The Chef x The Celebrity
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~ Date: June 26th – Interstellar Year 2422 ~
~ Location: Luna Bellflower Moon ~ Terra Anka PXD2422
~ The Golden Dragon Star Nexus Intergalactic Empire ~
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🐦🔥 [ Phoenix ☯ POV ] 🐦🔥
Mrs. Tae Eun-Kyung's warm but stern voice broke through the family's doting before Phoenix could fully decide whether to enjoy the skinship or flee from it.
"You boys had better have washed up, because breakfast is served. Now take your seats and pay your respects so we can begin before anyone is late again. Beyol Joon, do not forget that you have practice before classes start this morning," Mrs. Tae Eun-Kyung said sternly, though her eyes shone with love and doting affection.
Beyol Joon quickly let go of Phoenix's cheeks while Beyol Young-Jae stopped petting his head and lowered his hand to Phoenix's shoulder instead. Both still had smiles on their faces, but they looked a little sheepish as they promptly answered, "Yes, ma'am," almost in unison. Phoenix could not help thinking they were both cute, and when he said so, both of his brothers blushed and became bashful.
'How is it that these two men, who are both a full head taller than me, react that way? Is it a Dominant Omega thing, or did Phoenix not compliment his siblings and family this way?' Phoenix genuinely asked Solaris through their mind link. Solaris answered, 'Not sure, Mama, but it may be a combination of things, which makes more sense, does it not?' Nix only needed a brief moment to consider it before readily agreeing.
It was easy to see that Mrs. Beyol loved her children and husband unconditionally. She was a stern and stubborn woman who often came across as cold or aloof to those outside her immediate family; however, she had a pure heart, a soft spot for children, and absolute loyalty toward those she deemed worthy.
Mrs. Tae Eun-Kyung had taught all her children strong moral foundations and that they should never cross their bottom line, no matter who or what tried to force them to. "Oh, my sweet sunshine, you are wasting away! Come quick, sit. Mother will fill your bowl and make sure to fatten you up! Tsk, why you insist on dieting all the time, I will never understand." She shook her head as she placed the dishes on the table. "You are perfect the way you are. Even on camera, you look amazing."
"If those snooty people in the entertainment industry and the starnetizens cannot see it, then it is their loss!" Mrs. Tae Eun-Kyung would never be able to wrap her head around the fact that so many stars and idols were desperate to be skin and bones. When did beauty go from healthy and thriving to "starvation chic"?
Do not get her wrong; there was nothing wrong with being skinny. However, when it was taken too far, that was a completely different matter. Nowadays, it was fashionable to be extremely thin, even to the point of being skin and bones. It would be wonderful if everyone could love themselves as they were instead of falling into starvation dieting and unnecessary plastic surgery.
Plastic surgery should be done because the person truly wants it, not because society—or anyone else—forces them into it or makes them feel as if they must change themselves. 'To each their own,' Mrs. Tae Eun-Kyung thought with a heavy sigh and a small shake of her head.
She simply did not want her precious son to feel pressured to fit the unhealthy beauty standards the galaxy seemed to worship these days. He was perfect just the way he was, and she would much rather he be happy. She was proud and excited that he had been selected for The Chef x The Celebrity; she was just concerned about Bong Tae-Hwan.
'No, I should not stress or worry. He is more than capable and will win for sure; that, I have no doubt of.' Still, she could not shake the feeling of unease lingering in her chest. She was pulled out of her thoughts when she heard him speak.
"Eomeoni, we have talked about this. The camera may not lie, but once footage is broadcast to a screen, it can make actors and actresses appear bigger and heavier than they actually are.
I do not want to give the viewers or media any ammunition to use against me. I may just be a chef competing, but with how big and amazing the grand prize is, I need all the support I can get. Since the public gets to vote during the live streams, I have to appeal to them." Phoenix smiled as he looked into his mother's eyes and continued.
"Plus, I have to compete with all the gorgeous, godly men and women. Little ol' me really cannot compete, so I have to work hard to be at my very best and hopefully become more memorable. If I am lucky, I will be able to win over the judges and the public, then win the personal cooking show they have as one of the ultimate rewards. But in order to do that, the viewers have to love me since it is largely based on their votes. Well, that is for the personal cooking show."
Phoenix spoke with a sheepish smile, his eyes shining with love, indulgence, helplessness, and pride all at the same time. He could not help thinking about how amazing it would be to have his own cooking show. After all, he had fallen in love with cooking when Draco taught him everything he knew, which was a lot considering his background. However, that was something he could think about later. Right now, he needed to focus on the family standing before him.
It felt odd having a loving and caring family. Even if they had not originally been his, they were his family now. 'I promise I will protect them with everything I have, even if it means taking out that black lotus green tea bitch Lee Eun-ae. No, I refuse to let that disgusting thing sour my mood.' With that thought, he cleared his mind and put his full attention into this moment with his family, attention deficit disorder be damned.
He truly loved this feeling of being loved by a family. For reasons he was not sure of yet, he had already fallen in love with these sweet people. He had racked his brain trying to figure out why and how he could fall in love with his family when it had never happened before, but no matter how much he tried, he could not come up with a plausible reason. Though not knowing bothered him, and though he could feel the faint answer hiding in the dark recesses of his mind, he decided to let it be for now. Maybe it would come to him if he continued thinking about it once he was in private and had time to let his mind wander.
As he had that thought, the conversation around him shifted to Beyol Joon's top university pick and backup choices. Beyol Joon tried to distract everyone by asking how the restaurant and tea house were doing. Though it was set up like a traditional tea house, it was actually more of a café that specialized in teas instead of coffee. They also taught lessons on tea ceremonies. Beyol Eun-Ha, who was placing the last dish on the table, became animated as she told them about the new dish she had made and pointed it out.
Beyol Eun-Ha had studied abroad throughout middle school, high school, and university. She earned a scholarship to the prestigious International Culinary Institute in Country A. She then worked her way up through a couple of restaurants before landing a job at Stellar, a world-class three-star Michelin restaurant on the Sparkling Turquoise Islands that specialized in fusion and cutting-edge gastronomy. It was a huge deal and a great honor to earn a position on the Turquoise Islands, a small group of proto-planets mainly inhabited by nobles and chaebols. That was where she fell in love with fusion cuisine and the way it brought cultures together.
[A/N: The fusion cuisine comes from different planets across the Golden Dragon Star Nexus Intergalactic Empire.]
She made the daily specials for the restaurant, as well as the snacks and desserts for the tea shop, and they were all unique and delicious. Beyol Eun-Ha had left a prestigious, well-paying job as a sous chef at a three-star Michelin restaurant to help her family at home. She moved back to help run the family restaurant because her parents were getting older and struggling to manage it on their own these days.
Beyol Eun-Ha used to send money back home to help her family while she was working on the Turquoise Islands. Being in the working-poor bracket was hard, but it could also be fulfilling when a family worked together. Because of her fusion dishes, the new tea house had quickly become a success, allowing them to pay down the bank loan they had taken out to expand the restaurant, add the tea house, and build additional living space upstairs. Beyol Eun-Ha loved her family and would do anything for them. She truly felt fulfilled and happy about her decision to move back home.
Mr. Beyol Shin lightly cleared his throat to gather everyone's attention. He presided over the meal, everyone gave thanks, and then they dug into the food. Phoenix tried Beyol Eun-Ha's latest dish first and could not help getting lost in the flavors and textures. It truly was a great dish.
Phoenix was so amazed that he forgot he still had food in his mouth when he began to praise the dish. "Oh, my galaxies! Nuna, this is so good! Oh, umm—" He closed his mouth, coughed, and quickly swallowed the remaining food. "I am sorry about that. Ahh, I was so excited that I rudely spoke with food in my mouth! Please, everyone, accept my sincere apology." Phoenix bowed his head. All of the Beyols spoke up in a cacophony of "it is okay," "aww, so cute," and "do not worry about it, it happens," and Phoenix could not help smiling so widely that his eyes were no longer open—well, they were, but only as slits.
Once his family calmed back down, Phoenix turned back to his nuna and tried again to compliment her food—this time with no food in his mouth. "Like I was saying, your latest dish is so good. The taste is complex but balanced, not too heavy while still remaining satisfying, and the texture is perfect. Have you come up with a name for it yet?"
Beyol Eun-Ha was so touched that her eyes became glassy as she looked at this beautiful, inside-and-out little brother of hers. Then she smiled brightly, shook her head, and responded, "No, not yet. Do you have any ideas for it?"
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Author Mrs_TNT's question for my readers: does anyone have any name ideas for this dish? It is a sweet-and-spicy dish with pork-meets-venison-like meat, mushrooms, leafy greens, root vegetables, and a jelly-like substance—similar to a fruit compote, but actually made from an alien animal—served on a bed of wild long-grain rice with fried bread. It is meant to have a good balance of flavor, aroma, texture, taste, and nutrition.
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