When Begun editor-in-chief Yi Hyang-jae became a vegan about six years ago, she dared not ask restaurants to tinker with dishes to make them meat-free.

“In the past, that would not have been possible,” the 50-year-old publisher of the Korean vegetarian magazine told The Korea Herald.

Then two to three years ago, right around the time Begun was launched, Yi noticed a change.

“These days, because people know what vegetarianism is, one can call a Chinese restaurant and ask for black bean sauce noodles with only onions and sauce,” Yi said. “When one goes to a restaurant, one can ask for dishes to be made without meat and people do not react negatively to such requests.”

Yi also believes perceptions of vegetarians have shifted.

If six to seven years ago vegetarians were seen as somewhat extreme, now, in Yi’s opinion, vegetarians are seen in a positive light.

People, according to Yi, see vegetarians as healthy and environmentally conscious individuals.

The positive attitude towards the vegetarian diet seems to be due, in part, to Korea’s “well-being” and “healing” trends, both of which have fueled societal interest in health.

“Among the masses, health is still the biggest impetus behind interest in vegetarianism,” said cable channel Olive team head Seo Won-ye. “I think people are interested in vegetarianism for their own health, for dieting, for digestive reasons or to change their physical constitution.”

Seo added that “people are very interested in vegetarianism and detoxification as a means of dieting.”

Though the food channel does not devote entire programs to vegetarianism, Seo said Olive plans to frequently address it in upcoming and new shows like the revamped “Homemade Cook,” where doctors help provide recipes that address various health concerns.

“Vegetarianism is not a minor phenomenon,” Seo, 36, said over the phone. “We cannot help but touch upon the subject more frequently.”

Indeed, Olive has addressed vegetarianism most notably with “Lee Honey Vegan Recipe,” a segment of its celebrity-fronted cooking program “Food Essay.”

When the segment aired over a year ago, “people were familiar with the concept of vegetarianism, but the lifestyle was not widespread,” said Seo.

“We did our homework and discovered a lot of people were interested in vegetarianism, so we focused on providing recipes for those just starting out.”

The segment showcased pescetarian recipes and, according to Seo, the response was good.

“Repeat airings were also well received, and the recipes were especially popular among women in their 20s and 30s.”

Recipes, it appears, are important to practicing vegetarians in Korea. Vegetarian magazine Begun also devotes a substantial number of pages to recipes, partly to provide diverse eats for vegetarians who might be bored with their current repertoire, said Yi.

Another reason behind the focus on vegetarian-friendly recipes both on television and in magazines like Begun might be because vegetarian, particularly vegan, options are not the norm when eating out.

Yet, even though vegetarian restaurants are not widespread and vegetarianism is not mainstream, various signs point to its increased presence in South Korean society.

In 2010, Seoul National University saw the successful launch of an on-campus vegetarian buffet.

Operated by the Seoul National University Cooperative, an independent, nonprofit corporation, the buffet was so popular that a second vegetarian locale was opened last year.

According to SNU Co-op headquarters director Lee Gyu-sun, the latest spot, a student restaurant where a vegetarian menu is provided as one of four menu options, was chosen because students wanted more access to meat-free meals.

Dongguk University also has an on-campus vegetarian buffet that opened in 2011. Operated by major food service company OURHOME, the buffet started off in a small room.

“During the buffet’s pre-official launch, it was hard to estimate how many would use it,” OURHOME manager Lee Sang-min explained via email. “After the pre-launch, there was not enough space for customers during peak hours so the buffet was moved to a larger space.”

“Lots of students who are curious about vegetarian cuisine and who are dieting or concerned about their health use the buffet,” said Lee, pointing to the possibility that vegetarianism or “flexitarianism,” otherwise known as semi-vegetarianism, might be gaining serious momentum, particularly among those who are health conscious.

According to Lee, this is OURHOME’s first and only time operating a vegetarian buffet. But after the campus buffet opened, other cafeteria operations have expressed interest in vegetarian options, asking OURHOME about the menu, costs and average number of customers.

Some might say that this is where vegetarianism-at-large stands. People and businesses are curious about it but view vegetarianism as unknown territory.

However, the recent launch of a blind date event for vegetarians by matchmaking agency Sunoo points to an alternative perspective on vegetarians as a niche community on the rise.

Approximately four months ago, Sunoo started holding blind date meetings once every two months for vegetarians. To date there have been two events where eight to 10 women were set up with the same number of men. The third event is slated for mid-March.

According to Sunoo founder and CEO James Lee, eight people have already signed up for the upcoming meeting.

“Response has been great,” Lee, 47, said over the phone.

Lee explained that a rise in the number of vegetarians starting three to five years ago was an impetus behind Sunoo’s vegetarian blind dates.

The agency’s decision to provide blind dates specifically for vegetarians seems to signal that the vegetarian community has grown significantly.

When vegetarian magazine Begun put out its first issue two years ago, there were 40 regular subscribers and around 100 copies were sold at bookstores in Korea. Now of the 1,200 copies printed, according to publisher Yi, around 1,000 are sold. That means that within the past two years, sales have gone up tenfold.

In fact, a pro-vegetarian community seems to be growing, in keeping with current trends, in an even more health-conscious direction.

VegeDoctor, an organization of doctors whose purpose is to promote a vegetarian diet as a healthy means of eating, was established nearly two years ago, and, according to Yi, vegetarian mothers who want to raise their children on a meat-free diet have built up a strong community through the Internet by sharing research and data on what to feed their children.

By Jean Oh (oh_jean@heraldcorp.com)


<관련 한글 기사>


"웰빙" "힐링" 다음 키워드는 "채식" ?

채식전문잡지 ‘비건 (Begun)’의 이향재 편집장은 6년전 채식주의자가 되었다. 그러나 그 당시 식당에서 고기를 빼고 요리해달라는 주문은 상상할수도 없었던 일이다 라고 이 편집장은 기억한다.

그러나 이 편집장은 채식주의에 대한 한국사회의 인식 변화를 2-3년전 ‘비건’이 창간되기 시작할 무렵부터 발견하기 시작했다.

 “요새는 사람들이 채식주의가 무엇인지 잘 알고, 중식당에 가서 짜장 소스를 양파와 소스만으로 해달라고 주문할 수 있죠. 고기 없이 요리해달라는 주문을 해도 사람들이 이상하게 반응하지 않아요.” 라고 그는 말했다.

이 편집장은 채식주의에 대한 사람들의 생각이 점점 변하고 있다고 말한다.

“6-7년 전까지만 해도 채식을 좀 극단적으로 생각했죠, 그런데 이제는 긍정적으로 바라보기 시작했어요.”

채식주의는 한국사회의 “웰빙” 이나 “힐링” 을 키워드로 한 트렌드 속에서 관심을 받기 시작했다.

최근 다양한 요리 프로그램을 상영중인 올리브 채널의 서원예 팀장은 건강에 대한 관심이 채식주의의 가장 큰 원동력이라고 말한다.

 “사람들이 채식주의에 관심을 갖는 이유는 여러 가지 일거에요. 건강도 있고, 다이어트 목적도 있고, 소화문제도 있고, 아니면 몸매 관리도 있을거고.”

1년전 올리브 채널에서 이하늬의 채식 요리 프로그램을 상영하며 채식주의를 조명한적이 있다. 이 프로그램은 상영후 높은 재방송 비율을 보이며, 20대, 30대 여성들에게 큰 인기를 얻었다. 

올리브채널에서는 최근 개편을 맞이한 “홈메이드쿡” 에서도 채식주의에 대해 다뤄볼 계획이라고 한다.

“이하늬씨가 채식 요리를 소개할 약 1년전까지만 해도 채식주의라는 개념은 사람들이 많이 알고 있었지만 그게 생활속으로 들어오진 않았죠.” 라고 서 팀장은 말했다.

채식주의를 이어나가는데 있어서 중요한 것은 바로 레시피다.

잡지 ‘비건’도 상당한 페이지를 다양한 레시피를 제공하는데 할애한다.

아마 이것은 아직은 채식주의자들이 외식을 통해 다양한 채식음식을 먹을 수 없기 때문일 것이다.

채식식당이 아직은 대중화되어 있지는 않지만 몇몇 곳에서는 채식 메뉴를 내놓으며 한국사회의 채식주의 문화 정착에 기여하고 있다.

그 중 서울대학교는 2010년에 채식 부페를 캠퍼스내 식당에 선보였다. 채식 부페가 많은 인기를 얻자 두 번째 채식부페 식당을 열었다.

부페식당을 운영하고 있는 서울대학교 생활협동조합에서는 학생식당 메뉴 4개 중 1가지를 채식메뉴로 제공하고 있다고 하며 많은 학생들이 채식메뉴에 관심을 갖고 있다고 한다.

동국대학교에서도 2011년 채식부페를 선보였는데 초기에 인기가 없을 거라는 우려를 뒤엎고 채식부페는 많은 인기를 얻으며 더 넓은 공간으로 이전을 했다.

“많은 학생들이 채식음식에 관심을 가지고 있어요. 대부분 다이어트를 하고 있거나 건강에 관심이 있는 학생들이 이용을 하고 있어요.” 라고 부페를 운영하는 아워홈 이상민 매니저는 말했다.

또한 최근 결혼정보업체 선우에서는 채식주의자들을 상대로 한 소개팅을 열었다. 선우 회장인 제임스 리에 따르면 채식주의자 소개팅은 반응이 매우 좋아 3월 중순으로 예정되어 있는 다음 소개팅에도 8명이 신청을 했다고 한다.

선우의 채식주의자 소개팅도 3-5년 사이에 채식주의자들이 점점 증가함에 따라 계획이 되었다고 말한다.

채식주의자들의 수는 점점 증가하여 ‘비건’의 구독자 수는 첫해에 40명, 서점 판매 부수는 100권에서 지금은 1,000권이 넘게 판매된다고 한다.

이 밖에도 채식주의 식생활을 널리 알리고 싶은 의사들의 모임인 베지닥터도 2년전에 출범했고, 아이를 둔 많은 엄마들의 관심을 받고 있다.

(코리아헤럴드 오지은 기자)