Cheat day

A Remarkable Person (4)

Park Seong-chil bowed his head, tightly biting his lips.

There was no doubt about his skills; being selected as one of the final twelve out of over 1,800 participants was a testament to that.

In fact, the octopus restaurant he ran had gained a reputation as a good place to eat, attracting many spicy food enthusiasts.

Several internet personalities who run mukbang YouTube channels have visited and provided favorable reviews.

However, overlooking who actually eats his food had been his downfall.

“Participant number 7, Park Seong-chil. Your final score for round 3 is 39 points.”

The moment U Wang-seon announced the total score, everyone was convinced.

No one would likely receive a lower score today.

Having earned 2 points for finishing 7th in the first round and 1 point for finishing 9th in the second round, Park Seong-chil lost 4 points today, leaving him with a total of -1 points.

“Let’s welcome the next participant.”

Jo Wang-taek raised his voice, trying to lighten the somewhat tense atmosphere.

The panelists straightened their postures, looking eager; they truly acted like professionals.

“Participant number 5, Oh Sang-gil. Please introduce your dish.”

“Yes.”

Oh Sang-gil, a confident chef in his mid-forties who came up from Daegu, responded.

He had placed 10th and 8th in the first and second rounds, respectively, so he must have felt disappointed, but his proud demeanor was refreshing.

It was likely the result of doing his best.

“The dish I prepared is blowfish bulgogi.”

This was a new dish for me, and I was immediately drawn to the cooking process.

“I seasoned it with chili powder grown by my father in Yeongyang, then stir-fried it with enoki mushrooms, water parsley, and chives.”

“I hear Oh Sang-gil holds a blowfish cooking certification.”

Oh Sang-gil puffed out his chest.

A certification indicates he had passed the necessary tests after gaining substantial practical experience.

It was understandable that Oh Sang-gil displayed confidence.

The blowfish bulgogi served to me was slightly charred, giving it a dark color.

Fortunately, it didn’t look too spicy.

Curious about the flavor, I took a bite, and the familiar soft texture of the blowfish blended well with the crispiness of the vegetables like chives, water parsley, and bean sprouts.

However, it felt a bit bland.

“I can’t judge this.”

Lee Chan-seok spoke up.

Everyone looked at him in surprise, and Oh Sang-gil shouted back.

“What’s wrong with my dish? That can’t be true! I made this dish better than what my son eats!”

Lee Chan-seok shook his head and replied.

“Mr. Oh Sang-gil, this isn’t your fault. I can’t appreciate your dish because of Park Seong-chil’s food.”

Now I understood why Oh Sang-gil’s dish felt bland.

The spicy flavor and aroma of water parsley were present, but most of the other flavors and scents were overshadowed.

Due to Park Seong-chil’s stir-fried octopus, which had a strong seasoning and ample capsaicin, Oh Sang-gil’s blowfish bulgogi, eaten right after, had become dull.

This was similar to what Joo Ji-seung had done in the first and second rounds, where he slowed his cooking speed to ensure he would be last in line, slightly adjusting the seasoning of his food to achieve a high score.

The tongue and nose tire easily, thus influencing the perception of the flavors of the previous dish.

Oh Sang-gil looked very flustered, while Park Seong-chil shut his eyes tight and lowered his head.

Lee Chan-seok interrogated Park Seong-chil.

“It has been reported that in the first round, Joo Ji-seung used the order of judging to gain a high score. In the second round, all participants began adjusting their judging order and seasoning. Park Seong-chil, was that just a coincidence?”

Park Seong-chil jumped in surprise.

He shook his head vigorously in denial.

“No, I just made the dish I was most confident in. I didn’t expect this situation to happen.”

“Are you sure?”

Lee Chan-seok pressed Park Seong-chil again.

If Park Seong-chil had intentionally adjusted the spiciness to prevent the participants behind him from receiving proper evaluations, it would be the worst behavior not just for his qualifications in the Korean Cuisine Praise competition, but also as a chef.

“Really. I brought the exact recipe I use in my restaurant.”

Park Seong-chil pleaded in frustration.

He spoke in a panicked tone and trembled all over, yet he looked Lee Chan-seok squarely in the eye.

From my perspective, it seemed like an unfortunate accident, but the person most worried in this situation was Oh Sang-gil, participant number 5.

He had brought his ultimate specialty, blowfish, which he had kept hidden during the seafood-themed first round.

Now, he wouldn’t receive a fair evaluation.

As expected, Oh Sang-gil stared blankly with a shocked expression.

“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.”

Park Seong-chil repeatedly bowed to Oh Sang-gil.

Not only him, but he also bowed to the other participants, but everyone seemed to be in a state of throwing everything into this competition, so their reactions were ambiguous.

Choi Young-moon, the producer of Korean Cuisine Praise, called an emergency meeting with the writers, U Wang-seon, and Jo Wang-taek.

Five minutes, then ten minutes passed, but no one in the studio spoke.

“We’ll take a short break.”

Producer Choi Young-moon decided to give the judges and panelists time to taste the food again.

They would just reheat the food to resume judging afterward, and the judging panel was asked to consider this point in their evaluations.

While this was easy to say, no one could pinpoint exactly how to reflect this in the scoring, leaving the faces of Oh Sang-gil and the subsequent participants grim.

***

“The winner of round 3 is Choi Eun-sam!”

In the first round, Choi Eun-sam ranked 12th, and in the second round, he ranked 10th. Perhaps due to the broken atmosphere of the judging or perhaps because of his personality, he did not show much joy.

“How do you feel, given the hardships you’ve endured until now?”

Woo Wang-seon asked Choi Eun-sam for his thoughts.

Choi Eun-sam cleared his throat and spoke in a somewhat subdued voice.

“I was quite frustrated during the first round. I thought, ‘My food doesn’t taste good anymore. It doesn’t resonate with people from other regions or younger folks.’ Yes.”

I can only imagine the feelings of someone who has been cooking their whole life.

While I’m currently lucky enough to be appreciated, there may come a time when my nonsense no longer resonates.

It’s like seeing the chat comments shift from laughter to ‘not funny’ and gradually feeling the chat volume decrease.

It’s the sensation of drifting away from the times.

The feeling of falling behind as trends move on is something difficult to articulate.

“But what the side dish judge said was comforting. They thanked me for introducing a taste they didn’t know. Yes. Knowing there’s someone who understands my cooking made me want to try to appear younger at my age. Thank you.”

Choi Eun-sam bowed his head toward me, surprising me.

I also stood up and bowed in return, causing a ripple of laughter in the studio.

“Uh, I’m sorry, but can I say something too?”

I asked, and the host Woo Wang-seon nodded.

“They mentioned that you made it palatable for younger people, but honestly, for me, your spicy galbi jjim felt more textbook than any other dish today. It felt like you were showing what Korea’s spiciness is about. This is what traditional spiciness is.”

Choi Eun-sam bowed his head once again.

“The umami, the tenderness, and the aromatic pepper. And the subtle sweetness of the onion that follows. I realized that age doesn’t matter in front of such well-prepared food.”

Finally, a smile appeared on Choi Eun-sam’s face.

“It wasn’t that people from other regions or younger folks didn’t like your cooking. Today, you’ve proven that yourself. Congratulations.”

In front of well-prepared food, age doesn’t matter.

I’ve heard that food with a grandmother’s taste is trending among people in their 20s. Delicious food transcends age.

I also like things like sujeonggwa and yakbap.

“Next, the runner-up is Joo Ji-seung.”

Joo Ji-seung placed 2nd in the third round.

Afterward, Oh Sang-gil, who made pufferfish bulgogi, placed 3rd, but his expression was somewhat dark. Gu Yeon-ja placed 4th, Yuk Hye-rin placed 5th, and Sa Daemun placed 6th, as the results of the third round judging began to emerge.

There was a bit of disappointment due to Park Seong-chil’s excessive use of capsaicin, but the atmosphere relaxed, and I felt a sense of relief.

As expected, the lowest score went to contestant number 7, Park Seong-chil.

“Park Seong-chil.”

Ham Seok-ho called Park Seong-chil, who had been unable to raise his head throughout the judging.

“Yes.”

“Do you know why the human palate has developed so much?”

Park Seong-chil couldn’t answer.

“Human taste has evolved to help us eat beneficial foods for survival and avoid harmful substances.”

This was something I heard while editing Baek Woo-jin’s video.

It is said that we use multiple senses to experience flavor, including taste, such as sweet, salty, sour, bitter, umami, and fatty, as well as sensations like spiciness and astringency and even the smell of grilled food.

The reason we use so many senses to perceive flavor is that what enters our bodies can be lethal.

That’s why we feel pleasure from high-calorie foods that are advantageous for survival and disgust from spoiled foods that could be harmful.

“Eating is thus an important act. Therefore, serving food to someone and the act of eating that food is based on mutual trust. A chef presents food that guests can eat with confidence, and the guests trust the chef enough to willingly put food into their mouths without verifying it themselves.”

I understand why Ham Seok-ho is called the godfather of the culinary world.

Through his calm tone, I can see what kind of chef he is.

“You must have a lot of pride since you operate your own restaurant and have built your name. The reason you were able to do that is because you’ve created your own dishes and captivated those who are drawn to them. However, you must also consider who eats your food. If you do that, you will surely take another step forward.”

I can see that Park Seong-chil has excellent skills, even as an outsider.

From the initial preparation to plating, he acted without hesitation.

The grilled octopus, full of smoky flavor, maintained a chewy texture, and the vegetables crunched as if just picked from the field while still being well-seasoned, which was truly impressive.

“Thank you.”

Park Seong-chil bowed his head to Ham Seok-ho.

He also bowed to each participant who dedicated everything to the appreciation of Korean cuisine.

“I’m sorry. I’m sorry.”

Many people don’t acknowledge their mistakes, even when they’re at fault.

In Park Seong-chil’s case, despite the potential impact on his restaurant’s sales, he doesn’t deny the evaluation. Instead, he accepts the criticism and repeatedly bows to the other participants who were affected by his actions.

Seeing him publicly apologize on a popular program with ratings exceeding 11% makes me think he’s not someone who will stop here.