User:9jwchoi/sandbox

Comment (JB and RH):

What you have is a good outline, but you now need to fill in with text. We also do not have a good sense of the sources you used. Make sure that you cite properly.

Article Evaluation

  This article is under the 'See Also' part in the article 'Buddhist cuisine.' It is interesting to see that only Korean Buddhist Cuisine is at the see also part as a separate category of Buddhist cuisine, because Buddhism in Asia refers to China and India in many of the times. Many of the books regarding Buddhism or Buddhist cuisine shed light on Korea only as a stepping stone for Buddhism to spread from China to Japan. But as we can see in this article, Korean Buddhist cuisine has positioned itself as one of the unique cultures and cuisines in Korea. While the introductory part is explained well in the article, the details such as dishes varying by region or temple are lacking in many ways. For example, the 'varying dishes' part is only consisted of different kinds of kimchi used. 

Topic Finalization

  I feel like there are various ways I can add to this article. The existing categories most certainly need improvement, and Korean Buddhist cuisine can also be talked in both historical and contemporary ways. How did temple cuisine survive the time when the Chosun Dynasty banned Buddhism? How did it improve or keep its ways over time? In a contemporary light, today many Koreans try to escape the bustling city life by going on a 'temple stay' for a few days. How is temple cuisine now, so that it can fulfill the tastes of modern Koreans? What are the differences between 'traditional' temple cuisine and the temple cuisine restaurant that recently acquired two michelin stars?

Draft: 1. History

  1.1: when government adopted Buddhism (Shilla, Koryo dynasty)
  1.2: when government banned Buddhism (Chosun Dynasty)

2. Adding to 'dishes by region'

   - how different provinces in Korea came to develop different dishes, why different types of kimchi filled different temples
   - in North Korea? 

3. The purpose of Korean temple cuisine

   - temple cuisine is suited to refill energy of monks who lack enough exercise due to their rigorous mental training. It should be consisted of food that is full of energy and also be easily digestible. 
   - Can be divided into:
       1) foods to refill energy
       2) foods to freshen blood
       3) foods to refresh 'yang' and 'yin'

4. Adding to 'dishes by temple'

   -add more dishes by temple

5. Meat consumption of Buddhist monks

   - At first, Buddhist monks relied on asking people for food. Thus, they did not have a choice of whether they should consume meat or not, because they had to eat whatever was given. However, as Buddhism became the official religion of the Korean peninsula, temples began to be built and monks started to develop their own cuisine. Meat was not banned, but limited to the use of 'samjong' 'ohjong' and 'goojong' kind of meat.

6. Contemporary Buddhist Cuisine

   6.1: 'Temple Stay' and the food provided to people
   6.2: Recent efforts for a 'fusion' Buddhist Cuisine
         - Buddhist cuisine is normally seen as a very ' slow' food. However, to meet the current trend of busy people, many are trying to 'fuse' Buddhist Cuisine with modern culture, such as Buddhist style cuisine that can be microwaved for an instant dinner.

Comments (Hashmita):

Great draft! I like how you take a strong food history-oriented approach to Korean temple cuisine—it details well how the availability and necessity of certain foods affected how Korean temple cuisine developed. Your section on food history and its grouping into religious waves/dynasties seems very pertinent and also consistent with the way we learned about the influence of religion on cuisine and vice versa in class. Maybe in that section you could also explain why dishes are divided by region and by temple (the later two sections). I think you could also bring up the differences in ‘traditional’ temple cuisine and Michelin-starred temple food in your last ‘Contemporary Buddhist Cuisine’ section. I look forward to reading your final piece!

FINAL DRAFT

1. History of Korean Temple Cuisine

The earliest forms of Buddhist eating habits were going to civilian homes and asking people for food. It was considered a method of accomplishing a religious goal, and the monks were taught to return to their respective temples once their bowls were enough for them to eat, and not to beg people for more food. Korean temple cuisine slowly developed under a northern Buddhist culture that encouraged making food in temples. 

1.1 Development under different dynasties

1.1.1 Three Kingdoms Period

In the three kingdoms period, at roughly 1 B.C., Buddhism was first introduced to each royal palaces of the kingdoms. The ruling class embraced Buddhism and its culture thoroughly. Tea was introduced, and the kingdoms banned the citizens from killing animals, just like the Buddhist teachings. The first start of temple cuisine in Korea was not in temples, but in royal palaces for the elites. 

• 1.1.2 Koryo Dynasty and Chosun Dynasty

Koryo Dynasty, one of the most successful dynasties of the Korean peninsula, declared Buddhism as its state religion. Thus, temple cuisine also developed with the support of the royal families. To provide the best food for the king, monks working in palaces developed many new dishes that did not use any meat at all. At the end of the dynasty, Buddhist cuisine saw many varieties ranging from soups to desserts and provided the basis for contemporary Korean cuisine. However, in Chosun dynasty, the ruling class decided to adopt Confucianism and ban Buddhism from the courtyards. Thus, cooking venues were moved from royal palaces to temples, and the dishes met with the local food of peasants to become daily dishes for everyone. 

2. Features of Korean temple cuisine

At first, according to Buddhist teachings, the monks were not allowed to have more than one meal a day. Thus, the meal had to provide enough energy for a day and be easily digestible because monks spent much of their time sitting and meditating. Also, because usage of meat was limited, dishes using various vegetables were developed; however, five ‘spicy’ vegetables (osinchae; green onion, garlic, leeks, chives, Chinese squills) were banned from use. Thus, the general taste of temple cuisine can be defined as light and neat. To emphasize the light taste, artificial condiments such as soy sauce are rarely used, with vegetable powders often used for the extra taste. Furthermore, because different greens grow at different seasons, Korean temple cuisine is different for all four seasons. Other characteristics include the development of preserved foods because they had to be stored in temples, and tea culture. 

Food ingredients used in temples can be divided into four big groups according to their use:

- Bo-gi (보기, Replenishment of Qi)  :

Ginseng, sweet potato, honey, grape, etc.

- Bo-yang (보양, Replenishment of Yang) :

Walnut, Red beans, bean sprouts, etc.

- Bo-eum (보음, Replenishment of Eum) :

Carrot, radish, watermelon, cucumber, pumpkin, tofu, mushroom, etc.

- Bo-Hyul (보혈, Replenishment of blood) :

Spinach, peach, tomato, etc.

3. Dishes by region

·      MY ADDITION  Food in the Korean peninsula differ by region because climate is different in many regions. For example, food in Jeolla province typically use more salt and pickle their food, because the hot and humid weather easily rots the food. On the other hand, food in northern parts of the peninsula are generally less salty because the cold weather prolongs the preservation date of foods without the addition of preservatives.  

PREVIOUS PART Baek kimchi (white kimchi) to which pine nuts have been added, bossam kimchi (보쌈김치), and gosu kimchi (고수김치, coriander kimchi) are famous in Buddhist temples of Gyeonggi and Chungcheong Province. In Jeolla Province, godeulppagi kimchi (고들빼기김치, kimchi made with Youngia sonchifolia), gat kimchi (갓김치, kimchi made with Brassica juncea var. integrifolia), and juksun kimchi (죽순김치, bamboo shoot kimchi), all of which include deulkkaejuk (perilla congee) as an ingredient, are famous. MY ADDITION In Gyeongsang province, kong-ip kimchi (콩잎김치, kimchi made with bean leaves), woo-ung kimchi (우엉김치, burdock kimchi), and Ggett-ip kimchi (깻잎김치, kimchi made with sesame leaves) are made with the addition of pumpkin soup and barley rice. 

None of these varieties of kimchi contain garlic, scallions, or jeotgal (salted fermented seafood), as foods in the genus Allium are generally avoided by traditional Buddhist monks and nuns of China, Korea, Vietnam and Japan.

4. Dishes by temple

PREVIOUS PART: Tongdosa located in Yangsan, South Gyeongsang Province is known for its dureup muchim (두릅무침, sauteed shoots of Aralia elata), pyeogobap (표고밥, shiitake rice), nokdu chalpyeon (녹두찰편, steamed tteok, a rice cake made with mung beans) are well-known dishes as well as kimchi, saengchae (생채, cold salad), twigak (튀각, a fried dish with without coating), and jeon (pancake) made with young shoots of Toona sinensis. The species is called chamjuk, literally meaning "true bamboo" in Korean because its shoots can be eaten like bamboo shoots. However, the dishes are prefixed with either chanmjuk or "gajuk" (가죽, literally "false bamboo") according to region.^[1]

Haeinsa, located in Hapcheon, South Gyeongsang Province, is not only famous for the Tripitaka Koreana but also specialty of the temple cuisine such as sangchu bulttuk kimchi (상추불뚝김치, lettuce kimchi), gaji jijim (가지지짐, pan-fried sliced eggplant), gosu muchim (고수무침, sauteed coriander leaves), sandongbaekip bugak (산동백잎부각, fried leaves of Lindera obtusiloba),^[4] meouitang (머위탕 Petasites japonicus soup), songibap (송이밥, rice dish made with matsutake), solipcha (솔잎차, tea made with leaves of Pinus densiflora).^[1] MY ADDITION: Songkwangsa, in Suncheon which is famous for its authentic Jeolla province cuisine, serves its famous yeongeun-moolkimchi (연근물김치, lotus root watery kimchi), jooksoon-kimchi (죽순김치, bamboo shoot kimchi), and jooksoon-jangachi (죽순장아찌, pickled bamboo shoots). Daeheungsa, also in Jeolla province, is famous for dongchimi (동치미, radish water kimchi). 

5. Meat consumption of monks in Korea

 

The popular belief is that meat was completely banned from consumption by monks. However, this is not true. Rather, meat consumption was limited to certain types and circumstances. When Buddhism was first introduced to Korea and monks had to gather food from civilians, monks could eat the meat given to them. As Chinese Taoism influenced Buddhism and monks started to make their own food in temples, certain rules were set. Only Samjong meats were able to be eaten, and these are:

·        Meat that the monk did not see getting slaughtered

·        Meat that the monk did not hear from others that it was slaughtered for him

·        Meat with no doubt of being slaughtered

One exception was that when a monk fell ill, meat was to be given to the monk as an emergency remedy. 

6. Contemporary temple cuisine in Korea

Currently, temple cuisine is not a part of daily cuisine for Koreans, but temples provide people with opportunities to try the food that monks eat today. One example is temple stay. Temple stay is an accommodation system provided by temples today so that people can experience the lives of monks and seek refuge from bustling and stressful living. During their stay at the temples, people taste the authentic temple cuisine which serves to fulfill the craving for healthy food. Famous monk chefs are not afraid to interact with the world and look for ways to improve their dishes and at the same time introduce Korean temple cuisine to the world. For example, Buddhist nun Jeong Kwan is a nun chef at Baekyangsa temple, and frequently invites foreigners to the temple to try out her food, and meets with French chefs regularly to discuss the future of Buddhist dishes. Recently, Michelin Guide Seoul 2017 awarded a star to a Buddhist restaurant Balwoo-Gongyang, complimenting the restaurant’s breakaway from the common perception that Buddhist cuisine is bland and flavorless.