Australia is a multicultural country, like America. I didn’t realize until I got to Australia that there are people from such a diversity of ethnic backgrounds.

At the Hyatt Regency Perth, where I worked, there were employees from about 40 countries. So, we were trained to solve problems arising from the cultural differences and to make an effort to understand each other. As part of this training, the hotel arranged a program so that the staff could try food from a different country once a month.

So, one day, it was time for me to introduce my co-workers to Korean food. There were so many other dishes people liked, but japchae was especially popular. They liked the taste of the fire-roasted vegetables and the chewy texture of the cellophane noodles. The Korean flag and hanbok (traditional Korean clothing) were also on display, and there were also simple Korean greetings on the table. I still have a pleasant memory of my co-workers from other cultures tasting the food and giving a “thumbs-up.” Language is said to be the most important thing to understand a culture, but an understanding of the food of a country does not require any special education or training, as learning a language does. Even without any special education, you can experience the taste of the food, just as it is. In the same way that you are naturally impressed when you see a beautiful picture or hear a beautiful piece of music, eating great-tasting food can touch the hearts of people from different cultures and make them smile.

To me, Korean food is the most natural method to make people from different cultures understand Korea, without the difficulty of teaching them Korean.

※Japchae (Korean chop suey) Recipe

< Ingredients >
200 g cellophane noodles (4 cups of water, 2 tbsp. brewed soy sauce, 1 tbsp. sugar, 1 tsp. of sesame oil), 70 g beef, 3 shiitake mushrooms, 80 g onions, 50 g carrots, 200 g spinach

< Seasonings >
- Meat marinade: 1 tbsp. soy sauce, ½ tbsp. sugar, 1 tsp. dry-roasted perilla seeds, 1 tsp. sesame oil, 1 tsp. minced garlic, 2 tsp. chopped green onions, pepper to taste
- Seasoning for chapchae: 2 ½ to 3 tbsp. soy sauce, 2 tbsp. sugar, 1 tbsp. sesame oil, 1 tbsp. dry-roasted perilla seeds

< Method >
1.Soak the cellophane noodles in lukewarm water for about 15 minutes, and then place them in 4 cups of boiling water for 5 to 6 minutes, remove, and drain. (Add a little brewed soy sauce, sugar, and sesame oil to the water before boiling.)
2. Cut the beef and shiitake mushrooms into very thin julienne strips, season, and stir fry.

3. Chop the green onion finely and rinse. Cut carrot into thin julienne strips and par-boil.
4. Blanch the spinach in boiling salted water, and immediately cool in cold water. Drain and press to remove excess water. Season with salt, pepper, and perilla seeds.
5. Stir fry all ingredients except the spinach and allow to cool.

6. Season the boiled cellophane noodles and mix with the stir-fried ingredients and spinach.