Buddhist sect spreads temple cuisine
By Do Je-hae Korea’s Buddhist temple cuisine is becoming more popular among healthy eaters within and outside Korea. Reflecting the trend, the main theme of the largest Korean Buddhist sect’s visit to New York last month was food. It organized a two-week promotional campaign to highlight and raise awareness about temple cuisine, one of the highlights of the templestay program which marks its 10th anniversary this year. The Cultural Corps of Korean Buddhism, an affiliate of the Jogye Order, has tried to modernize the recipes and make them more accessible to the public here and abroad. “Temple food practices reflect some important values, such as the beauty of doing things slowly and sharing with others,” Ven. Beopjin said in an interview with The Korea Times last week. “New Yorkers were excited to learn about the templestay program and temple cuisine.” Temple food, referring to what monks and visitors eat at temples, is basically vegetarian and prepared with natural ingredients without artificial seasoning. At temples, eating is a part of the meditative discipline.