Chapter 86

Hwan?

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What do Chinese chefs learn first when they start learning to cook?

Knife skills? Wok techniques? Preparing ingredients like peeling onions? Washing dishes? Cleaning?

None of the above.

The very first thing a chef learns is how to stand, standing!

Chefs who have to stand for long hours in the kitchen must first learn to stand with the correct posture.

If you stand in the wrong posture for a long time, your lungs can be compressed, making your chest feel tight, or you can get neck or back pain, making it impossible to work for long hours. That's why they have to learn how to stand first.

When I was learning to cook in my previous life, I practiced standing for a whole week.

So, I decided to start my first disciple's training with standing as well.

Since this is a martial arts world, it's somewhat similar to practicing horse stance (mabu).

First, we arrived in front of the kitchen, brought a table, placed a cutting board made from a log on it, and did some stretching to warm up.

I thought about doing some army calisthenics, but we kept it simple.

We rotated our necks, waists, wrists, and ankles, and bent our waists backward a few times to look up at the sky.

A simple morning stretch to start the day.

After that, we began the standing practice in earnest.

"Your feet should be shoulder-width apart. Your feet should naturally form a V-shape. Your left foot should be slightly forward to the left, and your right foot slightly back to the right. Your center of gravity should be firmly on the ground, and your weight should be evenly distributed throughout your body. The distance between you and the ingredients should be about the width of a fist."

"Feet, shoulder-width apart. Feet naturally in a V-shape..."

Kyeongi followed my words, adjusting her posture like a robot.

Standing in front of the cutting board on the table, practicing the posture in a real cooking environment.

"Is it like this?"

"No, don't spread your legs so wide, just shoulder-width apart. That's it. Just that much."

I confirmed that her lower body posture was balanced and that the distance between her and the cutting board was about the width of a fist.

Then, I was about to explain the upper body posture when an awkward voice asked from the side.

"You're training like this. I should go somewhere else."

As they say, the elderly don't need much sleep. Uncle Dukwang, who heard our voices, came over and said with a troubled expression.

However, he kept glancing over, clearly very curious about the training process.

"Did you sleep well? Uncle. The training of a chef is nothing special, so you can just watch."

"Really? Is that okay?"

With a delighted face, Uncle found a spot on a nearby rock.

Kyeongi seemed a bit nervous, but I ignored it and started her training again.

"So, the upper body..."

"Ah, the upper body, you said. Master."

"Right. Before we get into the upper body, do you know why we're doing this training, Kyeongi?"

I realized I hadn't explained the reason for this training, so I asked Kyeongi if she knew why we were practicing standing from the morning.

"Um, well... I, I don't know, Master..."

"It's okay not to know. I'll explain, so listen carefully."

As I started explaining, Kyeongi looked at me with enthusiasm and I slowly explained why we needed to practice standing.

"The work of a chef, whether it's for a grand banquet or in a small kitchen, is not much different. In both cases, you have to stand in front of a hot stove for hours without moving. If you don't stand correctly, you'll get pain in your chest, neck, or back, and you won't be able to work for long. That's why we practice standing with the correct posture."

"Ah! Yes, I understand. Master."

As I finished explaining and was about to explain the upper body posture again, a voice came from the audience who had gathered to watch our training and drink tea.

"Indeed, 'all rivers flow to the sea.' You're quite impressive."

"Yes, Father. It's systematic, like the training in a famous martial arts family."

"Chungyun, that child figured this out on his own. He's definitely a genius."

The praise I heard was directed at me.

Although I didn't create the process, here it was as if I did, and such a reaction was natural.

21st-century education is systematic and efficient.

Of course, it's far superior to the random training of the martial arts gangs in the Central Plains.

"Yeon-yeong, do you understand why you need to keep practicing the horse stance without me explaining further?"

"Listening to the explanation from the Liu family, I now understand that everything starts with the basics. It's a fact that has sunk into my mind."

Receiving praise from the audience, I continued explaining around Kyeongi.

"Keep your upper body naturally straight, and your head as well. And pull your chest in slightly..."

As I continued explaining, I heard Kyeongi's flustered voice.

"Um..."

'What is it?'

While practicing the posture, I heard a suddenly flustered voice. Looking at Kyeongi, she asked with a very flustered expression.

"Master, I, I can't do it."

"Huh? What can't you do?"

Looking down at her upper body, I saw Kyeongi's belly moving like a belly dancer.

And Kyeongi's awkward words came out.

"I, I can't pull my chest in..."

'Oh no...'

For Kyeongi, who is well-developed, pulling in her chest doesn't really make a difference.

Kyeongi was a very awkward disciple who put her master in a dilemma.

"Ahem... Just keep it natural. Everyone's body is different, so just keep your shoulders straight."

After adjusting her posture, I instructed her to stand for an hour until breakfast, and I joined the table to have a cup of tea. Uncle Dukwang's praise began.

"Chungyun, your teaching is not much different from teaching martial arts. There's a lot for the children to learn, and even I have been reminded of the meaning of 'all rivers flow to the sea.' I'm very grateful."

It seems he explained various things to Yeon-yeong after listening to me teach Kyeongi.

"Uncle, it's nothing... It's just a trivial teaching for chefs."

As I humbly replied, Uncle praised me.

"No, Chungyun. There's a saying in Zhuangzi, 'Pao Ding Jie Niu.' When you cook fugu, I can see that your cooking skills have reached the pinnacle. The teachings of those who have reached the pinnacle are interconnected. There's no need to be humble."

The saying 'Pao Ding Jie Niu' refers to the extraordinary skill of a butcher named Pao Ding, who could slaughter an ox as if he were playing a musical instrument.

It means someone with extremely high skills or talent.

In the end, the conclusion is that I'm quite impressive.

With such praise from the Tang family, my wife looked at me with joy and admiration.

'Is this what it's like to be a respected husband?'

Just as I was feeling elated, I heard Kyeongi's trembling voice.

"Master, I, I'm too, too tired."

It had only been an hour, about thirty minutes, and I heard "I'm tired."

'Already tired?'

It seemed my disciple was still new and didn't have a good sense of it.

I thought I needed to toughen up her weak spirit.

The kitchen is like a battlefield. Handling incoming orders one after another is not easy at all.

Everything must work smoothly like gears, and if someone is late, all the ingredients might be wasted.

So, in the kitchen, curses are exchanged, and when you're an assistant, getting scolded and crying are common.

Thinking I needed to toughen up Kyeongi, who said she was tired after just an hour, I stood up and approached her.

"What exactly is making you tired? It's only been about an hour."

In response to my question, Kyeongi was trembling.

She didn't seem to be faking it; sweat was streaming down her forehead.

'Does she have a health issue?'

After standing for just 30 minutes, she looked like she had been standing for several hours.

Considering the many spectators, she might have been nervous and stood in the wrong posture, causing pain in her back or neck. I approached her to adjust her posture.

"Where are you uncomfortable? Do you have any pain?"

In response to my question, Kyeongi answered with a trembling, embarrassed voice.

"My, my armpits hurt."

"Huh? Your armpits?"

If the standing posture is wrong, it's common to have pain in the neck, back, or chest, but armpits?

It was a symptom I had never heard of.

"Why do your armpits hurt? Usually, it's the neck or back... I've never heard of this..."

As I said, not understanding, Tang Yeon-yeong and my wife rushed over with a chair, sat Kyeongi down, and gave her cold water to drink, telling her to rest. At the same time, Aunt's voice echoed in my ear.

[Chungyun, that, that woman has, has large breasts. If she stands in one posture for a long time, her armpits can hurt... But that girl might... hurt a lot...]

I was surprised and looked