By Cho Jae-hyon
Staff Reporter
Chang Jae-ok, a promoter of Korean food in America for nearly 40 years, says making Korean food enjoyable to foreigners is the first step to globalize hansik (traditional Korean cuisine).
"I've learned that there is a move here to globalize Korean food. We should have started it earlier," Chang told The Korea Times. "I think Korean food has obviously a potential to become a favorite among foreigners."
Chang, 65, has assumed the role of goodwill ambassador for Korean food at the Korean embassy in the United States for about four years, cooking food for diplomats at various events hosted by the embassy and many other organizations.
Chang said to make hansik popular the chef shouldn't be afraid of using foreign ingredients and experimenting.
"I really like to experiment with food. If Korean food is served the way it has been served to Koreans, some foods may not taste good to foreigners," Chang said. "For instance, foreigners usually don't like Ddeok (Korean rice cake) because of its stickiness."
Chang said fermented and many other Korean foods are healthy but take a long time to prepare, which could be a stumbling block to globalize the cusine.
"That's why I like to make faster fusion dishes with distinct Korean flavors," she said. "You know young people nowadays simply have no time to make traditional Korean food. That's why I like to make salad and various fusion foods that will take only about 10 to 20 minutes."
Chang has never attended courses or schools to learn cooking. She just liked it since childhood and learned it on her own. She became better than professional chefs and is now known as a "Korean food evangelist" in the U.S.
"My husband is a doctor so I have a lot of opportunities to cook for various parties among doctors. I've always cooked for all kinds of family events since I was a student at Sukmyung University,"she said.
Since 1970 when she set foot in the U.S. along with her husband, she has steadily sharpened her skills, taking part in many contests, charity events and presenting lectures.
To share her experiences and recipes, she published her hansik story in a three-volume book: "Vignette of Korean Cooking."It is written both in Korean and English. "It was not an easy job to translate all the traditional foods into English but it was quite rewarding,"she said.
Chang is visiting Seoul to take part in the 8th World Korean Business Convention from Oct. 27 to 29 in Incheon.
She donated 1,000 books to the convention. More than 100,000 copies of her book have been sold in the U.S. and Canada, making it a steady seller.
Chang now resides in Washington and provides lectures on cooking for several regional radio programs.
She said those who know what foreigners like or dislike should participate in the campaign to globalize Korean food.
"We need an objective look into our food, and a systematic analysis and consistent efforts to make it a really lovable food worldwide," she said.