narrowed his eyes as he looked toward the slaughterhouse where Jimmy had disappeared. Why would such a confident man want to cook for them? Was it pity because they’d come all this way? Or was he trying to show they still had a chance?
He didn’t lie to me.
Whether it was a white lie or not, there was no reason for the ranch owner to deceive them. Every cow had an owner, and a man running such a large ranch wouldn’t lie just to undermine his own credibility.
Still, he’d brought them here, even knowing they wouldn’t be pleased.
There had to be a reason Rachel recommended this place. If she didn’t intend to buy from here herself, she must know buying cows here wasn’t easy. If she recommended it to Minjoon despite that, it meant he could gain some advantage.
“I’m bored. How about doing a broadcast?”
“Ask Jimmy first.”
Kaya meant a live broadcast on Starbook. Although live streaming on Starbook had existed a while, only recently had they started using it. They understood its power well—it was a big reason for their success today.
They wanted to use it to boost Lotus Bridge quickly, banking on documentary-style content. If they could attract a producer interested in their story with Martin’s help, many cameramen would follow.
They contacted Martin first, but his response was disappointing.
“I’m sorry, but I can’t find anyone available to make a documentary right now. Skilled people are too busy, and unskilled ones are idle. How about live streaming instead?”
Martin’s suggestion was live streaming. Minjoon and Kaya liked it; they knew Internet broadcasting was growing rapidly and would become a huge industry.
Occasionally, when free, they’d switch on live broadcasts—sometimes simple recipe demonstrations, sometimes just cooking. Surprisingly, even these amateur broadcasts were well received.
Minjoon scanned the slaughterhouse where Jimmy had walked off. He wondered how people would react if they saw this. Everyone assumed Minjoon and Kaya were top chefs, but what if they saw the two struggling to buy cows here?
His pondering ended as Jimmy returned, carrying a large paper bag.
“It looks quite big.”
“I want to show you everything.” Jimmy grinned.
Ironically, they headed not to the kitchen but the garden barbecue grill. Flames danced over stone-shaped charcoal as Jimmy arranged cuts of beef on the chopping board with eager eyes.
“You’re chefs, so I don’t have to explain how beautiful this is.”
“Yeah, it looks good.”
“You’ll like it even more once you taste it.”
Jimmy had brought rib eye, tenderloin, and sirloin—the most common American cuts. Yet their marbling was exactly what Minjoon wanted.
“It looks like Kobe Wagyu.”
“But it’s not Wagyu.”
“I get that. Still, for American beef, this marbling is pretty fine.”
“I chose this cow deliberately. Since you’re from Korea, I thought you might prefer this kind.”
“You said you chose this one deliberately. Do you have other types of cows too?”
“Yeah, almost every kind,” Jimmy said proudly.
Minjoon could tell from his expression just how proud he was of his ranch and cattle.
Kaya frowned slightly. “All kinds? Are you serious?”
“It just means putting in a bit more effort.”
“Oh my God…” Kaya was shocked. Jimmy wasn’t just talking about raising cows but about breeding methods—whether they grazed freely, were fed, or kept caged. Each method changed the cow’s meat style.
Most ranch owners, regardless of size, aimed to produce prime grade cows.
“That’s why our ranch is popular—because buyers can find any kind of cow they want. And our meat never disappoints. I even check their health by tasting cow dung.”
“Well, your last comment killed my appetite, so I won’t ask any more…”
“I’m done preparing. Would you like to let the meat rest before trying it, or are you eager to taste it right now?”
“Looks thick enough not to need resting. Wait, I’ll try it in 30 seconds—I want to savour it properly.”
Kaya’s eyes sparkled with curiosity about this confident rancher. Jimmy returned her smile brightly as he placed the meat on the chopping board. After carefully absorbing the meat’s juices with a kitchen towel, he picked up a sharp knife and trimmed the beef with finesse.
He’s good!
Minjoon was impressed. Though Jimmy wasn’t a high-level chef, his beef trimming was more delicate than most chefs’. Judging by the perfectly sized pieces, Minjoon suspected he might slaughter the cattle himself.
When Jimmy handed Minjoon a piece with black salt, Minjoon took it to his tongue.
“Ah…”
The taste exceeded his expectations. Jimmy’s confidence came from the beef’s juice, and there was also a rich meat flavour—the aspect that impressed Minjoon most.
At that moment, Minjoon knew many could raise cattle, but none better than Jimmy.
Jimmy’s beef had the best possible flavour.
Kaya murmured, “I want to make Six Meats with this.”
“Six Meats? What’s that?”
“It’s my own recipe…”
After enjoying the taste for a moment, she explained ‘Six Meats’ with a tired smile. Jimmy was clearly impressed. No wonder he admired it—‘Six Meats’ was the most sophisticated and elegant way to showcase beef’s flavour.
“Could you show me sometime?” Jimmy asked.
“It’s troublesome—requires a lot of work. I can’t make it properly just grilling roughly here. But it’s a holiday today.”
“Are you sure? I think I could offer something.”
“You just said you had no cows for us, right?”