Chef yang is talking in Food language with Egyptians

I saw the “Time gate” in the movies and I didn’t know that it exists in reality, so I transferred from the electronic gate to the “Korean culture center” in Dokki, Cairo to find myself in enchanted place, Listen to Korean songs, although I don’t understand Korean language but my heart understood the language of love and honesty coming from their songs, and I found that each place attracts me, in the north I found a glass box for a women and man wearing the traditional cloth for Korean republic “Hanbok” and beside me a large colored drum hanged which attracts my hand to play and listen to its voice, is it the same like the other types of drums or the Korean drums is different? The lights is everywhere to calm my nerves and helps me forget the crowdedness of transportations, and I can hear the footsteps of the employees on the wooden floor as if they are dancing “Klaket” dance, and my happiness is fulfilled with the iced water placed by the door for the visitors to drink.

And by 1:00 PM I crossed another security gate, attracted my sight a gate written over it “ Secrets of the Korean cuisine” in Korean and Arabic language and beside it wooden panel written on it“Cooking Classroom”, so I opened the door to find myself travelling from Egypt to Korea without a plan meeting the Korean calm morning with the sun spreading its rays through the glass windows and draw over it the south Korean flag to lighten the kitchen entirely with a clear light like the milk, and the smell of fresh vegetables which provide my body with spirit, and the Korean Chef “Joonghee Yang” standing in front of a large table as if it is his theatre , the vegetables ,oils and spices all together, He was wearing an apron and white jacket written on it the initials of his name “Chef J.H Yang” and a tall hat, and holding a paper in it the names of the new students and taking the attendance, and all the student gathered around the table made of marble, with a little black oven and water sinks, and the students looking at the chef as if they are looking at the Korean republic, ”Nada- one of the students who dreams to be specialized in cooking ” felt awe she saw the place as it is the kitchen of “Master Chef” a cooking program.

Chef Yang smiled and said “Al Salamo Alyakom” we were happy that he knew our greeting and he started to tell us a story “Kim Bap” in Korean, and Nancy started to translate in Arabic , it’s linked to Korean beautiful memory because they used to take it with them to trips, he printed papers with the picture of the dish and its name in Korean, and wrote the name of the dish in English on a wooden small board, and started to make “Kim Bap” he cooked the eggs and kept turning it with the wooden sticks and we were whispering about his ability to do so, and started to make the “Kim Bap” we turn the eggs with the fork and it doesn’t look well and he cut the vegetables and eggs and sausage longitudinally and in the same size and we though the cut it with the grater and we were surprised that he cut it with the knife, he cooked the stuffing with spinach, carrots , sausages, the main way of cooking in the Korean cuisine is too cook slowly over light fire, but the Egyptian cuisine depends on a lot of ghee and frying.

He stuffed and wrapped the “Kim Bap” then asked us to do the same, when I was wrapping the “Kim Bap” I smelled its herbs which is getting stronger with its strong green color, and the smell of the steamed white Masawi rice and the fried eyes.

Chef “Yang” stopped at “Alaa” who was trying to chop “Kim Bap” and the stuffing was getting out he took the knife from her and he talked in Korean with clarifying with sign language, to stand properly and her eyes on the knife when she is cutting and he acted like her to inform her that her way of standing was wrong, and she laughed at herself.

The first session ended and all the student are waiting to the second session impatiently, although the age difference and the different educations but we all agree on the love of Korea as most of us fill in love with the Korean series such as “Winter sonata”, “My lovely Sam soon”, and the Korean music “Super Senior” through watching “Korean TV Channel” which was closed and we hope it will open soon.

But “Nada” loved Korea when she saw North and South Korea through the satellite, and its shape attracted her to read about the Korean Culture, and we loved at their drama respecting the customs and traditions and keeping their heritage and ethics when dealing with each other.

And now Yang is drawing on the board Seoul and Egypt plan to explain for us through drawing the “Tteokbokki” and it is a light snake started in Seoul then spread in Egypt because he is going to cook it for us today, and tried in this meal to make the Korean taste close to us with what is available in Egypt he put the Babreka soup with the spices and green chili pepper paste and the Japanese spices “Hondashi” and honey instead of Fish cake, we ate the delicious meal we adored the red bright paste and our soul cherished the taste of sweet and sour in the same time, and the Egyptian girl Reem called this meal “Shaqawa- Naughty”  because whenever she went to Korean restaurant in Egypt she fight with her friends over “Tteokbokki” But the “Gungjung tteokbokki” has the taste of royalty with its distinctive ingredients with the soya sauce and sesame oil and meat and Rubber Tteok, and Rabokki” this dish competes with “Tteokbokki” with “Glass Noodles” with the wooden sticks  we know the taste of Reman but Glass Noodles we didn’t taste before, and the wrapping of the chef to “Glass Noodles” with the wooden sticks and the spoon to be put in the dish

The sound of the knife with the chef name written over it, when he is cutting the Chinese cabbage, potato, carrots and onions make us keen to taste the next meal which is “Chuncheon dak galbi” it appeared for the first time in Chuncheon, and this warm dish, with the chicken smooth pieces melts in our mouths, and its chili taste warms our bodies, and the involvement of our friends in cooking it around the stove warms the soul although the rice was cooked in the same pan “ Dak Galbi” but the Kim provided it with distinctive taste of herbs.

As for “Buldak” fooled at us because we though in the beginning it is not chili but after a while we found it very chili, there are students who don’t like chili meals but the dark red color with the melt cheese and the sesame made us race to try the dish after a second and half the dish was empty.

In the 3^rd session it was the “Kimchi” Turn and it is a side dish the Egyptians dreams of trying it because they have seen it a lot in the Korean drama, and loved the way the Korean prepared it, that’s why all are listening carefully and writing what the chef says eagerly, Chef Yang prepared Beachu Kimchi , Geotjori, Oi- Sobagi, Gosu Kimchi and in Beachu Kimichi he added Cilantro to the red chili pepper paste which add to it the green color and the Egyptian taste and made us smell and taste the mixture which is made for Kimchi and touch the watch which the shrimps is socked in, and smell the fish oil and because its strong smell we laughed and we closed our eyes and I love the Beachu Kimchi the vegetables that I can hear its freshness when I am chewing it

And at the break Nada brought out white flour and Kim out of her bag which she bought today, and we fought when I told her if we watched Chef Yang? She said his Name is Joong hee, and the fight was ended when we saw that his last name us Yang and his first name is Joong Hee, and he asked us to call him Chef Yang to make it easy for us to pronounce it, because it is well-known in Egypt that the first name is the person’s name and the last name is the family name.

Days runs quickly to find ourselves in the fourth session and the it is the session before the last one, to learn the art of cutting he put in front of us a plate of cucumber, onion and potatoes and we learned the most important thing is to bend our fingers to the back while cutting, and the food size is the same size whether small, medium or largeand when he saw the students cutting the cucumber quickly, he told them is slang “Shwaia Shewaia” easy – easy which means cut it easy and slowly so the food will look good  and all have the same size  and he ended his talking with Mashi in Egyptian slang which means “OK” we tried to cut it some did it right and others didn’t, but he was happy with our trial because it is our first time.

The Korean sweets is different from the Egyptian sweets, it is distinctive by the rice flour and uses natural flavors like honey, But the Egyptian sweets depend on Wheat flour and the white sugar, Koreans eats sweets on occasions and they don’t eat it after meals, But Egyptians eat their meals then drink tea then eat sweets.

We ate “Yak Bap” which is rich in Nuts and raisins and “Meajak Gwa” which is close to the Egyptian “Aroset El Moled” which is made on the occasion of the Prophet Mohamed birth and drank “Sujeonggwa” and its ingredients are Cinnamon, Dates, which released me from fatigue and the heat of the summer in seconds.

What is more beautiful that having a table filled with Korean Dishes , “Kim Bap”, “Kimchi” and soup and the main dishes are “Bulgogi” and “Dakgalbi” and soup “Doenjang Jjigae”, side dishes like japchae”“  , zucchini , potatoes , carrots, eggplant, cooked meat, sweets like Yak Bap and Sujeonggwa” drink one table gathers Egyptians, Koreans tasting meals that they both love, and watch them while they are eating with chopsticks , and we try to eat with it, sometimes we succeed in picking the food and sometimes we fail and pick it with a spoon while we are laughing at ourselves, we need training to know how to eat with it.

The workshop is finished and everyone is happy inside the Korean Culture center” Menna, Nancy and Yasmine” are responsible of translating from Korean to Arabic, they gave Alaa the hope that there is nothing impossible in learning the language, as Reem saw that the center made her dream came true and making the secrets of Korean cooking workshop came true which means that the center cares for them.

Chef Yang is organized and proud of his country through is efficacy and creativity in cooking, and if he promised something he makes it happen and his continuous trials to simplify his explanation through drawing and sign language and pronouncing some words in Arabic slang and the greatest language of all is the language of cooking using it we didn’t feel the language barrier.

Everyone will go home and cook Korean food to his family and friends and eat with chopsticks while watching Running man, and Abnormal summit, they love the Korean food simple and distinctive, Reem says although the similarity between Bibimbap and Koshary and Kim Bap and Mahshi I can see that the Korean food has its own special taste . And loves Korea which changed their daily regime and made them unique and their character is changing to the better and made their problems easier and link their dreams to traveling to Korea, and dream that the singing band like EXO will sing in Egypt and they promise you that there will be no single ticket remaining, and there will be many trips in Egypt that gathers Egyptians and Koreans, and the channel “Korea TV” will broad cast again.

Once again I crossed the Time gate to go back to Egypt and the smell of the soya sauce, sesame oil and red chili pepper attached to my soul.