President Lee Loves Stir-fried Zucchini and Peaches... Always Eats Rice Even During Arguments [Current Affairs Show]

President Lee's Habit of Eating Quickly Stems from Childhood Poverty
Even During Arguments, the Couple Pauses to Eat Together
His Favorite Vegetable Side Dish Is Seasoned Zucchini

Kim Hyekyung, the wife of President Lee Jaemyung, published a book in 2018 titled "Making Rice" (Gimm-Young Publishers). Although it is a cookbook, it also contains small stories about President Lee, Mrs. Kim, and their family. Here is a summary of President Lee's eating habits and favorite foods as described in the book.

President Lee's favorite fruit is peach. Mrs. Kim Hyekyung said, "I always keep peaches, which hold memories of my husband from his childhood, stocked in the refrigerator." Source=Gyeonggi Provincial Government

President Lee wrote the foreword for this book. "I have an unusually large number of memories related to eating. In my rural childhood, things were divided into what you could eat and what you couldn't. I don't eat boiled potatoes. I also don't like flour-based foods like sujebi or kalguksu. Baechujeon symbolized family harmony for us. It was the centerpiece of festive days or ancestral rites, when the whole family would gather, laugh, and talk. Baechujeon was the catalyst for sharing devotion and flavor among family members." These recollections suggest that President Lee's upbringing in the impoverished countryside of Andong, North Gyeongsang Province, continues to influence him in many ways.

Mrs. Kim wrote, "(President Lee) doesn't particularly like being served bread instead of rice. Even if the rice is cold and needs reheating, it's rare for him to have a meal centered on bread." For President Lee, rice is extremely important. It is one of the things he must always have. Even during arguments between the couple, they make sure to eat rice. "Even when we fight, we make sure to eat. Even in the middle of a heated argument, when it's time to eat, he insists we have our meal first. So we stop fighting, sit down in silence, and eat together. After clearing the table, it's like the bell rings for round two in a boxing match, and the argument resumes."

In 2018, Kim Hyekyung published the cookbook "Making Rice"

The vegetable side dish President Lee enjoys the most is seasoned zucchini. "(President Lee) prefers vegetables over meat and likes mild, non-spicy foods rather than stimulating ones. At dinner, there are always vegetable side dishes along with meat or fish, but the one that appears most often is seasoned zucchini."

President Lee's favorite fruit is peach. "Perhaps because of childhood memories, my husband has a special fondness for peaches. I always keep the refrigerator stocked with peaches until late summer so we never run out," wrote Kim Hyekyung. According to her, there are likely peaches in the refrigerator at the Hannam-dong official residence right now.

President Lee tends to eat quickly. He said that growing up in poverty made him develop the habit of eating hurriedly.

President Lee tends to eat quickly. Mrs. Kim explained the reason as "because of poverty." "Growing up poor, he developed the habit of eating hurriedly." Mrs. Kim also has a habit of eating quickly, but for a different reason-her younger brothers. Mrs. Kim has two younger brothers. "I ate quickly so I wouldn't lose out in competition with my brothers," she said.

President Lee is also said to like azalea flowers. Mrs. Kim wrote, "(President Lee) likes them because they are edible." Growing up hungry in the mountains of Andong, North Gyeongsang Province, President Lee remembers eating azalea flowers as a child.

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