Chapter 146: The Nation of Cuisine, Girvante (4) "The taste… is remarkably consistent."
Greg nodded as he ate the duck dish.
"The flavor of the sauce is consistent as well."
All of the restaurant's chefs and servers had gathered on either side of him as he sat at the table conducting the tasting.
It had already been over an hour since closing, yet the tension inside the shop was thicker than when it was packed with customers.
"The other dishes are fine as well. Nothing in particular to point out."
When the word "fine" came from Greg's mouth, color returned to the employees' faces.
"As for hygiene… you're in a better position than I am to judge that. Jinseo, what do you think?"
The moment the evaluation shifted to hygiene, the employees turned tense expressions toward Jinseo once more.
"I took a look around the restaurant while Mr. Greg was tasting."
"And?"
"By this place's standards, it looks sufficiently acceptable."
After giving a positive assessment, Jinseo stepped into the kitchen, and Greg along with all the restaurant staff followed him inside.
"However, if it were me, I would have cleaned more carefully. For example, places like this…"
The moment Jinseo slipped on the white cotton glove he used when giving hygiene training to Jason in the past, his gaze sharpened.
"These are the kinds of spots people tend to overlook."
Each time dark grime stained the glove, the chefs sighed, and the atmosphere grew heavy.
Greg, however, merely nodded and did not get angry.
He had seen the same scene at other restaurants he had visited earlier, and Jinseo's cleanliness standards were undeniably strict by local standards.
"You all saw that, didn't you? From now on, pay closer attention to hygiene."
"Yes! Understood!"
Rather than reprimanding them, Greg simply instructed them to clean more thoroughly, and the employees responded in unison.
"And there is one more point I'd like to mention. It's something I noticed at other branches as well…"
The restaurant Greg visited today was one of the more than one hundred establishments he operated.
As Jinseo traveled throughout the Kingdom of Girvante in the food truck, there were times they stopped at locations where Greg had restaurants.
Each time, Greg conducted inspections. So far, he had inspected twenty restaurants. Except for one that had been in serious condition, the remaining nineteen had passed.
"Your father, you know—he looks like an easygoing man at first glance, but when he visits the restaurants he manages, he exudes authority."
"I see."
"And because he manages them strictly, the food tastes good too. Though for me, the bunsik and dishes Jinseo makes are the best."
Hayward, seated at the table with Craid, ate pieces of duck while watching the employees fidget before Greg.
"Anyway, I think I understand how your father came to own over a hundred stores."
"So do I."
Sitting opposite Hayward, Jinseo removed his white glove as he watched Greg give meticulous instructions to the staff.
Greg had arrived at Falstead Castle on the final day of the autumn festival. During his stay in Dwarf Town, he had not simply enjoyed bunsik and Korean cuisine or spent time bonding with his son at the jjimjilbang.
He systematically recorded the sales methods used in the bunsik street and various ideas that had not existed before. When he visited his own restaurants for inspection, he copied and handed over those records.
He even asked Jinseo beforehand whether he could apply the recorded methods to his own restaurants and went so far as to draft a contract promising proper compensation.
If Paulo demonstrated outstanding ability as a chef without any shortcomings, then Greg displayed exceptional competence as a restaurant manager.
Managing one hundred stores would be extraordinarily difficult even in Korea.
To accomplish that on the Francia Continent, where things were far more inconvenient in many respects, was something Jinseo found impressive.
"In any case, well done. There were a few minor shortcomings, but this is a pass. That concludes the inspection. You've all worked hard, so as mentioned earlier, we'll hold a staff dinner with Mr. Jinseo's cooking."
At the word "staff dinner," the tired employees' eyes began to shine.
"F-Finally…"
"To think we'll actually get to eat the food from the food truck we've only heard about…"
Rumors that the food truck was traveling through the Kingdom of Girvante toward the capital had spread quickly, and for days the main topic among the restaurant employees had been the possibility that it might stop somewhere nearby.
An unknown cuisine called bunsik, praised by everyone who had tasted it.
A carriage equipped with facilities capable of making that bunsik anywhere—the food truck.
The employees had wished for the food truck to visit their village, and that wish had come true today.
Of course, they had grown tense when they belatedly realized that one of the people riding the food truck was Greg.
"Jinseo, what kind of bunsik will you serve?"
"You've all worked hard, so shall I present a special dish? It's Korean cuisine that hasn't yet been introduced on the Francia Continent."
"What? An unreleased bunsik?"
Greg was the first to react in surprise, and the wandering chefs' eyes gleamed once more with anticipation for a new dish.
Leaving the murmuring employees behind, Jinseo stepped outside. A short while later, he returned alone, carrying ingredients and ten Portable Gas Ranges in both hands.
Fedora, who had been resting in the Additional Trailer, followed him.
Upon hearing that Jinseo was introducing a new menu, she had hurriedly changed out of her T-shirt and sweatpants and back into her usual clerical robes before entering the restaurant.
When Fedora stepped inside wearing robes reserved for high-ranking clergy, the employees recognized her status at once and made the sign of the cross in a commotion of reverence.
"Brothers and sisters, let us first taste Lord Jinseo's cooking."
At her words, the employees finally calmed down and stared intently at the black bags Jinseo had brought, curious about what he would create.
"The basic preparation is already done. You just need to put it in the pot and boil it before eating. Sir Skelson, would you assist?"
"Of course. Hey, everyone, let's help Mr. Jinseo!"
The five wandering chefs swiftly took the Portable Gas Ranges from him, placed one on each table, and began setting out utensils.
"Jinseo, what exactly is this dish you're presenting?"
"Many of the dishes I've made were considered spicy, weren't they? Compared to those, this one is milder and easier to eat."
The ingredients had been purchased in Korea in advance and stored in Interspatial Storage. While everyone slept, he had secretly cooked portions little by little.
A dish that paired well with alcohol and, unexpectedly, appealed to foreigners as well.
"It's gamjatang."
It was gamjatang.
"Gamjatang? Potatoes aren't particularly special as ingredients…"
"Despite the name, gamjatang is actually more centered on other ingredients than potatoes."
When Greg reacted with mild disappointment compared to his expectations, Jinseo accepted it without concern, as if he had anticipated it.
"Then those bones must be the main ingredient of this gamjatang."
"Yes, that's correct."
To Greg's eye, only two ingredients stood out clearly: pork back bones with meat attached and potatoes.
Other ingredients were included as well, but aside from Jinseo, no one could easily imagine what the flavor would be.
Click.
When Jinseo and the wandering chefs ignited the Portable Gas Ranges, the pots set on top soon began to boil vigorously.
The chefs examined the Portable Gas Ranges—something they had never seen before—with fascination, while struggling to contain their excitement about the mysterious dish called gamjatang.
They forcibly restrained the urge to lift the pot lids immediately and waited for the broth to come to a boil. Jinseo watched them with satisfaction and checked the time on his smartphone.
"All right, it should be ready. Please enjoy."
The moment Jinseo finished speaking, everyone opened the lids of the pots placed before them.
"This dish called gamjatang is eaten by separating the meat from the bones—"
Crunch.
Before Jinseo could finish explaining, Craid placed the topmost pork back bone directly into his mouth and began chewing it whole.
"Hmm, it's a dish with the charm of chewing the bones."
"No, you're supposed to separate the meat. The bones go into the container beside you."
"…It's not meant to be eaten bones and all?"
"No."
When Jinseo firmly denied it again, Craid cleared his throat and from then on began separating the meat properly.
Thus the staff dinner began in silence.
No one spoke; they focused solely on eating the gamjatang.
It was not because it lacked flavor.
On the contrary, it was so delicious that even the time spent speaking felt wasteful.
"Was pork always this tender?"
Fedora broke the silence with her first impression, and the chefs eagerly began discussing the gamjatang.
Even as they talked, they did not forget to strip the meat from the bones or suck them clean.
"This mustard sauce is incredible."
"It is. I think it would work well in other dishes too."
Seated at the same table, the five wandering chefs admired the perfect harmony between the meat stripped from the pork back bones and the mustard sauce as they drank the broth.
Slurp.
"Ah… it's hot. Somehow, this tastes like something that calls for alcohol."
"It does pair well with alcohol. On the other hand, it's also eaten after drinking as a hangover remedy. In that case, we remove the potatoes and serve it in single portions."
At Jinseo's explanation, the wandering chefs asked for alcohol. Jinseo reluctantly stepped into the Additional Trailer and returned carrying a full barrel of dwarf-made beer.
From that point on, it became the lively, alcohol-filled staff dinner Jinseo was familiar with.
They ate and drank, drank and ate.
Before long, the pot that had been filled with pork back bones was nearly empty.
"Oh, everyone. Leave some broth."
"What? Oh no… we've finished it!"
"Did we commit some breach of Korean dining etiquette?"
At Jinseo's words, the chefs who had been ladling out the gamjatang broth panicked.
Except for the inedible bones, they had been unable to resist consuming even the broth, and more than half the tables had finished it entirely.
Meanwhile, on the tables of Craid, Hayward, and Greg—who had anticipated what was coming—there was still plenty of broth remaining.
"That's not it. I'm going to make stir-fried rice."
Sizzle.
As steam rose from the stir-fried rice cooking in the remaining broth, the chefs found themselves swallowing again, despite having already eaten more than enough gamjatang.
"Ah, so that's why you told us to leave some broth!"
"No wonder Lord Craid, that glutton, left some broth… who would have thought it had such a profound meaning!"
They stared resentfully at their own pots, now devoid of even a drop of broth.
Glancing sidelong at the dejected chefs, Jinseo finished the stir-fried rice.
"All right, it's done."
"It's been a while since I've had stir-fried rice."
Craid scooped up a large spoonful of the stir-fried rice, seasoned richly with gamjatang broth and topped with seaweed flakes.
Just as he was about to put it into his mouth, he froze and turned his gaze toward the restaurant entrance.
"Um… are you closed?"
A customer stepped inside cautiously.
In the chaos of Greg's sudden inspection and then eating Jinseo's gamjatang, they had forgotten to close the door.
"I know you're closed at this hour, but since the door was still open, I thought I'd check just in case."
The young man, a regular customer, knew business hours had ended.
However, after watching through the window as the employees enthusiastically devoured the gamjatang, he could no longer resist and came inside.
"Yes, we're in the middle of a staff dinner…"
"Could we perhaps have some of what you're eating as well…?"
The young man pleaded with a face that said he was too hungry to endure it any longer. The chefs looked troubled and turned toward Jinseo.
"There are more ingredients. Is that all right? I need the restaurant's permission."
At Jinseo's words, the chefs nodded that there was no problem, and seeing that, the excited young man flung the door wide open.
"Guys! They're still serving! Come in!"
"Really? That's a relief!"
"What kind of dish is it? Huh? I've never seen that before. What is it?"
Dozens of waiting customers who had been outside surged into the restaurant.
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