Japanese Actor and Director Matsushige Yutaka Visits Korea
"Admiring Korean Cuisine for Its Spicy Flavors"
On the 13th, Matsushige Yutaka, who directed and starred in the film, attended the preview press conference of the movie Solitary Gourmet: The Movie held at CGV Yongsan I'Park Mall in Seoul. Photo by Yonhap News.
"There are no borders in soup."
‘Goro-san’ takes a spoonful of onion soup at a quiet restaurant in a French alley and opens his eyes wide. Soup (broth) is a universal menu item found in cuisines around the world. Having traveled across Japan for 12 years savoring various flavors, this time he falls for the refreshing broth taste of Korea.
The long-running popular series ‘Kodoku no Gourmet,’ which aired for 12 years as a late-night drama on TV Tokyo, has been made into a movie. Actor Matsushige Yutaka, who played the lead role, also directed the film. At the press screening of ‘Kodoku no Gourmet The Movie’ held on the afternoon of the 13th at CGV Yongsan in Ichon-dong, Yongsan-gu, Seoul, Matsushige said, "I am happy to have the film screened in Korea across the sea."
On that day, Matsushige appeared on stage wearing a casual black suit with red socks and greeted the audience in Korean, saying "Annyeonghaseyo." He gave Japanese natto snacks featured in the movie as gifts to the Korean press present. Recently appearing in various Korean content and showing a friendly approach, he said, "Young people in Korea enjoy the ‘Kodoku no Gourmet’ series even more than in Japan," adding, "I feel the love on the streets of Korea."
Matsushige was born and raised on the island of Fukuoka, across from Busan. Psychologically, Korea was closer to him than Tokyo. In the movie, Goro drifts to Nampeungdo, a small island in Korea’s southern sea, which carries childhood nostalgia. He said, "When I was young, I thought myeongran (pollock roe) was a Fukuoka dish, but I later found out it came from Korea," adding, "There are no spicy dishes using chili peppers in Japan. For someone who likes spicy flavors, Korean cuisine was an object of admiration."
The key ingredient in the film is dried pollock, called hwangtae. Hwangtae, dried pollock, is a rare ingredient in Japanese cuisine. While the ‘Kodoku no Gourmet’ series features actual restaurants, the hwangtae hangover soup in the movie was independently created for the film. A large amount of hwangtae was procured from Busan to replicate the flavor. Matsushige explained, "There is a place in Ginza, Tokyo, that serves dried pollock soup. The fish hwangtae is familiar, but hwangtae soup is not, so we adopted it as a film ingredient."
Since 2012, ‘Kodoku no Gourmet’ has produced 10 seasons and now meets audiences on the big screen beyond the home. It has expanded from simple gourmet exploration to the meaning behind food. Matsushige said, "It’s not just a simple eating show. The expression of enjoying food and the brief pause creates empathy." He continued, "We film the work while actually hungry. There is no falsehood in the momentary taste. I want to share that delicious moment. Everyone around the world will relate to it."
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