"Park Geun-hye, Only 20g of Side Dishes Like Namul" 20-Year Blue House Chef Reveals President's Taste Preferences

In Charge of Meals for 5 Presidents Over 20 Years
"Noh Most Memorable... Always Praised by Staff"

Chefs with 20 years of experience at the Blue House, Cheon Sang-hyun, revealed behind-the-scenes stories related to the meals of past presidents. Cheon, the first Chinese cuisine chef at the Blue House, started working there in 1998 during the late (go) Kim Dae-jung administration and was responsible for the meals of a total of five presidents over 20 years until former President Moon Jae-in in 2018.

On the 23rd, Cheon named former President Kim as the greatest big eater on KBS 2TV's 'Park Won-sook's Let's Live Together.' Although his food intake gradually decreased over time, during the first two years of his term, he reportedly had a meal volume comparable to that of a judo athlete.

Kim especially liked fresh (not fermented) skate sashimi. Cheon said, "Once you get used to it, it is as delicious as fermented skate from Heuksando," adding, "The fish meat tastes like injeolmi (Korean rice cake). It's truly a delicacy."

Cheon named the late former President Roh Moo-hyun as the president he felt closest to and missed the most. He said, "Although he was the president of a country, he felt like the man next door," and even became teary-eyed.

He continued, "Former President Roh ate well anytime and anywhere without being picky about the food we served," and "He always praised the staff, saying things like 'It was very delicious today' and 'Please cook it like this again.'"

Former President Park Geun-hye was called the 'human scale' because she ate such precise amounts of food that even the staff were surprised. Cheon said, "You might think former President Park was picky, but she was not," adding, "She was modest and ate only 20g of various vegetable side dishes. Even if we served more than enough, she ate exactly 20g each."

Chef Cheon Sang-hyun of the Blue House.
[Image source=Cheon’s Instagram]

Former President Lee Myung-bak ate hot stone pot soy sauce egg rice as a health food when he had no appetite. Also, former President Moon Jae-in had a similar taste to former President Roh and enjoyed eating raw fish and gukbap (soup with rice), Cheon said.