Chapter 8: Chapter 8: New York 92nd Street (3)

The first thing Cho Min Joon felt when the notification popped up wasn’t surprise or joy. It was annoyance. He was focused on his food, so he didn’t like that the notification got in the way.

“Does it suit your taste?”

“It felt unfamiliar at first, but it gets better the more I eat it. This is my first cooked meal in America.”

“That means you’ll always think of me when you have American food. I’m honored.”

Jane smiled. Cho Min Joon smiled in response and focused back on the food. ‘What did she use for the meat?’ The salt wasn’t normal either. There were salt and herbs listed on the ingredients window, but he wondered if she actually used herb salt. The saltiness and the herby scent were too closely mixed together. As soon as he felt that detailed difference, he felt excited. It felt as though his tongue went numb.

[You’ve figured out that she used herb salt.]

[Gourmet experience points leveling up.]

The notification made it even more clear. That flavor could be better tasted when knowing it ahead of time. He felt as though the characteristics of herb salt could be better experienced. Cho Min Joon fully appreciated the juice within his mouth. At the same time, he also read the recipe.

It was a simpler recipe than he imagined. First, you mix fried onions, egg whites, bread crumbs, and germin beef. Germin beef referred to what Koreans thought of hamburger steak. It wasn’t minced meat, but germin beef, so the juices could be better experienced, and the flavor was richer.

It was also different in a way since pork wasn’t added. In Korea, it was common to mix minced beef and minced pork. Pork’s softer flavor had a way of toning down beef’s intensity, but in this hamburger, no pork was added. That’s also what made it taste unfamiliar at first.

After that, the recipe was pretty typical. You fry the hamburger on a pan with vegetable oil, add brown sauce, pepper, and then place the hamburger on top. The fact that she received 6 points for a typical dish meant that she really stayed loyal to the basics.

Once he finished half of the hamburger steak, Cho Min Joon then moved on to the mac and cheese. He was worried eating both dishes with strong flavor would confuse his taste buds, so he decided to try the blander hamburger steak first.

Mac and cheese wasn’t Cho Min Joon’s favorite. Cho Min Joon didn’t like dishes that were too heavy and intense. He preferred foods that were lightly seasoned and cooked in a simple manner.

For that reason, mac and cheese was a little too strong for him. Not only was the cheese melted, but it was cooked down to be heavier. On top of that, milk was added, so it was not an easy dish to digest.

Mac and cheese stood for macaroni and cheese. Simply put, a dish made of cheese, milk, and macaroni. It was no different from American Tteobokki. It was just more greasy than spicy.

However, as soon as he took a bite, it wasn’t greasy at all. It was different from what he had tried in Korea. There was a hint of spiciness and a refreshing scent. Cho Min Joon was in awe.

“This mac and cheese is delicious. It’s the best I’ve ever tried.”

“It’s one of Jane’s masterpieces. Our daughter loves it,” Lucas replied as he smiled. The recipe notification popped up, but Cho Min Joon tried to figure it out on his own. The pepper flavor made him tilt his head. But it didn’t taste like black pepper was added to the mac and cheese.

“…Did you add white pepper to this?”

“That’s right. You’re a sharp one. Most people don’t notice.”

‘I knew it.’ If he tasted pepper but didn’t see any, white pepper was the only option. The white specks inside was the white pepper. It was milder than normal pepper, but was commonly used in light-colored foods. Cho Min Joon smiled and replied, “I’m training to become a cook.”

“Oh… Then did you come to America to eat?”

“That, too. I’m here to participate in a competition. Grand Chef.”

“I know that show. I’ve watched a few episodes.”

The conversation stopped for a moment. Cho Min Joon took another bite of the mac and cheese and appreciated it. The taste of the cheese on the tip of his tongue was not too much to bear. And the spiciness reminded him of mustard. Also, the herb in the cheese tasted all too familiar. It was sour. He was certain it wasn’t lemon or lime, and it wasn’t vinegar either.

In the end, Cho Min Joon gave up. Cho Min Joon zoomed in on the recipe window in front of his eyes.

[Mac and Cheese Ingredients]

Macaroni, cheddar cheese, butter, flour, milk, Worcestershire sauce, Dijon mustard, parsley, white pepper.

Worcestershire sauce. To Koreans, it was better known as Worcester sauce. And that’s when Cho Min Joon understood the flavors. The Worcester sauce contained sour and salty flavors. And from a Korean point of view, it gave off an exotic flavor, but he was unable to catch that because it was hidden beneath the mac and cheese.

He couldn’t tell if the recipe was typical or not since he didn’t normally make it himself. Even if he did, he would have just used some milk, cheese, and roux to make it. Roux was a mixture of butter and flour that made the mac and cheese thicker.

The recipe was simple. After boiling macaroni, add roux and milk to make it thicker and then add Worcester sauce, Dijon mustard, and some spices on top. After that, add the cheese, then followed by the macaroni. It seemed complicated at first, but it wasn’t that hard to make.

“Did you make the Worcester sauce yourself?”

“Yes, the storebought ones are too weak.”

“I never thought I could taste so much richness from mac and cheese. I thought…”

Cho Min Joon paused. He heard the front door open and close. At that moment, Lucas’ face froze up.

Cho Min Joon looked toward the front door. A young female student with blonde hair walked in. Seeing how she was wearing a uniform, she wasn’t in middle school or high school. But it was hard to know more than that. It was hard to predict the ages of Caucasian people. She looked at Lucas with her big blue eyes.

“What’s… going on?”

“Jessie. Let’s go inside and talk.”

“I asked a question! What’s that person doing here?”

Jessie’s eyes were filled with shock. Cho Min Joon ended up being caught in someone else’s family matters, so he couldn’t say anything. He felt like he was going to get indigestion.

“Jessie. Sit down. Eat first…”

“No! I’m not eating!”

“Don’t act like this in front of our guest. This won’t do. Go to your room!” Jane yelled loudly while Jessie glared at Lucas. Lucas simply looked back with a sad face. Jessie bit down on her lip.

“I’m always the bitch, huh?”

It ended there. Jessie stomped her way upstairs to the 2nd floor. The sound of her slamming the door made the kitchen shake. Lucas sighed and said, “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to get you into this.”

“That’s okay. No need to apologize,” Cho Min Joon replied and waved his hands. Jane went upstairs to talk to Jessie, leaving Lucas and Cho Min Joon alone. Cho min Joon sighed inside his head.

‘I guess I can’t eat any more mac and cheese.’

‘It’s so good though.’

‘Like really good.’