The Taste That Even the General Secretary Fell For
The meeting with Gorbachev was arranged with remarkable speed. Given that his personal affinity for Yoon-gi had reached its peak, Gorbachev prioritized Yoon-gi's requests above all else.
“Thank you so much for arranging this schedule so quickly.”
As Yoon-gi bowed his head, Gorbachev nodded with a smile. “Considering everything I’ve received from YK and Chairman Choi Yoon-gi so far, this is the least I can do to return the favor.”
Gorbachev, who had been speaking, suddenly made an “Ah!” sound, as if reminded of a ‘10+1’ promotion, and opened his mouth again. “Come to think of it, where is President Kang Seok-ho?”
Gorbachev had been so preoccupied with his private meetings with Yoon-gi that he had completely forgotten about President Kang Seok-ho. It was a testament to just how hectic things had been.
“He is currently in discussions with American companies regarding the raw materials we are bringing in.”
“With American companies?”
At the mention of ‘America,’ Gorbachev’s expression soured ever so slightly. Even though they had cooperated for this project, it was difficult for him to shed his ‘fundamental ambiguity’ toward the United States.
“Yes. We are planning to sell food to the Soviet people, and to keep the unit price low, we decided to use American goods. Above all, isn’t the relief of the people the priority?”
At Yoon-gi’s words, which sounded full of sincerity, Gorbachev shifted his direction toward choosing practical benefits.
“Did the Americans agree to sell the raw materials?”
Yoon-gi nodded. “Since we set our production targets quite high, we held an open bid for companies in Europe and the United States. Surprisingly, many American corporate farms participated. As a result, we were able to secure the raw materials at a low cost. In fact, entrepreneurs care more about money than ideology, don’t they?”
“I suppose so... Well... if you secured the raw materials cheaply...”
“Exactly. It will help the Soviet people endure these difficult times a bit more easily.”
Even though a procession of donations had been pouring in from all over the world, unless it was a state-led initiative, it was little more than urinating on frozen feet to warm them. Of course, that urine might have been the size of an elephant’s, but it was an undeniable fact that it was merely a stopgap measure. Therefore, a fundamental solution was needed.
“General Secretary, the reason I requested this meeting is that your help is absolutely essential for the ‘relief of the people’ I am planning.”
“What is that?”
At the mention of relief for the people, Gorbachev became interested. Currently, Gorbachev’s approval rating among the people was walking on thin ice. Although he was doing his utmost to recover from the disaster with YK’s help, it wouldn’t have been strange for Gorbachev to be ousted by even the smallest trigger.
Clap-!
As Yoon-gi lightly clapped his hands, a YK employee waiting by the office door opened it and stepped out. A moment later, the employee returned with a cup of instant noodles on a tray and set it down in the center of the table.
“If you don’t mind, would you like to try this?”
“Pardon?”
Under normal circumstances, instant cup noodles would not have gained massive popularity in the Soviet Union. After all, it was 1994 when they became popular in Russia. As such, Gorbachev’s reaction to seeing cup noodles in June of 1986 was one of pure bewilderment.
“If you open the lid, there is food inside.”
At Yoon-gi’s words, Gorbachev signaled his bodyguard. The bodyguard moved the tray in front of Gorbachev, and soon, Gorbachev faced instant cup noodles for the first time in his life.
“Hmm, it’s hot.”
“Yes, please be careful. You can eat it with the fork there.”
“Pasta...?”
Gorbachev felt a slight aversion to the food he was seeing for the first time in his life. However, because of the help he had received from Yoon-gi so far, he cautiously twirled the noodles with his fork and put them in his mouth.
“It’s... delicious...”
It was a rather lukewarm evaluation. However, Yoon-gi did not lose his smile.
“This time, try adding the mayonnaise on the side and mixing it in before you eat.”
Fortunately, Gorbachev followed Yoon-gi’s advice. If there had been no trust, he wouldn’t have done it no matter what Yoon-gi said. However, YK’s cooperative attitude toward the Soviet government was, in turn, eliciting a cooperative attitude from Gorbachev, the General Secretary.
“Is this how I do it?”
Gorbachev, who had put the mayonnaise—which came in a packet slightly larger than the ramen soup powder—into the cup, began to mix the contents with his fork. And a moment later.
“Oh!”
Surprise appeared on Gorbachev’s face after taking another bite. Then, Gorbachev cautiously lifted the cup and slurped the broth.
“No, what on earth is this food? How can it change so much just by adding mayonnaise?”
Yoon-gi nodded toward the astonished Gorbachev.
“It’s called ‘cup noodles.’ It’s a product created after thorough research into the Soviet Union. In English, it’s ‘Cup-Noodle,’ and we decided to name the product ‘Slavs-men.’ I just put the word ‘Slav’ into the product name. Because it’s a product made for the Soviet people.”
Yoon-gi’s words, which had effectively greased the General Secretary’s tongue, were more than enough to impress him.
“Is this the product YK will be selling?”
“Yes. Naturally, the most necessary thing in the Soviet Union right now is food. That’s why we kept the unit price to a minimum.”
“What price are you thinking of?”
“I’m thinking of a price of $1 for 8 cups when sold to wholesalers.”
“Is that possible?”
“We have to make it possible. That’s why we received tax exemptions, isn’t it?”
At this time, the ‘consumer price’ of cup noodles in Korea was between 100 and 200 won. The price Yoon-gi intended to supply to wholesalers was 120 won, which wasn’t exactly cheap considering the Soviet Union’s economic situation at the time, but Gorbachev thought this price was incredibly low. Because it was a food he had never experienced before. Furthermore, since it was developed exclusively for the Soviet Union, he wouldn’t feel slighted even if he checked the prices of cup noodles sold in other countries later.
“The cup noodles have mayonnaise inside by default, and we will also sell extra mayonnaise for those who want to add more.”
“Certainly... there will be people who prefer a greasier taste.”
“And above all, this Slavs-men has another greatest advantage.”
“What is that?”
“If you don’t mind, may I bring in a gas burner and a kettle?”
Gorbachev nodded without a moment’s hesitation. Under normal circumstances, he would have refused due to the risk of assassination, but for Gorbachev, who was already deeply enamored with Slavs-men, such things were of little concern.
“Put water in the kettle and boil it. And sprinkle the soup packets inside the cup noodles onto the noodles in advance.”
Following Yoon-gi’s instructions, the YK employee began to prepare the cup noodles.
“Once the water boils, pour it up to the marked line and wait 3 minutes.”
After 3 minutes, the Slavs-men was complete.
“It’s a product that allows you to make a hearty meal in 3 minutes if you only have hot water.”
Seeing the finished Slavs-men, Gorbachev was practically stunned. ‘8 for $1, and the cooking time takes less than 5 minutes...’
Yoon-gi continued his words to the impressed Gorbachev.
“There is no waste of resources in cooking, either. If you prepare a large kettle, it’s possible to boil water once and cook dozens of Slavs-men at once. It will be a great help in areas where resource supply is currently difficult.”
“To think you developed this for the Soviet Union...”
Yoon-gi confessed a small truth to the moved Gorbachev.
“Cup noodles themselves are products that exist subtly in the East. However, I had quite a hard time preparing the ‘taste’ to suit the Soviet sentiment.”
“It certainly tasted excellent. It was like eating soup my mother used to make.”
In Korea, spicy flavors are almost mandatory in cup noodles, but in foreign countries, spicy flavors were rarely needed. Rather, savory or salty flavors were more important, and Yoon-gi and Kang Seok-ho had not touched a single bite of Korean food while staying in the Soviet Union. They only ate Soviet-style meals. Since they had been developing cup noodles at YK Samgang even before entering the Soviet Union, the finished product was developed quickly, and with the addition of mayonnaise, a cup noodle that Soviet people would go crazy for was born.
“However, just as you showed an ambiguous reaction at first, General Secretary, there is a high possibility that the people will have an aversion to this food. Although it will definitely be a great help to the Soviet food situation once distribution begins.”
“That is true. Hmm... we will also look for countermeasures.”
Despite it being a private company’s product, the General Secretary naturally said he would personally strive for its distribution. Yoon-gi, cheering internally, spoke to Gorbachev immediately.
“That is why I am asking: could you possibly become the advertising model for this Slavs-men, General Secretary?”
For a moment, Gorbachev looked dumbfounded.
“Me?”
In a black-and-white screen, a scene began to play of Gorbachev eating Slavs-men in his office. He was seen mixing in the mayonnaise and eating it with a very satisfied expression.
[The Politburo members have also fallen for it.]
A scene played of stern Politburo members, all at least 50 years old, eating Slavs-men at the conference table before a meeting began.
[Slavs-men, developed solely for the Soviet people. Guaranteed by the General Secretary.]
The video ended with Gorbachev holding a Slavs-men in one hand and giving a thumbs-up with the other, and this video was broadcast throughout the Soviet Union.
Although the advertisement had difficulty reaching areas damaged by the meteorite, most Soviet people were able to see this advertisement as there were areas among the civilian regions where electricity supply was properly maintained or supplied according to a schedule.
‘This is the advantage of communism, after all. You can force the citizens to watch advertisements.’
Since the Communist Party decided on TV programming from the start, all advertisements for Slavs-men were assigned to prime time, and they were repeated dozens of times a day, capturing the hearts of the Soviet people.
That wasn’t all.
In newspapers, even more novel advertisements than those on TV were being published.
People looking for Slavs-men increased day after day at shops run by the Soviet authorities, and a massive queue began to form across the entire Soviet Union. Because there was a possibility of large-scale fights breaking out if things went wrong, the Soviet authorities limited the number of purchases per person, but it was a measure that was virtually meaningless. Because so many people wanted Slavs-men.
In particular, the greasiness of the mayonnaise in the Slavs-men was a perfect match for the vodka that Soviet people enjoyed, so people looked for Slavs-men not only in households but also at drinking parties and in bars. Some even began to put the Slavs-men they had purchased on the black market. The price was a whopping 20 times the original price. However, it was traded. It was truly a Slavs-men frenzy!
It was certainly a very good thing, but since it could potentially escalate into a massive incident, Gorbachev urgently called for Yoon-gi.
“Can’t you increase production even more? Something big is going to happen at this rate.”
Yoon-gi smiled at Gorbachev and nodded.
“In 30 minutes, light will come to Vladivostok.”