Hello!
Guess where I'm at right now.
Oh, and guess what I'm doing.
You'll never be able to guess correctly.
Why? Because the circumstances are simply incredible.
And it's a long story at that.
I'll tell you the whole thing.
I visited Korea 1 or 2 years ago,
and there,
I met a public servant.
It was just that one time.
He said he was a 'civilian communications promotion officer.'
We'll ask him exactly what he does
...when he arrives here soon.
Call it a coincidence;
Turns out he's visiting Wuhan right now.
He's attending a Korea-China cultural exchange summit.
And I myself am in Wuhan for the next two days because of my schedule.
I'm at Gardener's Fun in Wuhan.
This is a rare opportunity,
...so I plan to give him a V.I.P. reception right here.
I'm going to treat him to lunch.
The director-in-chief has been in China for a few days now.
He's probably only had Wuhan food up to now.
I don't think he's had a chance to have some Korean food.
So today, I'll be cooking a traditional Korean Food...
...called Samkyetang, a summertime Korean favorite.
I've made Samkyetang before.
I've also prepared another dish.
This small lotus root is a Hubei specialty.
I think I've showed it to you before.
It's only harvested in early summer,
...so it's perfect timing given the season.
I don't think you can get these in any other region.
So I wanted him to get to try these.
They're a seasonal Hubei specialty, after all.
I'm boiling the chicken.
I'll boil it for 40~60 mins.
What I'm chopping right now is the lotus roots.
I've showed you the many ways you can eat lotus roots, right?
Today, I'll be cooking it the most common way: spicy, and fried.
Let's prepare the garlic.
This should be enough.
-Hi, Amanda.
-Hello!
My guest is here already.
The samkyetang will soon be ready,
So I'll serve him some appetizers he can have in the meantime.
It's been so long. 00:02:11.66,00:02:12.70 Please hold for the samkyetang.
Please enjoy these in the meantime.
Let me explain what these are.
These are mangoes preserved in pepper and salt.
These are okras.
When I was in Seoul that time, my schedule was so busy...
So I didn't get to have a proper conversation with Mr. Director-in-Chief.
I finally get to do so with this opportunity.
-I am the director of civilian communication promotions in Seoul.
My job is to inform the citizens of Seoul about city projects and other necessary info.
-What meeting are you attending in Wuhan?
-(Omitted)Marketing wise... Collaborating with influencers like Amanda here...
...to promote stuff...we came here hoping we could learn from their experience.
(*Talking)
-I heard Koreans eat samkyetang a lot during the summertime.
-The summer heat can be exhausting.
Jinseng paired with Chicken is a great energy-booster.
So in Korea, it's commonly regarded...
...as a dish that helps you beat the summer heat.
-It's ready.
Lunch is served.
Please enjoy.
-That looks delicious. I'll try the soup first.
It's delicious!
Delicious!
You could open a restaurant in Seoul!
-Really? I'll do that if I get a chance.
What local food have you had in Wuhan?
-Local food... Oh, ruganmen! and tofu dishes. I had those a lot.
They were easy on my Korean tastebuds.
Ruganmen is a favorite of the Wuhan people.
Breakfast is considered very important in Wuhan.
So people of Wuhan have breakfast everyday.
They really fill themselves up.
-Amanda, this is a book that informs about many different things in Seoul.
In here, you can find various marketplaces of Seoul City.
You can try all sorts of food in these marketplaces.
One of such food is the nokdujeon. (Mung bean pancakes)
It's like a pancake made with Mung beans.
It's really good.
-I don't think I've had anything made from mung beans here.
Are they sweet? Or are they salty?
-They've got a subtle flavor, but they're very savory.
-Can I see? -You can keep it.
Thank you.
-It's not just food... Tourist hotspots, scenic routes... They're all in there.
-It's like a travel guide; it's organized so neatly and prettily.
I'll be sure to have this handy next time I'm in Seoul.
The second dish is almost ready.
Please wait a bit more.
First, try this.
It's called outai. Have you had these before?
-It's good.
-They're young lotus roots.
-These are famous, right?
-The Hubei region is known for their lotus roots.
There's many lakes here, which means many lotus roots.
There are numerous ways you can cook these lotus roots.
These small ones...
...are the specialty of this region.
You can only have these around this time of the year.
-They're soft and delicious.
-It's the same texture of lotus roots, but softer.
Also, try this drink.
-I want a refill.
-How are you liking Chinese food?
What was your favorite?
-Pak choi... and pork belly fried in soy sauce. I really enjoy those.
-My Korean friend tells me that recently...
Chinese food is gaining popularity in Korea.
What Chinese dishes have you had?
Among the popular ones.
-Hot pots, a type of shabu-shabu dish, is quite popular nowadays.
Many new restaurants are opening.
-My Korean management team told me before...
...that the Wang-hongs(influencers) of China are quite popular in Korea, too.
-Yes. So when creators from China or other countries come to Seoul,
We often provide them with recording and broadcasting studios, and filming locations.
-Yeah? Equipment and filming locations?
That's so nice.
-Thank you.
Amanda, thank you so much for your food and hospitality today.
And I've prepared a small gift.
It's an apron you can use while you cook.
-The packaging is so pretty.
It's an apron!
-It looks good on you. You look great.
-Thank you so much.
-To learn about many things in Seoul, you can visit chinese.seoul.go.kr.
If you visit the website, you can see many beautiful photos and videos of Seoul.
Speaking of video, we recently made a film featuring Steve McCurry, the famous photographer.
It contains many beautiful sights of Seoul. If you watch that video...
Hello, my name is Steve McCurry.
Seoul has more than 2000 years of history.
But it's also looking towards its future.
While biking and walking around in the city,
You can really feel a sense of coexistence.
The coexistence between the past and the future,
and the coexistence between the people.
-I would like to sincerly thank you, director.
Thank you for taking the time out of your busy schedule to meet me.
I hope this lunch is the first of many more.
-Thank you, Amanda. See you in Seoul!