Bahraini reporter gets 'Up-Close with Korea'

By Park Sae-jin Posted : April 18, 2016, 17:25 Updated : April 18, 2016, 17:29

Mansoora A. Ammer Al-Jamri, a journalist from Bahrain's Al Wasat is attending a Korean cuisine lesson[Aju News DB]



"'Hansik' (Korean cuisine in Korean terms) is the doorway to get up and close with Seoul, the capital city of South Korea. You will get to know the city and fall in love by doing so."

Mansoora A. Ammer Al-Jamri, a journalist from Bahrain's Al Wasat described Hansik in a report on her visit to Korea. The Journalist pointed out that the local cuisine is the first key to understanding the history and delicate traditions of Korea.

The journalist was not familiar with anything Korean before her visit to the nation located far-east from her motherland. She was invited to Seoul, Korea by The Korean Culture and Information Service of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism as a part of a cultural program. Mansoora was delighted to experience the city up-close.

First encounter with Hansik – The vegetarian surprise
 

Mansoora A. Ammer Al-Jamri, a journalist from Bahrain's Al Wasat is trying Korean cuisine for the first time in her life. [Aju News DB]



On the first day of the visit, Mansoora was invited to a vegetarian Korean restaurant by two coordinators. There she was introduced to a traditional form of Korean food, which she never came across before. Considering the journalist's religion, the foods were prepared to be free of meat, poultry, alcohol, and animal fat.

After arriving at the restaurant with grandeur and kind greetings from the kitchen staff members, Mansoora was introduced to a warm cup of ginseng tea. She recalled the tea aroused her appetite. She wrote that she did not want to take the tea because it was served cold and was hungry from the long travel from home, but when she took a sip, everything changed. She felt a strong urge to try every Korean tea she came across with. Luckily, she was able to enjoy many different kinds of tea during her stay and she enjoyed it.

Main dishes and side dishes served with seaweed, herbs, and rice was a fresh experience for the journalist. She loved the salmon salad although she was afraid to try it because she had an allergic reaction to seafood when she was young.

"The salmon salad with citron dressing was fascinating," Mansoora wrote. "It was totally OK for me to eat salmon. Nothing happened. The salad became my first step towards Hansik and made the effort much easier."

But it wasn't the salmon salad which surprised the journalist the most. It was fried lotus roots. Mansoora said that she was reluctant to try the fried roots at first but soon emptied the dish after trying a bite.

After enjoying a good meal prepared with herbs and various vegetables, she then finally realized the meaning of "Korea with four distinctive seasons". Mansoora pointed out how diverse the Korean tabletop gets as season changes, and was fully satisfied with it.

Encounter with Jjimdak – Korean traditional chicken vegetable soup
 

Mansoora A. Ammer Al-Jamri, a journalist from Bahrain's Al Wasat is visiting Kyungdong Sijang, a traditional market. [Aju News DB]



During her visit to Seoul, Mansoora took an opportunity to try making a Korean dish at "OME Cooking Lab". She was taught by Chef Kim Min-sun, who prepared halal chicken just for Mansoora. She also enjoyed shopping at a traditional market "Kyungdong Sijang" for other recipes.

During the cooking lesson, Chef Kim taught Mansoora about the basics of Korean cooking. The "five tastes" (sweetness, saltiness, bitterness, sourness, and savory taste) are the essentials of Korean cuisine.

Masoora describes "jjimdak" as a soup with a variety of herbs and vegetables. She was also surprised that the cuisine did not take very long to make. She also prepared the jjimdak soup along with rice and other soup made of herbs.

Mansoora points out that it was the right choice to accept the Korean Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism's offer to visit Korea and was happy while getting to know about the Korean food. She also lost several kilograms during her stay in Seoul, which she praised "well-beingness" of Korean food over the triumph.


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