KBS2 'Boss's ears are donkey ears' Chef Jeong Ji-seon touched hearts by sending support to female owner chefs who have endured turf struggles and prejudice.

The 294th episode of KBS2 entertainment show 'Boss's ears are donkey ears' (directed by Ahn Sang-eun), which aired on the 23rd, achieved a nationwide rating of 5.9%, a peak rating of 8.3%, and 1.7% among viewers aged 20 to 49, continuing the ratings upward trend, and it ranked first in its time slot for 143 consecutive weeks. (based on Nielsen Korea)

Boss Eom Ji-in visited the home of former announcer Kim Seon-geun, who has recently become a freelancer in his third year, along with fellow announcers Kim Jin-woong and Hong Joo-yeon. When Kim Hyun-wook, dressed in a luxurious designer coat, joined them, Kim Jin-woong, who was filled with energy, remarked, "I buried my soul at KBS," while trying to gauge Eom Ji-in's reaction. However, Kim Hyun-wook humorously pointed out that "Jo Woo-jong, who said he wanted to become the president of KBS, ultimately submitted his resignation," evoking laughter.

In response to Eom Ji-in's request to advise the juniors on how cold it is outside, Kim Seon-geun noted, "I boldly resigned to apply for the MC audition for 'Mr. Trot 2,' but after being eliminated in the preliminaries, I had zero income for six months." He added, "During tough times, Jang Yoon-jung generously lent me 2 million won, for which I was grateful." He confessed, "While earning 100,000 won a day with a delivery job, I cried a lot alone in the early morning." When Kim Seon-geun's wife, who teared up explaining how she hesitated to buy beef for their child and even sold their child's 돌반지 (a traditional Korean first birthday ring), made her feelings known, Kim Jin-woong was also moved. Kim Hyun-wook encouraged Kim Seon-geun, saying, "I need to help out for the sake of my sister-in-law."

Boss Lee Soon-sil's second story of 'self-reliance' has been unveiled. Frustrated with the slow employees, Lee Soon-sil prepared a dipping sauce by pounding peppers by hand and using twigs as spoons, complementing it with the North Korean-style boiled chicken cooked in a cauldron and a cooking show featuring noodles served in a chilled Dongchimi soup from an earthenware jar buried in the ground. Holding the boiled chicken meat with well-fermented kimchi and toasting, Lee Soon-sil, who looked like a cartoon character with a mountain bandit visual, made everyone burst into laughter.

As Lee Soon-sil sucked her fingers covered in kimchi seasoning, she attempted to feed the noodles and boiled chicken meat wrapped in chives to the staff, who hesitated but eventually ate like baby birds, showcasing a storm of eating. After a satisfying meal, Lee Soon-sil, who used a twig to clean her teeth, was truly the embodiment of a natural person, and after filling her stomach, she tasted the homemade Cheongsoo wasp liquor and Cheonma liquor and was impressed. The natural person shared that, while sipping the homemade liquor instead of medicine, they revealed the damages incurred from the recent wildfires, stating, "I learn about life from nature." In the search for the liquor cellar, Lee Soon-sil, selecting the green onion root wine, successfully exchanged with Jang Yisa, who boldly picked the precious ginseng wine, saying, "Swap!" They posed for a commemorative photo with their respective liquors before dispersing.

Boss Jeong Ji-seon threw her hat into the ring for fine dining Chinese cuisine. Chef Kim Hee-eun, a friend and one-star Michelin Korean fine dining chef, shared that Jeong Ji-seon came to aspire for Michelin recognition in Chinese food. Jeong Ji-seon and her staff were in awe as they watched Kim Hee-eun meticulously measuring the size and spacing of vegetables with a ruler to prepare them uniformly without error. The expensive dishes drew attention as much as the intricate food setups, and Kim Hee-eun revealed that she does not use dishes that are chipped or cracked but only displays them for guests, stating that she provides only the best.

Jeong Ji-seon's eyebrows danced as she tasted the beautifully presented lotus-shaped chicken dish, and she marveled at the colorful appearance and perfect taste density of the grilled lamb patties shaped like tiles. After trying desserts that fully recreated the cross-sections of ingredients like walnut cakes shaped like real walnuts and burdock ice cream, Jeong Ji-seon declared a newfound goal of showcasing the intricacy of Chinese cuisine, saying, "I will show the delicacy of Chinese cuisine hidden behind the splendor."

However, Jeong Ji-seon was astonished by the reality of fine dining restaurants in which even meals costing hundreds of thousands of won often operate at an average profit margin of about 5%, leading to losses. She empathized with Kim Hee-eun's comment that "the stress of meeting the expectation psychology is enormous. Sometimes, to maintain the reputation of a Michelin-starred restaurant, one has to give up on profit." When Jeong Ji-seon asked Kim Hee-eun why they incur losses, Kim Hee-eun responded, "I hope the dishes I love are recognized by people, and I do it to preserve my honor," which drew attention.

In response to Kim Hee-eun's remark that gatherings of female owner chefs are a significant source of motivation, Jeong Ji-seon shared that when she first got a job at a Chinese restaurant, she endured injuries from clashing with ladles and Chinese knives and had to return quickly after emergency treatment, despite having to stitch up her finger with 30 stitches. She also shed tears, recalling how she could only register her husband as the representative due to turf struggles and disregard from the industry during the initial opening of the store, stirring sympathy from everyone. Jeong Ji-seon expressed, "I am proud of the female owner chefs who have overcome discrimination. I was lonely, but now I am not alone," and conveyed her feelings while preparing for a collaboration event.

[Photo] Provided by KBS

[OSEN=Reporter Kang Seo-jeong]