Wednesday Gourmet (Wednesday Food Talk / 수요미식회)

You can time travel there.

I think that's the charm that place has.

That looks great.

I think it's a city that makes you visit again and again.

It's Gunsan's sensibility.

Welcome to the 191th episode of Wednesday Food Talk.

Welcome. - Welcome.

Okay, the topic for today is...

about places good enough for a gourmet tour in winter.

This includes seasonal foods, which we can eat plenty,

and sceneries that stayed the same since the old times,

which makes passersby think that they are time traveling.

But we can find trendy places in this city as well.

We can feel these two charms at the same time here.

In other words, it's the two faces of Gunsan.

The gourmet tour of today will be in Gunsan, North Jeolla Province.

Let me introduce our guests today.

First, this actor...

takes all evil roles in dramas.

Please welcome the charismatic villain actor, Kim Eung Soo.

This actress has acted as a rich family's daughter so often...

that I wanted to personally ask...

if she was really rich.

She gives off a strong, urban vibe.

Please welcome the lovely actress, Seo Hyo Rim.

Thank you.

We tried to contact Eung Soo so many times,

but he finally joined us today after rejecting our offer until now.

Well, Gunsan is my hometown. And...

No matter where you go, all restaurants in Gunsan are good.

I wanted the foods from my hometown...

to be promoted without any misunderstandings.

I heard that A Young was recommended to visit Gunsan too.

Yes. There's a friend of mine who often travels around the country...

and really loves things related to Korean history.

It's Daniel from Germany.

It was a German friend? - Yes, it was Daniel,

who is from Germany. - Was it Daniel?

So a German recommended you to visit Gunsan?

He told me that I must visit Gunsan.

He told me that I must visit Gunsan because I'll like that place...

since the modern history of Korea can still be seen there.

That's how Daniel recommended Gunsan to me.

How was it?

He was right. He has a keen sight.

He knows Korea well. - Yes, he knows a lot.

My favorite part was...

how time seemed to have stopped in that city.

It is a painful history.

But if the remnants of that time stays preserved,

they can be interpreted into a new direction later...

depending on the point of views. - That's right.

We can learn a lot from that. - We can stop repeating the history.

I liked that preserved feeling.

Wasn't it your first visit to Gunsan, Hyo Rim?

Yes, it was my first visit to Gunsan.

But I almost went to Gunsan before because of a bakery.

That famous bakery? - Yes.

When I hear of delicious foods,

I visit the place to try them. - You must like bread.

The L bakery? - Yes, the L bakery.

Which bread is your favorite from the L bakery?

I like the croquettes.

The croquettes? - Yes, the croquettes.

Are the croquettes there different?

Yes, they're different.

They're less greasy and full of vegetables.

That bakery... - I want to eat them now.

is famous for red bean bread...

and vegetable bread. - Yes. You're right.

The red bean bread is good too,

but the vegetable bread... - Yes, it's delicious.

They're certainly baked in an oven,

but how could the vegetables inside...

be so amazingly crunchy? - They're crunchy.

The mayonnaise is fresh too. That really amazed me.

If you dip them in ketchup,

they taste so good. - You're on a diet.

How could you still eat mayonnaise and ketchup?

That's amazing.

They say you can enjoy the taste if you know more.

Let's begin with introducing the history of Gunsan's foods.

It's a painful history.

Gunsan was in the center of Japan's...

exploitation. - You're right.

Fertile fields are next to Gunsan. - Yes.

They first took all the grains by buying them.

Later, they had a set price,

They just took them. - but they didn't pay anything.

The reason behind the preservation of historical sites there...

are quite bitter. - Yes.

Do you visit the Port of Gunsan often?

I came here sometimes, - Yes.

but this place is not how it used to be now.

Yes, I heard that this place used to be different.

It used to be a very big port. - Yes.

There were plenty of fish too. - I see.

As a fishing port, this place...

used to be a big fishing village.

Isn't this the floating bridge?

We're on the floating bridge now.

During the Japanese Occupation era, Japanese people...

built 6 of these here. There are 3 left now.

But these are still being used.

Some people say that the Japanese brought modern technology...

during the Japanese Occupation era.

But we should remember why they did that.

In the end, they did that to fulfill their own greed.

All of these were used to exploit our rice.

Gunsan became larger because of such needs,

but nobody took responsibility.

I think that's what happened with this port.

It makes us feel bitter.

Two ironies can be seen in Gunsan.

Modernizing the city didn't go well,

so there are many historical sites of modern history.

That's why we should think about how these historical sites...

were left here.

The Japanese built these to fulfill their needs at that time,

and that's why we should never forget...

the purpose of these buildings.

We must not forget that.

So even if it's a painful history,

we should remember the facts. - Yes. And the humiliation...

is part of our history too. - Yes.

But we should still keep that anger from that humiliation.

I think this is something we should not see only as romantic.

Using those historical sites as tourist attractions...

and learning things from seeing them are all good.

But there are some points we should see with a critical view.

We should teach people about the purpose for these sites...

during that time... - You're right.

when we visit them.

And we shouldn't touch such historical sites.

There are many problems because of that.

When they reconstructed the main center of the city,

they said they will restore the old city.

But it wasn't historically right.

A Young, I was very touched... - It was too much.

when you mentioned your German friend, Daniel, earlier.

There's time and history in Gunsan.

Even if that's a shameful history, - Yes, even if that is shameful.

delicious foods and their unique taste...

come from that.

It's not something that came out of nowhere.

So when will you become a candidate for election?

Well...

Why are you keep picking up your script now?

How could breaking down a mere Japanese building...

fix our humiliating history of the Japanese Occupation?

I'm planning to become a politician next year.

He said that he'll say that when he becomes a politician.

He said that. - But to be honest,

the three sides of Gunsan...

are surrounded by the West Sea and two rivers.

That's how Gunsan became famous for its seafood.

Gunsan's tonguefish are famous.

Of course. Ever since I was a kid,

I ate tonguefish almost every day.

If my mother dried tonguefish,

I roasted them.

That sounds delicious.

You know those grills, right?

You roast those tonguefish on those grills.

And when I finished roasting these tonguefish,

I put three of them in my pocket and went out to play soccer.

If I got hungry while I was playing, those became great snacks.

What about the smell and oil in your pocket?

It's grilled on a gridiron over furnace fire.

Does it drain the oil? - Of course.

When tonguefish is dried properly,

there isn't much oil left anyway. - Is that so?

Yes. There isn't much oil left. - As you said,

it's skinned before cooked, - Yes, it's all skinned.

there wouldn't be much oil left. - It's as hard as a rock.

I can imagine. - That's why...

When my soccer team is trying to score a goal,

I'd take the fish out of my pocket and tear it to pieces.

It's easy to tear it, isn't it? - Yes.

Just pulling it would make long pieces.