Chef Hu Deok-juk Shares Candid Moments with YouTuber Calm Man

YouTuber Calm Man recently hosted renowned Chinese cuisine chef Hu Deok-juk on his channel, engaging in an open conversation with viewers.

On the YouTube channel 'Calm Man,' a video titled 'How Delicious is Chef Hu Deok-juk's Jjapagetti?' was uploaded.

In the video, Calm Man asked Hu Deok-juk, "I've heard you visit various famous restaurants. Are you familiar with dishes like 'Dujonku' or 'Butter Rice Cake'? How would you rate them?"

Hu Deok-juk humorously responded, "I've tried them several times, and each time they taste different," mistakenly calling 'Dujonku' as 'Dujinku,' which elicited laughter. He continued, "The Spring Bibimbap was quite good, but the Butter Rice Cake wasn't to my taste," offering his honest culinary review.

Calm Man inquired, "I'm curious about 'Black and White Chef 2.' I heard the filming was so tough that you wanted to quit, but you kept advancing. Is that true?" Hu Deok-juk candidly replied, "That's true. Sometimes it was late at night, and I thought, 'I can't do this anymore, maybe just show my face briefly on screen.'"

Calm Man burst into laughter and asked, "Was there a moment when you wanted to quit?" Hu Deok-juk recalled, "During my first team competition, we were overtaken later on. It came down to one judge's decision whether we advanced or not."

He added, "In that situation, I felt a bit tense but also thought it might be better if we all got eliminated together. It's less embarrassing than being the only one eliminated." This comment drew more laughter.

Calm Man noted, "If everyone gets eliminated together, it's clear whose fault it is. But you advanced and entered the 'Carrot Hell.'" Hu Deok-juk shared, "I entered the cooking hell, faced one-on-one battles, and kept advancing. I thought, 'I've come this far, let's make it to the finals,' so I kept creating with carrots, surprising myself with new ideas."

Calm Man remarked, "Many viewers were truly impressed," expressing regret that Hu Deok-juk didn't make it to the finals, despite his growing ambition.

Chaeryeong Lim, TenAsia Reporter syjj426@tenasia.co.kr