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| Chef Paik Jong-won, left and producer Park Hee-yeon pose for pictures during the online press conference for the show, "Paik's Spirit," Monday. Courtesy of Netflix |
By Lee Gyu-lee
Celebrity chef and franchise owner Paik Jong-won is set to take global viewers into the world of Korean alcoholic beverages with his new Netflix original show, "Paik's Spirit," which will premiere Oct. 1.
"I have been doing a lot of shows to introduce Korean cuisine up to now, but Korean alcohol is just as good as the cuisine," the culinary star said Monday during an online press conference for the upcoming show. "There are so many types of (Korean) drinks to introduce to the world."
For the new talk show, Paik will invite guests for a meal and drink and share stories about their lives while exploring different types of traditional Korean alcoholic beverages.
The six-part show will feature rappers Jay Park and Loco, star producer Na Young-seok, actors Han Ji-min, Lee Joon-gi and Kim Hee-ae, and star volleyball player Kim Yeon-koung as guests.
"Some of the guests are those I already knew and others I've been a fan of. It's awkward at first, but once we get started on drinks, we get comfortable with each other," Paik explained. "They are all popular and are people that others aspire to be like. But as we chat over a drink, we loosen up and share our stories which were both touching and taught me a lot."
The show's producer, Park Hee-yeon, who previously worked with Paik in tvN's food show, "Street Food Fighter" and "House Cook Master Baek," said this show stands out from Paik's previous shows as it delves deeper into his personal stories.
"Whereas in 'Street Food Fighter,' Paik would talk alone about foreign cuisine, this show proceeds as he's grabbing a drink with someone else. People tend to open up about their life, human nature, and their personal spirit over drinks, hence the name of the title," she explained.
"Up until now, he had been focusing on food and cooking. And this time, Paik introduces alcoholic drinks and describes them in his own words, drawing on his anecdotes," Park said. She added that the show will share moments of Paik bonding with the guests through frank conversations over a drink.
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| A still from the show / Courtesy of Netflix |
The producer said Paik's extensive knowledge of alcohol gave her the idea to create the show.
"While working with Paik, we had a lot of chances to go out for drinks. And every time we did that, he would share interesting stories about different drinks. And I thought it would be nice if we can share this with more people, which was the start of 'Paik's Spirit,'" she said.
"As I delve into Korean traditional drinks, I realized that a lot of them have a cultural essence, a lot of interesting stories. So I wanted to share them with viewers abroad and show that there is good food in Korea and also good drinks."
When asked what his countries' beverages mean to him, Paik answered that they are like seasoning for food.
"To me, a drink is part of the food. I love drinking, but I only want to drink when I'm hungry… So whenever I drink, I need food to go with it," he said. "They're like a seasoning that makes food taste better."
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