SEOUL, KOREA — There is no denying that food has been eulogized as an amalgam of science and art, and plays a great role for a healthy lifestyle. That is why Korean food has continued to be in the spotlight around the world. Against this backdrop, Korea IT Times met with Choi Kyung-sun, who has been devoted to globalizing Korean food and to learn about the benefits from eating Korean food.
Choi Kyung-sun, the wife of the Chair of the Korean Food Foundation and the former Agriculture Minister Chung Woon-chun, can be described as a behind the scenes contributor to various projects aimed at globalizing Korean food.
When Korea IT Times met with Choi Kyung-sun, we found that there was something noble about her. She was wearing traditional Korean clothes called 'hanbok': her choice of hanbok consisted of a red jeogori (a bolero-like, long-sleeved blouse) and a gray skirt. Her demure appearance and decorous posture sent us a message that she is a strong advocate for Korean food. Choi started the interview with Korea IT Times by saying that the secret of staying in shape and being healthy is all about embracing Korean food in your daily life.
"Korean food revolves around the following six ingredients: soybean paste, soy sauce, red pepper paste, Kimchi, salted seafood and salt. Of them, salt is the foundation of the other five. Salt - namely, solar salt- takes the center stage for most Korean food," Choi stated. Solar salt is unprocessed salt that is moisture-rich and contains diverse minerals such as calcium, magnesium, zinc, kalium and iron because solar salt is made by evaporating clean seawater. The moisture and harmful elements of clean seawater are evaporated naturally by the sunrays and winds. Thus, the benefits of solar salt have been well-known. Solar salt is mainly used to make kimchi, soy sauce and soybean pastes. Therefore, healthy solar salt and different types of fermented food are inseparable.
"Solar salt is divided into two types according to the method of cultivation: First, the salt is cultivated on black sheets of floor papers and the second way is where salt is cultivated at mud flats. As black floor papers absorb sunrays effectively, production of the first type is higher and its production period is shorter than the latter. On the other hand, salt cultivated at mud flats requires no floor papers and is produced in an eco-friendly way. Microorganisms in mud flats reduce the amount of dioxin in seawater and are richer in nutrients such as minerals and lower in the degree of salinity.
Choi strongly recommends the use of solar salt, stressing how beneficial solar salt is to our health. Yet, solar salt is a little more expensive, when compared to general salt. As a strong supporter of solar salt, Choi leads by example: she uses solar salt in all the food she makes for her family.
She mentioned, "Whenever my daughter, who is studying in the US at the moment, comes to Korea, I make Korean food that is based on the aforementioned six elements. My daughter feels like her body is swollen after eating a typical Western diet of sugary, fatty foods. After one week of eating Korean food she noticed her swollen body getting slimmer and, two weeks later, her troubled skin got considerably clearer too."
What she serves to her family members consists of brown rice or multi-grain rice, vegetables, potherbs - both cooked and uncooked-, kimchi, watery radish kimchi (dongchimi in Korean) and raw soybean paste.
"Spicy kimchi has strong digestive enzymes, so it purifies your stomach and expedites digestion. Korean lettuce (scientific name: Youngia sonchifolia Maxinum), water dropworts and radish strips can be used to boost the healing power of kimchi. Of course, solar salt is added," expressed Choi. She said kimchi should not be kept in the refrigerator because it is an enzyme-rich food. "Enzymes are destroyed, when the difference in temperature is over 21 degrees. In winter, enzymes are created at 10 degrees, so it is fine to keep kimchi in the refrigerator. In summer, however, the temperature difference is over 21 degrees, so, unfortunately, kimchi kept in the refrigerator can be found dead," said Choi.
She said dongchimi (watery radish kimchi) is another must-eat item. "Dongchimi, of which solar salt is an ingredient, is a fermented food and very healthy since the saturation amount of oxygen is high. In the past, when charcoal briquettes were mainly used for heating and cooking, people ate dongchimi, when they had symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning such as dizziness and headaches as an emergency measure. The time-honored wisdom of eating dongchimi, when people suffer from carbon monoxide poisoning indicates that people already knew that dongchimi is high in oxygen saturation."
Choi also talked about saeujeot (salted-fermented shrimp). Saeujeot is also called autumn saeujeot because it is harvested in autumn. Tiny shrimp hatchlings floating on the surface of the sea are caught and fishermen may immediately add salt for preliminary preservation. The salt to shrimp ratio is one to one. The important thing is that brine shrimps should be washed in a way that could help preserve the solar salt on their body. Next, the shrimp will go through the process of fermentation for about 10 months to become Jeotgal. Hot pepper powder, ginger and garlic are added to make saeujeot.
Choi has become deeply interested in Korean foods, largely influenced by her mother. She grew up always eating Korean foods made by her mother, so she naturally continued eating Korean foods after she became an adult. To better promote the benefits of Korean foods around the world, she is taking lessons from a medical teacher who was born into a family of doctors, has studied herb medicine since the end of the Joseon era and is currently working on healing diseases with different types of food. Also, Choi has crisscrossed the nation and paid a visit to large multi-generation families in order to have hands on experiences with traditional Korean food.
Choi, who reckoned that scientific evidence is also needed to effectively promote the excellence of Korean foods overseas, is scheduled to take a master's degree course in natural health science at the Wellbeing Culture Graduate School of Wonkwang University. Choi plans to study various kinds of herbs that are beneficial to our body and aims to take the lead in educating housewives and children on the benefits of having Korean foods.
