Category: Creative Piece

Naengmyeon, the Korean style cold noodle soup

By Haerim Lee

 

Green are the thinly sliced cucumber,

white are the sugar dissolved radish.

She picks them and mix them with the beef slices.

Thin, chewy potato starch turns into fresh noodles,

they are mingled with the green, white, and the meat.

The combination of beef and dongchimi(Korean Kimch during summer) broth makes a clean finish.

I and my sister are on the table, keeping eyes on each other,

we are ready to eat more, worrying that it will soon be gone.

The sunshine from the window brightens the broth like gold ,

the colorful slices of green and white make us lick our lips.

The noodle stripes go through my throat and just melt away.

I urge to my neighbors and offer them Naengmyeon,

at the same time, worries about my Naengmyeon left along in the table.

Now, living far away from my home,

alone in a strange land,

just one bottle of Naengmyeon is all I need.

Late in the day when I am done with all the work,

this flavor of my country is all I need.

 

 

1. I chose to imitate the poem “Cold noodle soup with Sophora leaves” by Du Fu.
2. I firstly liked the flow of the poem. The way the poet unfolds the story of “old noodle soup with Sophora leaves” was methodical as he first describes about the basic ingredients of the food and then moves on to a broader perspective in connection with people who enjoy the cold noodle soup including the ruler. Not only that, I loved the part “Emerald freshness shines in my chopsticks, fragrant rice along with reed shoots. Passing my teeth it is colder than snow” as it shows the vivid description of the food itself as well as his feelings when he actually tasted it. When I read this part “I eat more, worrying that it will soon be gone”, I could form a bond of sympathy with the author as I also eat the food involuntarily when served with delicious dishes, but at the same time, worry about the food that will take to itself wings. Then, I was reminded of my childhood when I and my sister fought over our favorite food Naengmyeon, the Korean style cold noodle that my mom made.
3. While imitating the poem by Du Fu, I could learn about the distinctive Chinese food culture and connect it with the aspects of food especially noodles that we discussed during the class. The poet only mentions about the cold noodle soup with Sophora leaves in the poem, but China actually has many different kinds of cold noodles depending on what ingredients they use when making them. The ingredients also vary from region to region mainly affected by the different climate of each region. By reading the poem, I could also tell that how important the food culture is to Chinese people. The author is not the only one who enjoys eating the cold noodle, but he also offers it to other people. They have the culture of sharing food with their neighbors treating the dish as important as ‘a pearl’. Most importantly, it was interesting to find out that the cold soup noodle was loved by all the Chinese people at that time from ordinary people to the ruler of a country. The cold noodle definitely was and has been the national dish of China.
4.  By imitating the Chinese poem about food, I could also learn about the food culture of my own country, Korea. As I explained in the poem, the ingredients used in making the cold noodle are very healthy such as radish, potato starch, and cucumber. The traditional Korean food Kimchi is also famous for its health and nutrition. Furthermore, through the story of giving food to neighbors when making delicious dishes, I could learn the culture of sharing that exists in my country. In Korea, when people make delicious food, they usually share it with their neighbors and we think this attitude comes from the love and affection that we have towards people which we call it “Jung”. As a somewhat extreme example, while people in other countries have their own bowls when eating food and put soup into their own bowls separately, in Korea, we have just one big bowl and everyone shares it together. We also have a tradition of giving rice cakes to neighbors when you move to a new place to live. I think all these instances show the distinctive culture of Korea.

5. The cold noodle soup is popular dish in both China and Korea. By reading the poem by Du Fu and writing my own piece followed by his writing style, I could find some common features between the Korean and Chinese food culture. One of the cultural DNAs embedded in both pieces was the sharing of the food. I think this cultural DNA exists in almost every country, but China and Korea are the countries that are born with the culture of sharing. According to the book called “Introduction to Chinese food”, the author claims that Chinese people make many kinds of dishes when they make food so that everyone can eat to their fill and this culture started from a long time ago. In Korea, there is a special word called “Jung” to describe the sharing culture of food as mentioned before. For example, when my mom makes Naengmyeon, the Korean style cold noodle, she makes a whole bunch of noodles and gives it to the neighbors.

Food for my family is really something more than a material to gain energy from. We place a significant amount importance in the process of making the food. The scene of my father, my mother, my brother and I making then eating “Kalgooksu” all together is somewhat a familiar scene to our family.

Kalgooksu – literally translated into “knife noodle” is one of the traditional noodles in Korea and is our family’s most beloved noodle. “Kal” in Korean means knife, while “Gooksu” means noodle. It is called the knife noodle because the noodle itself is created by cutting the flour dough with a big knife.

The process of Kalgooksu is rather simple and on the days in which we are all free, such as mornings on weekends, we would gather around to join the long but fun process of making the Kalgooksu. We would start off with the process of making the flour dough. We would mix flour with water and then knead dough. We would take turns as it requires a long duration of time and effort making the dough. My father, whom we believe has the most physical power among us, would be the last one to work the dough. Then we would roll out the dough and fold it few times to make it easier to cut it. Then my mother, very artistically-talented person, would cut the dough into equal pieces. When we unfold the dough, we then can see a long string of flour dough that will soon turn into strings of noodle in our Kalgooksu.

We then would prepare zucchini, carrots and shiitake mushrooms that we would put in the stock with the noodle. We would thinly slice them to increase their texture. Then we would boil the thinly cut flour dough first separated in boiling water to add a chewy texture. Then we would put pre-boiled noodles and other ingredients prepared into anchovy and kelp stock. All our family members like to eat soup for dinner, so we always have spare kelp stock in our refrigerator.

The whole process takes about an hour and a half – from making the dough to creating noodles to preparing ingredients then finally putting them into our stock. My family and I used to gather at least once every month to make Kalgooksu together until we got older. Now that I’m living abroad away from my family, and so is my younger brother, I genuinely miss those times where we had so much fun making and then finally eating Kalgooksu.

(https://www.timeout.com/seoul/restaurants/gurye-woori-mil-kalguksu)

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The piece that I chose to imitate was “Ping A Mien, a Chinese Family Noodle Story.” I decided to use this short piece of story because of the way it was written. I chose this piece because I too would sympathize with having a “family food” and a kind of food that I feel special attachment to.

Also, I could very relate to the part where the mother giving instructions to the writer about the process of making the food as my mother and father both like cooking and she would always want me near them so they can teach me their own special ways of cooking. I, too, often call my mother when I’m in Atlanta to ask her for her recipes when making Korean food.

One thing I learned about Chinese culture through her style is that there is always a traditional way of making food. It could be as known as nationally traditional method or it could also be a unique traditional way for one specific family. For example, the writer’s mother called for a specific type of cooking wine among many when making ping an mien. This part also was very relatable as my mother also calls for a specific type of soy sauce when making adding flavor to the broth. I thought Korean culture, also, is very similar to Chinese culture as we also have a family food that we feel special attachment to. I feel the idea of having a special attachment to could be a cultural DNA. Also having one family’s special recipes for traditional food could also be a cultural DNA in China and Korea.

 

 

Wool Noodles

Bernard Dzata

 

When Autumn reaches its peak,

Chefs look to the pot and noodle to create a fire.

Starting the fire begins with egg noodles in a chicken broth,

Seasoned with pepper, minced garlic, fresh thyme, bay leaves and parsley.

Hints of lemon add zest to the broth’s flavor.

Carrots and celery adorn the bowl,

Adding vibrant color and mettle to the soup.

The heat of the bowl and its elements warm the spirit,

Blanketing the body and soul with protection from the Winter chill and cold.

With noodle, broth and elements altogether,

We consume the soup, all finding respite as Nature takes its rest.

 

I chose to imitate “Noodles in Broth” by Hong Junju. I chose this piece because upon initially reading the poem, it invoked memories of my family sharing chicken noodle soup during the colder months of the year. As a child, I remember this meal accompanying Autumn and Winter being consumed in community at the kitchen table and being sent in thermoses to keep us warm at school and work.

Through imitating the author, I learned about the emotional and physical connection that the author has to the noodles in broth. The author writes about the emotion evoked by eating the meal and the satisfaction expressed by a smile and relaxation of the body. The author also highlights the seasons of the year and seems to respect the features of nature, including the wheat, produce and the seasons. The author draws comparisons to silk through the poem and makes the connection to the cocoon in the final stanza. I believe the cocoon is representative of the seasons Autumn and Winter, and Nature’s cleansing and rebirth during these seasons.

While writing, I learned that my own culture has a similar connection to food and food paired with particular seasons for comfort and support, in both difficult physical, natural environments, as well as during times of emotional discomfort. This shared cultural DNA in the poem by Hong Junju and my own culture has transcended from his writing in the third century to 2019 and likely for centuries to come. Food and the noodle’s continuity in our lives as a foundation for the seasons of life is our culture.

A Poem on Liang Mian (Cold Noodles with Sesame Sauce)

 

We are in the second month of summer,

The songs of the crickets are louder than ever,

Dawn is unstirred by wind or breeze,

The nights are much hotter than the mornings.

In these circumstances,

I can only say two words: liang mian!

…

Fine as china from Jingdezhen City,

Refreshing as cold beer from Qingdao,

Their aroma will inebriate you before you lift them to your lips

And your heart will pound at the mere sight of them.

 

The piece I chose to imitate is “A Noodle Poem by Cheng Ji (Third century AD) (Quoted from p. 288, Pasta: The Universal Food).” I chose this piece because this piece interested me the most with its unique style, content and metaphors. The poet, Cheng Ji, was the chief cook in charge of beverages and “delightful foods”, and this poem was from his dialogue with the future founder of the Liu-Song dynasty. Cheng Ji was known for his intelligence, and when the king asked him what would be the best dish to serve at the current season, Cheng Ji answered with this poem.

Through imitating Cheng Ji’s style, I learned about his intelligence as a person, and mastery as a cook. In his poem, he first described the current season, which was the most important factor to the choice of food. Cheng Ji presented the fact that the current season was autumn, and the songs of crickets would soon fall silent, which represented that summer had passed, and the weather was becoming cool. Since the temperature had dropped, and the nights were becoming chilly, Cheng Ji suggested in his poem that the most suitable food to eat now was bing. Next, Cheng Ji used two metaphors to describe the fineness of bing, and reassured the king that he would definitely be delighted at the sight of bing, and would also be satisfied after eating it. Through reading this poem, I was impressed by the intelligence of Cheng Ji to come up with this remarkable poem immediately to answer the king’s question, and to persuade the king using metaphors and logical reasonings. This poem also demonstrated Cheng Ji’s skills and mastery as a cook to immediately find the most suitable food to eat at occasions. He also listed the necessary ingredients to make bing as well as their provenance in the middle part of his poem, which was not presented in the quote. I also learned from this poem that bing was a popular food during third century AD, and the ingredients used to make bing could come from multiple places in China. Since I am also from China, I found it interesting that bing had been a popular food in my culture for thousands of years. Even today, bing is a common food in China, especially in the Northern part, which gives me a sense of continuity and connection with the past. Therefore, bing is clearly a cultural representation of traditional Chinese food.

There is cultural DNA embedded in Cheng Ji’s poem and my poem. I imitated the style of his poem and tried to write a poem similar to the original version. While Cheng Ji presented bing in his poem, I presented one of my favorite foods that is suitable to eat at the current season, liang mian, or cold noodles with sesame sauce. The current season is summer, and the temperatures outside are at the highest peak of the entire year. The extremely high temperatures can result in a loss of appetite, and liang mian is a popular food to eat at this time of the year, because it is cold and tasty. Liang mian is also a traditional Chinese food, originated from the Tang dynasty. Liang mian is made with cold noodles stirred with sesame sauce, bean sprouts, garlic water, cucumber strips and cooked meat. For the two metaphors, I used china from Jingdezhen City, a place famous for making china, to describe the fineness of liangmian, and cold beer from Qingdao, the originating city of Tsingtao Beer, to describe the refreshing flavor of liang mian.

 

Works Cited

“Pasta: the Story of a Universal Food.” Pasta: the Story of a Universal Food, by Silvano Serventi and Sabban Françoise, Columbia University Press, 2002, pp. 289–290.

“Liang Mian (凉面).” TastyAsia, 27 July 2012, tastyasia.net/2012/07/26/liang-mian-%E5%87%89%E9%9D%A2/.

 

You are the heart of the home

The best arome

In you, I find comfort.

In you, I find good slumber

You bring everyone together in unity 

Like the land of opportunity

Your colors and shapes bring me joy

And I don’t mean to annoy 

But I can have you anyday

In every way

 

I may indulge in others

But do go into wonders

Because you will always be the one

Even if the day has just begun 

God bless your versatility 

Because I am never bored with you

And your looks are my favorite hue 

 

Remember your power to keep me together

Because there will not be another

You complete me in every way

Even on Taco Tuesday

 

Stay tasty 

And I’ll see you again, crazy.

 

My poem is an imitation of “Summons of the Soul” From Chu Ci, by Qu Yuan. I chose this poem because it was the most compelling in discussing food. In this poem, the poet discusses the food and almost praises its presence and look. The use of imagery is exemplified through the very detailed description of each food that the poet writes about. I learned that this poet enjoys being particular and detailed in his/her delivery in order to be clear on what is to be said. In the poem, the poet talks about the food like it’s the greatest thing ever and I imitated that by creating a love poem to Noodles. I also learned that the poet’s culture may consist of feasts at home. The diet in this culture is very clear from the different animals that are cooked and included in the feast. From writing this piece, I realized that my culture isn’t really big on noodles. While making this love poem, I was thinking about my favorite West African dish in order to write it. The love and obsession that I claim for the noodles was a projection of my love for a completely different dish which allowed me to get creative.

 

When I was younger, my mom always read the story Saturdays and Teacakes. This story was about his Saturday traditions with his grandmother. I would always think about how I didn’t have a weekly tradition with my parents or grandparents. I’ve recently learned that my family has a tradition with noodles, but I did not realize this when I was younger.

 

My family makes beef noodle soup when relatives come in to town, for any kind of celebration, or when my brothers and I leave for school. This dish is made with beef, soy sauce, tomatoes, and a variety of spices. It also includes long flat noodles and bok choy on top. My mom, born in Taiwan but raised in the United States, learned how to make this dish from her mother. They owned a restaurant in Augusta, Georgia, and beef noodle soup was their most popular dish. My mother got the tradition of eating beef noodle soup from her family when they were still living in Taiwan, and she continued it on in my family.

 

I never really paid attention to this dish until I got into college. When I was younger, this was just a dish we would eat occasionally. I was always excited to eat it because my mom makes it the best, but it was never my favorite. When I got to college, I realize how much I missed my mom’s cooking. I missed the way the whole house would fill up with the aromas from what she was making in the kitchen. The way I would be drawn away from my homework to see what she was up to.

 

A few months into last school year, I noticed that boyfriend was really missing his mom’s homecooked meals. He has only been in the United States for a few years, so some days he just really misses good Chinese food. As a surprise, I decided to try to make my mom’s beef noodle soup. He had it once when he was at my house visiting my family and he really enjoyed it. I’m not much of a cook, but I made sure to buy the best ingredients I could find. I drove to the biggest Chinese grocery store I could find and bought the most expensive beef shank. I wasn’t sure about the all the spices, so I just bought a few that I thought would go well in the soup.

 

Once I got home, the real work began. I wasn’t sure how big to slice the meat, or how long to fry it on the pan. I finally got the beef to a nice brown color and decided to continue with the soup. I boiled the meat and added my variety of spices I had collected from the store. Every few minutes I would stir the soup and remove the scum that had floated to the top. I left the soup to simmer for a couple hours.

 

Right as I was about to boil the noodles, my boyfriend walks into the apartment. “Wow! That smells great! What are you making?” He came and hugged me from behind as I dropped the noodles into the boiling water. Finally, when the noodles were done, I put everything together in a bowl. I made sure each one of us got enough noodles and a few pieces of beef along with the bok choy. I could tell he was excited to try the soup I made. That night, I told him I made this dish so he wouldn’t miss home as much. I hoped it reminded him of his mom’s homecooked meals that he loved so much.

 

Since then, we’ve been making beef noodle soup almost every month, trying to change up the recipe and see how we can improve the dish. These noodles were a tradition in my house, but now they are a new tradition. This new tradition helps us feel at home even when we are far away from home and I love that I now have more reasons to have this soup.

 

I chose to imitate Ping An Mien, a Chinese Family Noodle Story. I chose this piece because I felt as though I could really relate with her story and I could feel her emotions when she described her family and her soup. After imitating this piece, I learned about the similarities of Chinese-American families. She described her noodle traditions with her family, and I was able to see the connections to the traditions within my family. While our families make different kinds of noodles for celebrations and sending family members away, the idea is the same. Spending time with family is important and it is comforting to do it with food. I’ve learned that my culture is about sharing the special moments with the people around you and prioritizing the family connections. Our food is a great way to bring everyone together. This is a common theme in not only my culture, but also in other cultures around the world. There was definitely a lot of culture embedded in Susannah Chen’s story as well as mine. The tradition of eating a specific food when someone leaves or for celebrations is very common in the Chinese culture. For example, some people eat dumplings to send family members off while others eat noodles. I tried to tie in the love and joy and all the emotions we can get from just eating one bowl of noodles and how much it can mean to someone.

quattro fratelli

Ben Kronman

 

This morning

I was thinking

how much of our

brotherhood

revolves around food

four brothers

and a feast before us

 

for you

I will agree to disagree

We fight with our words

All wanting to go

Elsewhere for Dinner

I say no, me first

You picked last time

And before the other two

 

In our car ride home

I suggested

we get noodles

From my favorite place

It tastes much better

When we all agree

 

Tonight we ordered

Xiaolongbao

For the very first time

And the youngest

Burns his mouth

On the boiling soup inside

 

The elegant silk

Wraps around a fiery cauldron

Of flavor and delight

I motion jokingly

That we have eaten them all

Before unveiling another basket

Full of clouds

 

I pretend not to notice

The younger two

Fumbling with their

Chopsticks over noodles

There are no forks here

 

We try not to speak and listen

To the waiters interrupting to ask

If we would like anything else

 

Of course we do

 

We are four brothers eating

We are insatiable

 

You steal a dumpling

From the eldest brother’s plate

Caution

A dragon’s fire bursts

Through the table

 

We laugh and celebrate

The night away from home

But never forget

To bring back some for father

 

This is why I love you all

 

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I chose to imitate “Le Due Sedie” in the Saporoso Poems by Jennifer Barone. I chose this piece because it truly expresses the love that can be shared over a meal, or more over a table. I chose a table of brothers, my brothers, for together we make the “Quattro Fratelli” or four brothers. From imitating this piece, I learned that the author also finds love over meals, but with her significant other. I learned that not only her culture, but the culture of her lover, seemingly Vietnamese, also has a strong connection between food and love. I learned about my culture while writing that nothing is quite as important or special as spending time with those you love most, and those that make you happiest. In my case it is my siblings. There is cultural DNA in both poems, that being the love shared around food. My family’s experience is similar to what we have learned about in class. My family is Italian-American, and often the time we spend all together is over food. In the instance captured in this poem we experienced the Chinese practice of shared dining as author Liu Junru in Food and Drink Traditions described it. The table was elegantly filled with large bowls of noodle soups and the best of all the Xiaolongbao, which are also called soup dumplings and have a soft flour noodle shell with broth and often a meat/filling on the inside. Sharing from family sized dishes create a connection between the sharers and leaves one with a loving feel.

Foods like amala and eba 

Made with stews like efo riro and ogbono

Served on huge plates for everyone to eat

These food originating from the Yoruba towns

And newer preparation for these dishes originating from outsider towns

 

In the spring, the time before the rainy season

And the time when many crops are beginning to be picked

As the weather warms up 

Everyone plays outside and at night 

It’s the best time for suya

 

As celebrations are on the rise

People dress in their best Ankara and drink Malta

We sit in the shades fanning ourselves

As we cook chicken stew

Served best with a plate of rice

 

As fall comes along  

The rain finally tapers off

And the mosquitoes begin to dissipate

Everyone begins to use their big bean pot

The time when ewa oloyin must be eaten 

And paired with garri or bread

 

In the wintertime

The driest and coldest season

When everyone comes back home

a time to warm up and have a joyful conversation

A little pepper soup is the best

 

Therefore each dish is served best for a particular time

Depending on the occasion and weather

If it were to be served out of order 

The food might not be as pleasant for the season

 

I chose to imitate Rhapsody of Pasta. This piece connected with me as the author describes specific foods for particular seasons and thinking of my childhood, my family would do the same thing too. So, I decided to write my poem using foods related to each of the seasons in my culture. Through writing this poem, I learned that the author describes the seasons through nature outside. This was a new insight for me since we tend not to emphasize the weather so much where my family is from. Also, the weather doesn’t change drastically from one season to the other and really there are only 2 distinct seasons in Nigeria. Therefore I did some research and I learned about how nature plays a part in my culture. Also, I noticed how big of a part Bing plays in the author’s culture as he often mentions the different versions mentioned earlier in the reading. I think there is a cultural DNA in the piece as Shu xi mentions specific dishes such as angan and bozhang that are not even well known to the authors. I also incorporated dishes specific to my culture as I was writing this piece and tried to write of situations when I would have these dishes such as pepper soup and suya. Pepper soup is a very spicy dish and typically the best time to have it is in the winter to warm up and clear any sinus. Suya is another spicy dish made by cooking meat on skewers. Since it is primarily cooked outdoors it is best to have it early spring when the weather isn’t too cold and before the rainy season begins.

Jae-sat Nal

Oh Soul, come here, do not go far away,

We are waiting for you, we have prepared for you.

All your household has come to do you honor, all kinds of good foods are ready:

Unpolished rice, barley, soybeans, mixed all with yellow millet,

Pungent, salty, sweet, hot and spicy: there are plates full of all flavors

On the five rows on the table.

The first,

Ribs of the fatted cow cooked tender and succulent,

And the leftovers make the savory stew, 

The color of the soup white as snow;

The second is decorated with

Savory and hearty blended in the soup of dduk;

Stewed chicken and oven-cooked mackerel, served up with soy sauce;

Marinated namul, the greens of the fields, on the large plates on the third row;

Fried jeon with tuberosum and kimchi, or sometimes with thin sliced meat;

Braised chicken, seasoned with ginseng and garlic, but not to spoil the

Taste;

On the last row,

Oozing out of the rice cakes, the hot mix of honey and sesame seeds;

Peeled and cut are the apples, pears, and persimmon;

Ice-cooled shik hye, strained of impurities except for the rice, cool and refreshing;

Two lit candles on either side of the table,

Here laid out is the gook-ja, and here is the mak-gullee!

Oh ancestors, come enjoy the feast!

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I chose to imitate the poem called “The Summons of the Soul” by Qu Yuan. I chose this piece because as soon as I read the poem, it instantly reminded of the Korean memorial anniversary day called Jaesat-Nal. Jaesat-Nal is held in most Korean households (although the number has been decreasing throughout the years) as part of a respectful, cultural service for the ancestors in the family. One of the biggest and most prepared components of this day is the jae-sat sang, which means the table on which all the foods are during the Jaesat-Nal. There are countless varieties of food on this special table, prepared especially “for” the ancestors. The descriptive imagery in the poem of the foods made me reminisce the similar freshly made infinite dishes that I had on Jaesat-nal. Also, the fact that the poem was also “summoning” the souls also reminded me of a similar reason behind Jaesat-sang, which is basically preparing the foods so that the ancestors can eat in the after-life or on their journey to the after-life. I thought that imitating the piece “The Summons of the Soul” for Jaesat-nal would have been fun to do because there are many similarities in the two events, and it would be interesting to see the parallels between the two by creating another poem by imitating the original.

I researched about the original poem “The Summoning of the Soul” and read the actual full poem instead of just the portion we were provided. I also read through some of the background. The piece was penned during his exile transport when the writer Qu was banished from his country in the Qin dynasty due to his rivals plotting against him. What I could take away from the rest of the poem was how much Qu was lamenting at his state. In the piece, the writer describes specifically of his fearful exile journey and scary afterlife. However, at one place in the piece, a stroke of sunshine is shone as the writer talks about the food prepared for the souls. The descriptive listings show how much one would love eating it after a long hard journey, and the mood becomes almost celebratory. I’m really glad that I was able to read the full poem, because now I could see the big picture in how this short portion was a source of joy for the writer. I thought this accurately reflected the culture that the original author was trying to show, and also the culture that we learned in Chinese food culture during class. The food is a source of happiness and joy for people in times of hardship, and also where people can gather and enjoy each other. Food also becomes a language of love; the writer, going through a hard time, can feel the love from the people who had prepared the food, and able to embrace it to help fuel his not only physical self but also emotional and spiritual selves. 

I also learned about my own culture while writing my piece. I researched about Jaesat-nal and the specifics of the food laid on the table for the Jaesasang so that I could get a clear picture of how the table actually looks like. It helped me a lot with the imagery of the poem. I learned that there were four to five rows of food laid out on the table with distinct methods. The first usually consisted of the hot meaty stews, the second with chicken and fish, the third with the vegetable greens, and the last with sweet rice cake or fresh fruits for dessert. The preparation was a full course meal for the ancestors. Also, I learned that all the foods were mostly bite-sized or easy to eat, so that the ancestors would not have to do any work themselves. The way the food was laid out reminded me also of the full course meal in Italy, which we learned during class. Although two completely different countries, Korea and Italy, the way the food was prepared on Jaesat-nal was definitely similar to the traditional Italian meal structure, such as the antipasti, primi, secondi, insalata, and dolce.

There is definitely cultural DNA embedded both literature pieces, which is the remembering of the ancestors through food. There are several reasons for the summoning of the souls in both cultures. First, it becomes a place for the meeting of the ancestors. Back when this cultural act was ignited, there were no pictures or videos to look at to see dead grandparents or parents when one missed them. Through the summoning of the soul, the people alive on earth were able to “see” their ancestors as they invited the ghosts down on earth to have a meal. Also, the summoning act is also an act of love. Within families in many East Asian cultures, people have a difficult time verbally expressing love by saying “I love you,” and instead express love through other physical acts, the most common one being making food for them. Parents want to feed their children and loved ones as much good food as possible to make sure they are well; preparing enormous amounts of food is a representative act of love. Likewise, in Jaesat-nal and the original poem by Qu Yuan, the cultural DNA of preparing food to show and feel love is embedded in the pieces. In both poems, not once is the phrase “I love you” explicitly stated; rather, a plethora of home-cooked foods are carefully listed and described, as if each addition contributes to a greater magnitude of love. For the living family, this is their one and only way to show their ancestors how much they love them. Finally, the summoning of the soul is an act of respect for the ancestors. I kept the line “All your household has come to do you honor, all kinds of good foods are ready” that was in the original poem in my new poem as well, because I believed the line accurately described the honor and respect the living family desires to bring to their ancestors. Similarly to showing love, one can also show respect by preparing this food, because it is helping the souls in the journey across the afterlife by providing them with good food. For a more emotional description, I added the line “We are waiting for you, we have prepared for you” in my own poem, because I thought it showed a good imagery of how the living family is desperately yearning for their ancestors, and wanting for them to rest and have a meal in the midst of their long journey.

 

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Works Cited

https://ko.wikipedia.org/wiki/%EC%A0%9C%EC%82%AC

https://placeboning.tistory.com/108

Summoning of the Soul of Qu Yuan

Guide to the Traditional Italian Meal Structure