Michelin three-star chef Anh Sung-jae faced an unexpected "public opinion crisis" over a modified recipe of the Dubai jjondeuk cookie he made for his daughter. As demands for clarification continued, Anh Sung-jae previewed new content and effectively chose his "my way," fueling wider controversy.
On the 24th, Anh Sung-jae's YouTube channel released a Christmas special video titled "Is Santa Sung-jae's Dubai jjondeuk cookie revealed for the first time?!" The video showed Anh Sung-jae cooking with his daughter Si-young and son Eun-gi. The menu his daughter requested was the Dubai jjondeuk cookie, which has recently been very popular on social media.
But Anh Sung-jae chose his own method instead of the set recipe. He reduced the amount of marshmallow and increased the pistachio and kadaif, and instead of a round cookie shape he spread it wide like a gangjeong and cut it. In response, Si-young repeatedly questioned, "Shouldn't you put more marshmallow?", "Isn't it not supposed to be cut?", but Anh Sung-jae pushed ahead saying, "This is fine too," and "The taste will be similar."
The result looked closer to a "hard gangjeong" than a jjondeuk cookie. The daughter wore an expression of resignation, and Anh Sung-jae assessed, "It's not as much as a jjondeuk cookie, but it's something you can eat comfortably." When this scene was released, viewers' reactions exploded.
In the comment section, jokes poured in such as "It's Dubai gangjeong," "Not Dubai, not jjondeuk, not cookie," "It feels like I ordered fried chicken but got baeksuk," "Not a chef but a stubborn old man," and "Bring the after-sales service now," and more than 6,000 to 7,000 comments were posted in a day, creating a strong public opinion that drew attention.
Analysts say that unlike Anh Sung-jae's image as a cold judge on Netflix's Culinary Class Wars, ignoring his daughter's opinion and insisting on his own recipe drew greater resentment. Funny responses such as "He was so strict about other people's cooking until now," and "Today he's disqualified as a chef" followed.
After the controversy grew, Anh Sung-jae chose "silence." On the 25th he posted on his YouTube community previewing the second story of his "Culinary Class Wars 2 review," but the comment section was plastered with demands such as "Explain the Dubai gangjeong first," "I'm so upset about the cookie I can't sleep," and "The Dubai jjondeuk cookie is more urgent than the review."
Some fans reacted with puzzlement at his posting a preview of new content instead of an explanation, asking, "Is this a frontal assault or my way?" On the other hand, voices saying the criticism was excessive also appeared, with comments like "He changed it thinking of the child's health, is this worth such insults?" and "He was just a dad, not a chef."
What began as a fuss over a trendy dessert has already turned into a "public opinion controversy," and attention is focused on whether Anh Sung-jae will express his position in any way.
[Photo] OSEN DB, YouTube
[OSEN]