God of Cooking

‘What kind of burger is this?’

Kevin, the editor of the cooking magazine, stared at the burger with an unbelievable expression.

He could not figure out what he ate a moment ago.

‘Was it really a burger that I ate?’

It didn’t make sense. It tasted too rich to be a burger. He also felt like he ate a tomato or something like tomato spaghetti. He didn’t feel that special taste when he had a burger.

He would have tasted it differently if he had not been a gourmet. But he knew that at least burgers shouldn’t taste like this. But the burger in front of him right now was one whose taste he had never experienced in all kinds of burgers until now.

If so, it was one of the two burgers—a failed burger that didn’t meet the basic standard of a burger or something else.

‘This might be a trailblazer in the burger area that can’t even be compared to the American burger that we have seen for decades.’

Either way, it was surprising. And that surprise was numbing Kevin’s tongue right now. So much so that he could not even feel its taste properly.

Hesitating a bit, he bit the burger again. When he bit it first, the crumbs of the bread that were torn into small pieces spread into his mouth like dust. By the time he tasted the moisture of the crunchy lettuce, he chewed patties along with the tomato which was moderately smoked and deepened in flavor.

‘Even the texture is perfect.’

He wondered if the taste of the meat could be weakened because of other ingredients than the meat, but he was wrong. While the texture of the pork and beef was soft, foie gras subtly sublimated its taste. When the oily flavor of foie gras was covered with the unique acidity of tomatoes and the scent of various herbs mixed with it, Kevin could understand why Kaya’s burger was named ‘Tomatoed Burger.’

At that moment, Kevin unwittingly looked around the kitchen and wanted to ask Kaya right now how she could make this kind of burger. But he couldn’t. Kaya and Chloe weren’t ordinary head chefs. As head chefs, they were the busiest among the kitchen staff. So much so that if one of the two came out of the kitchen, the whole cooking process would be paralyzed at that moment.

So, Kevin subdued his excitement and figured out the situation a little more calmly now. A junior reporter, who was inhaling jelly pasta in front of Kevin, uttered in admiration.

“Man, it’s so delicious. It has a stimulating taste like junk food, but the cooking techniques, recipes, and ingredients are all luxurious. What do you think, editor?

“…”

“Editor?”

“Just be quiet. I’m thinking about it at the moment.”

In response to Kevin’s harsh reaction, the reporter pouted as if he had some regrets. Then he put the jelly pasta back into his mouth. Kevin glanced at the reporter, then looked down at the burger with a serious expression.

‘This isn’t just a matter of me recognizing it or not.’

Some might think it was not a big deal for Irregular Labs to be featured in Culinary New York’s list of restaurants for promotion. Nobody would think it strange to promote this restaurant because of their special and delicious menu.

As a matter of fact, the debate over Irregular Lab had been silenced after Min-joon gave it a positive review. In fact, most of the people who discussed the pros and cons of the restaurant had never visited it, so they were just engaged in a meaningless debate.

However, the moment they recognized that Irregular Lab’s cuisine was definitely high-end and meaningful, everything would change. Their existing prejudices would go away, and they would be able to enjoy the dishes of Irregular Lab with anticipation instead of skepticism.

What was important was that Irregular Lab was irregular, as its name suggested.

Their kitchen structure was so anomalous and adventurous. But if their efforts paid out…

“In that case, lots of people will competitively take a cue from them.”

Just as McDonald’s first introduced the division of labor, Kaya and Chloe’s methods might also lead the world trend. Of course, nobody would say that the results of their methods would be good, for the dishes here depended on the hands and skills of a few chefs. As with all things, more people would fail than those who would succeed in this field.

And in the worst case, such an attempt might look pointless. As a journalist, Kevin would not be shameless enough to ignore the negative feedback after promoting Irregular Lab so much.

Nonetheless, it was Kevin who insisted on recommending Irregular Lab as the restaurant of the month because no matter how dangerous a challenge was, such an effort must always be respected. If the challenge was beautiful enough, Kevin thought it was the reporter’s job to tell people that it was beautiful.

Thinking so, Kevin felt more comfortable. Shaking off his confused feelings a moment ago, he bit the burger again, which tasted terrific. The harmony of its soft and chewy texture tickled his tongue and palate.

“Isn’t it delicious?” Kevin asked, looking at the junior reporter.

Embarrassed by his question a bit, he answered with a nod, “Yes. It’s so delicious. I could not believe that my tongue could be so sensitive like this. This is the first time I appreciated the variety of a food’s taste.”

“You bet.” Kevin nodded with a smile.

He felt the way the reporter described his taste was pretty pure because he was young and inexperienced. He wondered if the junior reporter could understand what he was talking about. In other words, could he understand what kind of friction his magazine’s endorsement of Irregular Lab could cause with the existing restaurant industry, not to mention bringing about their change?

Kevin thought the junior reporter got carried away with the burger itself at the moment because he didn’t understand the vast implications of the magazine’s endorsement of this restaurant on the restaurant industry. So, he was about to explain to the reporter about the complex situation involving the restaurant, but didn’t, because he wanted to respect the reporter’s pure heart. Actually, he also wanted to turn to the reporter’s pure heart for the same feelings.

Kevin stopped thinking for a moment. And he began to have the rest of the burger, bite by bite, and enjoyed the taste of passing it through his throat, not to mention the happiness of filling up.

And how much time passed while they were held in thrall by the burger?

By the time the restaurant was closed, Kaya, who was finally freed from the kitchen, approached them.

Kaya asked in a calm voice, “Are you with Culinary New York?”

“Yes, nice to meet you. I’m Kevin.”

“You know, I’m Kaya. You said this was your last review before promoting our restaurant? What do you think?”

Kaya cut to the chase instead of beating around the bush, for she was the one who was most versed in the American way of speaking. So, even Kevin was a bit embarrassed.

Kevin laughed awkwardly and looked at Chloe in the kitchen.

“Wouldn’t it be nice to talk when Chloe joined us?”

“If there’s no story, it’s better to talk when there’s no story. It’s better to send one person than two people to send resentful gazes, right? Kevin’s point of view.”

“Well, if you have decided to give us a negative feedback, you can just talk to me alone instead of bringing her over here. Don’t you think so?”

“Oh, you don’t have to worry about that.”

Having heard that, she smiled naturally.

She shouted in a husky voice, “Chloe, come here for a moment!”

Chloe opened her eyes with a puzzled look, then untied the apron and approached them, as if she recalled Kaya’s mention of Culinary New York.

“Oh, hello!”

“It’s an honor to meet you. Chloe, I’m Kevin.”

“Why are you kinder to her than me?” Kaya asked in a dissatisfied voice.

Kevin was even throwing a wink at Chloe.

Kevin replied with laughter, “Kaya already has a lover, but Chloe is single, right? I think I have to put my best feet forward because she doesn’t have a boyfriend yet.”

“Stop that nonsense! Chloe, this is Kevin. He has decided to promote our restaurant in his magazine. He’s going to tell us he’s finished giving it a final review successfully.”

“If you already know that, you don’t even have to take it out of her mouth?”

As if she could not understand, Chloe looked at him,

Feeling a bit embarrassed, he adjusted his glasses.

“Well, you might think it’s meaningless to say it, but let me tell you officially. Congratulations! Your restaurant has been selected as the promotional restaurant for our magazine. Compared with Michelin’s rating, our magazine might look less valuable, but I can tell you confidently that at least in New York, we have more influence.”

“Oh, thank you!” Chloe smiled and grabbed Kevin’s hand.

A surprisingly pretty girl came to him so naturally, so Kevin couldn’t help but feel thrilled, with his heart throbbing.

But he pretended to be calm and said, “Maybe I’ll have to bother you a little in the future. I think I’ll have to ask you for a few interviews, and hope you can allow us to take some photos inside the kitchen.”

“Oh, no problem,” said Kaya, shrugging, as if she thought such a request was no big deal.

At that moment, Kevin asked in a slightly cautious voice, “Could I have an interview with Chef Min-joon?”

“Min-joon?” Kaya asked as if she didn’t expect it.

Although Min-joon was her boyfriend, he had no direct relationship with Irregular Lab.

As if he read her mind, Kevin continued, “Well, it was Min-joon who made Irregular Lab the central issue of the ongoing argument about this restaurant among the people. So, I just want to meet him and ask him about how he feels about it, why he gave such a positive comment about it, and whether he is still supporting the concept of this kind of restaurant.”

“It’s strange you want to ask him first instead of us.”

“Oh, I agree. Is that okay with you?” Kaya nodded instead of answering.

She felt like Min-joon stole the show, but Kevin was right. Actually, Min-joon played a decisive role in making Irregular Lab widely known to the public.

‘Am I relying too much on Min-joon?’

It was the moment Kaya thought about it for a moment when Kevin opened his mouth in a meaningful voice.

“After our magazine comes out, Irregular Lab will rise to the top of New York restaurants. And the moment you stand there, you’ll emerge as America’s hottest potato at the same time.”

“Ah… hot potato?” Kaya chuckled for a moment.

With Kevin looking at her curiously, Kaya asked Chloe teasingly, who was lowering her head, blushing, “If it’s a hot potato, I wonder if you can dream a hot dream, Chloe.”