I'm Guilty, My Beauty[COMPLETED]

Each team presented their three-course meal. Other team's dish was also excellent in their own way, but what the judges were looking for—only themselves knew. Three teams finished presenting, and it would be Jimmy's group's turn next.

All five stood in a line in front of the table where the judges were sitting. Beauty's scallops were the first to be presented for the judges to scrutinize. Each got a saucer with three lettuce wraps, and each wrap had a reddish well-seared scallop surrounded by some chili garlic sauce and fresh coriander and basil on top. Another mini bowl with sauce was on the table if the judges needed more.

"Who made this?" asked John.

"I did, Sir," replied Beauty right away.

John waved his hand encouraging Beauty to explain.

"This is Pan-Seared Scallops with Thai chili garlic sauce in a lettuce wrap."

"So you expect us to eat this barehanded?" He pointed the scallops.

"Yes, sir, just roll the lettuce wrap with everything inside and eat it."

Each judge looked at each other and eat the scallops same way as she instructed. The eyes of the judges lit up while chewing.

"Good, well-balanced taste. Not so hot and spicy, and you retain the tenderness and juiciness of the scallops. When did you start cooking this?" spoke John.

"Twelve minutes before the timer stopped. I cooked it precisely for ten minutes."

"Smart move and precision in judgment," praised Liza. Cooking scallops beyond ten minutes wouldn't retain its juiciness and would make them fibrous. If possible, it should be served hot.

"Why scallops? From the start, I saw Candice preparing Chicken Satay, but she left the workstation. So, what happened to the Chicken Satay?" Paul Palangka asked Beauty, but he was looking at Jimmy.

They all had heard the commotion and tried to understand the situation. One of the criteria they were looking for in the new generation of chefs was being a good team worker, not an individualist. Sending teams internationally would require such character.

"Sir, we had a little argument earlier. Candice then left the workstation, leaving me with no alternative but to let Beauty do it." Jimmy answered truthfully.

So this judge's aim was to dig out the truth on what had occurred earlier. Jimmy told them what exactly happened.

Paul faced Beauty again and asked, "So, why did you say that her plan of five chunks of Chicken Satay per judge was too much for an appetizer?"

"Sir, based on what I understand, an appetizer is just an opener—just to pique the eater's appetite for the main dish. To prepare meat is fine, but to serve a lot is too much. The main course should be the star of the show, not the appetizer. That's what I believe."

"What do you think, Candice?" The judges' eyes went to Candice.

"The Chicken Satay is a delicious dish. It will stimulate the appetite more. To present a little is undermining it. Five chunks are not actually too much." She stuck to her own judgment.

"But why did you leave the workstation when she started to debate with you?" Paul dug deeper, finding the root cause of the problem.

"I … I … I was … I was insulted by her questions. I know what I decided was right, but she won't accept it."

What she wished to say was that Beauty wanted to be displayed as someone more knowledgeable than her. On the contrary, she was the one trained by seasoned chefs in a prestigious school, Saint Thomas University. She believed the main reason Beauty insisted was so she would become the center of attention but couldn't say it openly.

"There's no point for you to leave the workstation. Being on the battlefield, you cannot just walk away and leave or you'll lose. You should have talked this through than playing tantrums. As a team, teamwork is necessary." Paul said solemnly, showing he wasn't biased. "Serve the main course."

Jimmy's Roasted Pork Belly dish was like a small-sized loaf laid atop a banana leaf covering a small basket. A thin spicy fish sauce with lemon juice and pickled green papaya were served in saucers next to it. Each slice spilled out the green-spice fillings in the dark-brown well-done oven-roasted meat. Its crunchy red skin had bubbled on top and gave off a cracking sound in every bite.

The judges were smitten with its taste—mostly by the skin's crunchiness—and ate with delight on their faces.

"Wow, you cooked it well in such a short period of time," said John.

"I only prepared half a kilo of pork meat to ensure it will be cooked on time." Jimmy shyly explained while scratching a non-existent itch on his head.

"Wise decision," praised Paul for a moment as he continued to chew the meat. At the same time, he grabbed a crunchy skin by the hand.

"Paul, watch your dignity." John joked to the other guy, who was licking his oily fingers.

"Who cares about dignity if you're eating happily? Eating comes first, dignity last. Men starve due to this so-called public image, but I don't care about that so I'm always full." Paul said without a care.

All those who witnessed this whole thing couldn't help themselves from laughing.

The last served was the dessert. Luisa's improvised three-colored Daifuku Mochi pieces were on a small triangular-shaped banana leaf. Each had a distinct taste. The green one had pandan flavor, pink was strawberry with a little strawberry jam combined with the bean paste, and the last was brownish which had chocolate-flavored bean paste.

"For me, this is a perfect ending for the whole three-course meal. Its sweetness and separate flavors—in addition to its consistency—would wash away the oily taste of the first two dishes." Luisa explained with a sweet smile on her face.

"Job well done. You advanced to the next round." Liza stood up, clapping her hands to praise the whole team. The other two judges followed suit.

The team members were all smiles, aside from Candice who felt humiliated. She scurried to her room after the decision, packed her things, and left the hotel after informing the organizers that she's quitting.

Another team advanced while others lost because of simple mistakes; some prepared a delicious and luxurious appetizer same quantity as the main course. Some missed the point and did not provide any appetizers, confusing the judges in the process. However, some also lost due to other reasons.

The day ended with no other unhappy incident happened.