Dogani Monster: the secret weapon of gastrodiplomacy

Galbi-tang

The first meal I had in Korea was Samgyetang, a kind of Korean version of the French poule-au-pot: you take a baby chicken, you stuff it with sticky rice, chestnuts, jujubes, ginseng and garlic (a lot), you boil it and there you are … It looks a little Barbarian and perverse but well, you do not do this with a live chicken.

It was in October 2005, not the best season to eat Samgyetang which is usually served on the three hottest days of Summer. But I assume global warming has been changing that tradition since you can eat it everyday now. Anyway, I remember it was cold on my first day in Korea and I just fell in love with my slightly overcooked baby chicken. Some kind of comfort food after a 15-hour trip from France and a boring series of economic class meals served on board.

When you move to another country, either as a visitor or an expatriate, food is usually an issue. When traveling to a foreign country, your eating behavior tells a lot about your capacity to adjust to a new and different culture. You may want to absorb the culture and taste any local food you are served, without asking any silly question about the origin and nature of the ingredients … or you may reject anything labeled “new”, “exotic” or “unusual” as a way to express your fear of change and difference. This is why Mc Donald’s’ and other franchised restaurants are so popular among faint-hearted tourists.

Between those two extremes, most of us are able to open our minds and challenge our tasting buds when we explore new gastronomies according to our preferences, indifferences and no-ways.

Various surveys on Korean food have been carried out among tourists and foreign residents in Korea in order to identify their top Korean foods.

The problem is … who exactly is surveyed in terms of nationality, age, income, gender, etc. Do we have only Westerns male diplomats or teachers ? I am pretty sure we can get this information somewhere but most of the time, there is no mention of the nationality of the interviewees. I guess Americans would answer differently from Chinese people or even Britons.

I have also some doubts about the way those food surveys are prepared. If I am asked “what is your favorite Korean food ?”, I would probably not answer the same as to the question “Do you prefer galbitang or seollangtang”. Actually, I love both soups but my favorite top Korean meal is definitely Dogani Tang.

Dogani piece of art

Doganitang can be defined as a knuckle bones and tendons soup. Knuckle bones and tendons are boiled for many hours until the meat is tender yet chewy. The broth is milky and full of good nutrients. Cartilages are a great source of collagen that helps you keep your skin glowing (I have been told). Dogani tang is therefore good for health (chewing is also good for body energy management and may be this is why Koreans love chewy food) and is delicious … at least for me.

My former colleagues used to call me Dogani monster because it was the only Korean food I wanted to eat at lunch time, meaning at least 5 times a week. And luckily enough, I had found a Dogani restaurant very close to my office in Jonggak. I have been exploring Seoul in search of the perfect place for Dogani tang and I found at least 10 D-spots where I can indulge in my passion for lovely bones. These special places are in Mapo-gu (behing Trapalace), Myeong-dong, Hannam-dong, Gwanghwamun, even in IPark mall in Yongsan, buffet restaurants of Lotte hotel – La Seine - and Westin Chosun hotel - Aria (where I can act as a real Dogani monster). You can contact me if you want to know the exact location of those places.

I must say that whenever I order Doganitang, I am awarded with some kind of awe and respect from the restaurant owner, the waiters and the other patrons, especially when they are old. In some way, Doganitang is my secret weapon for gastrodiplomacy.

Gastrodiplomacy, most plainly put, is the act of winning hearts and minds through stomachs. You can learn more about it the article Gastrodiplomacy and the promotion of Korea published by Branding Korea.
http://brandingkorea.org/gastrodiplomacy-and-the-promotion-of-korea/

Diplomats and government officials (or not) are actually getting increasingly involved in food things. In Korea, diplomats from 5 nations have been recently requested by the Korea Times to give their recommendations on the meals to be served at G20 Seoul Summit's table.

The French representative mentioned Bibimbab and this makes sense for a country that is well-known for being a cultural bibimbab (with a lot of pepper sauce sometimes).

View from the world: Diplomats from 5 nations talk on Seoul Summit
http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/biz/2010/09/299_73542.html

Even the Korean first lady is very serious about Korean food, whereas her foreign counterparts prefer gardening or singing.

First lady’s pet project: food diplomacy:
http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/nation/2010/10/116_74843.html
First Lady Promotes Korean Food via CNN:
http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/nation/2010/05/113_53774.html

Even if few Westerners are daring to eat Doganitang, they are no longer citing bulgogi whenever asked about their favorite Korean food. In a recent survey conducted by Seoul City and Seoul Tourism Organization, 500 foreign national respondents have mentioned the following meals as their top Korean meals: Galbi, samgyetang, together with the traditionally fermented alcoholic drink makgeolli.

Foreigners pick the best aspects of Seoul life
http://www.koreaherald.com/national/Detail.jsp?newsMLId=20100729000680

I have to specify that the list was imposed by the Seoul officials, offering few opportunities to mention other delicacies such as … sundae ?

In a controversial article published by the Korea Herald, we discover the top seven exotic Korean dishes for foreigners (actually the supposedly mostly hated dishes for foreigners):
http://www.koreaherald.com/national/Detail.jsp?newsMLId=20101003000286

Fermented skate which has a pungent smell of ammonia (the major component of urine). I had it one day, just after having swallowed tons of live octopus (technically living because the octopus was in pieces) and that skate brought me some relief due to its dead nature.

Silkworm larva the smell and taste of which I really can't stand, even with my veteran palate and nose. I have tasted those Bondaegi in Insa-dong a few years ago and like a drug dog, I can now detect the Bondaegi smell even at a very long distance.

The other usual suspects are Sundae (a Korean kind of “boudin” or blood sausage), Bosintang, the infamous dog soup that caused a lot of trouble during Olympics (gastrodiplomacy now prevents us to talk about this issue), Gopchang (again some intestinal things) that I encourage you to try ….

Beside Samgyetang and Doganitang, I am personnally very found of Galgitang (ok, I am a tang lover provided it does NOT put fire on my thongue and stomach), mandu (Korean ravioli stuffed with meat and/or pork), pajeon (Korean savory pancake), sesame oil, sundae sausage, pig feet, kimchi (though kimchi does not like me) ...

And I really dislike bibimbap (systematically served to all foreigners as an introduction to Korean food while it is usually a fast and cheap way to get rid of big hungry groups), gimpab, ramen (instant noodle soup), any tentative to add sweet potato to Western food (pizza, cookies, cheese cake, for example; however I would suggest the hachis parmentier with sweet potato and duck), the tendency to splash balsamic vinegar everywhere (but it is not only Korean), pastries with sticky rice flour and/or stuffed with red bean paste ...

Bon appétit !

Newly found article, yummy ! http://www.nosetotailathome.com/offal-guides/offal-beef-tendon/