Chapter 220
Chapter 220
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 220
Chapter Title: The Thousand-Year Recipe
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We arrived in front of the restaurant.
It had apparently just opened in Korea, but there was already a line of about ten people waiting.
After about thirty minutes of ad-libbing about curry, the cast was finally allowed inside.
“Irasshaimase!”
As Seul-bi and the production crew stepped inside, they were greeted by an interior designed in a modern Japanese style.
The space, roughly 1000 square feet, featured a long, oval-shaped bar table surrounding the kitchen, along with four somber, square tables.
“May I take your order?”
A man dressed in what looked like the attire of a clerk from the shogunate era pointed to a cloth menu hanging above the bar table.
- Thousand-Year Onigiri 7.0
: A secret recipe onigiri passed down in the Minamoto clan for a thousand years.
- 300-Year Curry Udon 20.0
: Curry embodying the essence of Kaiseki cuisine with special noodles.
- 300-Year Curry Rice Bowl 20.0
: Featuring top-grade rice polished to 50%, the same used for Junmai Daiginjo. A refined sweetness.
The unnecessarily grandiose menu brought a genuinely amused smile to Seul-bi’s face.
“Four Thousand-Year Onigiri, two 300-Year Curry Udon, and two 300-Year Curry Rice Bowls, please.”
“Hai! Suguni omochishimasu!”
At Seul-bi’s order, the waiter gave an exaggerated bow and disappeared.
“Wow! I absolutely love this kind of traditional atmosphere!”
Remi, delighted by the late 19th-century-inspired interior, chattered excitedly. But Seul-bi’s expression was less than impressed.
“Huh? You don’t like it, Seul-bi? It’s such a great place for photos.”
“No. To be honest, it feels like they’ve focused too much on making it look pretty… It’s not for me.”
“Why not? You know what they say, ‘what looks good, tastes good.’”
Seul-bi shook her head and replied.
“These hard wooden chairs offer no back support and have no soft cushions to protect your bottom. You’ll feel the discomfort long before you can even begin to savor the food.”
“Well, that’s because the concept here is modern Japan, isn’t it?”
Remi retorted, as if trying to get back a little of the dignity she’d lost earlier.
“It’s a matter of preference. Looking at it positively, the uncomfortable seats probably mean the table turnover rate is incredibly fast. Did you notice there were ten groups ahead of us, but we only waited thirty minutes?”
“…Well, you said it yourself, it’s a matter of preference.”
“Yes. You can’t argue with taste. But from a food hygiene standpoint, uncoated wooden tables are a perfect breeding ground for bacteria, absorbing all sorts of food scraps and saliva.”
“Ew!”
Remi’s face twisted as if she were about to be sick, and she slowly pulled her hands off the table.
“Wow. Seul-bi, you sound like an expert.”
“How do you know all that?”
The other two cast members offered sincere praise for Seul-bi’s knowledge and keen eye.
- Seul-bi’s review is spicy lol
- She’s right, though. Izakaya chairs are super uncomfortable. And so overpriced.
- Not all of them. It’s the wannabe izakaya owners that are the problem. Gives all of Japan a bad name.
- Isn’t she going to end up praising the food after all this? lol
- Remi just seems like she’s trying to subtly diss Seul-bi;;
- You think she’s dissing her that openly?
- It’s probably scripted. She seems to have a bit of an airhead concept.
A smile crept onto PD Im Ji-hoon’s face as he watched the live chat reactions. He was pleased with how things were unfolding, just as he had intended.
The live chat was buzzing.
- But what’s with the prices? Isn’t onigiri just a small rice ball? That’s almost the price of a bowl of gukbap.
- Where can you find gukbap for 7,000 won these days? lol Still, 7,000 for onigiri is crossing the line;;
- Maybe it’s big. It’s supposed to be from the Minamoto clan lol
- A thousand-year-old Minamoto… are they talking about the Kamakura shogunate? lol
- I’m more bothered by the 20,000 won curry udon. I can’t wrap my head around it, no matter how cool the restaurant’s concept is. Did they sprinkle gold dust on it?
- They said it’s run by Japanese people… Maybe the price of the plane ticket is included in the food?
- LMAO
- Honestly, you can find places in Seoul that are just as good as most of the so-called famous restaurants in Japan. I had ramen in Japan once and hated it.
The scriptwriter diligently checked the reactions of both the live stream participants and the cast.
Not even two minutes had passed since they ordered.
“Omataseshimashita.”
(Thank you for waiting.)
A man in his fifties, dressed in a traditional Japanese kitchen uniform, brought out the food and bowed respectfully.
“Wow. Totemo oishisoudesu!”
(It looks so delicious!)
“Arigato gozaimasu. Oonaashefuno Masumoto to moushimasu.”
(Thank you. I am Masumoto, the owner-chef.)
“Eh? Oonaashefudesune. Hontou ni kita youde motto oishisoudesu!”
(Ah, the owner-chef. It feels like I’m really in Japan, so it seems even more delicious!)
- Wow, that Remi girl is actually really good at Japanese.
- Looks like she’s traveled to Japan a bit.
- Japanese is a basic requirement if you want to break into that market.
“Mochirondesu. Nihonhondo no aji o kanjitemitekudasai.”
(Of course. Please, experience the authentic taste of Japan.)
“Yappari tezukuri karee rashiku kaori ga hoka no karee to wa chigaimasu.”
(As expected of handmade curry, the aroma is different from other curries!)
Remi, fluent in Japanese, kept the conversation going, adding unnecessary comments. A wave of annoyance began to spread from the other cast members to the production crew.
- She’s good, but it’s getting to be too much. It’s not great to watch her hogging the screen time so blatantly.
- I know, right? People always get hate when they don’t know when to stop.
- She’s been throwing shade since earlier. She picked the wrong concept.
- Why don’t people understand the concept of moderation?
‘Cut! Cut!’
‘Nobody can understand what you’re saying. Just stop…’
As negative comments flooded the chat, an exasperated PD Im Ji-hoon made a throat-slitting gesture, signaling her to cut it out. Only then did Remi stop talking, a smug smile on her face.
But Seul-bi’s attention was elsewhere entirely.
“Hmm…”
More than Remi’s screen-hogging, Seul-bi was displeased by the quality of the food that had arrived.
The 7,000-won onigiri was only about half the size of a standard Japanese rice ball.
It wasn’t beautifully presented, either; it was just a plain onigiri, seared with a torch lighter, with a piece of oiled seaweed casually stuck to it.
Furthermore, the deep brown color and aroma of the 20,000-won curry udon were a perfect match for a famous brand of Japanese solid curry roux.
‘The food is terrible, too…’
PD Im Ji-hoon, on the other hand, thought he could finally make use of the food shots camera two was getting.
“Itadakimasu.”
“Let’s eat.”
The so-called owner-chef didn’t leave, watching with a confident smile as the cast began to eat.
The cast, including Seul-bi, took a bite of the dainty onigiri.
Seul-bi was deeply disappointed. Aside from the tuna, mayonnaise, and tsuyu, there was an out-of-place smoky flavor. Worse, a faint hint of garlic confirmed that this was far from a traditional Japanese dish. It was hard to believe a professional had made this.
“Umai! Hontouni oishiidesu!”
(So good! This is really delicious!)
But contrary to Seul-bi’s reaction, Remi exclaimed how delicious it was without even chewing properly.
Seizing the moment, the owner-chef began to speak.
“(This is an onigiri made with a thousand-year-old secret recipe from the Minamoto clan, who established the Kamakura shogunate.)”
- Can someone who speaks Japanese translate?
- LOL He really said it’s been passed down since the Kamakura shogunate. It’s that Minamoto clan lol
- Isn’t that the most ridiculous thing ever? lol I almost want to try it out of curiosity.
- But seriously, that Remi girl yelled “Umai!” without even chewing lmao
“What’s the secret?”
“(She’s asking what the secret is.)”
“Juunenkan jukuseisareta gyoshoudesu.”
“He says it’s a fish sauce aged for ten years.”
But then.
“…It just tastes like MSG.”
The words slipped out of Seul-bi’s mouth, and for a fleeting moment, the owner-chef’s expression twisted. He quickly composed himself and said.
“(…Please, try the curry as well. It’s a 300-year-old secret recipe passed down only to the top disciple for ten generations.)”
A few cast and crew members snickered at his serious face as he spoke of a 300-year-old curry. Thanks to Seul-bi, they now knew the history of Japanese curry.
“He says to try the curry that’s been passed down for ten generations, too.”
Remi, looking embarrassed, translated, conveniently leaving out the ‘300 years’ part.
“(To learn this secret recipe, I served my master for ten years. And then another ten years of learning began.)”
“Hmph.”
Seul-bi let out a deep sigh after tasting the curry. It was just a decent, store-bought flavor that could not possibly have been the result of such a grandiose process.
‘Store-bought again? There are so many true artisans in Japan, why do I keep running into people like this? This is even worse than the curry place I went to with Sunday.’
Seul-bi’s eyes observed the owner’s hands, clasped in front of his chest. They were smooth, without a single patch of eczema, impossible to believe for hands that had supposedly been soaked in water for over twenty years of training.
‘Even my dad’s hands are so rough and covered in scars. He massages them every day because his joints hurt.’
For a moment, Seul-bi thought of her father, Chef Lee Seung-chan, and shook her head with a start.
“(A blend and aging of twenty different spices, in a broth made from simmering fish and seaweed for a full day—)”
“Soudesuka!”
The more he talked and the more Remi played along, the angrier Seul-bi became. She felt it was an insult to all the chefs who cook with conviction.
Seul-bi and PD Im Ji-hoon’s eyes met across the room.
‘What do you think? Is it really that bad?’
‘Yes. People will complain if they come here after seeing the broadcast.’
It was just an exchange of glances and a nod, but it felt as though they had a full conversation telepathically.
Without expressing any particular like or dislike, Seul-bi began to quietly savor the food.
[Trait: God of Taste Activated]
‘The distinct musty and salty taste of kombu. Golden Curry block, tsuyu, and egg… what’s the last thing? Something to balance the strong flavors. Milk? Similar, but not quite.’
“(To receive this secret, I was adopted into the Minamoto family and—)”
And once again.
Seul-bi’s sharp comment cut through the owner-chef’s words.
“Golden Curry block. Kombu tsuyu.”
At Seul-bi’s second murmur, following the one about the rice ball, the owner, Minamoto, flinched.
It could have seemed rude, but the viewers, who perceived it as her inner thoughts, reacted enthusiastically.
- Seul-bi’s had enough.
- LOL She was listening to his nonsense and just couldn’t take it anymore.
- You could totally see the owner flinch just now. This isn’t scripted lol
- This suddenly reminds me of that story. The tempura master who exploited his apprentice for 10 years and then, when business was bad and he couldn’t get new apprentices, he posted the recipe online to create a buzz.
- Right, I saw that too! And the recipe he posted wasn’t even the original one lmao
This time, the owner couldn’t contain himself, his face turning beet red.
“Insutanto nadoto hikakusurunante! Ima sanbyakunen no dentou ga okashiito yuu kotodesuka!”
(How dare you compare it to instant food! Are you saying our 300-year tradition is a joke?!)
The owner suddenly flew into a rage, shot up from his spot, and stormed out of the frame.
- What’s he saying?
- I think he’s angry she compared his 300-year-old food to instant stuff.
- Huh? The guilty party is the one getting angry?
- What’s with this guy? He’s hilarious.
- A thief is always the first to jump.
- He got caught in his own scam lol
Seul-bi was flustered, thinking she had ruined the broadcast, but the live viewers’ reactions were overwhelmingly in her favor.
***
“(Stop taking orders.)”
The owner, Minamoto, spoke to his son in charge of the floor with an angry expression as he entered the kitchen. The son tilted his head, confused, as it wasn’t break time yet.
Following his father inside, the son saw the tub full of curry and the trays piled high with onigiri, his expression turning questioning.
“Why? We still have a lot of onigiri and curry left.”
“(Baka! I told you not to speak Korean. What if they find out!)”
“Hai! Sumimasen!”
“(That’s not the problem right now. I think we’ve walked into a trap.)”
“(A trap? But we have an amazing girl group here filming, right? Once this airs, our business is going to blow up, isn’t it?)”
“(Baka! Can’t you read the room? If this goes wrong, forget expanding the business, we might go out of business entirely!)”
The son, failing to grasp the situation, looked dumbfounded.
“(Just say we’ve run out of ingredients.)”
“Hai!”
“(Hyung-nim. What about the recipe filming we promised? I went through a lot of trouble preparing for that yesterday.)”
The owner’s younger brother pointed to the refrigerator, which was packed with a huge amount of fish, soy sauce, and various vegetables they had procured the day before.
“(If this doesn’t air, our franchise plan goes up in smoke, doesn’t it? We could make easy money just by selling the prepared sauce concentrate!)”
Minamoto thought it over. But Seul-bi’s perception was sharp. It seemed more advantageous for them to prevent the segment from airing at all. A significant portion of what had already been filmed was also risky.
“(We should have paid to make sure this was a favorable broadcast from the start. This was a mistake.)”
“(I don’t know what you’re talking about, hyung-nim. What, you think she knows we’re using Golden Curry blocks instead of a secret recipe?)”
“(Yes. That’s exactly it.)”
His brother was stunned.
“(Eeh!? How could she!)”
“(We have to make sure this doesn’t get broadcast. If we can’t film the recipe, they can’t air it. Hey! Yong-deung! No! Oi! Ryuuto!)”
“Hai!”
“(This isn’t going to work. We’re closing up for the day!)”