Recent Books
All the Meals in the World
Kim Seong-yun; Kleinix: 256 pp., 14,000 won
Exploring the food of a country seems to be the best way to understand a certain culture. As a quick tour of the world, this book introduces 26 international staple foods.
Both European and Asian foods can be sampled in various restaurants here but there have been fewer chances to thoroughly appreciate these principle foods.
The book focuses on four areas ― Korean/Asian, European, Middle East/Mediterranean/North African and North American/Central American regions.
The book sheds light on naan (leavened, oven-baked flatbread), crepes (thin pancakes made from wheat flour), paella (Valencian rice dish), focaccia (flat oven-baked Italian bread), couscous (pasta made of tiny grains of dough that are steamed) and pita bread (a staple for Middle Eastern food), that are all mostly made of rice, wheat or corn.
Along with the assorted meals, the author writes about their origins, includes recipes and provides historical backgrounds coupled with interesting episodes surrounding each food. Moreover, the book presents colorful photos and illustrations drawn by the author and the best restaurants in Korea to enjoy the international foods introduced in the book are listed.
-Chung Ah-young
Female Foreign Correspondent Crosses the Border
Lee Jeong-ock; Haenggan Publications: 256 pp., 13,000 won
KBS reporter Lee Jeong-ock has been working in broadcasting for over 30 years, and now she shares her stories as a journalist and overseas correspondent in her new book.
Starting as a reporter on the world news desk in the early 1980s, the only stories given to the female rookie were ``soft’’ scoops, mostly about celebrities and royalty. The determined Lee asked for ``harder’’ news, such as the Iran and Iraq war, and she was answered with the question, ``How can a woman cover a war?’’
The book travels back to Lee’s early years as a headstrong reporter to her later years as the first Korean correspondent dispatched overseas, who when broadcasting in Iran had to wear a chador.
The episodes in the book are real and raw, and looking into the window of Lee’s insights and experiences, the reader is able to get a glimpse of the history of journalism and reporting abroad as a woman. She highlights the struggles of a female journalist in the local male-dominated society during her career.
-HAN SANG-HEE
Stand at the Edge of the Earth to See Mondrian’s Sea
Edited by Park Eun-ji; Leegaseo Publishing: 192 pp., 9,500 won
Park Eun-ji, MBC’s weather forecast reporter, announces on television whether it will be ``partly cloudy, with rain and showers in some areas’’ or ``bright and sunny’’, now offers a selection of Korean poems that depict the many seasons of the human condition.
The 57 carefully and tastefully selected works are divided under equally poetically titled themes: Scorching Summer ― Like Youth Once Upon a Time; Winds that Tend the Garden of Youth; First Snowfalls ― Tears that Linger by the Fireplace; The Blossom of Youth that Fill Snowflake Bouquets; Mondrian’s Sea ― Youth Riding Upon Glorious Waves; and Spring Breezes that Embellish the Earth.
As the names of the chapters suggests, the poems celebrate the magic of youth. They invite members of the younger generation, many of whom may find poetry difficult and boring, to discover works that they can easily relate to and understand. The book however is also a treat for older readers as they look back nostalgically to days gone by, but more importantly, remember to feel young in spirit.
-Lee Hyo-won
The Minds of Our Ancient Drawings
Kim Jeong-ae; Art Books: 248 pp., 15,000 won
Writer Kim Jeong-ae pays respects to the wisdom of Korea’s ancestors by revisiting the works they once poured their hearts into. Kim believes that it is through examining these ancient texts, images and crafts that one can gain the insight of our forefathers.
Inspired by a white porcelain bowl, Kim one day found himself examining the small ware, marveling at how much it must have loved the world and wanted to endure in order to undergo the process of extreme heat. In olden times, people once trained to master the skill of expression, depicting their thoughts through craft. Kim realized that these remaining works still contain a timeless sagacity.
The novel is divided into four sections that in turn examine the ruminations on life by writers and artists during the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910), works by artists who focused on the harmonic relationship between man and nature, art created during the ancient kingdom of Goguryeo (37 BC-668 AD) and the crafts that were once popular in daily life with our ancestors.
-Ines Min