Chef Choi Serves 200 Bowls of Tteokguk in Seoul Station Gosiwon Area
Personally Delivers Rice Cake Soup to Elderly Residents
Star chef Choi Hyun-seok, familiar to us through various cooking programs, took part in sharing 200 servings of rice cake soup (tteokguk) on the second day of the Lunar New Year holiday, the 26th.
On that day, Yonhap News reported that Chef Choi prepared the tteokguk sharing event together with the Seoul Metropolitan Seoul Station Gosiwon Counseling Center in the gosiwon area near Seoul Station in Dongja-dong, Yongsan-gu, Seoul. Chef Choi, assistant chefs, and counseling center staff gathered early to prepare tteokguk to serve 200 residents. They also personally cooked assorted jeon such as zucchini pancakes and donggeurangttaeng from the day before and prepared snacks.
Chef Choi Hyun-seok is serving tteokguk delivered to elderly residents of the jjokbangchon. Photo by Yonhap News
Chef Choi said, "Since I make a living by eating, I believe in sharing through food," adding, "I hope they feel happy as if their grandchildren or sons have come to visit during the holiday." Yu Ho-yeon, the head of the counseling center, also said, "Most residents are not in a situation to meet their families," and "I hope they come, have a bowl of tteokguk, and spend the holiday well."
Around the serving time of 11 a.m., the counseling center parking lot, which had been empty, was filled with gosiwon residents. One resident, upon entering the parking lot, shouted "Thank you" and went to find Chef Choi inside the food truck, expressing gratitude by saying, "Thank you for coming to this difficult neighborhood and not resting even on the holiday..." Baek Gwang-heon (68) said, "Many have lived in gosiwon for 10 to 20 years, suffering from depression and avoiding communication with each other," adding, "It's indescribably happy to see the place bustling after a long time." Hong Yi (62) said, "Normally, I would just cook ramen or eat cold rice to get by for a meal," and "It's hard to eat tteokguk during the holidays, but thanks to this, I had a warm meal today."
After serving, Chef Choi and counseling center staff also personally delivered tteokguk to elderly residents with mobility difficulties.
Chef Choi Hyun-seok is serving tteokguk to residents of the jjokbangchon area at a tteokguk sharing food truck event held near the Seoul Station jjokbang counseling center on the second day of the Lunar New Year holiday, the 26th in the morning. Photo by Yonhap News
Lee Bok-gi (82), a national merit recipient living on the second floor of a gosiwon building reached after climbing steep stairs, received the tteokguk and repeatedly said, "Thank you." Lee, who was deployed to the Vietnam War in January 1965 and spent one and a half years on the battlefield, reportedly came to Seoul after failing in business in Daegu and has lived here for over 20 years. He said, "I have nowhere to go during the holidays, so I just stay at home," and "I don't know how grateful I am for the tteokguk."
Chef Choi Hyun-seok appeared in last year's Netflix hit "Black & White Chef: Culinary Class War" and is currently appearing on JTBC's entertainment program "Please Take Care of My Refrigerator."
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