Chapter 209: Become a Food Fighter for the World (4)
"Ho. This is..."
"A combination of a Korean-style hot dog and fries—interesting."
"Huh?"
There were three judges deciding whether to adopt the cooks' new menus: Paulo, Marco, and Lee Jinseo.
They studied the unusual hot dog Jason presented, then all took a big bite at the same time.
Crunch.
Chew, chew.
After tasting the combination of two fried foods—fries that were crisp on the outside and Korean-style hot dogs that were crisp outside yet soft inside—the three looked at each other and nodded, then from the second one onward, they silently focused only on tasting.
"At first, I tried putting whole fries in and frying it, but it was too uncomfortable to eat. So I changed it by cutting them into small squares and mixing them into the batter, and that worked."
Jason rattled off the explanation he had memorized since last night, but the three judges showed no particular reaction and only kept eating the new hot dog.
"W-was it too simple an idea?"
"Yes. It's simple."
"Ah..."
At Marco's blunt answer, Jason's voice lost strength.
"And it's clear. I think it fits the definition of a calorie-bomb bunsik that Lee Jinseo-ssi talked about."
"T-that's right! You saw straight through my intent!"
Once he realized that was praise, Jason's stiff expression throughout the tasting lit up.
"Combining fries and Korean-style hot dogs sounds simple, but at present, you're the only one who thought of it and made it, Jason. Simple clarity is one of the virtues of cooking."
"Agreed. Cooking only needs to taste good and look good."
Paulo and Marco didn't hold back their compliments, still eating Jason's hot dog.
But unlike the other two judges, Lee Jinseo wore a strange expression as he held the hot dog Jason made and slowly rotated it once in his hand.
"Actually, this is already one of the hot dogs that exists in Korea. It's one of the popular menu items."
"Uh… it is?"
At the completely unexpected answer, Jason's face clearly showed his shock.
"But if it already exists in Korea, that's also proof it has been recognized as excellent bunsik by many people."
"And by Koreans living in the homeland of bunsik, no less. Lee Jinseo—did you teach Jason how to make this?"
"No. That's why I think it's even more impressive. Because Jason came up with it and made it himself."
Lee Jinseo briefly suspected Jason might have copied it from a movie or drama, but the videos Lee Jinseo had shown in this other world were all old ones that had already fallen out of trend in Korea, and potato hot dogs didn't appear in them.
And given Lee Jinseo's understanding of Jason's character, Jason wouldn't present something someone else made while claiming he developed it himself.
Jason had fumbled a little while presenting the potato hot dog and explaining it, but that was because he lacked confidence in his hot dog's completeness, not because guilt was pricking his conscience—Lee Jinseo could tell that much.
"Your cooking skill… hmm. I think you still need to develop more. Ah, but do not misunderstand—this does not mean you made it badly. Keep in mind that I'm saying this because I can see the potential for further growth from the hot dog you presented."
"Yes! I will never forget and will keep it in mind!"
When Marco carefully pointed out what needed pointing out while also encouraging him so Jason wouldn't be hurt, Jason was so moved he nearly teared up.
"The crispness is a bit lacking. However, your idea surpasses both of us. Doesn't it?"
"You should say it surpasses me too."
"Hey, that's too much. You're the originator of bunsik, aren't you? Saying he surpasses you is too excessive! Still, it's different, just like someone who learned under you. Tsk… I wish my disciples would learn from this."
Paulo clicked his tongue, recalling his own disciples who seemed far less reliable than Jason.
This feels like… I ended up as a contestant on MasterChef.
As he exchanged evaluations with the other judges, Lee Jinseo suddenly recalled a cooking competition show he had watched online and smiled.
Three judges evaluating the food in front of them, and contestants trembling in tension, matched the vibe of what he had seen on video.
If there was a difference, it was that even though the judges evaluated the food strictly, not a single judge spewed harsh profanity.
Abuse was impossible toward cooks who had stepped forward to save the world.
So the judges gave fair evaluations of taste, but they also didn't spare encouragement for the participants.
"Then Paulo-nim and Marco-nim, you both agree to adopt this menu?"
"Yes, of course."
"Fries and a hot dog… and considering the cheese inside too, it's worthy of the name 'calorie bomb,' so I obviously agree."
"Then we will adopt Jason's potato hot dog as a new menu. I'll share the recipe for the potato hot dog that exists in Korea, so use it as reference and improve it further. Honestly, there won't be much here that needs major adjustment."
"Th-thank you! I'm so happy I could be of help! Foltan! You saw that? I did it!"
Jason ran wild, charging into the crowd of onlookers, then shared an intense hug with Foltan, who had been watching from afar.
"Lee Jinseo-ssi! Can we… eat this?"
"We're so curious what it tastes like."
"Of course."
The moment Lee Jinseo gave permission, the contestants waiting nearby reached for the potato hot dogs left on the plate.
"Fries really do make the texture richer."
"The taste is good, but you can definitely take in calories with this."
"A combination of fries and a Korean-style hot dog… simple but strong. Someone trained under the creator of bunsik really is different."
They didn't hold back their praise as they ate Jason's potato hot dog.
Watching that, Lee Jinseo felt happier than anyone at Jason's growth after all his effort as part of the food truck crew.
"That's truly reassuring. With Jason here, after I leave..."
For a moment, Lee Jinseo trailed off and stopped mid-sentence.
"After you leave?"
Paulo, tearing fried batter stuck to the hot dog stick with his teeth, echoed Lee Jinseo's words and asked.
Lee Jinseo, unusually flustered, gestured to the next participant.
"N-no. That came out wrong. Everyone finished the potato hot dog, right? Then we'll continue and judge the next menu."
The mission given to the fifty thousand elite troops gathered to seal Dark Dragon Evelyn.
It was to increase their food intake to keep invincibility magic active.
They were all already skilled in combat, so no matter how much more combat training they did until the seal broke again, their ability wouldn't visibly jump.
Instead, they happily ate whatever food they wanted, to drastically increase their intake.
The cooks kept bringing out dishes, and to keep the soldiers from getting sick of meals, they wracked their brains again and again to create dishes that didn't exist before.
Then, after that agonizing, the three judges—including Lee Jinseo—evaluated the resulting dishes strictly, and the judging process that continued even after dinner didn't end until around midnight.
Normally, it would've been long past closing time, but after finishing the judging, Lee Jinseo couldn't rest and went straight back into the food truck's kitchen area.
"Five servings of bossam and makguksu, please. And make the seasoning less spicy."
"Ten servings of half-and-half mu-mani with one 1.5-liter cola and one 1.5-liter cider! Also—how backed up are the pizza orders? What? A backlog of thirty servings?"
"More makguksu seasoning, and more ssamjang! Ah—and lettuce too!"
Eating only three times a day—breakfast, lunch, and dinner—wasn't enough to drastically raise their intake.
So instead of sleeping, the soldiers were enjoying a pleasure called late-night food.
Lee Jinseo and the many cooks were working hard making late-night menus represented by bossam and makguksu, along with chicken and pizza that had already been spread in this other world.
"I've had chicken and pizza before, but eating it at night makes it taste especially good. I guess there really are foods that suit late-night eating."
"Everything's good, but it's a shame we can't drink. I don't know if it's just me, but it feels like all late-night menus pair well with alcohol."
"You too? Same here! But what can we do?"
"They say a large banquet will be prepared if we win this battle, so let's endure until then. We have to save the world first before we can decide whether to drink or not, right?"
"That's true. Anyway, eat! The more we eat, the higher the chance we save the world!"
Late-night food couldn't be separated from alcohol, but given the situation, the soldiers showed patience and tried to eat even one more bite.
Most late-night menus were the perfect foods to make you gain weight, but no one cared at all.
To fight a dragon, higher-calorie food was better, and since they also played sports as exercise to digest it, they didn't even have time to gain weight.
"Lee Jinseo-nim, you're working so hard."
"Ah, you're here!"
Fedora fought her way through the crowd of soldiers and sat modestly in the center counter seat.
"Watching the brothers and sisters enjoy their food makes me hungry too. Please give me a little makguksu."
"Then about three servings will do, right?"
"Huh?"
"Ah—no! I matched my standard to the knights and soldiers… hahaha."
Embarrassed, Lee Jinseo placed a plate of freshly mixed makguksu in front of Fedora.
She picked up her chopsticks, mixed the makguksu again, then silently and slowly drew in the dark noodles.
"It reminds me of when I stayed at your house, Lee Jinseo-nim, and we often ate late-night food."
"How is it compared to what we ordered for delivery?"
"Of course, what you make yourself tastes far better."
Fedora smiled brightly and picked up the makguksu toppings with her chopsticks.
"Just thinking that the Order's brothers and sisters who came from the Holy Land will get to taste this makes my heart flutter. Delicious food becomes even more delicious when you eat it with others."
"Come to think of it, His Holiness is coming too, right?"
"Yes. He is expected to arrive today or tomorrow."
Since the matter was serious, the Heirem Order couldn't stay out of this battle.
A month ago, Pope Kaal X publicly declared he would personally lead the Cathedral Knights and the priest order to participate in the final decisive battle against Dark Dragon Evelyn. Now that all preparations were complete, they were on their way to the gathering point at Falstead Castle.
"I've felt this from before..."
Because of lighting the dwarves had installed everywhere, the area around Falstead Castle resembled a night market, and the warm, friendly atmosphere continued—so warm it was hard to believe they were on the eve of a decisive battle with a dragon.
"It's so peaceful."
Under the firm belief that no one would die as long as they drained Dark Dragon Evelyn's strength within a week, the soldiers repeated the cycle of eating, exercising, and eating again.
But for Fedora—who had almost died a sudden death under Dark Dragon Evelyn's breath—this atmosphere felt awkward.
"In a way, Korea isn't entirely peaceful either. It's under an armistice, after all. Even so, people don't live only in fear. They still live their daily lives."
"Korea… I already miss the foods we ate there."
Halfway through her makguksu, Fedora set her chopsticks down and smacked her lips as she recalled the intense spiciness she had once indulged in.
"I wonder how that buldak shop owner is doing."
Fedora looked at Lee Jinseo, missing the buldak shop she had visited without fail every time she went out once a week.
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