[Book Sip] "Stay for a Meal" Island Village Hospitality... Let's See What They Ate

Editor's NoteSome sentences encapsulate the entire content of a book, while others instantly resonate with readers, creating a connection with the book. Here, we excerpt and introduce such meaningful sentences from the book.

The author, born and raised on an island, has spent over 20 years traveling around islands nationwide, recording the history, culture, and food of the islands through what they have seen, heard, and felt. The author says that thanks to the islanders’ hospitality, who freely invite passing travelers to “come eat,” they were able to document the islands’ traditional food culture. The book introduces 24 island dining tables and 25 island food stories. From haenyeo (female diver) meals to communal tables, from buckwheat cold noodles to nakji horong (octopus skewers), it conveys the diverse stories contained in the tables and dishes.

As the seafood harvesting dividends stabilized and brought happiness to the residents of Janggo Island, word spread, and nearby islands began to follow Janggo Island’s example. Now, places like Oeyeondo, Hodo, Nokdo, and Sapsido in Boryeong also provide seafood harvesting dividends. Of course, income from clam farming and other aquaculture is separate. In Janggo Island’s case, the fishing cooperative leads clam farming alongside sea cucumber and abalone farming. When the tide recedes, Janggo Island residents can go out to the mudflats to dig clams. - p.31, from “People Who Made a Treasure Island with Just One Sea Cucumber_ Janggo Island”

At Jecheong, rows of tables prepared with care by every household of Jukdo residents are set out. As the island declined, the number of tables, once up to 80, has now decreased to about 20. If the Byeolsingut ritual disappears, the island’s traditional food culture, passed down for hundreds of years, will vanish as well. Gaebul skewers, octopus vinegar, clam ogajebi, sea cucumber skewers... Where else can you see such dishes if not at Byeolsingut? Byeolsingut is not just a ritual but a driving force leading the island’s traditional culture. The island’s traditional culture and native food are prescriptions to revive the fading island. - p.84, from “The Last Remaining Namhaean Byeolsingut Table_ Tongyeong Jukdo”

The lunch table was set. Warm rice just cooked, grilled fish, spicy rockfish stew, and braised abalone made for a feast. Hungry, I shamelessly cleaned my bowl and side dishes. Most small, remote islands have no restaurants. Yet, I have never missed a meal on such islands. I filled my stomach with a more delicious and abundant table than at any restaurant on a large island. The less developed and more sparsely populated the island, the more generous the hospitality. So the phrase I hear most often while traveling such islands is “Come eat before you go.” What kind of heart is it to grill fish, cook soup, and set a table for a traveler you will never see again? Isn’t this truly the table of life in an era full of killings? That heart is also the heart of a bodhisattva. - p.109, from “The Bodhisattva’s Table_ Hataedo”

The people of Hwahwa Island take pride in not cooking at home. All residents have their three meals a day at the village restaurant. This came about as tourists flocked to the island and the women’s association began operating the village hall as a restaurant. The women’s association members use the profits from selling food to tourists to prepare meals for all village residents. Many elderly live alone on the island. Few had proper meals at home, often just eating roughly. But with the village restaurant, they earn money and cook together, sharing meals, making the island village brighter and healthier. The women’s association members say, “Let’s not be greedy for money.” They know better than anyone that just cooking and eating together and living harmoniously is great happiness. - p.127, from “No One Cooks at Home on Our Island_ Yeosu Hwahwa Island”

Daily Island Tables | Written by Kang Jeyoon | Adult Time | 280 pages | 19,000 KRW