On the 29th episode of KBS 2TV's variety show 'The Boss Has Donkey Ears' (hereafter referred to as 'Donkey Ears'), which aired on the 29th, chefs Jeong Ji-seon and Jeong Ho-young received a love call from Jeungpyeong County in Chungbuk to develop ginseng dishes.
Visiting Jeungpyeong, known for its ginseng, Jeong Ji-seon said, "I was proposed to develop ginseng dishes by Jeungpyeong County. They are holding a ginseng festival in October. As a star chef, I wanted to help boost the local economy."
Jeong Ji-seon was not the only chef to visit Jeungpyeong. Japanese cuisine chef Jeong Ho-young also received the same invitation. Upon seeing Jeong Ho-young, Jeong Ji-seon joked, "They said Jeong Ho-young and one other person were coming. Was it you, Chef Jeong Ji-seon?" Jeong Ho-young responded, "It's Jeong Ji-seon and one other person. Jeungpyeong County called for me. Chef Jeong Ji-seon is quite popular these days, appearing on 'Radio Star,' being a regular on '6 O'Clock My Hometown,' and even on Netflix's 'Black and White Chef.'"
Park Myung-soo quipped to Jeong Ji-seon, "If you're so busy, you should leave this show," to which Jeon Hyun-moo added, "We should let her go." Jeong Ho-young also joked, "Even though you appear on many shows, people don't know your name. They call you 'the mean one,'" which angered Jeong Ji-seon.
Jeong Ji-seon then proposed a cooking duel to Jeong Ho-young, saying, "Let's have a cooking battle. On 'Donkey Ears,' when you think of Chef Jeong, it's either Jeong Ji-seon or Jeong Ho-young. Let's decide who it will be today."
The two chefs then competitively harvested ginseng, the main ingredient, from a 1,000-pyeong ginseng field. Jeong Ji-seon, noticing that her employee had harvested a good ginseng, said, "I'll say I harvested this one, so you pick another," effectively taking credit for the ginseng.
When the MCs pressed the 'gap' button, Jeong Ji-seon defended herself, saying, "I'm giving them an experience. When else will they get to harvest ginseng?" However, North Korean defector CEO Lee Soon-sil criticized her, saying, "That's power abuse. You should do your own work." Jeong Ho-young also remarked, "You really do only bad things," towards Jeong Ji-seon, who proudly claimed the ginseng harvested by her employee.
Ryu Ye-ji, TenAsia Reporter, ryuperstar@tenasia.co.kr