God of Cooking

“Haha, Anderson, who do you think I am? I’m Rachel Rose. I’ve been hearing them swearing at me over a few decades. Do you think I’m going to be shaken by just one gourmet’s comment?”

Since Rachel insisted, Anderson couldn’t keep hiding it anymore.

Anderson eventually opened the blog to show the gourmet blogger’s article. Rachel, who read not only the article but also comments by other people, burst into laughter.

She said, “That’s bullshit.”

“I think so.”

“This blogger doesn’t have a basic understanding of the kitchen. Is this guy deliberately ignoring it? I think he might have taken issue with us on purpose to make a social issue.”

“Whatever the reason, he is very malicious. Don’t deal with such a guy.”

“Don’t worry. I’m not upset. I haven’t led a life unworthy enough to get hurt by an article like this.”

Anderson felt relieved by Rachel’s calm reaction. Actually, he was worried that she might be hurt but came to appreciate her status as the foremost master of cooking. He thought her mature and generous response was very cool.

At that moment, Anderson realized that Rachel was typing something into her smartphone. He called her in a cautious voice, “Cook master?”

“Uh? What’s up?”

“What are you doing now?”

“Oh, it’s nothing. I was just scribbling something for a moment. All right. Now, take it.”

Rachel returned the smartphone to him.

While looking at the screen anxiously, he opened his eyes wide suddenly.

He said as if he could not believe his eyes, “What the hell did you do a moment ago?”

“I’m not hurt by that kind of garbage. I’m not mad. I’ve met so many crazy guys in the world.”

“Then why did you…”

She smiled at him but said in a strong and reassuring, mature voice, “But I can’t ignore this kind of article that hurts my students.”

She looked at Min-joon. Anderson touched his forehead as if he had nothing to say.

At this moment, why did he recall Kaya while looking at Rachel that he respected so much?

‘Well, she once said her personality was like Kaya when she was young.’

Anderson looked at the screen of his smartphone. He found another one at the end of numerous comments that read as follows.

<Rachel Rose: I think you must have a very sophisticated gastronomic view since you take issue with the policy of my kitchen. If so, why don’t you come to my kitchen and try it? Can you tell the difference between my recipe and my disciples’?>

Anderson looked at her in embarrassment.

But she said, shrugging, “Don’t look at me like that. I told you I couldn’t stand it when my disciples felt offended. You guys are already stressed out in the kitchen. I can’t let some guy ignore and insult you like this outside the kitchen.”

“I’m touched, master. By the way, would you say the same thing if I was hurt?” Anderson asked.

“Aren’t you my student?”

Although she replied briefly, Anderson smiled at that as if he was craving for her attention and love. Anderson cleared his throat, turning his eyes from her in embarrassment.

“By the way, master, what are you going to do now? You just told that blogger to come over here.”

“Right. What are you going to do?”

“What? What should I do?”

“I already posted a comment on it. I asked him to challenge me. Specifically, I told him to distinguish between my recipe and the recipes of my students. Now, you guys should prepare your own recipe, too.”

“Were you serious? You don’t know yet whether he will accept your challenge.”

“That guy has no other choice but to accept it. I think he would rather accept it gladly. He might think that it is an opportunity to enhance his reputation and promote his career.”

“But it’s a double-edged sword. He might get us in trouble, right?”

“There aren’t many people who think they can lose. They always look at the rewards when they win. This blogger is only a rookie in my eyes.”

Rachel laughed cynically. Even though it was only for a moment, Anderson felt like he seemed to know what kind of life she went through when she laughed cynically like that.

She said in a cold and bitter voice, “It was always the virtue of an old man to tell ambition-driven young men about the reality. It seems like I need to give that guy a good lesson.”

***

“Hey, why didn’t you stop Master Rachel from doing that?” Janet said in a cold voice.

Shrugging, Anderson answered, “How can I stop her? I have no other choice but to let her do what she wants to.”

“Oh my God… It took me almost a month for me to come up with the recipe this time. I guess that gourmet will come here in less than a month, right? Do I have to come up with another recipe?”

Janet let out a sigh, putting her hand on her throbbing head. Havier was also very nervous.

In fact, he was the only demi chef who failed to get Rachel’s approval when all his colleagues got the green light from her.

‘This time…’

Havier clenched his fist.

With his arms folded, Min-joon said casually, “I think it won’t be difficult this time.”

“Why?”

“This time, you don’t have to insist on making the recipe by yourself like you did last time. Well, as for the first recipe, you had to because it was meaningful. Come to think of it, I think that was stupid. As you know, a cook can’t lead the kitchen alone whether you are a trainee or a head chef. Despite that, if you insist on developing it on your own, it’s like getting around the shortcut. In fact, what I did at the time was not my original recipe, to be honest with you.”

Min-joon talked a bit long, but at the same time, he gently suggested to Havier that he didn’t make the recipe alone this time.

In fact, that was what Min-joon thought about Rachel’s first test. He believed that it was just meaningless and even stupid to come up with an original recipe on one’s own. He wanted to help Havier this time, so he could get help from his colleagues in the kitchen. He didn’t want Havier to have a hard time again.

Did Havier notice Min-joon’s consideration or not? When all the demi chefs were not paying attention to Havier, he opened his mouth, “I want to do it alone this time.”

“… Do you really insist on it?”

“You guys did that, too. Foolish or not, you made it. But I didn’t.”

The atmosphere became heavy at the moment.

Havier hurriedly waved his hand and said, “Oh, don’t look at me like that! I’m not angry or anything like that. I just feel that I am going to keep lagging behind you, guys. I’m afraid I might think I’m inferior to you. Sorry, it doesn’t sound like me, right? Well, I don’t know what I’m babbling about right now.”

“It’s okay, Havier. I understand what you want to say. So, you want us to just sit back and watch you how you are doing?” Min-joon asked.

Havier smiled lightly and nodded. Of course, he must have lots of pain and anguish behind that smile, but he did not try to reveal his genuine feelings to them.

“Yeah. I promise you guys. I’m going to make it this time.”

“Okay. If you say you can do it, I’m sure you will make it.”

Min-joon grabbed his shoulder with a smile. Havier laughed awkwardly but stopped talking, lost in thought. It seemed he was already thinking about a recipe.

Right at that moment, Anderson waved at his coworkers.

When they approached him, he said, showing his smartphone screen, “That guy posted a reply.”

<Jasper Vasaeli: Rachel Rose, let me accept your challenge gladly.>

***

It was Christmas evening. Even that day, Min-joon had to go around the tables to pour pomegranate jam over the desserts. And at the same time, he had to take their questions mixed with concerns and expectations.

“Ah, Min-joon, it’s really nice to see you here, not on TV.”

“Thank you for coming. Do you like the dish here?”

“Absolutely. Rose Island… It’s my first time coming to the main restaurant, but I think I know why this place is the main restaurant. You would feel great all the time as you work at the main restaurant.”

“Well, yes I do. Especially when I meet nice and kind guests like you, I feel really great.”

“Oh my… you look like a playboy in the movies of the 1990s. Are you flattering us on purpose?”

“Well? First of all, wake up this toffee.”

“Ah, like this?”

The customer broke the candy, and Min-joon tilted the kettle. The smoothly flowing jam and ice cream met, and the smoke that seemed to come out of the dry ice rose densely. The customers were so happy like children. They then put it in their mouths, expressing accolades.

A male customer looked at Min-joon and said, “If you hadn’t told us clearly it’s your dessert, we would not have thought it was your recipe. Is there any magic that makes you cook much better when you come to Rose Island? Or are you good at it by nature? Among all the desserts I’ve had in my life, these I think I can pick this as the top five, oh no, top three desserts.”

“Thank you. It’s my original idea, but I made it based on the guidance and teaching of Master Rachel. So, in a way, this can also be called Rachel’s cooking. She did it by picking my brain, if I may say.”

“Haha, that’s a good description. Oh, I heard about that eccentric gourmet. I was really curious why that guy made such a comment, but I honestly don’t understand that he complained after enjoying this kind of dish.”

Min-joon expressed his gratitude with a smile. He already heard the same thing from the customers a dozen times, but he treated them politely and kindly. It was his principle that he should make his customers as happy as possible, no matter who they were. But he had a lot on his mind at the moment.

‘Do I have to treat such customers kindly?’

Some of the customers tried to find fault with good dishes without any reason while others tried to cast a hawkish glance at any dish served at Rose Island. So, Min-joon wondered if he should treat such customers as equally as other good customers.

When their work was over that evening, Rachel summoned all the demi chefs.

She opened her mouth in a calm voice.

“It’s set 15 days from today—January 10. I know it’s really annoying to come up with a recipe during your New Year holidays, but don’t feel too pressured.”

“How can we not feel pressured, master? As you know, we have to come up with a recipe that’s as good as yours or better than yours.”