Black Corporation: Joseon [EN]: Chapter 38

Side Story 38. Imperial Scenery. (3)

pt.3. Il Venezia.

The palace staff generally found Hyang’s taste in food to be ‘mostly decent, therefore picky’.

He liked meat, but not to the point of obsession like his father, King Sejong.

He preferred it to a similar degree as others.

Also, he hardly had any dislikes, earning him the nickname ‘the one who makes the royal kitchen the most comfortable’.

However, this nickname was given from the outside. The cooks and palace staff in the royal kitchen had the exact opposite opinion.

“That’s why he’s the pickiest!”

“Try working in the cafeteria! Preparing just one meal for him would make you groan!”

In addition to the assessment of ‘subtly picky,’ there were other added evaluations.

-He is very fond of pepper, *sansho* [Japanese pepper], and *chopi* [Korean pepper].

-Especially when a clear soup is served, pepper is a must.

Hyang liked pepper so much that Sejong was surprised to see him sprinkle it in his soup and even asked him.

“Crown Prince, that amount of pepper is enough for ten people. I heard you put a lot of *sansho* and *chopi* in your food too. Won’t your mouth be numb?”

“It’s alright.”

“There is a saying that too much is as bad as too little.”

At Sejong’s words, Hyang barely held back the words that were about to come out.

‘If I tell Father that I’ll reduce meat if he does, will I be removed from the position of Crown Prince?’

“…I’ll try.”

Whenever he was alone or didn’t have an appetite, Hyang always muttered the same words.

“Capsaicin, I need capsaicin….”

After being reincarnated as Yi Hyang, he became accustomed to Joseon’s food culture, and the spicy taste of *gochujang* [Korean chili paste] only existed in his memories.

Therefore, Hyang always added a sentence.

“If only the New World was discovered….”

Hyang dredged up the memories he vaguely knew from the 21st century and sent people to India and Southeast Asia to check for the existence of rubber and chili peppers.

“Vietnamese chili peppers and Indian chili peppers are famous for being spicy, so if you search well… and the most famous thing about Southeast Asian tourism is latex products, so that too….”

However, the result was ‘nothing like that’.

Upon receiving the report, Hyang smacked his lips with a look full of regret.

“Tch… were the Europeans the culprits after all? Were these things spread during the colonial era?”

* * *

Besides *gochujang*, there was another type of food that Hyang had lingering feelings for.

“I want to eat pizza and hamburgers too….”

Hyang, who recalled the memories of eating them to the point of being sick of them in the 21st century, swallowed hard alone, but soon had to accept reality.

“Finding a chef who knows how to properly make ham or cheese is a task, and getting those ingredients is also a task. No, it’s money. Considering Joseon’s finances right now, the moment I push for that, memorials will flood in like a tsunami.”

‘Bringing in people to enjoy delicacies when we already have insufficient finances? This is extravagance!’

Since it was certain that memorials filled with such content would flood in, Hyang had to give up with tears in his eyes.

However, as time passed, Hyang got a chance to try this again.

It was Pietro and Rafael who gave Hyang the opportunity.

Although they became free after their contract period ended, Pietro and Rafael chose to stay in Joseon.

One reason was that they had already grown fond of the place, but the money coming from the glass workshop was also quite substantial.

“Even if we go back to our hometown now, it won’t be easy to succeed, right?”

“That’s right. I already have a wife and children, so starting over from scratch won’t be easy.”

In the end, the two who chose to stay began to spend money for a more comfortable life.

They built a decent tiled house to escape their rented room and hired servants.

However, as this happened, they developed a disease they didn’t have before.

It was homesickness.

“I hadn’t thought about the food I used to eat in my hometown, but suddenly I want to eat it.”

“You too? Me too.”

“The problem is….”

“The problem is that both of us are terrible at cooking.”

In the end, the two who were looking for a solution found Hyang.

Hearing their concerns, Hyang’s eyes began to sparkle.

‘Here it comes! Opportunity is chance! I can’t miss this!’

“Ahem!”

Clearing his throat and organizing his expression, Hyang told them his thoughts.

“How about hiring a chef from Italy?”

“I’ve thought about that too, but it’s not an easy task.”

Joseon had opened its doors through Sejong’s reforms, but bringing in foreigners was not an easy task.

Seeing the two pointing this out, Hyang continued.

“I’ll take care of the government affairs. You guys provide the money. Let’s create a project together.”

As soon as the word ‘project’ came out, Pietro and Rafael’s faces turned pale.

This was because there were more than one or two people who had suffered terribly every time the words ‘Let’s create a project’ came out of Hyang’s mouth.

Seeing their expressions, Hyang quickly continued.

“What I mean is…”

-Hire a skilled chef from Italy with their funds.

-Create a common kitchen in their houses and have the Italian chef cook there.

-Since the two have a fairly wide network, they will naturally come into contact with the food.

-After some time, open a restaurant and sell it.

-This way, the two can earn more than the amount they initially invested.

Hearing Hyang’s plan, the two had doubtful expressions.

“It would be nice for us to be able to eat our hometown’s food, but will it be a successful business?”

“It won’t be easy since it’s unfamiliar food.”

To the two’s worries, Hyang replied with a confident expression.

“I think it’s possible.”

“Still….”

“I’ll add some money too.”

“Then….”

In this way, with Hyang’s investment added, an Italian chef came to Joseon.

* * *

The arrival of an Italian chef in Joseon was just the beginning.

“There are no problems with the supply of spices, but the supply of milk is a problem.”

“The same goes for pork.”

So the three of them emptied their pockets again, rented pasture land, and began to bring in dairy cows and raise pigs.

As the supply problem was resolved over time, authentic Italian dishes began to come out of the kitchen jointly funded by the three.

And, as Hyang expected, word of mouth spread, and the number of people looking for Italian food began to increase.

The most popular item at ‘Il Venezia,’ founded by the three, was salami.

And Hyang slowly began to move.

“First of all, pizza! Pizza!”

To eat pizza, Hyang approached Pietro, Rafael, and the chef Alberto and brought up the topic.

“Hmm…. It’s not a difficult task. Rather, it’s an easy task?”

Hearing Hyang’s request, Alberto tilted his head and asked.

“It’s just a matter of putting the ingredients on top of the *focaccia* [Italian flatbread] instead of inside, right? Of course, the ingredients to put on top are a bit unique….”

As Alberto mentioned, *focaccia* mainly contained herbs and pickled olives.

However, Hyang suggested sprinkling cheese and putting salami on top.

“It’s not a difficult task, and since the dough is ready, we can do it right away.”

“Then please do!”

Shortly after, a pizza-like product fresh from the oven was placed in front of Hyang.

“Hmm….”

Hyang cut a piece with a knife and put it in his mouth, soon making an ambiguous expression.

‘The salami, cheese, and dough feel exactly the same… but it’s too greasy! I see why tomatoes are added.’

“It’s tasty, but a bit greasy.”

Unlike Hyang’s evaluation, the other three who tasted it gave opposite evaluations.

“It’s better than I thought?”

“It’s surprisingly good?”

“As expected of His Highness the Crown Prince! You have a knack for food!”

Unlike the three who praised it, Hyang shook his head.

“It’s good now, but there are some disappointing parts. It’s too oily. Let’s work on this part.”

After that, various attempts to replace tomatoes continued, and another nickname was added to Hyang.

It was ‘weird food’.

Whenever a result cooked with the ingredients and methods Hyang had in mind came out, the four gathered in one place to taste and evaluate it.

“Begging Your Majesty’s pardon, but Your Highness….”

“You don’t have to say it. This one is also a failure. And it’s not ‘*mang-guk* [ruining the country],’ but ‘*mang-geuk* [extremely grateful],’ and in times like this, it’s more appropriate to use the word ‘*hwangsong* [deeply grateful and fearful]’.”

“*Mang-geuk haopmida*.”

‘It was intentional after all!’

“For the time being, let’s cook it in the way the chef first presented it.”

At Hyang’s decision, the three turned pale once again.

‘For the time being? For the time being?’

‘Are you determined to see it through to the end? Your Highness! Are you going to be so persistent even with cooking?’

‘Oh, Holy Mary…. Should I just quit and go back?’

Unlike the three, Hyang was burning with enthusiasm.

‘The American continent has been discovered! I must get tomatoes and chili peppers!’