Original subtitles

I wanted to give up everything... and kill myself.

But just then... I was dying like hell to eat something.

What was that?

My mama's food.

Then go.

Go eat the food she makes.

Not for you, but for your mother.

Mama?

Mama?

Don't turn the light on.

Mama!

Cops could be camped outside.

Mama!

Stop it. Men don't cry.

Mama!

Are you okay?

Let's go back. This is crazy!

Sung-chan!

You crazy? Going out without telling me?

Ma'am?

Is this the only boat that went out last night?

Didn't you hear the storm? It was really bad.

- Come to buy some crabs? - Yes, but...

Wow. Look at the big fellas.

Mama?

Are you happy, ma'am?

Course. Get married and have kids, you'll see.

There are two great joys in this world.

One is water going down dry land.

The other's food going in your kid's mouth.

Mama!

Son!

- Ma'am! - Ma'am!

- Mama! - Ma'am!

Mama! Mama!

She fell down. Let me just help her up.

Mama!

Oh dear god! No!

- Mama! - No! No!

- Mama! - No! No!

No! Come back. No!

Mama!

No! Come back!

No! Come back!

I didn't even feed him yet. Dear god.

Help me!

Help!

- Sung-chan! - Help!

Sung-chan!

Clearance sale. Take it all for $5!

If they want lower standards, I'll give it to them.

Please continue. Then what?

His real mother... She couldn't hear or talk since birth.

But Sung-chan thought his mom abandoned him.

His loneliness and longing turned into deep hatred.

Sung-chan came with a jar of Kimchi.

It was his mom's last jar of Kimchi.

But he didn't eat it and just looked at it for days.

The fool.

But Sung-chan's mom had no choice.

She thought Sung-chan could get killed if she kept raising him.

I should keep it clean, though there's no customers.

She likes it clean.

It's been over 12 hours.

They're dumber than I thought.

Hey, mister!

What happened to 'brother' in just 12 hours?

You're really something.

You're not even legally married.

Jang-eun's address is registered wrong.

She's set in not selling.

But I'm no fool, you know!

No fool!

Right! I'm negotiating with the real owner.

Ma'am!

- Hey! - Where is she?

- You fool! - Sister!

- Sister! Sister! - Stop it!

Get out of here!

No...

Let the second round begin!

Before we start the contest,

Let's find out what the top 1 0 chefs prepared.

With these ingredients?

I thought of the East Sea sunrise.

So I prepared the golden pollack, the best of the East Sea.

We know the East Sea's golden pollack is famous.

But isn't that just dried pollack?

Is this it?

It looks really fresh.

I prepared the king crab caught overnight in the East Sea.

I prepared North Korean style sweet rice drink with halibut.

I prepared Kimchi bean sprout soup to help with hangovers.

I prepared ginseng Kimchi for an energetic morning.

I prepared wild ginseng seafood wrap Kimchi.

Good work everyone.

Let the second round with our 1 0 finalists begin!

The chefs look like gladiators in ancient Rome in this round hall.

They must really feel the tension since they can see each other.

How they overcome the tension will be the key to winning.

There are two great joys in this world.

One is water going down dry land.

The other's food going in your kid's mouth.

Mama!

She fell down. Let me just help her up.

Let's go!

- Mama! - No! Son!

No! No!

Mom!

Mom! Don't go! Mom! Come back!

I had my doubts before.

What do you call this?

It's just Golden Pollack Kimchi.

Golden Pollack Kimchi?

Our Kimchi meets our golden pollack.

Could you explain a bit further?

Of course.

While maintaining our native food's uniqueness

I think moderate change is needed to suit the outside world.

Then the world can open up to Korean customs and tastes.

By putting our Kimchi inside onions and yellow cucumbers,

I made something that looks more familiar to them.

The moist pollack and Kimchi complement each other well.

Making this with Pollack is absolutely magical.

It's low in fat and high-protein. Great for dieting, too.

It's good to eat alone for breakfast, don't you think?

Yes. It's delicious. Yummy.

King crab Kimchi, I presume.

Usually they put crab pieces in the Kimchi.

But mixing in cooked crab meat is very traditional.

It's beautiful. It's the only word that comes to mind.

Our Kimchi looks like a work of art.

Shall we?

Excuse me.

This is... not bad, but...

How can I say this?

A bitter taste lingers at the end.

I taste something bitter, too.

Was there a mistake in mixing the spices?

The crab meat tastes kind of flat and stale.

His resentment towards his mom is rooted deep.

Everything he makes has that bitterness in it.

Let's thank our 1 0 finalists for their hard efforts.

Well done everyone.

Let's see our finalists' running totals.

Here they are!

Joo-young, 528

Jin-wook, 535

Joo-mi, 527

Jang-eun, 575!

Our two finalists are Jang-eun and Sung-chan!

Let's find out the topic for the final round.

The world's attention is on our Kimchi as the food of life.

What is the Kimchi that the world can relate to?

We ask our final two chefs for the answer.

Here is the topic for the final match.

Make the best Kimchi you can a week from now!

Kimchi that the entire world can relate to!

Congratulations.

Forget it.

It's over.

What is?

You saw it. It's no use.

Stupid. Are you scared?

It's not cuz I'm scared. I'm not as good. That's all.

No. Sung-chan...

You were scared. Not of Jang-eun, but your real mom!

You let it all rot. The king crab

and your mom's Kimchi.

So you know?

No matter what she should've kept me.

That's what parents do.

How could I not know!

She's been fighting it for over a year.

Till the cancer spread all throughout her body...

I thought she was taking cold medication.

If you didn't get in the way, this wouldn't have happened.

Chunyang-gak was always between Mom and me.

I wanted to get rid of that barrier.

Cuz that's the only way

I can go back to her.

Stop making excuses.

Chunyang-gak or not, Mother wanted to hold you.

But you pushed her away.

You don't know anything!

I wanted to show her why I had to do what I did.

But if she dies like this...

You got in the way. It's all your fault!

You're blaming me, but you're really blaming yourself on the inside.

Am I wrong?

I...

Go around being a chef...

But I don't even have a sense of what Mom's taste is like.

Though I want to know it!

I'm dying to know but can't!

Just be honest.

You just wanted to beat me.

That's all there is to it.

You're too proud to lose.

You're dying to know what Mom's taste is like?

Whatever.

You threw it out of your life. Remember!

Stop it!

Why do you think I threw it out!

What about you? Where were you the last 1 0 years!

Shut up!

Fine.

It's all over.

I'll crush you till the end.

Did you have a dream?

I met Sung-chan's mom.

But I couldn't face her.

Let's go.

Where are we going all of a sudden?

If I told you, will you stop being a vendor?

It's your mother's request. She wanted you to find something.

What's that?

Stop talking.

It's to help with your cooking.

Start driving!

You fool. Drinking so early in the day!

It's my only friend. How's Sun-geum?

Same as always.

Is this him?

I remember you as a boy.

Then you're...

It was 20 years ago. But I remember it

like it was just yesterday.

Remember?

They found her on the floor of a salt storehouse.

Cerebral artery rupture.

She was already brain dead. There was nothing we could do.

Then...

A miracle happened overnight.

Something that can't be explained scientifically.

As if she wasn't ready to die...

Like she had a desperate reason to live...

The miracle lasted till the next day.

It would've been easier on her to let go of life.

But

it was truly amazing.

Your mother couldn't even hear from birth.

Mom?

In all my life...

I never saw anyone wait so desperately for her child.

Help me!

Help!

- Sung-chan! - Help!

Sung-chan!

Hey!

Sung-chan!

Wake up!

Mom! No! Mom!

All the mothers in the world are...

like the salt over there.

Though it's the start and finish of all foods,

they melt their souls and silently play their part.

Now, I know

why you didn't stop me from entering the Kimchi contest.

Looks like we all have one thing left to do.

- It's fantastic. - Thanks.

I didn't think you could come.

Thank you.

I'll always come on your invitation.

Have you decided on the final menu for the contest?

No. What do you think?

How can I dare judge your cooking...

Oh dear.

You know why I asked you to come.

Please tell me.

They were all exquisite.

I cannot dare rate the dishes you've prepared. But...

But?

I never saw you so nervous.

I never saw you so nervous.

You are right. I haven't found the answer yet.

No, I think you have.

Look at them.

They look pleased.

The answer could be there.

What do you see?

They're Kimchi dishes that suit anyone's tastes.

But I think the heart and substance of it all is elsewhere.

I apologize, ma'am. How dare l...

No, thank you for being so honest.

Going off on his own. Let's see how he does without me.

This is good, too.

Do whatever you want and die an old man, alone!

This is not a crime.

No, sir!

Quiet! Come on!

Just find the stamp. Once we stamp the papers...

Wait!

Tell me what you're making, please?

I told you, 'Mom's taste'.

You always sneak your way out like that.

- You can win, right? - Of course.

What is the Kimchi you think the world can relate with?

A heart moving taste.

I think it is essential to cooking and the true hope of a chef.

I believe anyone can relate with food made with such sincerity and heart.

The world may not be able to relate with my Kimchi.

I thought of 'Mom's taste'.

The number of flavors in the world equals that of our mothers.

If all mothers' hearts are the same...

Maybe everyone in the world can relate with this, too.

Thank you. 'Heart Touching Taste'

against 'Mom's Taste', it is.

Here on the stage are

the best ingredients from around the country.

Our two finalists also brought with them their secret weapons.

Kimchi can be made differently even with the same ingredients.

Our two finalists will have two hours to prepare.

Let the Kimchi contest finals begin!

Sung-chan held fast to traditional methods until now.

Meanwhile, Jang-eun insisted on new fusion methods.

Tradition vs. Fusion.

I'm curious what the results will be.

Who do you think will win?

I'm not sure.

In the past, they carefully picked a sacred day to make Kimchi

and purified their bodies in preparation.

Then the one who took a bath will...

Winning is all in mind control.

The ladies had to be careful of one another in making Kimchi.

If you get angry,

the salt content in blood could disturb the taste buds.

Making Kimchi is a very sensitive process.

Sung-chan is using a stone bowl.

That is a very traditional way of locking the flavor in.

Meanwhile Chef Jang-eun is cooking each ingredient separately.

She's focused on keeping the ingredients' distinct tastes.

Close up on Jang-eun's hands.

I'm so hungry! Can't we try some after the contest?

Rip off a big piece of Kimchi and wrap some rice with it!

Then you munch it down.

You can't get better than that.

- That's... - Be quiet!

Camera 1 on Sung-chan's hands!

What! They're the same!

They didn't cheat, did they? Their Kimchi's look the same!

This isn't the SAT's!

Eating always comes first, right?

Yes, sir!

Hey, I can't see the TV, fool.

Wow! What's this?

What's in this wine?

Damn.

This can't be!

No way!

This tastes like...

Mom's...

The long awaited Kimchi contest finals judging begins.

Aren't they both...

Chef Jang-eun?

This is traditional Korean cabbage Kimchi, not a fusion one.

I thought about it long and hard.

This is the taste that moved my heart.

But both your Kimchi's look like normal, average ones.

Will the world be able to relate with normal Kimchi like this?

Please explain further before we taste it.

I beg to differ with you.

I tried many new Kimchi's in the contest, but...

Something was missing.

Why?

It's the Korean cabbage Kimchi that's always on our tables.

But no one made this.

Was the contest about making new types of Kimchi?

Let me tell you something.

I drank water all night after eating all the salty, new Kimchi.

How can we give the world Kimchi that we're not even familiar with?

It doesn't make any sense.

Fine. They can't be disqualified for making the same Kimchi.

Then only the taste will decide the winner.

Wait a second, please.

What's this? Isn't this against the rules?

It's the same Kimchi made with the same ingredients.

I just had it ripened for a certain period.

Kimchi's true taste comes from fermentation.

What should we do?

But there are rules in the contest.

I prepared ripened Kimchi, too.

Then the conditions are the same.

Let's try it.

There.

With a lot of spices and brine it can easily be hot and salty.

But with rice flour paste, the flavor is locked in well.

But I taste something else.

It's quite different from other normal Kimchi's.

It's well ripened.

This is 'Mom's Taste'.

It looks the same as 'the Heart Moving Taste'.

Mother's taste moves the heart, doesn't it?

Shall we try how different it tastes?

- Sure. - Sure.

Am I tasting this correctly?

I can only say it tastes the same as the first.

It's ripened the same.

Yes, they're good the same.

- Chief KIM? - Yes?

Please be more precise with your words.

They're both the same and good. What's wrong with that?

Wait, I think there's something slightly different.

Hold on.

I can't tell after eating that first.

But I think I can tell eating this one first.

I'll be right back. Stay right here.

It can't be...

I made this Kimchi recipe...

This Kimchi tastes like my Mother's.

Mother always made Kimchi with only the best ingredients.

Korean cabbage, salt, garlic, salted shrimp...

She saw to only the best.

What are you doing?

She not only used sun dried powdered peppers,

but also heat dried powdered peppers.

It's cuz sun dried peppers are spicy and strong,

but less sweet than the heat dried peppers.

Stop.

With only the best ingredients in Kimchi

she made sweet, salty, bitter, sour, and spicy tastes

as well as the taste of fermentation. Cuz Mother wanted to...

teach you the ultimate sense of taste.

In the best way she knew how.

But... But that's not all,

was it?

Stop! I don't want to hear it!

Mother also put cinnamon in her Kimchi.

You know why?

Other Kimchi's don't have cinnamon.

But Mother always put it in.

It's cuz your body was always cold.

And she knew cinnamon was good for you.

She made it that way for you.

That's the Chunyang-gak Kimchi.

The Kimchi was Mother's love for you.

How cute.

- Can you get me a tray? - Yes, mom.

How cute.

I was such a horrible daughter.

I'm sorry.

I'm so sorry.

- You look good. Hurry! - Wait!

Let's see how well you do leaving me to run this.

There.

What? You insisted on taking it over.

I can go around selling produce knowing you're here.

If you feel bad, buy some produce off me.

For cheap, right?

Take my heart too, why don't ya?

Here they are!

Congratulations!

We thank the gods for their love and blessings.

We thank the gods for helping us open Chunyang-gak again.

For prosperity and good fortune, our family offers this sacrifice.

Just a moment! Brother! Brother!

Those cheapskates. I ask for a discount

and they won't deliver for me.

It's really big, isn't it? It's very heavy!

Excuse me. That's alright.

Nice.

Money!

Nice looking pig.

Bus fare!

Congratulations!

Congratulations!

That little...

So small.