Spreading Culture
Written and Designed By Dasom Chung
Acknowledgements I’d like to thank all of the interviewees who so kindly allotted their time to be interviewed, recorded, and photographed, and also Sudam Korean Cuisine for allowing me to use their location as the basis for my Documentary book. I would also like to thank my parents for supporting me throughout the whole process and giving me rides to and from school, home, and Sudam. Thanks to Vanessa Mark for providing me positive feedback and constructive criticism while reviewing my work, and Freestyle Academy for the resources and instruction as well as giving me this opportunity to publish my own book!
Table of Contents Preface 7 Introduction
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Chapter 1 15 Chapter 2 21 Chatper 3 29 Conclusion 35
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Preface
y family eats regularly at Sudam, a Korean restaurant in Los Altos, and I’m always surprised by how much their food tastes like my mom’s home cooking. When choosing the location for my Documentary project, I immediately took interest in the restaurant and its rich heritage. I could connect to this location like no other, with the shared culture and delicious food. Who doesn’t want a culinary experience that’s healthy and tastes like food from home? Sudam is an ideal restaurant to get authentic Korean food without MSGs, a chemical flavoring used by many other restaurants. They also use organic tofu, unlike most restaurants out there. Although it was worth noting that Sudam used natural ingredients and organic food, it was difficult for me to find an issue relating to Sudam that I could 7
cover because of the lack of documented resources on organic food. Looking for ideas, I thought that the cultural loss on the Americanization of food might be a concern I could develop into a research paper. However, Sudam seemed to be just the opposite of any cul8
tural loss, even relishing in the pride of their Korean heritage; their food tasted like it came straight from Korea. So I decided to change my topic to the spread of culture that a single location can bring, and my interviewees had much to say about that, as well as the perks of
being a family business. I just didn’t realize how true they were to their Korean heritage until I asked to interview them, and I offered to interview in Korean in case the interviewees were uncomfortable with English. I knew the owner wasn’t comfortable being interviewed in English, but I didn’t realize that the majority of the workers in Sudam weren’t fluent in English either! I spent extra time translating the English interview questions to Korean, then the
recorded interviews from Korean to English. It was worth it, though, because everyone gave impressive insight into the restaurant as well as their thoughts on cultural diversity and comfortable vibe at Sudam. I really got to know the interviewees and their thoughts on Korean culture, Korean food, and working at a family business. But most of all, I learned how much Korean culture is appreciated by many different people, not just Koreans. I’m
very proud of my heritage and love to share my passion for Korean customs and heritage. Sudam emphasizes the broad ation of Korean culture appreciation for healthy and share the love for food and diverse culture. authentic Korean food. I hope that this book can contribute to a deeper appreci-
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Introduction
riving by the Village Court Shopping Center in Los Altos, you notice that a new restaurant has opened. You’re feeling quite hungry and decide to drive in to take a look. You can get a whiff of cooking meat before you even walk in, and once you open the door, the aroma of Korea draws you in. As you are welcomed in and seated, hints of Korean history and culture can be seen 10
and heard all around you. Your mouth waters at the delicious marinated beef being brought out, sizzling as it whizzes past your nose, and the warm, spicy tofu soup bubbling delightfully at the table next to yours. You’ve walked into Sudam Korean Cuisine, a restaurant that prides itself for having authentic Korean food and having a great environment as a family business. A number of arti-
cles have suggested that family businesses have a special energy and exceptional work dynamics that other businesses don’t have. However, they often have a hard time surviving due to the lack of boundary between work and family; therefore, they don’t survive very long (Taylor). This could be quite evident in many restaurants, but Sudam is a bit different from the rest. Sudam definitely has the ever11
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present welcoming atmosphere, but it is hard to believe that they will have a hard time surviving as a successful restaurant. Due to their delicious food and loyal customer base, Sudam doesn’t seem to be going away anytime soon. Sangyoun Tark, the owner and head chef of Sudam remarks, “Because we’re a family business, there a good connection with everyone, and we easily cooperate to get things done. Not all of our workers are family members; only a few are family, but there’s a lot of advantage to working with family because they’re more understanding with my work and they understand my thoughts well and relay that back well to the customers” (Tark).
Chapter 1: Just Like Home Food
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udam Korean Cuisine is a small Korean restaurant in a little village of shops, cafes, and other eateries. It is one of the many restaurants open in the Los Altos area, but it is
with the competition of all the booming restaurants nearby? It is home to authentic Korean food and
the first Korean restaurant to o p e n there. H o w do they keep up
friendly service from servers happy to be a part of the Korean culture. The owner and the daughters both emphasize that the best way to advertise is simply keep the food tasting good, and the customers will
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come back. Chris is an given time. The differ- Lovelle, a daughter “I try to make the food ence is that and server at the Sudam the Su- Korean Cuisine, says, like home food, like at dam Kore- “First of all, our chef, the what a mother would an Cuisine, owner, didn’t like to use the regulars MSG in general because give to her child.” new there’s a lot of restau-Sangyoun Tark bring customers, rants that use MSG as American server at the and many come back for their main ingredients. Sudam Korean Cuisine. the delicious and healthy We decided to change it He definitely notices foods served at Sudam. up to make healthy diets the amount of regulars “If you look around, there’s not at Sudam compared to other restaurants a lot of healthy restaurants where he’s worked, that you can actually go to, so even though these other restaurants are also we wanted to be one of the good, very popular and have healthy restaurants.” plenty of diners at any -Lovelle Seo
for everyone because, if you look around, there’s not a lot of healthy restaurants that you can actually go to, so we wanted to be one of the good, healthy rest a u ra n t s ” (Seo). The response wasn’t always so positive, however, as Sangyoun mentions how she worked hard to receive positive feed-
back from the customers: “At first, since the taste of our food is different from other restau-
rants because we keep any chemical additives in our food to a minimum, the customers’ re-
actions weren’t good. As time passed and customers got used to it, more customers come back for the food” ( Ta r k ) . Sangyoun is big on eating healthy even when eating out, and she treats her customers to such food. She explains,“I try to make the food like home food, like what a mother would give to her child. I 17
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keep the food simple and healthy, and the customers’ response was good because they noticed. I’m proud of being Korean, so in order to really spread the word about Korea and Korean culture, so I want to show different aspects of Korea through my food so I keep developing new menus. If the new menus were only
catered to Koreans, the food cannot be widespread, so I make it so that other people can
enjoy it as well” (Tark). Sangyoun only uses organic tofu in all of her dishes because she wants to give the best she can
to her customers. It has been noted by a variety of sources that eating differently can drastically change y o u r health. An article points out that “previous studies have suggested that soy products have a protective effect against heart disease” (Healthy Years). Eating soy products are good for our body because it con-
tains lots of nutrients our body needs. This is great news, since tofu is made from soy beans. Not only is Sudam soft tofu soup and tofu kimchee platter super yummy, it will improve your heart health!
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Chapter 2: Sudam Community
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udam is the first Korean restaurant to open up in the Los Altos area, and its owners and staff take pride in being a family business that promotes togetherness in a free and welcoming atmosphere. Although many family businesses can be difficult to maintain due to family conflicts, Sudam has no reason to fear this issue for both of the daughters are happy to be part of
such a comfortable environment as they happily joke around with the owner, the cooks, and the other servers. “The owner makes fun of us from time to time, and
sometimes we make fun of them too, and we can get away with that because we’re so comfortable with each other,” mentions Chris during his lively interview
“The owner makes fun of us from time to time, and sometimes we make fun of them too, and we can get away with that because we’re so comfortable with each other.” -Chris Downy
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(Downy). The daughters also enjoy the wonderful community, as Lovelle remarks, “I kind of had no choice, but I still enjoy working here and it’s a lot of fun” (Seo). Jennifer mentions that she
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is working at Sudam to help out as well. “I work at Sudam to help my family. It’s a family business.” While discussing the working environment compared to other stores and restaurants, it
was evident that all of the workers are much more satisfied working at Sudam because it promotes a sense of home and family unlike the other businesses which felt lacking in spirit and community. The New York Times states that because [family companies hire few] outside employees, it has never developed an expertise in hiring or training or setting standards or assigning responsibilities. Everyone does multiple jobs, and there are no clear lines of
authority (Goltz). However, Sudam’s business is not solely family run, as previously mentioned by Sangyoun. This is an important factor in the prosperity of the restaurant. Richard, a server who recently came to the US from Korea notes the differences between working at Sudam and at Jang Su Jang, a popular Korean barbeque restaurant in the Santa Clara district: “At Jang Su Jang, most of the servers are my mom’s age, and they only picked young 23
hosts, but here, everyone is my age, so we’re all like friends. It’s more comfortable and we understand each other better. We want to help each other out” (Hyun). It is evident that Sudam has exceptional bonds between all of the workers which really help give off a positive vibe to the restaurant overall.
“We’re all like friends. It’s more comfortable and we understand each other better. We want to help each other out.” -Richard Hyun 25
Chapter 3: Immersed In Culture from traditional Korean masks to small figurines dressed in Hanboks, traditional Korean wear. You can experience the Korean heritage in every cor-
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ulture can be of food that seems to seen all around have just come from Sudam, from Korea. The inside of the traditional interior the restaurant feaof the restaurant to tures many traditional the amazing the taste Korean decorations, 29
ner of the restaurant. Richard, the Korean server, explains, “ Sudam’s interior features little dolls wearing Hanbok, and the place is filled with a lot of traditional Korean decorations, so I feel that this can help spread the more traditional Korean things. [Furthermore,] the style of food is brought straight from Korea [and] the traditional Korean style is cooked by mothers, so they’re good at making good Korean food” 30
(Hyun). When I asked Chris about any cultural differences he felt while working at Sudam, he replied, “Sometimes a lot of the Korean customers are afraid to talk to me I guess, especially the ones who can’t really speak English so they try to avoid me. It’s kind of obvious when they do that. But I studied Korean for a while, so usually I try to help them out a little bit, [and] then they’re comfortable again” (Downy).
Sudam is helping to spread Korean culture simply by being the first Korean restaurant to open up in the area. Sangyoun commented, “First, there wasn’t a Korean restaurant in this area, and I started business because I wanted to open up a really good Korean restaurant here” (Tark). Everybody at Sudam really strives to create the best experience for every customer and enjoys being immersed in the Korean culture and heritage. 31
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he Sudam Korean Cuisine is a great addition to the Los Altos area, as it helps introduce the Korean heritage to many people unfamiliar with the Korean traditions, and provides a nice location to get real, authentic Korean food. Customers that find this hidden gem will be sure to come back again and again for their irresistibly delicious dishes, and won’t be afraid
Conclusion
to bring new guests to introduce them to great Korean food as well! Sudam really shows the influence of culture that can take place within a single restaurant, and provides some exposure of Korean heritage from the Santa Clara district filled with Korean restau-
rants and shops to the Los Altos area still shy of much diversity. People can experience the great food and become accustomed to a more diverse range of culture.
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Bibliography Downy, Chris. Personal Interview. 10 March, 2015. “Eating right for a healthy heart: a ‘Western diet’ increases your heart attack risk, but healthier alternatives can prolong your life.” Healthy Years 6.1 (2009): 5. Student Resources in Context. Web. 23 Apr. 2015. “’Family Gravity’ and Structured CEO Succession Discovered as Key Success Indicators for Long-Term Sur vival of Family Businesses, According to Egon Zehnder Research.” PR Newswire 19 Mar. 2015.Student Resources in Context. Web. 27 Mar. 2015. “Food Safety and Regulation.” Global Issues in Context Online Collection. Detroit: Gale, 2015. Global Issues In Context. Web. 23 Apr. 2015. Goltz, Jay. “Taking a Look Inside a Family Business.” You’re the Boss. The New York Times, 12 May 2010. Web. 22 Mar. 2015. Hyun, Richard. Personal Interview. 7 March, 2015. “Organic Food Movement Gains Prominence.” Historic World Events. Detroit: Gale, 2011. Student Resources in Context. Web. 23 Apr. 2015. Tark, Sangyoun. Personal Interview. 10 March, 2015. Seo, Jennifer. Personal Interview. 7 March, 2015. Seo, Lovelle. Personal Interview. 7 March, 2015. Taylor, Barbara. “Even a Family Business Is Sometimes Just a Business.” You’re the Boss. The New York Times, 03 Dec. 2009. Web. 22 Mar. 2015.
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Thanks for reading! 38
Dasom Chung is a lively and affectionate Freestyle Academy student and Los Altos High School Junior who loves to sing, dance, and compose music in any spare time she has. She is proud to be Korean and strives to help spread Korean culture. She enjoys attending Freestyle Academy, where she grows as a writer, technician, and designer. Dasom loves to be absorbed in Kpop and Korean culture, immersing herself in nature, and discovering the world around her. She enjoys studying different languages and reading both for enjoyment and increasing her knowledge on a broad range of topics. She looks up to her supportive parents and is very fond of her adorable younger sister. 39