‘Thank goodness I got a good rest’, the Blue House chef appeared and captured attention with a feast of dishes of all time.

Episode 28 of the MBC entertainment program ‘Thank goodness I got a good rest’ (directed by Kim Myung-jin, Shin Hyun-bin, Lee Jun-beom, Kim Ki-ho / written by Kwon Jeong-hee / hereinafter ‘Thank goodness’) that aired on the 2nd depicted CEO Ahn Jung-hwan, Kim Sung-joo, Jung Hyung-don, Kim Yong-man, Kim Nam-il, Park Sung-kwang, and ‘Blue House chef’ Chef Cheon Sang-hyun running a 0.5-star uninhabited island. According to Nielsen Korea, a viewership rating research agency, the broadcast that day recorded a viewership rating of 5.8% nationwide, taking first place among all entertainment programs aired on Mondays. The 2049 viewership ratings also showed the highest figure among Monday entertainment programs, maintaining its position as the strongest Monday entertainment program.

On this day, on a ship sailing through the rough seas, “As soon as you open your eyes in the morning, board the ship” and ‘Bejjangi’ Kim Sung-joo, Jung Hyung-don, and Kim Yong-man appeared. CEO Ahn tried to persuade them, saying, “If you want to run a hotel, you have to serve fresh ingredients to your guests”, but Kim Yong-man complained, saying, “You should have told me about this before you went to bed yesterday”. CEO Ahn said, “The weather is bad, so it‘s not good for fishing. That’s why I decided to go fishing for anchovies”, and he followed the captain and his wife to the golden fishing grounds on the condition that he would take all the fish except for anchovies and flounder.

CEO Ahn and the flounders pulled up the net following the captain and his wife, and in addition to anchovies and flounder, there were many different types of fish such as hairtail and shrimp. The next net also caught crabs, pufferfish, and squid, and the loaches began to show their strength. The loaches, who had not spared themselves, and CEO Ahn were treated to shrimp, croaker, and flounder sashimi right on the boat. The flounder sashimi, in particular, was a fish that is hard to find live, so it stimulated their appetites even more.

CEO Ahn, who returned to the uninhabited island with various ingredients, chose his signature menu, ‘Anjeongtang’, as the menu. Everything was ready, from the vegetables boiled by CEO Ahn to the ingredients carefully prepared by Kim Yong-man. After adding all the ingredients and boiling the Anjeongtang, Kim Seong-ju questioned the deep flavor of CEO Ahn‘s Anjeongtang and suggested adding shrimp paste. However, CEO Ahn did not accept Kim Seong-ju’s suggestion, and eventually gave an ultimatum, saying, “Are you trying to fight over this?”. CEO Ahn said, “Seong-ju, you have such a baby‘s taste. He did not give up his stubbornness, saying, “I don’t know the depth of spicy fish stew.”

The “Anjeongtang” was delivered to the guests, and CEO Ahn’s expression brightened at the guests’ rave reviews. CEO Ahn put some noodles in the remaining broth, transforming it into “Anjeongtangmyun” for his employees. After tasting the Anjeongtangmyun, Kim Seong-ju admitted, “If there had been shrimp paste in it, it would have been a disaster,” drawing attention.

Then, the “amazing chef” announced that he would board a boat and enter the uninhabited island. Chef Cheon Sang-hyun, who has 20 years of experience serving five presidents at the Blue House, appeared. Chef Cheon Sang-hyun said, “It’s a new feeling,” and expressed his determination, saying, “I will prepare food that VIPs eat using seafood.” Kim Seong-ju, who set out to prepare seafood for the VIP dinner, said, “I also need to do my best for the guests. Let’s go a little deeper than yesterday,“ he said. However, because of the bad weather, the Merguri team was unable to exert themselves, so Chef Cheon Sang-hyun took the initiative and started harvesting the persimmons.

At that time, the Merguri team‘s radar discovered an octopus hiding between the rocks, and everyone started working together. The last person to be brought in, Park Sung-kwang, caught the octopus, and everyone cheered at the appearance of the greatest octopus ever. However, while they were overwhelmed with emotion, they completely lost the octopus, and CEO Ahn’s expression darkened as he watched. CEO Ahn told Park Sung-kwang, ”Just go home,“ and Jung Hyung-don also couldn‘t hide his anger, saying, ”You’re a fucking idiot.“ The Merguri team, still feeling sorry, planned a recapture operation to find the octopus they had missed, but in the end, they completely lost the octopus.

The only person who can save them from their lack of ingredients is Cheon Sang-hyun, the ‘Presidential Chef’. Chef Chun declared, ”I will make you ‘Baek Jjamppong’.“ Afterwards, Chef Chun, who saw the hairtail and flounder he received while helping with the fishing industry, added ‘Half-and-half radish braised fish’ to the menu. Chef Chun, who took out his versatile equipment, caught everyone‘s attention as he skillfully prepared various ingredients. Chef Chun also opened a mysterious wrapping cloth and placed ‘Half-and-half radish braised fish’ on the Cheong Wa Dae bowl he received as a gift, adding to the luxurious feel. Jung Hyung-don, who tasted the leftover radish from the guests, exclaimed, ”This is the Cheong Wa Dae,“ and CEO Ahn also acknowledged the skills of the Cheong Wa Dae chef.

Chef Chun then took to cooking Baek Jjamppong and made a broth with turtle hands and conch, the signature ingredients of the uninhabited island hotel, and drew attention by adding the fragrance of fire with his splendid technique. The customers who tasted Chef Chun’s Baek Jjamppong kept saying ‘real reaction’ and emptied their bowls cleanly, and CEO Ahn and his staff also couldn‘t hide their happiness as they ate rice mixed in the soup.

Meanwhile, the preview released at the end of the broadcast raised expectations by gathering the best chefs representing Chinese, Japanese, and Western cuisines, including Lee Yeon-bok, Jeong Ho-yeong, and Fabri. While the appearance of the staff going out to procure ingredients in an unknown world was revealed, MBC’s ‘Good to Get a Good Rest’, which previews the appearance of a legendary ingredient and the chefs on a deserted island competing over it, airs every Monday at 9 p.m.

Choi Yoon-na, Donga.com reporter yyynnn@donga.com