Venerable Seonjae gained worldwide recognition after appearing on Netflix's cooking competition program "Culinary Class Wars: Season 2," which aired late last year. She said she decided to appear on the show despite objections from those around her, motivated by a desire to share the wisdom of Korean cuisine and temple food with the world.
What she sought to convey was the ancestral wisdom embedded in food. She explained that susu patteok, a sorghum and red bean rice cake eaten on birthdays, strengthens bones, while patjuk, a red bean porridge eaten on the winter solstice, drives cold from the body. "The ancients did not know scientific or medical terms, so they called these 'foods that ward off misfortune,' but the wisdom contained within should not be dismissed," she said.
On "Culinary Class Wars 2," Seonjae left a deep impression by presenting simple, refined dishes featuring natural ingredients, such as pine nut noodles, carrot juice with kimchi brine and carrot soy sauce bibim noodles. However, she noted, "I regret that I could not showcase more dishes using kimchi."
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She has also been active in introducing Korean food culture overseas. She cited the example of presenting temple cuisine at a cultural event held in Germany in 2008. When the government made the request at the time, Seonjae proposed, "I will not just bring the food. We must bring our culture along with it." She prepared traditional vessels such as onggi (earthenware) and wooden bowls, along with dancheong (traditional decorative coloring) and kkotsalmun (flower-patterned lattice doors), to accompany the food. As a result, the event, which had been expected to draw up to 300 people, attracted 1,300 attendees and received an enthusiastic response. "Cooking techniques can be learned quickly, but culture is different," Seonjae said. "If we do not preserve our culture ourselves, we will lose our cultural identity, just as 'kimchi' became 'kimuchi.'"
She cited "health" and "the environment" as reasons Westerners are paying attention to Korean cuisine and temple food. People who have felt the limits of a meat-centered diet have begun to take an interest in vegetarian and fermented foods, she said. "Young people from abroad have come and told me that temple cuisine seems like the hope of the future," she added. "Through food, they came to realize that every living thing in nature exists for me, and I too exist for them."
Asked about her future plans, Seonjae emphasized, "I believe my role is to pass on to future generations the 5,000-year tradition of Korean cuisine and the 1,700-year culture of temple food."
