New Menu Test (1)
Our kitchen was largely divided into two lines. The overseas faction, led by Kim Jun-ho of the meat section. And the domestic faction, led by Lee Seong-min of the fish section.
The two had joined Ayeon in the same intake, and normally they got along well enough, but whenever the new menu test period came around, the atmosphere got quite sharp.
The new menu test.
That was the pride of a cook.
This test was always conducted blind. Without knowing whose dish was whose, the head chef, the restaurant owner, and a guest judge evaluated every dish and ranked them.
And they lined up everyone from first to last and posted it on the kitchen wall. The menu that placed first went onto the official course, and the cook who made it was given a section change or a chance at promotion.
Would first place in the new menu test go to the overseas faction or the domestic faction? All their attention was focused on that. They even fought over it.
And in that fight, I was always the exception. I was neither overseas faction nor domestic faction, just a high school graduate. None of them thought I'd become an official cook. I'd probably keep being an assistant in this kitchen for two years, then get fired. That was all I'd ever been to them.
But strangely, I'd become the center of this new menu test. Their interest came down to one thing. Just how high could a kitchen assistant's menu climb?
The seniors had already started betting on me.
***
Ten p.m., when even dinner service had completely ended. Normally, it'd be time for all the seniors except me to get ready to go home, but during the test period, practicing past midnight was a given.
Then.
“Assistant, come over here a sec.”
Lee Seong-min, of the fish section and head of the domestic faction, called me over. Honestly, I was surprised. He was someone who rarely spoke to me normally.
“So, what dish are you going to submit for the new menu test?”
“I'm not sure yet, Senior.”
Truth was, I had a few menus in my head, but I hadn't decided for sure. This chance was too important to me, so I wanted to be more careful.
“Alright. You've still got time, so think it over slowly. If there's anything you don't know, ask me.”
...What?
These were words I was hearing for the first time in the kitchen. So, without realizing it, I asked back.
“Can I really ask you?”
“Of course. It's a chance you got the hard way. You've got to make the most of it. Ask me anything. I'll teach you what I know.”
“Thank you.”
Being told someone would teach me. It was the first time here at Ayeon. So even if it was just empty words, I was grateful. It felt like I was being recognized for the first time not as a kitchen assistant, but as a junior.
At that moment-
“Hey, assistant.”
Kim Jun-ho, who'd been checking on meat in front of the oven, jerked his chin at me.
“Don't just stand around dithering there. Stay and assist us.”
That was just like Kim Jun-ho.
Before I could say anything, Senior Lee Seong-min stepped in first.
“He's a test participant too, so why are you making him do assistant work? Don't make him do assistant work during practice time.”
“What?”
“He's still an assistant, though. An assistant should do assistant work. Right, assistant?”
Lee Seong-min looked at me, and Kim Jun-ho's face flushed red. For a moment, an edgy atmosphere ran between the two.
“Business hours are over, so what assistant? It's personal practice time now. Just leave him be so he can practice too.”
“Huh, what's it to you? I'm the one using my assistant.”
“Then who are you to grab a kid who's done with work and make him do assistant work?”
The two raised their voices. Then all the eyes in the kitchen were drawn to them, and to me, caught between them.
“......”
A suffocating silence flowed. To break this silence, in the end, I had to step up.
“I'll assist.”
Everyone in the kitchen who heard me looked at me. They all seemed surprised.
“Why you? Didn't you hear what Chef said yesterday? You need to practice too.”
Senior Lee Seong-min asked first.
“I know. But today, I'll just stay and help you seniors practice.”
At my words, the corners of Kim Jun-ho's mouth curled up. He looked very satisfied.
“Right. An assistant's only an assistant if he stays and assists.”
“Then I'll be counting on you again today.”
Kim Jun-ho gave a little nod.
‘This actually works out better.’
My choosing to assist wasn't because of Kim Jun-ho. Practicing without having decided on a menu was meaningless. Rather than spending this time like this, I thought it'd be better to assist and see the seniors' menus up close.
“Hey, assistant. Ice water here.”
“Assistant, bring the white wine.”
“Hey! Go chop more vegetables!”
“Assistant! Wash these plates, quick!”
“You're not coming yet?!”
Kim Jun-ho and the rest of the seniors ordered me around as if they'd been waiting. I followed their orders and silently kept moving. I carried ingredients, fetched tools, washed dishes, and did knife work in between.
And as usual, I tried not to miss a single step of the seniors' cooking. I watched their cooking more closely than anyone. What they used, how they combined it, what techniques they used, why that ingredient couldn't be used and why they ultimately chose this one.......
I even carefully observed the seniors' deliberations and final choices.
‘First, Senior Kim Jun-ho's is a sirloin steak with pomegranate sauce.’
Meat section Kim Jun-ho's movements were precise, without any wasted motion. He measured the meat's thickness with a ruler and weighed it again on a scale to get an exact size. Then he put the meat on a grill he'd checked with a thermometer and grilled it for precise times at each stage, creating a perfect Maillard reaction. He grilled it exactly as much as intended, then rested it to perfectly lock in the juices. When it came to grilling meat, he was the best in our kitchen.
Fish section Lee Seong-min, on the other hand, was called the sauce artisan. For his fish dishes, there were always guests who asked to have the sauce packed separately. Today, he was practicing a top blade steak with white sauce.
“Assistant, bring me the Sauvignon Blanc here.”
Sauvignon Blanc. A white wine with strong acidity. He's making a top blade steak sauce with this? Lee Seong-min's intent seemed a little strange.
But he soon showed the reason.
Into the highly acidic Sauvignon Blanc, he grated onion to add sweetness and flavor. On top of that, he raised the umami with chicken stock. Then he began the emulsification that would soften the sauce's acidity. It was the technique of adding butter to the wine sauce and whisking it quickly to make it creamy.
Lee Seong-min mixed the butter and wine very skillfully. This emulsification technique looked easy, but it was actually an extremely difficult technique. And it was the technique I most wanted to learn these days.
I hesitated, then approached him.
“Senior, when I do it, the emulsion keeps breaking. Could you tell me why that happens?”
This was the first question I'd ever asked in this kitchen.
He thought for a moment, then looked at me.
“Try whisking the one I made.”
“Is that okay?”
“Yeah. Go ahead.”
He handed me his sauce. I whisked carefully. He watched me closely.
“Your whisking basics aren't there yet. Here, hold it again.”
He placed his hand over mine. Then, as his hand moved, mine followed.
“Start slow, then gradually pick up speed. What matters is rhythm. You have to ride the rhythm without wavering.”
As he explained, he moved his hand in a steady rhythm. Soon, the butter and wine mixed stably and became smooth.
“Even if it feels like it's not working, keep riding the rhythm. That's the core of emulsification.”
“Thank you, Senior.”
I was truly grateful. It was a technical feel I could never have learned from books or NewTube.
“You won't get it in once or twice. Practice alone every day.”
“Yes. Understood!”
To the emulsified sauce, Lee Seong-min added herbs, mustard, and fresh cream. He deliberately showed me the process of making the sauce slowly.
The finished sauce looked fresh and smooth from its appearance alone. Even without tasting it, it seemed like it'd go well with the top blade steak.
“Thank you for teaching me, Senior.”
I bowed my head once more. It was the first lesson I'd ever received in the kitchen.
“I'm teaching you because you made Kim Jun-ho break out in a cold sweat yesterday.”
He said with a quiet laugh.
“So do well on the new menu test too. It might be a chance that never comes to you again.”
“Yes, Senior.”
I quietly went back to assisting the seniors and watching their cooking. Every one of them was a menu that looked delicious. But soon, I noticed one peculiar thing.
‘The other seniors are all doing steak too?’
Steak was the most popular menu to begin with, but this time it was especially extreme. Not just Kim Jun-ho of the meat section, but Lee Seong-min of the fish section and even the other cooks had all chosen steak.
***
One a.m.
I was left alone in the kitchen after all the seniors had gone home.
My work was still piled up. Because of menu practice, I had about double the usual dishes to wash, and I had to cut the vegetables for tomorrow in advance. On top of that, I still hadn't come up with a menu for the new menu test.
I was the only one who still hadn't decided on a menu. I had to place first in the new menu test. Only then could I get promoted, and only then could I hold a pan.
But it was hard. With a mere two years' experience as a kitchen assistant, I couldn't beat the seniors' skills right now. Steak in particular, which many seniors had chosen, seemed like something I absolutely had to avoid. I had to think of a strength of my own that would let me survive even fighting them.
‘It's got to be knife work.’
That was all I had.
But with just that, there was nothing I could do right away.
First, I took out my notebook, briefly recorded what I'd learned today, then quickly cut tomorrow's vegetables. When complicated thoughts couldn't reach an answer, moving my hands was the best thing to do.
After finishing all the ingredient prep, I practiced the emulsification I'd learned today. I prepared butter and wine and grabbed a sauce pan. And I whisked the way Senior Lee Seong-min had taught me.
Failed once.
Failed twice.......
But after practicing about fifteen times, I began to feel how to ride the rhythm without wavering. After practicing about thirty times, I could feel the butter and wine blending smoothly. Like that, I slowly picked up the technique.
‘Can I use my best skill, knife work, together with this emulsification?’
I looked once more at the many vegetables I'd cut and the fairly decently emulsified sauce.
At that moment.
Right before my eyes, very brightly, that fluorescent line spread out.