'I'm cooking food for the mind'

Buddhist nun Jeong Kwan pours water into a bowl to prepare lotus flower tea outside the Chunjinam Hermitage of the Baekyangsa Temple in Jangseong County, South Jeolla Province, May 29. Korea Times photo by Yun Suh-young

By Yun Suh-young

JANGSEONG, South Jeolla Province ― You are what you eat, as much as you are what you wear. You are also what you create.

For Buddhist nun Jeong Kwan, given the nickname "philosopher chef" by the New York Times, her creation of food reflects her "level of meditation." And by meditation she does not mean sitting and contemplating, it means discovery ― discovering oneself and the surrounding environment.

"I am not a chef," said Jeong Kwan, when asked what she thought about the nickname she is called by people overseas. "I'm a disciplinant. I remain unchanged. This is where I belong," she told The Korea Times during an interview at her hermitage at the Baekyangsa Temple in South Jeolla Province, May 29.

She also denied the rumor of her opening a restaurant overseas.

"I have neither the economic capability nor the interest. My place is here," she said adamantly.

Jeong Kwan is widely known both locally and overseas as a temple food guru. She gained international recognition after being invited to New York to cook for a group of journalists at French chef Eric Ripert's Michelin-starred restaurant Le Bernardin in 2015. After a New York Times food critic lauded her food after that event, her name went viral. In February this year, she was invited for the first time as a Korean Buddhist nun to the Berlin International Film Festival where her episode of the Chef's Table series by Netflix was screened.

Buddhist nun Jeong Kwan places seasoned vegetables inside a bamboo shoot at her cooking studio in Chunjinam hermitage of the Baekyangsa Temple in Jangseong County, South Jeolla Province, May 29. / Korea Times photo by Yun Suh-young

"If a chef creates food for the body, I create food for the mind," said Jeong Kwan.

"Temple food connects the body and mind ― the physical and spiritual energy. Because it is important for meditation, it shouldn't be an obstacle. So it is important to eat the right food. It has to be from ingredients in season, cooked with simplicity, and with a minimum amount of sauce."

According to Jeong Kwan, meditation encompasses the entire journey of activities beginning from harvesting the plants, cooking them, to eating them.

"Humans create the taste. That means we need to know the character of the ingredients. We need to know when a cucumber or aubergine is most delicious. We need to know when to harvest it, how to store it, how to cut it, how much salt to add. How is the taste different based on the length we cut? We need to constantly observe the plant and discover its natural characteristics," said Jeong Kwan.

"Where does the cucumber come from, how did it grow, and how does it come into our mouths? When it perishes in our stomach, we need to give birth again to a new batch of cucumbers. How will we do that? How will we eat, digest and create something new again? The observation of the ingredients and my meditational mindset go hand in hand. The more you meditate, the more you will discover."

The level of discovery is dependent on the depth of meditation.

"Just like chefs create universes on their plates, the food we create changes depending on the level and depth of our meditation," she said.

"If a chef creates food for the money, it becomes hard to be creative. But when we create food for the purpose of meditation, the creativity is infinite. Today's energy and tomorrow's energy are different from each other. Your perception of the food and the ingredients depend on how much you have cleansed your heart and mind."

A bamboo shoot filled with seasoned vegetables by Jeong Kwan / Korea Times photo by Yun Suh-young

Lotus flower tea made by Jeong Kwan / Korea Times photo by Yun Suh-young

Temple food can be basically characterized as vegan food, on the exterior. The Buddhist monks do not eat meat or dairy products. They do occasionally eat eggs, but that's about all that's included in a vegetarian diet. And as many already know, they don't eat garlic or spices because they bring excess energy that excites the body.

"We don't eat meat because of the belief in reincarnation. The cow, pig or chicken that we kill could be our parents, children or friends. It can be us if we die. How are we going to take responsibility for the consequences that we bring by killing them? What will we do about the negative energy generated in the process?" she said.

But it doesn't mean meat is banned entirely, for followers of Buddhism.

"There are three principles to follow when consuming meat: 1) You shouldn't kill it yourself. 2) You shouldn't select from livestock. 3) You shouldn't request another to kill livestock for you. This means you can eat meat that is already killed, processed and sold in markets," said Jeong Kwan.

"However, there are plenty of ways to consume protein and fat without consuming meat. It comes from plants ― beans, oils extracted from plants and fermented vegetables. When vegetables meet heat and air, they become completely transformed in character."

Becoming vegan, however, shouldn't be a trend or a discipline, but something so natural that it becomes part of yourself.

"A vegan diet helps one go back to nature. It helps humans find their true nature without distortion. Vegans are milder in character," she said.

"It's a recommended diet but people should forget the fact that they're vegan. They shouldn't be obsessed with the principles. It has to come naturally, and they should adapt to nature."

She laments the fact that modern-day people are going against nature.

"Humans are sick because the earth is sick. They need to find ways to save the earth and save themselves. They need to discover nature's logic. Natural food, that's well-being," said the nun.

She advised cosmopolitans to go out into nature to discover its order.

"They need to go out even once a week or month and experience. They need to know what they're eating. Food is medicine. If you eat something that's off the shelf, it can't cure. Before people start being picky whether they're vegan or not, they need to realize why that's necessary."