Netflix’s Chef Table Star Jeong Kwan from Balwoo Gongyang had a Barugongyang workshop and demonstrated Temple food at the fifth “Encounter with Korean Traditional Buddhist Culture” held in New York City.
Temple food is a meal eaten by monks and nuns in temples. However, it does not just mean food. It means appreciating the sincerity of everyone who worked hard until the meal was made, considering the entire process from growing the ingredients to making food as practicing the teachings of Buddha and cultivating oneself.
Temple food is full of wisdom for a sustainable life because it includes ingredients harvested through eco-friendly cultivation, a low-carbon diet that does not use meat, a recipe that utilizes all ingredients, and a way of meal service, called “Barugongyang,” which drinks the water after pouring it into a bowl (“Baru”) and wiping.
If you plan to visit South Korea, you can easily experience and taste Temple food in Seoul. You can just visit the Korean Temple Food Center in Insa-dong, one of the tourist attractions, and take the one-day class “Let’s learn Korean Temple food” in English every Saturday morning.
If it is not easy to find time, it is also good to visit Balwoo Gongyang, the restaurant where you can taste Temple food course meal. This restaurant won Michelin 1 Star for three consecutive years and used seasonal ingredients.
