A Great Week in Korea

[주한미국대사관]

I want to thank everyone who joined in the celebration of American Independence Day last week, featuring White House Chef Sam Kass, who is this week’s guest blogger.   As an American “Culinary Envoy,” Sam shared his amazing energy and enthusiasm for nutritious Korean and American food with Koreans of all ages during his week-long visit.   President Obama asked that he learn how to make bulgogi while he was here and I know he took back some great ideas on how to add Korean food to the White House menu.

I had an amazing week in the Republic of Korea.  I visited Korea on a culinary diplomacy initiative that sends American chefs to build international understanding.  Food is universal.  It’s something we all understand.  During my weeklong trip, food connected Americans and Koreans even when we couldn’t speak the same language.

Good food and travel have always been my passions.  Despite the long flight and a thirteen-hour time difference, from the moment I arrived I wanted to see what I could discover in Seoul walking around on my own.  On my first day I made a point to find restaurants with no foreigners.  My first stop was a dumpling soup restaurant.  No one spoke English, but I felt very welcome.  When I finished my kimchi, two old men at the table next to me shouted for the waiter to bring me more.  From there I made my way to a baseball game.  I played baseball for my university team, and I had never seen anything like the game here—the crowd, the cheerleaders, and a wedding proposal projected on the big screen during the game.

 

I met a great group of aspiring Korean chefs at the Korea Culinary Arts Science High School.  They greeted me with cheers like the baseball game I saw over the weekend.  Before starting our class together, they all stood at attention and made a pledge to be diligent chefs, looking at their teacher and me.  They studiously took notes and pictures as I explained how to make cool cucumber with avocado soup.  Earlier in the day, my recipe for the same dish was served at a BrandUSA Culinary Seminar.  I spoke to travel press and to tour operators and airlines about the great food you can enjoy all over the United States.  You can see my recipe and the diversity of American food in the Discover America cookbook at DiscoverAmerica.co.kr/foodstories

In addition to cooking dinner for the Obamas, I spent most of my time supporting the First Lady’s projects to improve nutrition and eating habits of young people in America.  So I was very interested in visiting Chungmu Elementary School where the students take care of a garden that produces vegetables used to prepare school lunches.  The principal and nutritionist gave me a tour of the kitchen where I saw potatoes from the school’s garden being cooked.  I ate a delicious bibimbap lunch with the teachers, and then helped serve lunch in a fifth grade class.  American children would be better off if they got as many fruits and vegetables and healthy dishes at lunch as they do in Seoul. And it was delicious!  It’s not surprising that Korea has one of the lowest obesity rates in the developed world.

At the Korea Traditional Food Institute, Professor Yoon Sook Ja taught me how to make samgaetang (ginseng chicken soup) and bulgogi.  Before I left Washington, President Obama told me to learn how to make bulgogi.  Professor Yoon was a great teacher and gave me a quiz on the steps to preparing each dish.

I really admire Korea’s rich culture and history, and learning about it through food was especially fun.  The comic artist Huh Youngman who wrote Le Grand Chef series introduced me to amazing spicy crab, and he even drew my caricature as a gift.  A Fulbright alumna and food blogger, Jennifer Flinn, explained Gwangjang Market to me.  The nuns at Jingwansa Temple taught me how to prepare noodles by hand.  The shopkeepers at Noryangjin Fish Market served me raw octopus and huge crab.

The week came to a close with the Embassy’s big Independence Day reception.  Earlier in the week, Chef Gu Jin Kwang showed me an exciting fusion dish for the reception.  I was surprised to see how he used pumpkin leaves to wrap sticky rice.  Of course, the White House food station included kimchi prepared using the First Lady’s recipe.  And the bar provided beer that some American brewers from Magpie prepared using my White House beer recipe.  The Nanta performance combining cooking and percussion was a great conclusion. 

I love the Korean people.  And the food was delicious!  I hope my new Korean friends will come visit.  We have great food and great people waiting for you in America, too.