Kimchi, raw or fermented skate (hongeo), half-dried herring or billfish (gwamegi), loach in a hot bean paste soup (chueotang) and fermented soybean paste stew (cheonggukjang).

These are some of the Korean dishes that British food columnist Tim Alper loves.

One either likes or dislikes such dishes, for -- even among true connoisseurs of Korean cuisine -- these have very pungent aromas and strong flavors.

Of course, many people do enjoy such food. Alper, however, concentrates more on the social and historical backgrounds of these foods, rather than just enjoying them for dinner.

He considers food to be the outcome of a philosophical way of thinking. Due to his one-of-a-kind background as a philosophy student turned chef, Alper uses such a perspective to introduce many popular European dishes to Korean foodies in his book “Bananas and Couscous,” which was published last month.



Alper does not just explain the background of how European dishes such as pasta or pizza originated. He links his own knowledge of European foods which he learnt from years of travel across Europe to the background of common Korean dishes, bringing Korean readers naturally into the world of modern European cuisine. His sense of humor plays an important part in this process, as well.

Alper dreams of owning a small restaurant some day in a small town in the countryside, and becoming an enthusiastic cook. Korea.net sat down with him to share his thoughts about life and food.



- What motivated you to write “Bananas and Couscous”?
Actually, there are a lot of books in Korea that introduce European food and traveling across Europe. When Koreans travel across Europe, however, many of them have a tight schedule and very limited time, which makes them squeeze in everything they can, leaving no time for meals. I wonder how many of them can actually taste and experience European cuisine and the traditions behind it? The reason I wrote this book is to help people learn more about the food, the traditions related to it and to their origins, so that they can fully enjoy their meals in Europe. For example, in the case of paella, a Spanish rice dish, many people order the dish at a restaurant, but many of them don't know the dish is Spanish, when Spanish people usually eat it or how long it will take to prepare their meal.

- This is not a cookbook, per se, but it does have recipes for some dishes. However, it is also more like a travel book, in that it introduces some history and traditions of Europe. What target readers did you have in mind when writing this book?
I wrote this book for those who are going to travel to Europe or have been there recently and want to know more about the background, culture and history of the European dishes they ate. In fact, it is important and interesting to know the origin, background and history embedded in your food.
I added recipes to the book to give Korean readers some ideas about what the actual dish might look like. I tried to find some simple and easy recipes that could be made with food ingredients found commonly in Korea. Readers may be interested in the dish, want to cook it themselves or even want to travel there. In the Russian chapter, I introduced a simple recipe for the popular Russian soup borscht. I guess not many Koreans will visit Russia to try this dish. In this case, I added the recipe to give them an idea of what the dish is like.

- The book has some interesting and practical information, such as the “British Sauce Navigator,” which introduces various kinds of sauces found in the modern British kitchen, or the “Twelve Commandments That Help You Pretend to Know About Wines.” Is there any reason you included such content in the book?
I wanted to add some interesting, useful content for the readers, as a transition between the chapters. Having traveled to many countries like the U.K., Ukraine, Spain and France over many years, I tried to introduce European food from an anthropological perspective.

- You included recipes for dishes such as fish and chips as part of the book. What criteria did you use to select which recipes to include in the book?
First of all, I selected foods of which I am well aware and that I know from my own personal experience. For example, I chose a dish which impressed me or a food that can lead to a culturally significant talk about the country.



- In your view, are there any European cuisines that you feel are similar to that of Korea? If so, which part of Europe, and why?
I think everything is close in its own way. It's not easy to pick one in particular and say, "This is very similar to that of Korea." Korea has a very singular cuisine. Korea is not a big country. However, considering its size, its food cultures are quite diverse. I’ve been living in Korea for nine years, but I still find something new almost on a weekly basis.
I've traveled to many countries, like Ukraine, Spain and the U.K., but I've never seen any cuisines as diverse as Korean food. This is amazing. People say Korean food is spicy and made from a lot of garlic. Actually, however, not all of it. People who don't like hot, spicy food or garlic can still enjoy many Korean dishes. The evolution of Korean food, in particular, is incredible.

For example, I think stone pots, dolsot in Korean, are an incredible invention. I burnt myself on the hands when I first saw one. I couldn’t imagine that it could maintain such a hot temperature for such a long time. I guessed it could keep the food warm for five or ten minutes, and that the food would gradually cool to room temperature. However, people developed a stone pot that can keep the food hot straight through to the end of the meal, without having to re-heat it. This doesn't exist in Europe.

 Another one is the large ceramic vessels used to contain soy sauce or other condiments, called jangdok in Korean. Also, fermented food does not need a refrigerator. This is fantastic. I don’t understand why these things don't exist in Europe. The other example is metal chopsticks. It is quite amazing that Korea has quite a wonderful cuisine without many outside influences other than all the regions of Korea itself.

- In the book, you connect explanations about European food and cuisines to those in Korea by mentioning Korean dishes like bibimbap or makguksu. How did you first get interested in Korean food and cuisine?
I was always interested in food and food culture. My first profession was a sous chef in a kitchen. It's actually a very stressful job. I never watch Gordon Ramsay, the host of “Hell’s Kitchen,” on TV because it reminds me of past memories. All chefs in all kitchens are like him. Writing about food is more suitable for me, and I find the job is something I can do with passion.

I’ve learnt about Korean food and the food culture here during my life in the country over the past nine years. In the early 2000s, I had the chance to come to Korea only a few times, so I naturally got interested in the food here. I write articles mostly about Korean food from a non-Korean person’s point of view, as Koreans are interested in hearing that. This is the same for British people who are interested in knowing how non-British people see British fare.





- It is interesting to note your background as a philosophy student turned chef. How can you relate philosophy and cooking?
I think philosophy can relate to absolutely anything. “The reason why,” is always a philosophical decision. There is always a choice. For example, Koreans can choose any kind of food they want to eat, like pizza or chips, every single day, but they usually eat rice or soup or other such items at home. That is a philosophical decision. That’s the way philosophy comes into cooking. “Why do you want to do that? Why is this food important to your emotional level?” Something like that.

Philosophers like Nietzsche did not consider food important, but there are many others who regard food as important. In fact, if you look at a lot of chefs’ words, the things that they say are very philosophical. They tend to speak in riddles and rhymes, as philosophers do. If you look at how food has evolved, there are philosophical decisions made at every step of the way.

We could say that food defines people's identities. In a modernized world like today, what else can differentiate people, except for food?

- In the book, you said you baked a banana cake when you were eight, your first dish. You’ve been in Korea for nine years. What was the first Korean dish you ever made? What is your favorite Korean dish you enjoy cooking? On the contrary, are there any Korean dishes you find difficult to cook or to eat?
To be honest, the first Korean dish I made was kimchi. It was between 2005 and 2006 when I lived in the U.K. and it was quite successful. I had visited Korea quite a few times, had Korean friends and got to know about kimchi, and I liked it. Personally, I prefer the classical style of Korean food, rather than fusion Korean food. I cooked kimchi at home in order to have other kimchi-related dishes, like kimchi fried rice, kimchi stew or kimchi soup. Kimchi is a very nice food in many ways. In the U.K. these days, more people are getting interested in it. Once you make kimchi, you can keep it for several months in the fridge. So I can have kimchi fried rice with a cup of cappuccino at home. Kimchi is one of the dishes I love to cook. In Korea, however, I don’t cook Korean food because I can get plenty of good Korean food just outside my door. I make European dishes at home, as I can't find them anywhere else.

I can’t say I know a lot about Korean food, but I learnt many Korean recipes by asking people, like the mothers or grandmothers of my friends. I ask people who know the special secrets of the food, based on their experience. If you learn from such people, you will find the regional varieties or different ways of cooking among southern or northern regions, like the provinces of Jeolla or Gyeongsang.
There isn't any Korean dish that I find difficult to eat. I love half-dried herring or billfish (gwamegi), raw or fermented skate (hongeo), fermented soybean paste stew (cheonggukjang) and loach in a hot bean paste soup (chueotang). They do have strong aromas and tastes, which appeals me, because this kind of food really wakes me up.

- What are Koreans and Korean society like, as seen through the lens of Korean cuisine?
The biggest thing is diversity. Many people think Korea is a homogenous country and has a homogenous culture. Actually, however, I guess not. This is clearly shown in the food if you look at what people eat. Some people love loach in a hot bean paste soup and others don’t. You can see the broader diversity by looking at the food they choose. As each person has a different character, we cannot just say that, “All Koreans are like this.”

- If you were to recommend a Korean dish to international tourists who have never tried Korean food before, what dish would you recommend? Also, which region of Korea would you recommend they visit in order to try some local delicacies?
It may depend on the time they spend traveling. If they spend a relatively short time here, I would tell them to stay in Seoul and experience and try as much as possible, because Seoul has every food we can imagine.

However, if they have enough time, I would advise them to leave Seoul to experience something new, like kimchi, for instance. Seoul may not be the place to taste the best kimchi in Korea. I would recommend they go somewhere in Jeollanam-do (South Jeolla Province) rather than Seoul. I tell them to go to many places outside Seoul and to taste various foods, local delicacies of the region. Every region has its own local specialties and one-of-a-kind foods which cannot be found elsewhere in the country. There are also various seasonal food items in many regions. You can't experience all of these in just a short period of time.

If I could have a two-week vacation, for example, there would be more chances to travel. If that’s the case, I would go to Gangwon-do to have beautiful fish on the coast and try potato dishes from the mountainside. The Gyeongsang Provinces also have great fish dishes, like raw eel, or jangeo hoe, or dishes like pork and rice soup, or dwaejugukbap, from Busan.

The Jeolla Provinces, in particular, are like the mecca of Korean food. To try classical Korean food, I would recommend people to go to Jeolla. Same with Jeju Island. The food on the island cannot be found anywhere else in Korea. I would like to tell people to find old, small restaurants, rather than big ones, because old restaurants know everything about the food they make, are proud of their food and can talk about how they came up with their recipe. This is how I learnt about Korean food.

For travelers who wish to know about a food from one particular place, especially Seoul, I advise them to ask someone who knows the neighborhood, like real estate agencies or taxi drivers. They know a lot about the good restaurants in their neighborhoods and about good food. They can give you good advice. I would also tell them to learn how to use Naver because information found through that search engine is wonderful. Whatever they do, I hope they don't rely on the list of restaurants found in a guide book.

- Which local European or British dish would you recommend Korean tourists try while on vacation there for the first time, and why?
In fact, after nine years in Korea, I've received similar questions from many people who ask me to recommend good places and good dishes in Europe. This book is a combination of answers to their questions.



- For Europeans residing in Seoul and who miss their home cuisine, where would you recommend they go?
Honestly speaking, I'm not sure. I used to receive similar questions, but I feel like I need to search for it. The reason I cook European food at home is that I can't find any good place to eat it here in Seoul, or it's too expensive.
In the case of pasta, for example, it is actually a very common food, a food for poor people in Italy. So is pizza. It is initially a street food. Rich Italians will buy steak rather than have pasta or pizza. In Korea, however, pizza and pasta are considered expensive menu items that are served in luxury restaurants. For this reason, through this book I want to tell people the truth and tell them what European food is really like.

- In Korea, there are various cooking shows on TV that are quite popular thanks to people’s strong interest in health and in the quality and naturalness of their ingredients. British chefs like Gordon Ramsay and Jamie Oliver are also well-known here. In your opinion, are there any one-of-a-kind features or characteristics found on Korean cooking programs?
There are clearly differences. Cooking shows on Western TV seem to inspire viewers to cook because they focus more on the process of cooking. Cooking shows on Korean TV, on the other hand, seem to make people think, “This food looks great. I want to eat it.” Cooking shows on Korean TV also have an entertainment aspect to them. It’s not just about cooking. In fact, they feature many celebrities who cook. The programs involve other activities in addition to cooking, placed there for entertainment.

- Is there any Korean food you find the most representative for Korean people in your view?
It's hard to pick one because I found a huge diversity while learning about Korean food. I’m not sure if there is one specific food that can express everything to the Korean people. Some people love spicy food, but others don’t. Some may dislike kimchi, but others don’t. However, they can still enjoy a lot of Korean food according to their tastes.

- You said you hope to write a book about Korean food. Please tell us about your plans for your next book.
I wish I could some day, but I am only in the planning stages at the moment. If I do write the book, it would be the opposite direction from my first book. It would be about Korean food. It may require a lot of studying. I won't introduce Korean food to non-Koreans, as I didn't grow up eating Korean food. It would portray an objective point of view of a non-Korean thinking about Korean cuisine.

By Yoon Sojung
Photos: Jeon Han, Tim Alper
Korea.net Staff Writers
arete@korea.kr