Koreans take food seriously.
It's true we might say that Americans are obsessed with food—sweets, fried things, creamy/cheesy/salty things—but however much we may get dreamy about "comfort food," I'm not so convinced that we actually take food seriously. For Koreans, food isn't just something to please the palette, it's part of a larger system of physical, mental, and social health and is crucial to the entire functioning of society. In the US, of course, you could try to make the same case with fad diets or fantasy-laden beer commercials, or you could describe the centrality of food advertisements and agribusiness (industrial farming, genetic modification, meat cloning...etc) to the American economy. But, still, none of these things mean that Americans take food seriously. Every meal we've had with our Korean hosts has been focussed on a local artisanal delicacy: homemade soy sauce, kimchee, chili sauce, and beanpaste (all of which are fermented and aged for over a year); green tea; pigs that only eat green; snails that only live in a nearby stream; herbs from a nearby mountain; beef so prized for its freshness that it's eaten raw. We could contrast this with any American's regular trip to the megasupermarket: genetically modified veggies, trucked in from another state or country (see for example tomatoes, indistinguishable from plastic, combined with fish genes to last longer in cold storage); and beef packed in gas so that we have no clue what its age is (or its condition when it went to slaughter).
It's true we might say that Americans are obsessed with food—sweets, fried things, creamy/cheesy/salty things—but however much we may get dreamy about "comfort food," I'm not so convinced that we actually take food seriously. For Koreans, food isn't just something to please the palette, it's part of a larger system of physical, mental, and social health and is crucial to the entire functioning of society. In the US, of course, you could try to make the same case with fad diets or fantasy-laden beer commercials, or you could describe the centrality of food advertisements and agribusiness (industrial farming, genetic modification, meat cloning...etc) to the American economy. But, still, none of these things mean that Americans take food seriously. Every meal we've had with our Korean hosts has been focussed on a local artisanal delicacy: homemade soy sauce, kimchee, chili sauce, and beanpaste (all of which are fermented and aged for over a year); green tea; pigs that only eat green; snails that only live in a nearby stream; herbs from a nearby mountain; beef so prized for its freshness that it's eaten raw. We could contrast this with any American's regular trip to the megasupermarket: genetically modified veggies, trucked in from another state or country (see for example tomatoes, indistinguishable from plastic, combined with fish genes to last longer in cold storage); and beef packed in gas so that we have no clue what its age is (or its condition when it went to slaughter).
Sure, Americans like to eat.
But, this doesn't mean by any stretch that they take food seriously. Koreans (not "Korea"), on the other hand are obsessed, not just with taste but, with the health of foods' origins and effects. There is something special about Koreans' (or at least those we've met in Gwangju) care for themselves and for others, which is reflected in their seriousness about food. Clearly, I think there's a lesson here for Americans (not "America"), a cultural lesson that no government agency can provide.
But, this doesn't mean by any stretch that they take food seriously. Koreans (not "Korea"), on the other hand are obsessed, not just with taste but, with the health of foods' origins and effects. There is something special about Koreans' (or at least those we've met in Gwangju) care for themselves and for others, which is reflected in their seriousness about food. Clearly, I think there's a lesson here for Americans (not "America"), a cultural lesson that no government agency can provide.
fans of go gwangju! all across the globe are rising up to demand more content--more posts!
ReplyDelete"give us our content," they are yelling from the swiss alps to the grasslands and steppes of afghanistan. "we demand more content. and, also, would it kill you to be a little silly and post some fun stuff."
hey, i'm just the messenger. don't blame me. but that's what they are saying. i have heard this. i've done my best to settle down the protesters, but they are determined, it seems.
right now, for example, i can hear through a sliver crack in the window of my office a group of young school children chanting, in rhythm, over and over again: "go gwangju! . . . we say booooooo!"
it's getting ugly.
mjxm