19 Feb 2009

Jamie Oliver! Where Are You?

I was surprised to see Jamie's show on Korean TV's On Style channel. But even more about the 'age warning' before it. 15! Same as the Desperate Housewives'
Is Jamie's cooking deemed such a great threat to young people's malleable minds?

I guess it's like this;
Kid: Muuuum, why don't you make me Pizza? Jamie's look delicious.
Mum: I can't. Koreans don't use oven. It's not our tradition.
Kid: Mum! Why do we always eat raw garlic and raw onion?
Mum: They don't taste so good boiled and it's not our tradition.
Kid: Mum! Why do you always boil and steam everything?
Mum: Well our people didn't discover cooking oil and frying pan so it's not our tradition.
Kid: But our neighbours, the Chinese, fry everything.
Mum: They fry food because they don't have enough water! ...!
(ps: I swear this was told to me several times. Some Koreans actually believe it!)
Kid: Mum, why don't you use fresh herbs and spices in cooking?
Mum: What are those? Koreans flavour most dishes with hot dried paprika and some with dried fish.It's the tradition. -Now go and finish your cup noodle! (ramyon)

- Koreans actually consider pork meat healthy...and dog meat makes you strong and all Western foods are bad for you.

Their newly found wealth brought refined sugar into their diet and they went totally overboard with it. Standard daily snack consists of chewy rice sticks drenched in sugar syrup flavoured with very hot paprika. (Topoki) It's sold on stalls at every street corner. Usually served with boiled pigs' blood and rice sausage! Imagine! Or wait No! Don't! It's absolutely vile.

Or go to one of Seoul's bars and try some 'Fusion' dishes such as ...wait for it...
lettuce leaf loaded with peanut butter, topped with a slice of smoked salmon and half of a ..yes!...cocktail cherry! - Imaginative? Yes....and I'll rather watch sickening, slasher movies than to try 'Fusion' food ever again!

I'v been working in Seoul for two long years now. This country's far removed from the rest of the world. Not only geographically but in the culinary arts too.

Is there hope for the future?

Absolutely none! They don't let kids watch Jamie
:help:

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