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Korean Cuisine by Jane Park


Books

  • Chung, Soon Young. Korean Home Cooking. Boston: Periplus Editions, Ltd, 2002.
    Drinks are a very important part of Korean meals. A tea called bo-ri-cha can be consumed hot or cold and is served during meals. Green tea is also a popular drink in Korea and is made from leaves harvested in China. Some teas are used for medicinal purposes. Ginseng tea is associated with improving stomach ailments, strengthening bones and vital organs, and stimulating the heart. Arrowroot is used to cure bronchitis. Other drinks are served as desserts. A fermented rice drink served with pine nuts is called shi-kae. The most popular Korean drink of all is soju, a drink made from fermented tomatoes. Soju is similar to vodka, except soju comes in many different fruit flavors such as grape, strawberry, and orange.
  • Hepinstall, Hi Soo Shin. Growing up in a Korean Kitchen. Berkeley: Ten Speed Press. 2001.
  • Kwak, Jenny and Liz Fried. Dok Suni. New York: St. Martin's Press, 1998.
  • Price, David Clive and Masano Kawana. The Food of Korea: Authentic Recipes from the Land of Morning Calm. Singapore: Periplus, 2002.
    Korean meals are usually served in increments of 3, 5, 7, or 12 side dishes, not including rice, which is essential in every Korean meal. The typical meal includes four side dishes, ban-chan, kimchee, a soup, and rice. Just like Americans, Koreans consider breakfast the most important meal of the day, followed by lunch, then dinner. Soup is not served as a main dish, but accompany's other side dishes. Unlike Americans, Koreans share everything. The side dishes are set in the middle of the table where everyone can reach over and take what they like. As Korean Americans become more Westernized many no longer share foods in this manner, instead they fill their plates at the very beginning of the meal. Korean Americans have also begun to shy away from other traditional Korean dining practices. For example, while Koreans who follow traditional dining etiquette never lift a bowl or plate off the table or use a spoon for dry foods such as spinach, Korean Americans are less likely to follow those practices.
  • Tsai, Ming, Cheong Leow, and Kong Foong Ling. The Food of Asia. Singapore: Periplus, 2002.
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Newspaper or Magazine Articles

  • Rector, Sylvia. "A Taste of Korea." Detroit Free Press 5 Feb. 2003.
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Newspaper or Magazine Articles on the Internet

  • Adams, Wanda. "BiBim bap: A Taste of Korean Home Cooking." Honolulu Advertiser 15 Jan. 2003. Date Accessed: 3 May 2006 <http://the.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/2003/Jan/15/il/il11ataste.html>.
  • Dorow, Shirley. "Food." Korean Quarterly Fall 1997. Date Accessed: 16 May 2006 <http://www.koreanquarterly.org/issues/ViewArticle.asp?ArticleID=20&IssueID=1>.
  • Jang, Yeunhwa. "Western Influences on Korean Food." TOPICS Online Magazine. 25 Nov. 2004. Date Accessed: 23 May 2006 <http://www.topics-mag.com/globalization/foodkorea.htm>.
    American fast food has definitely influenced Korean food in many different ways. Many spices have been replaced with condiments such as ketchup, mayonnaise, and butter. Koreans born and raised in America prefer their foods less spicy and more salty. Restaurant etiquette has also changed throughout the years. In Korea. it is not typical to tip the waiters/waitresses, but it is becoming the norm to tip at luxury restaurants. Also, instead of eating everything out of one bowl, as do most traditional Koreans, Korean American restaurateurs tend to use separate dishes.
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Personal Interviews

  • Chang, Henry. Personal interview. 12 Apr. 2004.
    Henry Chang is the owner of the Korean American restaurant, 00 Ree Goong Daeng Ee which means "Ducks Behind." 00 Ree Goong Daeng Ee is a chain restaurant with franchises found on the East Coast and in Korea. Along with serving food and beverages, these restaurants provide places to relax with friends and family. When asked about foods served in Korea versus America, Chang immediately pointed to portion size. In Korea, side dishes are smaller and limited in variety. In America, not only are side dishes larger in size but customers are offered more choices. Chang commented on the wastefulness of Korean American restaurants since many of the side dishes, called ban-chan, are thrown away.
  • Green, Olivia. Personal interview. 21 Apr. 2004.
    Olivia Green is a chef and a Korean American adoptee. She worked as a sushi chef for three years. In 1995 she became interested in Korean food and started working as a chef in a Korean restaurant named Korean Palace. Recently she visited Korea to learn to cook Korean food in a more traditional manner. According to Green, the most significant difference she saw in Korean food in America versus Korean food in Korea is the use of spices. She says that in Korea, spices are much more prevalent in food. In America, the spices are replaced with either more tofu or noodles. She also informed me that food served in Korea has much more flavor. It seems in Korea they concentrate more on quality rather than quantity.
  • Kim, Won-Jung. Personal interview. 12 Apr. 2004
    During the 1990s, Won-Jung Kim was a chef at Seoul Soon Doo Boo Jeeb in Korea. He moved to America in 2002 and is now retired. I asked him about the differences between traditional Korean food in Korea and so-called "traditional" Korean foods in America. He said that in Korea, food is much, much spicier and more raw. "Everything in America is overcooked," Kim said. He told me that everything tastes like it is burned in America whereas food in Korea is much juicier. When cooking in the U.S., Kim's friends remark on the spiciness of his food.
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Restaurant Menus

  • Sam Woo Jung. Restaurant menu. Rockville, Maryland. 01 May 2004
    After reviewing Sam Woo Jung's restaurant menu, I noticed many interesting points. All the entrees include descriptions in both English and Korean. Because I am very familiar with Korean foods, I can see that the descriptions are not completely accurate. After interviewing Olivia Green, Henry Chang, and Won-Jung Kim I noticed that descriptions are altered to seem more appealing to American palates. For example, the descriptions of spicy dishes concentrate on vegetable content rather than spiciness. Also, the menu tends to accent starchy dishes that contain noodles and rice.
  • Woo Chon. Restaurant menu. Glen Burnie, Maryland. 22 Apr. 2004.
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Lectures

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Websites

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Asian American Studies Program
University of Maryland Undergraduate Studies