Voting results : “Scenes that Remind Us of Korean ‘Jeong’”

When we asked, “What scene comes to mind when you think of the Korean sentiment of Jeong?”, the most frequent answer was “sharing side dishes or kimchi” (48.8%). This result clearly shows that Korean Jeong is revealed not through grand words or declarations, but rather first through the consideration practiced quietly at the dining table. Warm words such as “Eat more” or “You like this, don’t you?” are certainly important, but there are moments when the heart is delivered even more vividly. Small movements, such as the act of gently pushing a side dish bowl closer so someone can easily reach it with their chopsticks, the act of silently serving another portion of kimchi so it does not run out, or the act of repositioning a soup bowl before it gets cold, make relationships warm. Because it is a culture where the hands express the heart before words, Korean Jeong often remains as “an emotion that is difficult to explain but is immediately understood once experienced.”

The book Recipes for My Daughter by author Gong Ji-young captures that very point in a very everyday manner. In this book, “recipes” do not just mean ways of cooking, but are a method of taking care of oneself when the heart collapses and a way of passing that care on to someone else. It is easy to say “The harder the day, the better you should eat,” but in reality, a meal is often the first thing to be given up in the face of an exhausted mind. However, this book approaches the moment just before that surrender and suggests dishes that are possible within a short time (10 to 15 minutes) rather than a grand banquet. While the food is being prepared, it tells stories of life in a quiet, steady voice, giving the feeling of saying, “It is okay, this is enough for now.” It is a book that offers comfort at the pace of daily life, sometimes with ingredients left in the refrigerator and other times with ingredients easily found at a grocery store.

Recipes for My Daughter

The reason this book feels even more special is that, as the title suggests, it is clearly directed to “my daughter,” yet the message contained within actually reaches every “someone.” We are all someone’s daughter or son, and at the same time, someone’s friend, colleague, or neighbor. Ultimately, the emotion of Jeong does not stay only within the family, but gradually spreads out through everyday relationships. The act of sharing side dishes at the dining table shows that spreading in the easiest way. This is because the heart that says “I am taking care of you” can be expressed through a small plate instead of grand words.

This book is very similar to your voting results of “Jeong equals sharing side dishes and kimchi.” Jeong is not a grand event, but a heart that prevents one from giving up on a meal even on a difficult day, and a heart that ensures that meal is not eaten alone. Sometimes, while preparing long and perfect words to comfort someone, we end up unable to do anything at all. However, the Korean dining table speaks in a different way. “Just sit down.” “Just eat.” And the true meaning of those words is usually close to “You are not alone.” The scene of sharing side dishes and kimchi is the most everyday way of putting that message into practice.

Why not choose one favorite menu from this book, make at least one side dish, and share it with a friend? It does not have to be a grand dish to be enough. Just a single sentence like “I made a little more because I thought of you” or “I thought it would be nice to eat together,” along with a small bowl, can be a great example of explaining Korean Jeong. Perhaps the easiest way to explain Korean Jeong is not to look for a difficult definition, but to create the experience of sharing a spoonful together.

Lastly, in your culture, what action naturally comes to mind when expressing “care” or “affection” through food? It could be any form, such as serving food to someone else first, packing leftovers to take home, or handing someone a warm drink. I believe your answers will become another “language of Jeong.”

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Editor. Hannah Lee (The Contents Factory Co., Ltd. CEO)

Designing ‘More’ Innovative Communication and Experiences Through Content.