'Problem Child in House' recalled the paths taken by Chinese cuisine industry women chefs Jung Ji-seon and Lee Mun-jung.
On the 26th broadcast of the KBS2TV entertainment show 'Problem Child in House', chefs Jung Ji-seon and Lee Mun-jung, who each drew attention with the 'Culinary Class Wars' series, appeared. Compared to chef Jung Ji-seon, chef Lee Mun-jung has not appeared on many variety shows, so she received even more attention and cheers.
Chef Lee Mun-jung said, "I don't watch TV. I don't even know how to turn on a remote. I stopped watching after graduating from university. I didn't know about 'Culinary Class Wars.' I even looked it up today before appearing on 'Problem Child in House,'" and she gave an embarrassed smile.
They are in a senior-junior relationship and are rare women chefs in the Chinese cuisine industry. Jung Ji-seon said, "We've known each other for more than 10 years. Women are rare in the Chinese cuisine world, so I wanted to get close," and Lee Mun-jung said, "Her impression was striking. I thought she would survive in this field," leaving her impression of chef Jung Ji-seon. Jung Ji-seon said, "I tell Lee Mun-jung about many difficult things. She neatly organizes them. Lee Mun-jung must be having a hard time too, but to me she is a mental pillar," showing strong faith in chef Lee Mun-jung.
Chef Lee Mun-jung said that actually appearing on 'Culinary Class Wars 2' was possible because of the active recommendation of chef Jung Ji-seon, who caused a sensation in the previous season with 'Bath.' Moreover, chef Jung Ji-seon said, "I hoped more women chefs would become known, so I recommended various people such as Professor Shin Gye-suk and chef Lee Mun-jung," and revealed that she recommended them with the hope that there would be more women chefs.
They endured hardships after entering the industry. Chef Lee Mun-jung said, "I graduated from a culinary department and had to find a job. I looked around and was told there were jobs in hotel Chinese kitchens. I actually thought of decorating dishes more delicately like in Japanese or Western cuisine, so I declined that position," and "On the first day I joined, I opened the iron door and heard the sounds of fire, water, and steamers. I thought I even heard fighting. It was very different from the feeling of a kitchen I had imagined," conveying her first impression of Chinese cuisine.
Chef Lee Mun-jung calmly recalled her 25-year single-minded path, saying, "As I worked, dealing with fire and using knives was so dynamic. I discovered the charm of a large knife I didn't know. I decided to stick with that until the end, and that brought me to today."
In fact, the two chefs said it took 10 years even to master wok techniques and that there was tremendous effort. Chef Jung Ji-seon said, "They thought I would disappear anyway. They thought I would disappear after getting married and having children," adding. The two said that to offset innate gender-based differences in physical strength, arriving at work one to two hours earlier than others was basic, and they did whatever was needed.
Even before childbirth they could not reveal it. Chef Jung Ji-seon said, "I worked until the day before I gave birth. It's a difficult place to be hired, and no matter how well I did, returning would be difficult. I had that trauma of not being able to return," and chef Lee Mun-jung agreed with Jung Ji-seon, saying, "When I was pregnant I held a griddle. I didn't reveal my pregnancy because I worried I would be made to leave the griddle. But when about a month remained and my belly swelled, people around me began to be concerned. So I told them one month before."
[photo source] KBS2TV entertainment 'Problem Child in House'
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