'Happy, humble and healthy'

Participants of the temple food cooking class engage in cooking activities at the Korean Temple Food Center in Jongno-gu, Seoul, Friday. / Korea Times photos by Yun Suh-young

• Published Apr 17, 2016 4:37 PM KST
• Updated Apr 17, 2016 4:37 PM KST

Temple food cooking class teaches Buddhist lifestyle

By Yun Suh-young

Eating and cooking healthy food is the next big thing, after the cooking fervor that has swept the nation for the past two years.

But the question of "how" lingers in people's minds when trying to cook healthy food. It can be as simple as cooking with the freshest seasonal ingredients using only natural seasoning.

Temple food does exactly that ― use healthy, seasonal ingredients and natural seasonings ― but on top of that, they add one more factor: cooking with a sincere heart.

"The mindset is important when cooking. The food will taste different depending on your attitude. That is why even when using the same ingredients, a food cooked by a monk is different from an average person's," said Monk Daehyun who gave an introductory lecture before the beginning of the temple food cooking class held at the Korean Temple Food Center, Friday.

"Actually, there's nothing really special about temple food. But what is special is that we put our minds and hearts into the food. When we cook with our heart, our energy is transferred to the food and it will be tasty, healthy and nourishing. But if we cook with a bad mood, that energy transferred to the food wouldn't be good for us."

The Korean Temple Food Center, located near Anguk Station in Jongno-gu, central Seoul, opened last December and offers a variety of temple food cooking classes during the weekdays and weekends. From four-week courses to one-day classes, the center has programs ranging from tea meditation and temple food cooking to monastic dining. The classes are free until the end of May which is dedicated to celebrating the birth of Buddha which falls on May 14 this year. Starting June, the classes will no longer be free.

On the day this reporter visited, the center offered a one-day temple food cooking class titled "Making 3H Meals."

The "3H" in the title of the program stands for happy, humble and healthy which means appreciating meals with joy, eating an appropriate amount, and consuming a meat-free vegetarian diet.

"I think interest in temple food increased because people these days are exposed to too many foods made with artificial flavor enhancers such as MSG and as a result want to restrain from eating unhealthy foods," said Monk Daehyun.

"Finding the middle path is finding a balance. If you eat too much meat, then balance out the diet by eating foods that are opposite to meat."

When the actual cooking class began by Monk Yeogeo, she explained the characteristics of the ingredients to be used and their effects on health.

"Today, we'll be using kelp, shiitake mushroom, and gomchwi (a type of groundsel) for ssambap (rice wrapped in vegetables). Then we'll be making mugwort doenjang (soybean paste) soup to eat with ssambab," said Monk Yeogeo.

"Kelp is good for blood circulation and preventing colorectal cancer while shiitake mushrooms have a high amount of dietary fiber and control blood pressure. Gomchwi prevents aging and is good for preventing colds, coughs and asthma. Mugwort is good for women in preventing uterine and breast cancer."

During the two-hour class, Monk Yeogeo introduced participants to the lifestyle of monks. Their daily lives revolve around cooking and cleaning and collecting vegetables from nature to be used for the day's meal. The entire process of cultivating the ingredients from nature to cooking all constitutes an important part of Buddhist practice.

"You would think that monks pray a lot, but we don't. We move a lot. Finding enlightenment comes from everyday life. It depends on how much you strive to live diligently," she said.

"We monks cannot be but healthy because we consume healthy seasonal ingredients. And you can too."

When Monk Yeogeo was finished explaining and demonstrating how the dishes will be cooked, the 25 participants separated into six groups to prepare the meals on their own.

"I had always been interested in temple food," said Hwang In-beom, 67, who runs a meditation center, while wrapping the seasoned rice in kelp. "I wanted to experience making it."

Kang Kyung-mi who came from Los Angeles, said, "Every time I come to Korea in two to three years, I participate in programs like this. Korea has very well-organized programs and I enjoy them a lot."

Among the majority of Koreans, there was one foreign couple participating in the cooking class.

"My husband and I are vegetarian and we came to learn about temple food because it doesn't contain meat," said Karryn Miller from New Zealand who is currently based in Seoul working for a public relations company. She came with her husband Beau Miller, who is currently receiving Korean language training before officially beginning work at the U.S. Embassy in Seoul. He understood the class conducted in Korean.

"I learned about this cooking program from my Korean language instructor who recommended the class to us. I really enjoyed it," he said.

Foreigners' participation rate is quite high, according to Monk Yeogeo.

"A lot of foreigners come to experience temple food at our center. Especially, there are a lot of vegans," she said.

Among the programs offered in Korean, there is one program available in English which is the Baru Gongyang, or monastic dining experience, offered on Sundays. Foreigners can learn about how monks eat at the temple by dining with the monks. Chinese and Japanese services for this program will soon be available. For more information on the temple food experience, visit koreatemplefood.com.

During the month of May, various Buddhist events are scheduled in Seoul including Yeondeunghoe (Lotus Lantern Festival) which will be held May 6-8. This includes a lantern parade on May 7 and traditional cultural events on May 8 in Jongno, near Jogye Temple.