Dishes of Global Culture

There is a space where people of various nationalities gather to cook and eat. Once a month, they take turns teaching the dishes of their home countries. We visited a place where the multiple languages and cultures of global friends mix.

+ Cultural Lighthouse in Our Town

‘Cultural Lighthouse in Our Town’ is a project supported by the Yeonsu Cultural Foundation in cooperation with local private spaces to support cultural activities. Among them, Ernest K-Food is operating a food culture community program called ‘Cooking Friends’ where neighbors from all over the world can communicate through cooking.

※ Information on Participation

Period: July – October, 2022

Eligibility: Residents of Yeonsu-gu (regardless of nationality)

Cost: Free

Regardless of nationality, gender or age

Talk through Cooking

The sound of chatter continues. The sound of knives and bubbling pots is also heard from time to time. It is a scene you see every time you come to ‘Cooking Friends.’ It was already the third meeting, and the participants seemed familiar with their seats. Since it is an international community comprising Japanese, Taiwanese, Chinese, and Turkiye, various languages are spoken. The program is simple. You cook in the ‘Culinary Culture Experience Space’ and enjoy the dishes cooked while talking at ‘Café Saenggwabang,’ a community space. Even those visiting for the first time can participate comfortably in the space provided.

Beginning of ‘Cooking Friends’

Ernest K-Food, located in Songdo, is a space made up of the dream of Representative Lee Seon-jin, who wants to incorporate various cultures and cuisines into one place. Since it started under the title ‘Ernest Food Academy’ in 2019, it has conducted various food culture programs. Currently, it is operating a cultural program where global participants cook together using the cooking space (Culinary Culture Experience Space) and community space (Café Saenggwabang). Representative Lee Seon-jin introduces this place as follows. “We aim to be a cultural space where we communicate through food, and anyone can come and share their thoughts and culture.”

- Representative Lee Seon-jin

- Cooking Friends, becomming One with Food

Which country's dishes would you like to try today?

Time to Become One with Food

In ‘Cooking Friends,’ participants take turns becoming cooking teachers in each session. The teacher for the third session is Rawda Akeel from Türkiye (formerly Turkey). She prepared three dishes: Sambousek, lentil soup, and a salad with parsley and tomato, the dishes that capture the memory of enjoying them with her family. She used the special recipe passed down from her mother.

Recipes were simple, but the participants were serious and focused on cooking. They paid ‘respect’ to the participant teaching for the day by trying to make the participant’s dish as good as possible. When they finally taste the food together, they share their culture and values. It is time to become one through food beyond the borders of nationality and language.

+ Cafe Saenggwabang

Address. 41, Neungheo-daero 179beon-gil, Yeonsu-gu

Information. 032-858-0424

Opening Hours. 11:00-22:00 (Closed Sundays)