Post by TheBo on Aug 27, 2010 11:48:37 GMT -5
Grand Chef recap Ep13 – THIS IS A COMPLETE RECAP, DON’T READ IF YOU DON’T WANT TO KNOW--in case we have another problem with them not showing the episode and Ginny needs to know. LOL. I’ll try to do this with every episode--we can go ahead and use this as a discussion thread, too.
Sung-chan finds Jin-soo on the mountain--somehow. Jin-soo receives a call telling her she has been replaced as a commentator. We do not learn why. (Later in the episode, Jin-soo's fellow reporter friend implies it's because her boss found a prettier girl to do it.)
The next day, the drunken charcoal-man takes them on a long hike, they find the special, dried-up Mughal tree, chop it down and put it into the charcoal furnace. The charcoal-making process takes 6 days. During this time, they tend the charcoal, eat a lot and use the sauna-room next to the furnace. Nice.
Meantime, Great Chef decides to tell his son Bong-joo some secrets of charcoal. They travel to the same mountain Sung-chan is working on; coincidentally, their charcoal-maker wants to chop down the same Mughal tree that Sung-chan already got to. The two charcoal-makers duke it out, but obviously Sung-chan already has it. You know, like Bong-joo got the cow. Great Chef has a father-and-son reunion with both boys, they drink and eat together, but the boys are kind of mealy-mouthed about it. As Chef Oh and Bong-joo are leaving (Sung-chan has already gone), their charcoal guy says, hey, that guy left you this box of charcoal. It’s half of the special charcoal they were looking for. They leave it behind, delighting the charcoal guy because it’s valuable. On the way home, the Great Chef insists on picking some wild mallow, and then, Bong-joo realizes it’s to make a special charcoal.
At the grilling competition, Sung-chan is surprised to find Un Ahm Jung is not using his charcoal, but rather some stuff he’s never seen before. Min-woo, the creep, proudly explains everything there is to explain about his charcoal to the judges; in the meantime, he’s not watching the meat. He recalls himself just in time, and the judges are thrilled with what they are given to eat. One of the things he tells them is, this is a special royal charcoal, and the secret is only passed to the descendant of the Royal Grand Chef. Which is ironic, because Sung-chan—the lone descendant of the Royal Grand Chef—is standing right there. Not having the recipe passed down to him.
When the judges get to Sung-chan, he acts like a social moron, as usual. He cuts the meat, answers no questions, and sticks his face close to the grill. Everyone waits as he listens for the meat to be perfectly done. Just what Grand Chef told him to do, as seen in flashbacks. He stands up, flips the meat, and suddenly turns into Mr. Personality, telling one of the judges he noticed his tooth hurt, so he cut that guy’s meat very thin, and generally delighting the judges with the result of his work. “Best thing I ever tasted!” exclaims one.
During this contest, the weasely butcher goes to the hospital to visit Swordsman Gang and return his special knife, but doesn’t have the guts to go into the hospital room, where Mr. Gang is checking out with the help of his daughter.
The scores are tallied, and Un Ahm Jung ties with Sung-chan’s team. Everyone goes bananas. “Now what?” screams Sung-chan’s mobster boss. “Do we share the contract?” The judges confer. They decide there will be a fourth round between the two winners, in which the contestants can use their unlimited imagination to make a beef dish. They neglect to mention when this round will be held but tell everyone, thanks for coming, we’ll see you then.
Bong-joo tells Min-woo that he is out of the contest--he’ll do round 4 himself. He as much as tells Min-woo that their tie score is entirely his fault—which it probably is, as he did not pay attention and their charcoal, which is the only part he could not have controlled, won a perfect score. Bong-joo has a temper tantrum in his office—kind of a mild one, actually, he knocks papers off his desk—shocking girlfriend Joo-hee as she walks in.
Jin-soo’s editor is very excited that U-A-J is switching chefs, as now, the two boys can take up their contest where they left off. (I know they’re not boys, but they act like they are.) He tells Jin-soo, if you can’t dig up any scandal about this, I’ll make it up myself.
Mobster boss drags Sung-chan to see the strange little elfman teacher, who is apparently living in a box in the subway. I did not realize this before, since he has very clean hair for a homeless guy. Elfman tells the boss, make a feast! Then he takes Sung-chan away and scolds him for running from his life and fate. He points out that Bong-joo is globalizing U-A-J, but it is Sung-chan’s responsibility to keep the tradition going. (Finally, someone points out they can work together, that it’s not winner-take-all.) Also, he tells Sung-chan that if U-A-J loses, the place will go up in flames, as they are stretched too thin financially.
Joo-hee takes Bong-joo to a traditional Korean restaurant—not the fancy kind. He notices there are many foreigners, and they actually like the spicy food. Not stupid-ed down like U-A-J makes it for them. He gets an idea for the contest. We then see him out in the condiments pantry yard, checking out the pepper pastes and treating the condiment lady like dirt. You know, the person who might be able to HELP HIM find what he WANTS.
Sung-chan is experimenting with meat dishes and playing around with Jin-soo over some water when the actors have one of those unscripted little moments—he hits his head on a stove hood. So cute. Mr. Gang comes in with the mobster & his sidekick. Turns out some mysterious person paid the hospital bill before the mobster could do it. Also turned in his super knife. Sung-chan thinks the weasel Choi is the one. Some reparations going on? They get all the housewives in the neighborhood to try Sung-chan’s dishes (in Gang’s restaurant). Everyone stuffs their faces and has a good time, even the mobster, who complains about how much it’s costing him. Sung-chan announces what dish he’s choosing to make, and the housewives flirt with him awhile, but then one of them says something that makes him think. She can’t afford Korean beef. It’s too expensive. She’s never had it before except in soup. That evening, Sung-chan spends a lot of time trying to come up with dishes the average person can afford.
In U-A-J’s kitchen, weasel Choi is in charge again. Min-woo has disappeared; Choi says he should not sulk, they lost because of him, and he should be working. Sends Min-woo’s sidekick off to get him.
Joo-hee and Bong-joo discuss the flavor they are after. Reporter Jin-soo shows up with some contest specs and asks too many questions, but things are clearly friendly. One of the underlings brings a new dessert, and B-J and J-H realize that is the flavor they are after—cream with peppers.
Min-woo is found drunk by his buddy. Within the hearing of reporter Jin-soo (who is simply bumbling around as usual), he confesses about trying to rig the original contest. He spits out and confirms the entire plot and Bong-joo’s participation. She remembers what Rock-head said about the pheasant incident and how Sung-chan reacted at the time. At the end, she clearly has put the whole thing together. (I guess this is the scandal her boss was looking for.)
Sung-chan finds Jin-soo on the mountain--somehow. Jin-soo receives a call telling her she has been replaced as a commentator. We do not learn why. (Later in the episode, Jin-soo's fellow reporter friend implies it's because her boss found a prettier girl to do it.)
The next day, the drunken charcoal-man takes them on a long hike, they find the special, dried-up Mughal tree, chop it down and put it into the charcoal furnace. The charcoal-making process takes 6 days. During this time, they tend the charcoal, eat a lot and use the sauna-room next to the furnace. Nice.
Meantime, Great Chef decides to tell his son Bong-joo some secrets of charcoal. They travel to the same mountain Sung-chan is working on; coincidentally, their charcoal-maker wants to chop down the same Mughal tree that Sung-chan already got to. The two charcoal-makers duke it out, but obviously Sung-chan already has it. You know, like Bong-joo got the cow. Great Chef has a father-and-son reunion with both boys, they drink and eat together, but the boys are kind of mealy-mouthed about it. As Chef Oh and Bong-joo are leaving (Sung-chan has already gone), their charcoal guy says, hey, that guy left you this box of charcoal. It’s half of the special charcoal they were looking for. They leave it behind, delighting the charcoal guy because it’s valuable. On the way home, the Great Chef insists on picking some wild mallow, and then, Bong-joo realizes it’s to make a special charcoal.
At the grilling competition, Sung-chan is surprised to find Un Ahm Jung is not using his charcoal, but rather some stuff he’s never seen before. Min-woo, the creep, proudly explains everything there is to explain about his charcoal to the judges; in the meantime, he’s not watching the meat. He recalls himself just in time, and the judges are thrilled with what they are given to eat. One of the things he tells them is, this is a special royal charcoal, and the secret is only passed to the descendant of the Royal Grand Chef. Which is ironic, because Sung-chan—the lone descendant of the Royal Grand Chef—is standing right there. Not having the recipe passed down to him.
When the judges get to Sung-chan, he acts like a social moron, as usual. He cuts the meat, answers no questions, and sticks his face close to the grill. Everyone waits as he listens for the meat to be perfectly done. Just what Grand Chef told him to do, as seen in flashbacks. He stands up, flips the meat, and suddenly turns into Mr. Personality, telling one of the judges he noticed his tooth hurt, so he cut that guy’s meat very thin, and generally delighting the judges with the result of his work. “Best thing I ever tasted!” exclaims one.
During this contest, the weasely butcher goes to the hospital to visit Swordsman Gang and return his special knife, but doesn’t have the guts to go into the hospital room, where Mr. Gang is checking out with the help of his daughter.
The scores are tallied, and Un Ahm Jung ties with Sung-chan’s team. Everyone goes bananas. “Now what?” screams Sung-chan’s mobster boss. “Do we share the contract?” The judges confer. They decide there will be a fourth round between the two winners, in which the contestants can use their unlimited imagination to make a beef dish. They neglect to mention when this round will be held but tell everyone, thanks for coming, we’ll see you then.
Bong-joo tells Min-woo that he is out of the contest--he’ll do round 4 himself. He as much as tells Min-woo that their tie score is entirely his fault—which it probably is, as he did not pay attention and their charcoal, which is the only part he could not have controlled, won a perfect score. Bong-joo has a temper tantrum in his office—kind of a mild one, actually, he knocks papers off his desk—shocking girlfriend Joo-hee as she walks in.
Jin-soo’s editor is very excited that U-A-J is switching chefs, as now, the two boys can take up their contest where they left off. (I know they’re not boys, but they act like they are.) He tells Jin-soo, if you can’t dig up any scandal about this, I’ll make it up myself.
Mobster boss drags Sung-chan to see the strange little elfman teacher, who is apparently living in a box in the subway. I did not realize this before, since he has very clean hair for a homeless guy. Elfman tells the boss, make a feast! Then he takes Sung-chan away and scolds him for running from his life and fate. He points out that Bong-joo is globalizing U-A-J, but it is Sung-chan’s responsibility to keep the tradition going. (Finally, someone points out they can work together, that it’s not winner-take-all.) Also, he tells Sung-chan that if U-A-J loses, the place will go up in flames, as they are stretched too thin financially.
Joo-hee takes Bong-joo to a traditional Korean restaurant—not the fancy kind. He notices there are many foreigners, and they actually like the spicy food. Not stupid-ed down like U-A-J makes it for them. He gets an idea for the contest. We then see him out in the condiments pantry yard, checking out the pepper pastes and treating the condiment lady like dirt. You know, the person who might be able to HELP HIM find what he WANTS.
Sung-chan is experimenting with meat dishes and playing around with Jin-soo over some water when the actors have one of those unscripted little moments—he hits his head on a stove hood. So cute. Mr. Gang comes in with the mobster & his sidekick. Turns out some mysterious person paid the hospital bill before the mobster could do it. Also turned in his super knife. Sung-chan thinks the weasel Choi is the one. Some reparations going on? They get all the housewives in the neighborhood to try Sung-chan’s dishes (in Gang’s restaurant). Everyone stuffs their faces and has a good time, even the mobster, who complains about how much it’s costing him. Sung-chan announces what dish he’s choosing to make, and the housewives flirt with him awhile, but then one of them says something that makes him think. She can’t afford Korean beef. It’s too expensive. She’s never had it before except in soup. That evening, Sung-chan spends a lot of time trying to come up with dishes the average person can afford.
In U-A-J’s kitchen, weasel Choi is in charge again. Min-woo has disappeared; Choi says he should not sulk, they lost because of him, and he should be working. Sends Min-woo’s sidekick off to get him.
Joo-hee and Bong-joo discuss the flavor they are after. Reporter Jin-soo shows up with some contest specs and asks too many questions, but things are clearly friendly. One of the underlings brings a new dessert, and B-J and J-H realize that is the flavor they are after—cream with peppers.
Min-woo is found drunk by his buddy. Within the hearing of reporter Jin-soo (who is simply bumbling around as usual), he confesses about trying to rig the original contest. He spits out and confirms the entire plot and Bong-joo’s participation. She remembers what Rock-head said about the pheasant incident and how Sung-chan reacted at the time. At the end, she clearly has put the whole thing together. (I guess this is the scandal her boss was looking for.)
.. LOL.
You're right, why didn't they just ask for or buy it? Maybe they knew nobody would tell you any secret recipe at all. That's probably true--this attitude is the source for all those "I paid $500 for the 'Mrs. Field's/red velvet cake/something else' recipe" legends (none of which are remotely true). On this show, everyone seems very secretive about flavorings and methods.