Food For Thought
Title: Food for Thought
Pairing: kaisoo
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Fluff
Word Count: 1,200+
Summary: In which Kyungsoo is a world class chef but Jongin can taste more than just his 5 star credentials
Kyungsoo supposes that for a chef, he’s pretty well-known.
After all, when you have 3 award winning cooking shows, 4 James Beard awards, and the title of being the youngest ever Iron Chef in both American and Japanese history, it isn’t much of a surprise when you recognized in the streets or asked for an autograph in the middle of a trip to the mall.
Of course, his level of fame in their native country was nowhere near the level of his boyfriend’s, and Kyungsoo thanks the deities above for that, all the while cringing at the thought of having fan girls scream “OPPA” at him whenever he so much as steps out of his apartment. He could still remember the last time that they headed out together, Jongin had to wrap up in so many scarves and caps that Kyungsoo had adorably appointed him his “bank robber boyfriend”.
Thankfully, the fans of a celebrity chef show their support in a much calmer way.
However, the life of a world class chef was very similar to that of an idol, and Kyungsoo shared his boyfriend’s struggles of juggling too many schedules in one day, dashing from the set of his hit cooking show “Kyungsoo’s Kitchen” to an international culinary competition where he was expected to judge the dishes of rising culinary students.
Some days he barely had time to scarf down food for himself because he was too busy cooking tens upon hundreds of dishes for other people. Other times he had tasted so much food while judging that throwing up seemed like the only option to save the condition of his internal organs.
Today seemed to be heading towards the 2nd option.
He was in France this time, judging the annual Food and Wine Culinary Innovation competition. Each major culinary institute from around the world sent one representative to compete on their behalf and each year it was bloodbath, for both national as well as personal pride. Only the best of the best competed here and as a result, egos and tempers flared high.
Kyungsoo himself had won this award when he was 18, the youngest ever participant, and in the end the youngest winner in the history of the award. Eyes twinkling as he recalled the dish that had won him this honor, the young man smiled as he surveyed the hard at work chefs in the wide kitchen before him. It was only a few years ago that he stood at a very similar kitchen and he could still remember the proud face of his mentor when Kyungsoo’s name was called for the 1st place trophy.
Needless to say, the Korean Institute of Culinary Arts had never produced a finer student.
This year, the nervous energy seemed to have increased considerably as both the judges and the competing chefs sweated it out in the specially erected kitchen dome. Under a strict time limit of 60 minutes, many of the participants were cutting it too close, in Kyungsoo’s mind, and after watching one promising young man from America rapidly whisk a custard base over a faultily constructed double boiler, Kyungsoo shook his head regretfully.
These chefs were letting the atmosphere get to them.
And at that point, it could no longer be called cooking.
Once the cooking was finished, the judges were called in for tasting and Kyungsoo carefully made his way to the kitchen floor, eyes meticulously surveying both the workspace and the food.
In his mind, a messy workspace meant messy food. After all, if a chef can’t even keep his prep and cooking area clean and tidy, his food would reflect this lack of attention and care. A disorganized countertop could mean a disjointed dish or even worse, food poisoning.
Kyungsoo shuddered as he thought back to the time when Jongin had thoughtfully tried to prepare him a surf and turf dinner and ended up placing the raw salmon and uncooked steak on the same cutting board. The week of hurling afterwards had not been pretty for either of them.
This simple step of having a clean workspace eliminated about half of the contestants already, those of whom stress had clearly caused them to panic during the competition and completely make a mess of themselves and their station. Kyungsoo then moved on to the remaining 20 or so chefs and carefully tasted their dishes, noting down in his trusty journal the good and the bad of each dish.
As per the contest instructions, Kyungsoo awarded points for taste, presentation, and originality, all 3 in his mind essential elements of the culinary arts. Handing in his notebook to the contest coordinator as he finished noting down the last dish, Kyungsoo awaited the tabulation of scores and thoughtfully contemplated the dishes he had tried.
His Jongin had always joked about him taking these judging gigs too seriously but Kyungsoo had always seen the value in tasting new things and offering critique, both of which in his mind helped his own cooking and that of the chef being judged.
After all, it was here where his talent was first acknowledged and recognized by the world.
However, to be a bit selfish, he did anxiously anticipate the end of this particular tournament, if only to rush home to see his boyfriend whom he hasn’t seen face to face in many weeks. Kyungsoo didn’t let many things distract him from his work but Jongin was clearly an exception.
Jongin was always the exception.
Arriving at the airport after a painfully long flight from France to Korea, Kyungsoo eagerly scanned the airport for a sign of his boyfriend, not looking by hair color (because lord knows that always changes), but by the familiar hat that was always perched on his other half’s head.
The chef had gifted the idol that hat back when they were simply best friends in high school, the elder claiming that the younger never remembered to wear sunscreen and had to protect the skin on his face somehow. Throughout college and now during their busy work lives, whenever Kyungsoo met Jongin after a long time apart, he would always see his lover with that hat on.
When he asked the idol about it, Jongin had sheepishly admitted that it made him feel better to wear it when they couldn’t see each other in person.
Kyungsoo had laughed at his cheesiness and offered him to buy many more hats in the future.
And while Jongin and his apartment was filled with various snapbacks and caps as presents from Jongin’s fans, the idol himself always wore that one cap.
Kyungsoo never admitted it out loud, but seeing his hat on his Jongin made his heart just a bit warmer too after a long time apart.
Squealing when he felt a pair of arms wrap around his waist from the back, the young chef immediately turned around, eyes crinkling as he threw his arms around his lover.
Letting out a breath he didn’t know he was holding, Kyungsoo breathed in the reassuring smell of his boyfriend.
“I missed you Jongin.”
“I know.”
Eyebrows curling up in a frown, Kyungsoo glared up at his taller lover.
“Yah Kim Jongin, is that it? After 3 weeks apart all you have for me is a ‘I know’?”
The idol smiled.
“You know I love you too baby.”
Kyungsoo smiled against the fabric of Jongin’s heavy jacket, nestling closer to his boyfriend’s warm chest.
“What do you want to eat when we get home?”
“Anything you make.”
Kyungsoo snorted.
“Yah make up your mind Jongin.”
The idol laughed, holding his little chef even closer.
“Anything, because anything you make tastes like love.”
Pairing: kaisoo
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Fluff
Word Count: 1,200+
Summary: In which Kyungsoo is a world class chef but Jongin can taste more than just his 5 star credentials
Kyungsoo supposes that for a chef, he’s pretty well-known.
After all, when you have 3 award winning cooking shows, 4 James Beard awards, and the title of being the youngest ever Iron Chef in both American and Japanese history, it isn’t much of a surprise when you recognized in the streets or asked for an autograph in the middle of a trip to the mall.
Of course, his level of fame in their native country was nowhere near the level of his boyfriend’s, and Kyungsoo thanks the deities above for that, all the while cringing at the thought of having fan girls scream “OPPA” at him whenever he so much as steps out of his apartment. He could still remember the last time that they headed out together, Jongin had to wrap up in so many scarves and caps that Kyungsoo had adorably appointed him his “bank robber boyfriend”.
Thankfully, the fans of a celebrity chef show their support in a much calmer way.
However, the life of a world class chef was very similar to that of an idol, and Kyungsoo shared his boyfriend’s struggles of juggling too many schedules in one day, dashing from the set of his hit cooking show “Kyungsoo’s Kitchen” to an international culinary competition where he was expected to judge the dishes of rising culinary students.
Some days he barely had time to scarf down food for himself because he was too busy cooking tens upon hundreds of dishes for other people. Other times he had tasted so much food while judging that throwing up seemed like the only option to save the condition of his internal organs.
Today seemed to be heading towards the 2nd option.
He was in France this time, judging the annual Food and Wine Culinary Innovation competition. Each major culinary institute from around the world sent one representative to compete on their behalf and each year it was bloodbath, for both national as well as personal pride. Only the best of the best competed here and as a result, egos and tempers flared high.
Kyungsoo himself had won this award when he was 18, the youngest ever participant, and in the end the youngest winner in the history of the award. Eyes twinkling as he recalled the dish that had won him this honor, the young man smiled as he surveyed the hard at work chefs in the wide kitchen before him. It was only a few years ago that he stood at a very similar kitchen and he could still remember the proud face of his mentor when Kyungsoo’s name was called for the 1st place trophy.
Needless to say, the Korean Institute of Culinary Arts had never produced a finer student.
This year, the nervous energy seemed to have increased considerably as both the judges and the competing chefs sweated it out in the specially erected kitchen dome. Under a strict time limit of 60 minutes, many of the participants were cutting it too close, in Kyungsoo’s mind, and after watching one promising young man from America rapidly whisk a custard base over a faultily constructed double boiler, Kyungsoo shook his head regretfully.
These chefs were letting the atmosphere get to them.
And at that point, it could no longer be called cooking.
Once the cooking was finished, the judges were called in for tasting and Kyungsoo carefully made his way to the kitchen floor, eyes meticulously surveying both the workspace and the food.
In his mind, a messy workspace meant messy food. After all, if a chef can’t even keep his prep and cooking area clean and tidy, his food would reflect this lack of attention and care. A disorganized countertop could mean a disjointed dish or even worse, food poisoning.
Kyungsoo shuddered as he thought back to the time when Jongin had thoughtfully tried to prepare him a surf and turf dinner and ended up placing the raw salmon and uncooked steak on the same cutting board. The week of hurling afterwards had not been pretty for either of them.
This simple step of having a clean workspace eliminated about half of the contestants already, those of whom stress had clearly caused them to panic during the competition and completely make a mess of themselves and their station. Kyungsoo then moved on to the remaining 20 or so chefs and carefully tasted their dishes, noting down in his trusty journal the good and the bad of each dish.
As per the contest instructions, Kyungsoo awarded points for taste, presentation, and originality, all 3 in his mind essential elements of the culinary arts. Handing in his notebook to the contest coordinator as he finished noting down the last dish, Kyungsoo awaited the tabulation of scores and thoughtfully contemplated the dishes he had tried.
His Jongin had always joked about him taking these judging gigs too seriously but Kyungsoo had always seen the value in tasting new things and offering critique, both of which in his mind helped his own cooking and that of the chef being judged.
After all, it was here where his talent was first acknowledged and recognized by the world.
However, to be a bit selfish, he did anxiously anticipate the end of this particular tournament, if only to rush home to see his boyfriend whom he hasn’t seen face to face in many weeks. Kyungsoo didn’t let many things distract him from his work but Jongin was clearly an exception.
Jongin was always the exception.
Arriving at the airport after a painfully long flight from France to Korea, Kyungsoo eagerly scanned the airport for a sign of his boyfriend, not looking by hair color (because lord knows that always changes), but by the familiar hat that was always perched on his other half’s head.
The chef had gifted the idol that hat back when they were simply best friends in high school, the elder claiming that the younger never remembered to wear sunscreen and had to protect the skin on his face somehow. Throughout college and now during their busy work lives, whenever Kyungsoo met Jongin after a long time apart, he would always see his lover with that hat on.
When he asked the idol about it, Jongin had sheepishly admitted that it made him feel better to wear it when they couldn’t see each other in person.
Kyungsoo had laughed at his cheesiness and offered him to buy many more hats in the future.
And while Jongin and his apartment was filled with various snapbacks and caps as presents from Jongin’s fans, the idol himself always wore that one cap.
Kyungsoo never admitted it out loud, but seeing his hat on his Jongin made his heart just a bit warmer too after a long time apart.
Squealing when he felt a pair of arms wrap around his waist from the back, the young chef immediately turned around, eyes crinkling as he threw his arms around his lover.
Letting out a breath he didn’t know he was holding, Kyungsoo breathed in the reassuring smell of his boyfriend.
“I missed you Jongin.”
“I know.”
Eyebrows curling up in a frown, Kyungsoo glared up at his taller lover.
“Yah Kim Jongin, is that it? After 3 weeks apart all you have for me is a ‘I know’?”
The idol smiled.
“You know I love you too baby.”
Kyungsoo smiled against the fabric of Jongin’s heavy jacket, nestling closer to his boyfriend’s warm chest.
“What do you want to eat when we get home?”
“Anything you make.”
Kyungsoo snorted.
“Yah make up your mind Jongin.”
The idol laughed, holding his little chef even closer.
“Anything, because anything you make tastes like love.”