[Joseonggwan's Global Humanities Journey] A Civilizational Study on Gejang and Sushi

"Raw Food" Is a Human Taste Instinct

European civilization has long despised 'raw food.' A prime example of this is encapsulated in the word 'Eskimo.' Since Columbus landed in the West Indies in 1492, adventurers from England, France, Spain, and Portugal thoroughly explored the continents of North and South America.

Some even approached the Arctic Circle to pioneer the Northwest Passage, the shortest route to India. They encountered indigenous people in the Arctic. The natives hunted reindeer and seals and ate them sliced with knives. White explorers were horrified to see natives eating meat dripping with blood raw. How could they do that! The white explorers called them 'Eskimo,' meaning 'people who eat raw meat.' The racist term 'Eskimo' was used for over 400 years. I also used the term Eskimo when I was ignorant. Now, no one refers to the Mongolian indigenous people living in the Arctic as Eskimo; they are called Inuit.

Frozen Arctic char on a cutting board in an Inuit household. Photo by Seonggwan Jo

In April 2004, I spent two weeks reporting in Nunavut, the Inuit autonomous territory in the Canadian Arctic. I stayed with an Inuit family in Pangnirtung and observed their lifestyle. Inuit families eat hunted caribou and fish caught by fishing, such as Arctic char (a freshwater fish related to salmon), both raw and cooked. In Iqaluit, the capital of Nunavut, restaurants sell caribou meat and Arctic char slightly frozen under the name 'kooling.' Eating raw meat has been a long-standing survival method for the Inuit. In an environment where fresh vegetables are hard to come by, they obtain the lacking vitamin C through raw meat.

Caribou (left) and Arctic char sashimi sold at a restaurant in Iqaluit, Nunavut. Photo by Seonggwan Cho

The Civilizational Significance of Sushi

The country that introduced 'raw food' to the United States was Japan. Until then, Westerners only ate oysters raw. They could not even imagine other raw foods. When Japanese people opened sushi (壽司) restaurants in Manhattan, New York, Americans gradually became familiar with raw food. In 1963, Kawafuku (川福), a Japanese restaurant, opened on East 52nd Street in Manhattan's Japan Town. Kawafuku served traditional Japanese cuisine, including sushi.

Three main factors contributed to sushi restaurants, initially frequented mainly by Japanese, spreading throughout New York City. First, it was closely related to Japan's national power. As Japan's economy rapidly grew, New Yorkers naturally became interested in the food culture of this economic powerhouse.

Second, the spatial uniqueness of New York played a role. New York is a melting pot that compresses the characteristics of the United States. Various ethnic groups formed communities, allowing New Yorkers to taste diverse ethnic cuisines according to their preferences. Sushi was initially accepted as one of many ethnic foods.

Lastly, New Yorkers' desire for healthy food was a factor. In reaction to processed foods represented by fast food, people sought fresh and nutritious food, and 'raw food' satisfied that desire.

Sushi served as omakase. Photo by Seonggwan Cho.jpg

The decisive factor for sushi taking root on Wall Street was a premium strategy. High earners on Wall Street frequented high-end sushi restaurants, and visiting such places became a symbol of success. Sitting at the counter, ordering sushi in Japanese, and naming the types of sushi served in omakase in Japanese became the standard of a cultured gourmet. The perception that 'what you eat is who you are' spread, and sushi came to signify success.

This raises a question: how can we explain white people, who have shared a collective unconscious cautioning against 'raw food' for thousands of years, suddenly enjoying 'raw food'?

Among the 50 states that make up the United States, 21 border the sea. People born in central inland states like Wyoming, Nebraska, Kansas, Iowa, and Missouri mostly first encountered fish in frozen form. They microwaved or fried it. Even if they caught fish by fishing in lakes or rivers, they always fried or boiled it before eating.

Eric John, former U.S. ambassador to Thailand and currently president of Boeing Korea, is from the American Midwest and has also worked at the U.S. Consulate in Busan. Reading his newspaper column titled 'Discovering Korean Cuisine by Eating Sashimi for the First Time in Gwangalli' caught my attention.

'Whenever I eat sashimi, I recall the first dinner with U.S. consulate staff in Busan at Gwangalli Fish Market. We chose fresh fish directly from the tank, and soon a grand table of live fish sashimi was set with fish heads blinking slowly... It was no exaggeration to say that encountering such fresh fish for the first time opened a new world to me.'

Reflecting on Eric John's words about 'opening a new world,' does it mean he newly discovered the taste of live fish sashimi, which did not exist in his taste instincts? Or does it mean that a part of his taste instincts, dormant for a long time, was newly awakened?

Faced with such questions, we must turn to anthropology. The ancestors of modern humans are Homo sapiens. Then, who were the ancestors of Homo sapiens? Hominins, small human species. Homo sapiens evolved from hominins living in East Africa. As Homo sapiens left Africa and spread worldwide, the hominin genome was passed on.

Anthropology's consensus is that the discovery of fire occurred during the Homo erectus period. With fire, humanity took its first step into civilization. It warmed the body and allowed cooked food, gradually increasing human lifespan. Considering humanity's long history, the time of eating 'raw food' is much longer than that of eating cooked food. Therefore, might the genome passed from hominins to Homo sapiens include a taste for raw food?

Why Is Soy Sauce Marinated Crab So Addictive?

In Korean cuisine, representative 'raw foods' are gejang (marinated crab) and yukhoe (raw beef). I like yukhoe. Every time yukhoe touches my taste buds, a subtle excitement arises. Its blood-red color and fishy taste awaken primal desires. Thinking about it now, this is because my taste instincts harbor the hunting lifestyle's primal instincts. All primal human desires contain a trace of fishiness.

Raw beef served at a restaurant. Photo by Getty Images Korea

Among yukhoe and gejang, the most addictive is undoubtedly soy sauce marinated crab (ganjang gejang). Once you acquire a taste for gejang, it is hard to quit. An acquaintance whose daughter studies in the U.S. said this:

"Whenever my daughter returns home, she always wants to eat ganjang gejang the most. I don't like ganjang gejang and have never served it at home, but strangely, my daughter looks for it first when she comes to Korea."

When their son, who works, came home on his first military leave, his wife asked, "What do you want to eat the most?" He answered, "I want to eat ganjang gejang."

Soy Sauce Marinated Crab. Photo by Seonggwan Cho

Why has ganjang gejang become the soul food of the younger generation returning home after a long time? What exactly is ganjang gejang? In Mapo, Seoul, there is a restaurant famous for ganjang gejang. It is a favorite among Japanese expatriates. Japanese people who have finished working in Seoul say that the first thing they think of when they think of Seoul is ganjang gejang. They cannot forget its addictive taste and return to Seoul again. Hirokazu Koreeda, the Japanese film director who directed 'Sea Village Diary,' is a ganjang gejang enthusiast. Whenever he comes to Korea, he always eats ganjang gejang at least once.

Gejang is a truly mysterious food. It is undoubtedly raw since it is not cooked. However, it is not 100% raw. It is marinated in soy sauce, which removes the raw fishy taste unique to raw food.

Keungiwajip, located in Gahoe-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul, is a ganjang gejang specialty restaurant. It is the only restaurant in Korea awarded a Michelin star for ganjang gejang. Han Young-yong, the third-generation owner, says, "Humans have an instinctive taste for raw food."

"The first food a person eats after birth is breast milk. Mother's milk is raw. Humans instinctively remember raw food. Think about why raw food is offered at the Seokjeon Daeje (a Confucian ritual). In all civilizations, raw food is placed on ritual tables. This is because food untouched by human hands is considered sacred."

This statement awakens taste instincts we had not realized. It naturally makes one nod in agreement. Returning to sushi (壽司), sushi is a combination of raw and cooked. It is a delicate harmony of natural raw food and fire-cooked food. Why do we feel happiness when dipping sushi in soy sauce? Perhaps it is because of the harmony between primal taste and civilized taste.