JAMES MULCAHY: In case you guys don't know me,
I'm James Mulcahy.
I work for Zagat, which is owned by Google.
I'm the executive video producer for all the Zagat
videos that we do around the country on YouTube.
So I was super excited, because I work with YouTube all
the time, to be interviewing Chef Maangchi today,
who, as you probably know, if you didn't have her [INAUDIBLE]
already, is a YouTube sensation, with over 670,000 subscribers,
videos about Korean cooking, and a new cookbook that
just came out.
Which is what she's here to talk about today.
So I'm going to give the floor to her for a little bit so she
can tell you the background and how she got started and about
her book a little bit.
Then I'll chat with her and ask a few questions.
And then, of course, we're excited to have
everyone in the audience ask questions today.
I think I see a few trays, actually,
probably from the Truck Pit that have her food in it.
So do you want to get started?
MAANGCHI: Yeah, thank you, James.
Thank you, guys, thank you for coming to see me here.
And so today's my very special day.
My special day, why?
A few years ago, 2011, I came here exactly.
And at Google, this office, I made Korean shaved ice
with a sweet red bean.
It's called patbingsu.
And this is for 200 employees.
I made this with other my YouTube creators.
That was a big hit.
So and then now, four years later, 2011, this year, 2015, I
came here with my cookbook.
See?
Look at that.
Hey.
You know.
This is YouTube.
I mean, YouTube and Google.
They saved my life.
And in 2007 the first time I posted my video on YouTube.
I'm teaching Korean cooking through my video.
And then at the time I never knew
that this kind of a success would be coming.
But now it is exactly like 2011 I came,
2015 with my own cookbook.
This book is made with Tapnotes Publishing Company, Houghton
Mifflin.
And the best of the best editor, my cowriter, all book people.
I cannot imagine.
I couldn't imagine.
So this book has sold all around the world at bookshops.
So this is real success.
Without Google and YouTube company, I couldn't make it.
Plus, my reader, my audience who trust my recipe.
So they love, love, love my recipe.
All around the world they learn Korean cooking
from my website and my video.
That's why I'm here.
And also on other things, I'm very honored
to sit here today is that you guys taste my food.
I didn't make it.
Your Google chef, I made Google chef
cook my recipes from cookbook.
Can you imagine?
Oh, my god, this is very success, successful.
So when I started my video for the first time in 2007,
I was working as a family counselor in Toronto, Canada.
My mom said, Mom, I'm busy these days
and I'm doing some YouTube video.
My mom said, what about your job?
My mom is kind of really reluctant to encourage me.
But now my story about me was in "New York Times,"
a huge article recently.
My book was published May 19 this year.
And then "New York Times," the article about me,
huge in the story.
And then my mom is living in LA, Koreatown.
She doesn't understand English.
Her friends always speaking Korean.
Her friends, hey, your daughter is in the Korean "Hanguk Ilbo,"
the "Hanguk Ilbo" is the Korean newspaper
in LA and in all America.
They translate, basically, oh, Maangchi is Korean born.
This is the "New York Times," and "New York Times" reporter
said, blah, blah, blah.
And then now my mom is so proud of me.
She said, oh, I'm Maangchi's mom.
So she's so proud of me these days.
So things have changed like this.
And today I tasted the recipes from my cookbook food made.
Korean black bean noodles.
You know, did you taste black bean noodles?
Black sauce, kind of noodles on top, kind of black noodles.
Oh, my god.
I gave a lot, a lot of co compliment this to your chef
because so tasty.
And they said, oh, this is easy, easy to follow because you
made the really nice cookbook.
And also your japchae, stuffed fried noodles with vegetables,
so good.
Also multigrain rice.
That's my cookbook recipe.
Oh, my god.
And of all the dishes I tasted, this is awesome.
And you know, how much I'm honored to be here.
Think about this.
Four years ago, not many people trusted my recipe.
But I'm here as a cookbook author in the mainstream.
In the mainstream, people acknowledge my ability,
and then I'm just sitting here.
OK.
I just talked about my story, what I did in Korea.
I was born, raised, and lived in Korea.
And also I cooked for my family for years and years.
I'm just the typical Korean housewife who loves cooking.
And when I was young, ever since I was young,
I was very, very interested in delicious food.
You guys interested in delicious food?
[LAUGHTER]
I met some guys I met in New York a few years ago.
He said, I don't like food.
So kind of rare.
I don't like food, but, you know, I just thought,
OK, you should be hungry.
Maybe you will love.
Anyway, when I was in Korea, I never
went to any culinary school.
I never learned, actually, recipe from any cookbook.
All the recipes are just naturally cooking,
home cooking.
And from my mom, my grandmothers, two grandmothers,
two sides, both sides, my aunts and relatives.
Even marketplace.
And then when I taste something good,
and then I got to learn how to make it.
That's the difference.
A lot of my friends, they love delicious food,
but they don't want to learn how to make it.
But in my case, I want to learn.
My eyes are just on fire, oh, how can I make it?
And if I taste it, really tasty, I come home, try to recreate.
And then luckily I can taste some food,
and then I know that, hm, how it's made, hm, what's inside.
I can figure out easily.
So ever since I was young, like, my whole families, my mom's
side, aunts, and then when I taste it, like,
who is the best version of each dish?
I can just acquire to determine.
And then for example, there's a Korean some kind
of soup every day.
Everybody loves this kind of soup.
Soybean sprout soup.
Because it sounds good?
Very healthy.
Soybean sprout soup.
I visited my aunt's house, my aunt, my mom's younger sister's
house.
Two hours distance from where I used to live.
And then my aunt gave me this Korean soybean sprout soup.
Different.
I taste it.
And she added dried anchovies.
And to make that like really umami food taste,
savory, make it savory.
And also she added some hot pepper flakes there
and some onion, chopped onion.
Plus, and she cooked that, ground
toasted sesame seeds on top.
And then I was going to eat my meal, my aunt said, wait.
And with this rice, you need this radish kimchi.
So radish kimchi coming.
Radish kimchi was a little fermented, so it tastes tangy.
Crunchy.
So I added.
My aunt asked me how to eat this.
Oh, my god, unbelievable.
This is so, so tasty.
Much better than my mom's version.
So ever since then, my [INAUDIBLE] cook soybean
sprout soup is that that's my recipe.
But I may change my mind maybe tomorrow
if I taste someone else's soybean sprout soup.
Better than this recipe.
I got to learn.
And then I got to share this recipe
with my readers, my audience.
And these recipes are all posted on my website.
So all the readers, they love, love
my-- some kind of an authentic way, my recipes, they love it.
They just test my recipe and they trusted my recipe.
I told you I never studied at any culinary school.
Actually, I have a master's degree in education.
I studied the philosophy of education.
And I used to teach at university where I studied.
And also when I was in Korea, I used
to be an English teacher later, and translator, interpreter.
And later, I had the chance from 1992
to 1995 and for three years, with my family,
we came to Missouri, Columbia.
You know Columbia, Missouri, small city.
JAMES MULCAHY: Anyone from Columbia, Missouri, out there?
MAANGCHI: Columbia, Missouri?
Anybody who is-- Kansas?
It's the middle.
Like the middle of America.
So when I was there, I met a lot of Korean expat.
So Korean expat, Korean housewives.
And then they mostly-- they are students at the Columbia
university.
And then we met almost every weekend
at the park and potluck dish.
So this potluck dish, I have to bring one dish.
Like today you had japchae?
I bring japchae.
So usually we do at the park Korean barbecue.
And somebody bring the kimchi, somebody bring the side dish
or vegetable dish.
And then we make this all nice, nice, nice potluck party.
And some dishes that I never tasted here
because I was growing up, I grew up
in the really southern part, cities, southern food.
It was a small country, but still there
are like some of the area, different provinces.
So I came from really south, the city named Yeosu, harbor city.
So that when I was in Missouri and some food, like chicken,
fried sticky chicken called dakgangjeong.
I had never tasted before.
But somebody came from different region from where I lived,
she just taught me.
I had to learn because it's so, so tasty, crunchy like candy.
These kind of things all my life long, like recipes
are coming this region from that region.
Even I'm just moving around, though.
Until junior high school I lived in southern part in my city.
But from high school, my parents sent me to Seoul.
To be successful you've got to go to Seoul.
So from Seoul and then university, graduate school.
And then so I had a chance to taste all different region
and food.
And then I collect some recipes one by one for myself.
I had never thought about YouTube.
That someday I would be a YouTube cook.
I never expected at the time.
Probably if I had known that, I would have learned
more, more passionately.
And then 2002, I immigrate to Canada, Canada, Toronto.
I did all kind of job.
First I studied with cashier.
So cashier, my next door, I went there.
To manager, who is manager?
And the manager came.
So I want to work here.
Can I work here?
So what can you do? he asked me.
So I said I can do computer, typing.
And he says, what we need is the person who
can carry heavy stuff.
Loading and unloading.
So I said, OK anyway.
So my resume is kind of not useful.
Because graduate school, who cares?
Immigrant.
Even my English is not perfect.
So anyway, I came home.
And the boss, he called me in one week.
He said, oh, you want to become a cashier?
Sure.
And then I did cashier.
I learned a lot.
I mean, whatever I did in my life,
I learned that there are a lot of us.
And one example, I learned when I was working as a cashier,
is that, like, water.
Water is a small battery.
Tons of tax charge.
But large battery don't charge tax.
So I don't know why.
I think we make sense a little bit.
Some people kind of about it, a pretentious person, you know.
I'm willing to pay for small battery.
OK, you deserve to pay more.
But large battery, probably family member
is waiting for this water.
I don't know, this is only my theory.
So kind of a small thing.
How to make a sandwich, North American-style sandwich.
I'm just all the time learning.
And I try to sell my chicken.
Wow.
I'm so ambitious, right?
The guy's name.
I'll never forget the manager because he helped me.
You know?
One day I asked him, hey, Frank, I
can make some Korean fried chicken.
Everybody knocked down when they taste my chicken.
So can I bring some of my chicken you can taste?
And they, sure.
So I brought it.
I made all kinds of, but I just work hard.
And then, but he couldn't eat any one piece.
Because there's a peanut.
He has a peanut allergy.
But all of my other cashiers, my coworkers, they love it.
They love it.
And then they ask to me, can I order?
Can I order some Korean seaweed rice roll, gimbap.
So actually I used to sell a few people later.
And when I worked there, also I was working as a movie extra.
And movie extra in the movie named "How To Deal."
Have you ever seen the movie?
I came home.
And then memorizing English is very difficult for me.
Sometimes backward I memorize.
People ask me, who was he?
Oh, I just got a job today.
I went there and then so I did a movie, "How to Deal."
They asked me, who was in?
Who's in there?
So I don't remember.
You know the guy named Peter Gallagher.
You know that Peter Gallagher?
What happened to you guys?
So his name's later.
I always, like, forget his name.
People ask me, his name's Peter Gallagher.
Also the girl's name I forgot totally.
She's more famous than Peter Gallagher.
And then eventually how I never forget
is that about Peter Gallagher sounds like a galley.
So OK, Peter plus a galley, and then never forget.
And then in Canada I was working.
Also I used to teach English to Korean immigrants.
And also later I got a good job at nonprofit organization
as a family counselor.
I worked there for three years.
And then before I came to America.
And then I become Canadian citizen.
And then, now, in 2000-- when is it,
'08, I came to America to lead a more adventurous life.
And this is my making video and also making video
and running my website.
This is my full-time job.
So this is a very fascinating story.
People ask me, where are you from?
And then I know what he means.
They see my face, right?
So even though I am legally Canadian,
I always say, I'm Korean.
But legally, Canadian.
But waiting for my green card in America.
So this is like my life's journey.
So I'm always interested in learning something new.
And also especially food.
Food is normally the way I live, normally to what I did.
Food is always in my heart.
Some delicious food I find, I've got to learn how to make it.
So this is where I am now.
So I made this cookbook.
So you guys found my cookbook.
Let me tell you how I got involved with this making
cookbook.
My website, my website.
2000-- Oh, I didn't talk about how I made the YouTube video.
I have my son.
My son was a computer, at the time, computer science student.
He asked me, Mom, have ever heard about YouTube?
So yes I have.
He says, why don't you?
Why don't you share your recipes on YouTube?
Probably you'll be so popular because your food is delicious
and also never-- your content will never run out.
That's true.
The content never runs out.
I see a lot of YouTube creators, like at the beginning,
oh, they did it, and then later, oh, there's
nothing to show anymore.
Right?
So cooking is just my lifetime, really, passion.
So that's why I was very interested in his idea.
But I was not sure how.
I mean, just only I have a cheap camera, a really cheap camera
with just a little digital camera with a video function.
But how can I do?
How can I edit?
How can I film?
You know, no idea.
But like around a few weeks later,
I decided, sounds like really fun.
So let's do.
And in April 2007, I posted my first video, spicy stuffed rice
squid.
I wanted to surprise my reader, my audience.
I just brought it from Chinatown or Korean grocery store.
Huge frozen squid.
And then in front of the camera, I just cut it in half
and then take the guts out.
And then in the meanwhile, I was washing and stir fry and spicy.
And then my gas detector is going ring, ring, ring.
And then behind me, background, I did this, I see this,
and I'm, oh, my god.
Embarrassing.
Behind me and the kimchi.
I was going to make a kimchi.
And salting the cabbages there.
And even I didn't think about background, background.
And the music.
Even just without any permission.
Even I didn't know that's, like, illegal.
[INAUDIBLE] say music and then put this music
because at the time that's my favorite music.
And then I made it, OK, sounds good.
Looks good.
And then I went to bed.
Next day I work, but I was really doubting, you know.
Who's going to watch this?
How can they find me?
Actually, next day, many people subscribe, subscribe to me.
And then they said, oh, my god, this looks good.
Someone already made this.
Can you imagine?
Someone already followed my recipe.
And then they also said all kinds of good encouragement,
nice comments.
Plus, next a request.
Can you make a Korean bean paste stew?
Korean kimchi?
Korean bulgogi?
So whoa!
This is so fun!
People are just-- these guys are really my friends.
And before doing this, I had another hobby.
Kind of internet, like, that's why I got my name, Maangchi.
Maangchi is a hammer in Korean.
My real Korean name is Kim [? Guang-su, ?] Kim
[? Guang-su. ?] Nobody pronounce it very correctly.
So Maangchi, I got this name because the city over here,
also online game, I was like wielding some hammer,
and then huge-- this.
All throw away my stress by playing my game, online game.
And then around that, even I made some good friends.
Still we keep in contact.
So people from Montreal, and people from LA, and Singapore.
Sometimes we used to play a game like some task force.
You know, task force means that you can't go to bathroom even
for three hours until you finish this cave mission,
you can't get out of there.
And then I used to do this.
But this cooking video is kind of more fun for me.
Because these people are real people who cook,
follow my recipe.
And then, OK, first I kind of half
of my hour, the leftover hour is for my game, half is for this.
So I couldn't sleep much.
Sometimes like a Saturday, all day
play game plus making video.
So anyway, sooner or later, I was
chosen as a YouTube partner.
At that time or today, you become a partner
and then you can get paid.
But these days everybody, I think,
they are YouTube partner.
So and then they gave me partner of some kind of a medal.
So medal was probably, you guys heard about this, medal;
is right next to my channel.
So really motivating me to work harder, more and more.
Ever since that time I keep posting my video.
And then a few months later, I made my website
because I really need a home on the internet.
Because some of my YouTube audience said, oh,
how can I find this Korean ingredients?
What is it?
And also like, what-- so a lot of things
to talk about in like tips.
When you make especially this thing, it's 20 minutes, like,
seasoning things.
So why?
Something like this I needed this.
So I really needed to make my website.
So I made this, maangchi.com.
And then ingredients photo.
And then kitchenware photo.
Where to find Korean cooking grocery stores.
Where can you find.
And then my readers today, they submit.
OK, this is my favorite Korean store.
And they just submit the information.
And then all this my website is gradually increased,
keep getting bigger and bigger.
And then eventually some people send me photo.
Maangchi, I made you a chicken.
My chicken, and it was a big hit.
I went to the party.
Everybody asked me where I learned.
I talk about you.
And then, oh, my god, You saved my life.
So many touching stories I got.
Someone married the Korean husband.
The American lady who married the Korean husband.
And then recently they don't get along well.
Kind of a partly p food or cultural thing.
So the lady found my recipe.
She made the Korean bean paste soup for husband.
Husband said, oh, my god, this is my mom's food.
Where did you get this?
And then not only food by itself but also the wife
is working harder to get along well,
to get a better relationship.
That's the kind that will make the husband really feel better.
So they get along.
So anyway, this kind of story, there
are tons and tons of stories.
Every morning I wake up, I read email.
And through all my social media and all the time
I encourage them.
I'm empowered.
So this thing is that, you know, my website
is getting bigger and bigger.
I just made another section.
And it's Korean food photo.
You guys make it because they send me an email.
This is the noodle soup that I made with your recipe.
And they show me.
To send to me it takes time and effort.
They have to use Photoshop so they have to do something.
They send me.
And I just go, wow.
This one I've got to share with more people.
So I made it a Korean food photo section.
So this photo.
You make my recipe.
And then if you have a story, or it doesn't matter, no story.
Just post it directly from your computer, post it.
And now so for thousands and thousands of photos
are on my website.
This is my treasure.
And then later my readers, they become friends.
These guys are like Korean perilla leaves.
You guys know about Korean perilla leaves?
It's called kkaennip.
So anyway, so perilla leaves.
I make a perilla leaf kimchi, perilla leaf pickle.
And then somebody says that, oh, I found it in my yard.
I thought that this is like weed.
All the time, every year, I got rid of these.
I just said got rid of these.
They're so, so be alive.
And next year again coming alive.
So they would really get tired of this kind
of precious vegetable for Koreans.
I pay, I paid $2, $3 for a really small package
in a Korean store.
But some people are just, perilla leaves,
they throw away.
And we talk about perilla leaves.
And then some people say, oh, I don't know.
I'm living in the middle of nowhere.
I cannot find a Korean store.
How can I find perilla leaves?
Oh, my god, I'd like to taste.
And then my reader, another reader,
OK, I will send you the package of seed.
So he send it to her.
So these guys became friends.
So I thought that maybe it's time for me to make a meeting
place through my website.
So I made the forum.
So through the forum they talk with each other
and then they share their know-how.
So some people are making kimchi at the beginning,
seven years ago.
When she started kimchi, she asked me, she's bugging me,
hey, you made 10 pounds of kimchi.
How about 1 pound of kimchi?
Can you give me a recipe, only small,
1 pound of kimchi recipe?
This is unbelievable for me.
As a Korean, we make kimchi like with 20, 20 heads of Napa
cabbage I make.
Even I never know what's the pound?
What's the big deal?
Usually Korean cabbages are huge.
Chinatown cabbages are so small.
I don't know where they find this one.
Korean Napa cabbages are huge.
So some people ask me, please, cut down the recipe.
And give me only one cabbage, Napa cabbage.
I don't know from what to say.
OK.
Cabbage sizes are different.
Anyway, one of my readers, she or he, many people.
They started with only one cabbage,
but now they make 20 pounds of kimchi.
Because kimchi is not exactly only a side dish.
With kimchi you can make soup, stew, pancake.
And steamed, you can add it chopped too, the dumpling.
Every way you can make, all kinds of dishes you
can make here.
So like Korean housewives.
When I lived in Missouri, Columbia, I had a friend,
she's from China.
And Miss [? Yui. ?] And Miss [? Yui ?] came to my house
and opened my refrigerator.
Her eyes are like this, ooh!
This is kimchi?
Kimchi?
Yes, kimchi.
She couldn't believe these Koreans
are eating lot of kimchi.
This is the usual thing for me.
Kimchis are like a huge container,
these amount of a container.
But these days, my readers, my audience, they love kimchi.
They are making that amount.
Some people are selling kimchi.
Maangchi, I sell Korean kimchi to Koreans now.
So my Brazilian reader let me know
she's selling kimchi at the Korean church to Koreans.
So really fascinating stories every day.
I just always hear that.
And then some people ask me, hey, Maangchi.
Even though you just give us recipe, I need the book.
I'd like to give it to somebody who's not access to a computer.
And then I'd like to give them the real written recipe.
So can you make a book?
But I never thought about this kind of book.
I said, OK, sure.
And then I made the PDF file, PDF.
And then in color.
With lots of color.
And then sold on Amazon.
So first I studied I could give away for free.
So still you guys can get downloaded for free.
Book 1, Book 2, 2, 3, Book 1, 2, 3.
Even I never thought about making real book at the time.
Just the people ask me, oh, OK, sure.
I will do that.
And then the book was downloaded, millions
of people downloaded for free.
So actually, when I pitched my book I just tell [INAUDIBLE].
So I asked my agent, see, this is evidence.
My book, millions of people downloaded,
even though that's free.
But the book, real book, people who
want to get the real book in their hands
is that we made this PDF file and then nice kind of sizes
are really small.
But book price is so expensive.
It should be because I use the colorful.
Books should be colorful.
This is my theory about cookbook.
My theory about cookbook is that you
should have a lot of colorful, nice photos
and step-by-step photos.
And so that I'm a visual person.
YouTube video, why I'm making video, right?
But problem is they're expensive.
$30 for this thing.
I don't make much money from this.
I imagine because otherwise I need to make black and white.
So I don't like that idea, black and white cookbook,
no matter what happens.
So anyway, someday I was thinking that maybe someday I
should make a real cookbook.
Because a real cookbook, this book is much cheaper.
And also prices are cheap plus lot and lot of good people,
something like recipes are almost the same.
But make you guys understand them better.
For example, my cowriter, her name is Lauren.
I make a recipe and I send to her.
And then she make a kind of-- basically I give her my jewel.
And then she make jewelry, right?
And then she's, OK, Maangchi, you
said that you cover, cover or uncover?
You cooked for 50 minutes.
Covered or uncovered?
I was so frustrated.
What does she mean?
Of course, cover!
Inside I just thought, cover.
And then, yes, cover.
I just swallow my frustration.
And then sometimes it's, Maangchi,
it means that sesame oil is toasted or untoasted?
Toasted.
In Korean cuisine, always toasted.
Toasted sesame oil is always, always.
Sesame seeds, toasted or untoasted?
Always toasted.
And then also I was shocked when another editor, Rory, his name
is, later he joined our team.
My book is made with tons of people.
Rory, he's a really tough editor.
He asked me, oh, Maangchi, you made this beef jerky,
beef jerky you guys should follow.
If you get today your book, if you're eating beef jerky,
make it.
Everybody loves my beef jerky.
He asked me, how many pieces of that?
I mean, I don't remember.
And also he said, this is how many serving?
It depends on how much you like that, right?
I mean, just like 3 pounds of beef brisket I made this.
And then some people, five people
eat just to finish it in one time.
Or just one person like a whole cow save this for one year
and then you can eat it.
So making me so frustrated.
But you know, I was always like swallowing.
[BREATH] Yeah, right.
My cookbook buyer later, cookbook buyer.
Those guys all have the same question,
may have the same question.
So that's right.
I shouldn't feel frustrated.
I should appreciate this.
And then actually, eventually, I had
to make my beef jerky again.
Exactly follow my recipe.
Cut it.
And then, OK, this is Rory.
And then this is my 30 or something like pieces.
And then exactly.
And then I just made three divided.
And then one portion for Rory, one portion for my cookbook
cowriter, 1/3 is for myself.
And then I divided it that evenly.
And then I sent to them the envelope.
Rory, next day, he got it.
Holy delicious, oh, my god.
It's delicious.
He made me.
And my other cookbook writer also.
So when I make this cookbook, I have a lot of,
a lot of funny stories.
And I don't remember all.
And then sometimes I should write down.
Otherwise, I get older.
I always forget.
So this is like a long journey.
But around four, five years ago, eventually I
met the best of the best agent.
So this agent made it possible to make my cookbook.
She found this all the best publishing company
and also cowriter.
And also the food photo designer and all everybody.
So kind of a set.
So I'm so lucky.
I'm so lucky.
First, why I'm lucky?
I got involved with YouTube.
And Google guys.
Google [INAUDIBLE] to pay me money.
So this is my full-time job.
And then also my readers, my reader audience.
They trust me.
They love me.
Right?
And I'm lucky.
And now I'm just invited to this.
They made, your chef made today my recipe.
How fascinating this is, this story is.
I can keep going on.
But I think that's enough.
That you guys ask question, ask me question.
JAMES MULCAHY: I have a question.
I mean, do you think it became so popular
so quickly because there's a lack of knowledge or lack
of authority about Korean cooking in America?
And you're filling that void?
MAANGCHI: I think that first, food is delicious.
Yeah.
Food is delicious.
I didn't know about-- I used to go backpack travel.
I have a lot of hobbies, you know.
I traveled to many countries, different countries.
But always I believed that like food.
You've got Koreans, especially Korean travelers.
You travel to another country, you
got to taste that other culture too.
And if they said, oh, without Korean kimchi,
I cannot survive.
And then I kind of criticized them.
Oh, my god, come on.
Just two days, three days.
You know, I was thinking like that.
But you know, later my readers, those guys say the same thing.
They said that Netherlands, the guy named Rainier.
He makes all kinds of Korean dishes.
His cooking is better than Korean housewives' cooking.
He's sending me photo.
And he said he traveled in Greece.
And then for one week he said, oh, my god, I miss my kimchi.
So I think there's kind of [INAUDIBLE] you know.
So kimchis and also Korean food is all vegetables.
Like all kinds of vegetables, mountain vegetables and tofu.
The way of cooking, not greasy.
Some way like people really-- it must be appealing to people.
So tasty.
And second, I think.
So Korean food, as you know.
Korean barbecue, people think about that.
You make a Korean barbecue at home,
you can share with tons of people.
Reason three, I blog about this.
One of my readers, he married.
On the wedding day reception, he made Korean pork belly,
Korean pork belly.
He followed my recipe for the pork belly and the grill plate
and also the burner.
Gas burner just only $20 in Korean grocery store.
And he prepared each table, people are sitting,
10 people are sitting.
And then he put this in a grill plate.
Everything.
Just let them cook themselves.
And then pork belly.
And the lettuce.
Ssamjang, you had the ssamjang today, dipping sauce.
And then everybody just wrapped this,
and they were so, so happy.
And then my readers let me know.
So I was very impressed.
So I just blogged about his story.
Korean food is that you can share with many, many people.
It's supposed to be shared.
And so I think maybe that's the reason.
Where did you learn this recipe?
Oh, this is maangchi.com.
That's why I think people come to my website.
And also it's the Korean fried chicken.
Everybody loves Korean fried chicken.
Because?
Because why?
AUDIENCE: It's delicious.
MAANGCHI: Hm?
AUDIENCE: It's delicious.
MAANGCHI: How?
JAMES MULCAHY: Double fry.
MAANGCHI: Yeah.
This is exactly my editor gave me a hard time.
When I do this, I'm like, oh, this
is so delicious [INAUDIBLE].
She asked of me, how delicious?
You should explain.
Americans don't know how delicious it is.
Oh.
Squeeze, squeeze, OK.
It's like a chewy, ooh, irresistible, oh.
Irresistible not enough.
Say something.
Korean fried chicken, as I know, we always make the coating.
The coating is made with starch, like a potato starch I use.
And then make it really crunchy and a little sticky.
So because of some juicy sauce I mix in the last minute,
and then make it kind of a little sticky and taste
like rice cake a little bit.
But very, very crunchy.
Crunch crunchy.
So and also it depends on how much you like spicy food.
You can add spiciness.
Spicy, the chili pepper flakes.
So I think that that's why.
Crunchiness and delicious, yeah?
Yeah.
That's why people love it.
JAMES MULCAHY: I recently read an article
saying that Americanized Korean cooking is too spicy.
And actual Korean cooking is not as spicy as we like it.
Is that true?
MAANGCHI: No!
Where did you-- I see there are whole tons
of weird-- some theories of from where are they coming?
You see the Koreans-- when I go to Korea,
I sometimes visit Korea.
Koreans love spicy food.
And we Koreans believe spicy food makes your body really--
there is some researchers and research.
Spicy food that make you always awake and then it's
the entire Alzheimer.
So you are always make you smart.
So spicy food is very good for your health.
All the researchers are working hard.
But real Koreans are like early-morning TV.
From early-morning TV I have to see this.
Koreans love food.
All spicy sauce, mixed with spicy sauce, eating.
Even in America, nobody-- even I don't
feel like eating spicy food from early morning.
I skip breakfast.
I always drink large big huge cups of black coffee.
That's my breakfast.
My readers are surprised.
I thought that you loved kimchi all the time.
No way.
And then that's not true.
So Korea is more spicy food.
JAMES MULCAHY: I think it's fun that you mentioned the "New
York Times" article.
And they kind of called you the Julia Child of Korean cooking.
How do you feel about that?
MAANGCHI: That terminology, Julia Child,
that came from 2007.
When I studied, just not long after, I'm really soaring.
My video was soaring.
And then I was living in Canada.
Canada, "New York Times" version, Canadian newspaper.
All nationwide, the biggest newspaper,
is the "Globe and Mail."
So "Globe and Mail" interviewed me.
And then she asked me.
She wrote the Korea Julia Child.
Right?
So I didn't know who the Julia Child is.
Embarrassing, eh?
I searched.
Oh, Julia Child, French cuisine to America.
But anyway, ever since that time,
many people call me Korean Julia Child.
But one day, a Korean newspaper guy read [INAUDIBLE].
I was interviewed after my article in "Globe and Mail"
was on, as usual, Korean reporters came, bombarded me,
can I interview you?
Can I interview you?
They don't find me.
But always when I'm in "New York Times,"
they just kept calling me.
When I'm in YouTube and did some cooking demo,
they just come to me.
So when I'm on the mainstream newspaper,
they want to interview me.
So one day a Korean interviewer asked me,
how do you feel about Julia Child?
And also somebody asked me about Martha Stewart.
Oh, YouTube subscriber numbers are bigger than Martha Stewart.
So they asked me about Martha Stewart.
So I said, Martha Stewart doesn't have YouTube.
That's why.
You don't have to compare me with Martha Stewart.
Martha Stewart is such a wonderful chef in the world,
right?
So just-- I did it.
JAMES MULCAHY: Are you going to have your own TV show one day?
MAANGCHI: I'll just think about it.
Already some TV show people contacted me.
But I was very busy doing my cookbook.
So I can't do this multiwork, multitask like this.
Because when I do this, I have to focus on this.
But I don't want to skip my video every 10 day.
This is-- my readers are waiting, waiting, waiting.
So I don't want to disappoint my readers, YouTube audience.
So when I have more time, let me think about TV show.
JAMES MULCAHY: Maybe.
Maybe.
I think it's a good time to see if the audience has
any questions.
Does anyone?
Here we go.
AUDIENCE: Hi, Maangchi.
For me, I think it's very clear it's your personality that
really makes you a very interesting chef
to watch on YouTube and even listen to your talk.
Can I get two questions?
One is, what is your favorite non-Korean food?
And second, who made your logo?
Because I think that's one of the also really cute things
that you have on your site.
MAANGCHI: Yeah.
The logo?
My daughter made.
My daughter is-- she's a dentist.
She made this.
But I gave her idea.
I gave her.
Because I cannot draw well.
But I know when she was young, she could draw very well.
So I said, OK, I want to do this and kind of sign
there like that.
Some big fish and a big knife.
And then I like to do that.
And then she made this.
And also, what was your first question?
Oh, no Korean food.
Oh, spaghetti.
Spaghetti and meatball.
I love it.
AUDIENCE: Hi, Maangchi.
So I know that sometimes you travel to new locations
and use the local produce, et cetera, to cook.
I saw when you went to Maine, or somewhere in New England.
Do you have any experience that you
can relate where you found something unusual
and tried to use that in Korean cooking?
MAANGCHI: Yeah.
He must have read my website, you know?
So like a very deep question.
Before I started my YouTube video,
and when I traveled in other country,
for example, when I went to France.
I love-- crazy about French cheese,
stinky cheese, from Normandy, and baguette.
And I kept eating.
And then I gained weight when I came home.
But I didn't mind, you know, because delicious food.
But at the time, even though I love, love their cuisine.
But like around three days after,
I thought about something spicy.
Oh, my god.
I cannot swallow very well.
I cannot swallow French food well.
Because I liked that.
So I needed something spicy.
So that I took some Korean hot pepper paste.
It looks like some toothpaste, small paste.
And just in case I might use this guy.
And then I took it.
And then, OK, time for me to use this.
I went out to grocery store.
You can buy cucumber everywhere.
I took it and washed this and then just, [CRUNCH] one bite.
And then this, like, toothpaste, like, pepper paste, one drop.
And then, mm, it's good, it's good.
Now I calmed my stomach and I can swallow well.
I'm ready to eat French cuisine again.
And then ever since I started my cooking video.
And different case.
I'm more serious at cooking.
And also, whenever I travel more than one
week, I need to make a video.
So with the local vegetable, local some of the ingredients.
So I have several ingredients, like Korean soy sauce,
Korean hot pepper paste, the bean paste.
And the fish sauce.
Garlic, green onion, these things you can get everywhere.
So these things that you cannot find easily.
Plus, Korean rice.
Korean rice is-- you may know about Korean rice.
Is same rice as sushi rice.
Little stickier, stickier than some Mexican or long-grain
rice.
Some people ask me, oh, Maangchi.
Is it working with normal rice?
Normal rice for me is short-grain rice, sushi rice.
All my life I'm eating this.
But I know what they mean.
So I always take my rice also.
And then I arrive there.
I make a kimchi.
And then I go to their local grocery store and some market.
And then I find that if I don't find Napa cabbage,
I just find any green, any green, even spinach.
I bring it and then make just a kimchi.
Or just the usual cabbage.
Usual cabbage in kimchi, also I posted the recipe.
When I traveled, I was in Mexico at the time.
And then with cabbage, half of cabbage I made the kimchi.
Oh, was it delicious.
I made a stew with this.
So all the time I carry Korean ingredients.
JAMES MULCAHY: Is there anything that you really
just hate to eat, that you just don't like?
MAANGCHI: Yeah, of course.
I like [INAUDIBLE] one first.
The first food I don't like, like a bug.
I don't eat it.
Some people just ask me, can you cook dog?
No.
Yeah.
Pretty much I love all kinds of food.
Yeah.
Oh!
One recipe.
My readers ask me, chicken feet.
Maangchi, please make the chicken feet recipe.
But for some reason, chicken feet,
I don't think I can handle.
You know, I can handle live fish.
I can handle live crab.
And then also live lobster.
All the recipes, videos are on my channel.
But for some reason I don't think
I can handle some chicken feet and especially chicken toenail.
And then I was thinking about all these little things
were just jumping around.
How can I do this?
Oh, I cannot.
But I don't know.
My readers, I love my readers.
Maybe someday I may change my mind.
And also blood sausage.
Blood sausage.
People love the Korean soondae, called soondae.
But blood sausage, OK.
I love to eat soondae.
But one day I tried to find blood,
I need to buy blood, right?
So I went to Chinatown.
I bought some blood.
But oh, it turned out disaster.
And also smell is not good.
And then I hate that, so I couldn't make it.
But maybe I may change my mind again.
Who knows?
JAMES MULCAHY: He had a question over here.
AUDIENCE: Yeah, you talked about how
you really, whenever you eat something,
you want to figure out how to make it yourself.
What's the hardest thing that you've eaten
that you try to replicate?
MAANGCHI: Um.
Something like when I go to a fusion restaurant.
Fusion restaurant is really upscale restaurant.
And then oh, this guy made with kimchi brine.
I can smell kimchi brine.
And some sauce that is like pinky, pinkish.
And then maybe sour cream.
But something that I don't know about.
I never went to culinary school.
Only I know about Korean food.
Sometimes I cannot figure out.
And also I don't want to know about that, right?
But Korean food, though, when it comes to Korean food,
is almost all I know.
When I taste this, I know that how.
Even people ask me, Maangchi, I went to the restaurant,
Korean restaurant.
They gave me something like sweet and really salty.
And then kind of a color that's brown.
It tasted like a potato but it's not exactly a potato.
Oh, that's the fish cake.
So I know that.
So kind of things that I know exactly
about Korean dishes and also Korean restaurants.
North American Korean restaurant, what they serve,
usually.
And then I know their side dishes on their list.
So easily I can figure out.
But like a Korean fusion restaurant, upscale restaurant.
You know, those guys learn culinary art.
Some maybe like a secret that they
use, some spice that I don't know, yeah.
AUDIENCE: So I'm curious.
Do you have many followers in Korea?
MAANGCHI: Yeah.
These days a lot of Koreans are coming.
Actually, most of the people coming
are North America, American, USA.
USA is around 70% of my readers are coming.
How much, big, huge, huge fans.
But Koreans are really almost none until last year.
But like over one year, these days more and more people
coming.
And they leave Korean comment in Korean.
What should I do?
I have to answer in Korean.
And also I was thinking that maybe these guys
don't understand English.
So I just studied the Korean caption.
So I did the English caption.
I pay for English caption because I cannot trust
the Google translation.
Not the Google-- the YouTube translation, auto translation.
So, but I hire translation.
And also the Korean translation is done by me.
So I do this.
JAMES MULCAHY: I think we have time for one more question.
AUDIENCE: Thank you for being here.
I actually go to your website.
I'm Korean myself, but I go to your website
all the time to see what else is out there.
I have two questions.
One is, I was thinking about why it took a while for Korean food
to become so big in the States.
And I feel like there's this term called [? kom, ?]
which you know.
In Korean it means you just do it by the feel of things.
You don't really measure things.
You think that that's the reason why
it might have taken so long for it to become big in the States?
And then my second question is, would you ever consider
doing mokbang, which is a big Korean-- you just
eat on the show.
And it's huge in Korea right now.
So I think, yeah.
MAANGCHI: Yeah.
This reminded me of another reporter from Korea.
KBS, the Korean broadcasting-- the reporter
asked me exactly the same question about mokbang.
Mokbang, I saw that one time.
Kind of that's not my style.
Yeah.
I mean, I want to teach Korean cooking, just
authentic recipes.
But always at the end of my video,
I show them how passionately I eat.
Sometimes people say, you look like a crocodile.
But I don't care.
More people love that when I enjoy my food.
So because that's it.
So who care if something is between my teeth?
So everybody, I mean, those guys are following me.
We are the same group community, who love food.
So and that I can answer.
And Korean food, why, why Korean food was not popular?
I think Korean food is popular.
We don't have to worry about this.
Because Japanese food, it is popular.
They're all new.
Chinese food, Korean, Japanese food.
I mean, think about Chinese food.
China is a huge country.
India, huge country.
Mexico, huge country.
They are not that huge big here.
Nowadays I think that Japanese food is very big these days.
Food is delicious and healthy, right?
But Korean food is like a trend.
But I'm surrounded by the people who love Korean food.
I think that everybody loves Korean food, which is not true,
which is not true.
When I meet, sometimes I'm interviewed by radio host,
when I talk them, I feel that, oh,
they don't know about Korean food.
A lot of people don't know about Korean kimchi.
Not yet.
So it's starting, starting.
But I'm very positive.
And because my readers trust my recipe,
they share the food that they make.
They share this with their family and friends.
And these days they make lunch box.
Call this in Japanese, bento.
They call this bento.
In Korean, dosirak.
I used to make my dosirak for my children.
Sometimes I used to make a lunch box plus a dinner box.
And four, four lunch box, dinner box.
And I used to wake at 5:00 AM to make
the fresh meal for my family.
So these days my readers, Maangchi, I
took dosirak, Korean lunch box, to my work.
All of my coworkers were envious of me.
So those guys are spreading Korean food, I think, yeah.
JAMES MULCAHY: And so are you with your cookbook.
That's our hour.
There's cookbooks in the back for sale.
I think we all want to say thank you so much for being here
with us today.
MAANGCHI: Thank you so much.
Thank you.
[APPLAUSE]