19 minute read
Opinion: Luxury Fruit Can Go Suck a Lemon 28. Environment: Eating Plant-Based – Adaptable Bean Burger Recipe 31. Environment: Eating Plant-Based – Korean-Spiced Falafel Recipe
Luxury Fruit Can Go Suck a Lemon
By William Urbanski
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With the holiday season bearing down on us like an out-of-control freight train, I feel it is my civic duty to raise awareness about one of the most blatant scams that unscrupulous sonofaguns are employing to fleece you of your hard-earned cash. This despicable racket takes place nationwide but has become ever-more prominent and brazen in our fair city and will only get worse in the coming weeks when people are under pressure to shell out the big bucks for holiday gifts. Like rabid hyenas, conmen nationwide can sense the desperation honest people feel to find suitable gifts for their friends and family and leverage this duress to target honest, hardworking consumers with perhaps one of the most ridiculous hustles the Asian continent has seen in decades: so-called “luxury fruit.” Overpriced, overpackaged boxes of luxury fruit are nothing more than a shakedown, and you should just say “no.”
To be perfectly clear, “luxury fruit” is any of a wide variety of fruit that is genetically identical to “normal fruit” but has been put in a fancy box that magically triples or quadruples its fair market value. Particularly around the holidays, it is all too common to see peaches, grapes, and even the wholesome apple (the best fruit) wastefully overpackaged and sold at a price that is an affront to common sense. While it is surprising that anybody is daft enough to shell out fifty or sixty bucks for ten oranges (each of which is cradled in its own nonbiodegradable Styrofoam wrapper thingamabob that goes immediately into the garbage), it is not completely unexplainable. There are certain consumer goods that people buy simply because they are expensive: a phenomenon called conspicuous consumption. Conspicuous consumption is a performative act; one that ostensibly signals the purchaser’s social status and explains why people go into debt to buy designer handbags, and why they drop two-hundred grand on a Porsche that they barely know how to drive. But getting back to the topic at hand: If you buy expensive luxury fruit, the moment you are out of earshot, the person who sold it to you will burst out in a hysterical fit of laughter because you just forked over the equivalent of a week’s worth of groceries for something that literally grows on trees.
Listen, I get it. When the holidays come around, it is rude to not pick up a gift for your family and friends. The problem with choosing luxury fruit as that gift is that it actually perpetuates a system that takes a nutritional staple that should be readily available for all to enjoy and turns it into some sort of exclusive product that people use to show off. When people start clamoring for luxury fruit around the holidays, it creates a domino effect. Stores carry more of it and less of the regular, delicious fruit that the average Joe Schmo would like to pick up on his way home from work. In the long term, as demand for “regular fruit” decreases, producers switch to growing and distributing less of it. Whatever the justification or social pressure to pay for expensive fruit like this is, it actually creates a lot of problems by reducing access (in the short and long term) to good-old regular fruit.
▲ As this fruit tier list clearly shows, apples are the best fruit. Unfortunately, when they are placed in a fancy box and sold for a ridiculous price, you are better off eating a durian.
like some fruit this holiday season, buy it from the true businessmen, the hardworking hustlers who could sell the shirt off your back: I am talking about the grizzled old men who sell apples out of Bongo trucks. These guys are the real deal and for twenty bucks will load you up with more apples than you can carry. Heck, if you really want, you can stop at Daiso to buy some pink ribbons to wrap them up in and tell grandpappy you paid two hundred dollars. Nobody will know the difference because after all, a “luxury apple” is the exact same thing as a regular apple.
THE CASE FOR EATING MORE FRUIT
With all the sugary snacks and drinks that are basically everywhere you look, it is not a bad idea to consider cutting some of that garbage out of your diet and switching to something a little healthier and a lot more natural. Bananas, apples, chamoe, grapes, oranges, and even the occasional slice of pineapple should be a regular part of your diet and not pawns in some twisted marketing ploy. Fruit, much like air, water, and staple vegetables such as carrots and onions (which are gross) fall squarely into the category of things that should never, ever, ever be considered a luxury, and if anyone tries to tell you otherwise, it is because they think you are a feeble-minded simpleton and a chump.
At the end of the day, don’t let me tell you what to do with your money. If you want to flush your cash down the toilet by spending it on fruit with an outrageous and emotionally charged price tag, be my guest. While you are at it, I have a bag of magic beans I might be willing to part with if the price is right.
▲ The real heroes of the Korean fruit trade: the Bongo truck fruit men. The go-getter in this picture sold me a huge bag of tangy, juicy, delicious apples for five thousand won. Support guys like this. So, when it comes to buying gifts around the holiday season, perhaps what is needed is for families to have an honest, open conversation about not tossing their money away on wastefully packaged apples, oranges, pears, and mangoes that are nothing but a massive scam.
SUPPORT THE LITTLE GUYS
When you buy something, you are voting with your bucks. When you shop at one store instead of another, you are giving a vote of confidence to the way the business is run and supporting the people who run it. All the time, I buy things from stores not because they are the cheapest but because I like the way the store is run, and I like the people who work there. The reason you should not support this luxury fruit commerce is not just because it is a blatant rip-off (which it is), but also because the people responsible for peddling it basically assume that you are a moron. On top of this, it is a bad business overall that adds zero value to the production chain. Don’t support this nonsense, and keep in mind that the stores and corporations responsible for producing these fruit gift sets do not care about you or what your alleged reasons are for convincing yourself that you need an eighty-dollar box of mangos for your sister’s husband: They just want to separate you from your money and then laugh at you. If your family and friends would really
Photograph by William Urbanski.
The Author
William Urbanski is the managing editor of the Gwangju News and one day hopes to own his own apple orchard. sasa@will_il_gatto
Eating Plant-Based Adaptable Bean Burger Recipe
By Becca Buse
After graduating from college in 2019, I moved to rural Bolivia to work as a volunteer for a nonprofit organization, Etta Projects. It was in this community that I learned to cook delicious plant-based meals. I learned many other lifelong skills, such as organic gardening of vegetables, coffee beans, and even medicinal plants. The environment made the transition from eating meat to being plant-based comfortable. I found it quite easy to become a vegetarian when there were no temptations around. I could not even bring meat or fish to the kitchen.
However, Gwangju is a very different environment, where my apartment is surrounded by Korean BBQ and other meat restaurants. I have heard people tell me I am brave to be a vegetarian in Korea since so much of the food culture surrounds meat. Yet, I decided to stay vegetarian since I had already been vegetarian for nearly two years by the time I moved to Korea in February 2021. But it has been challenging. Many Koreans have asked me why I do not eat chicken or pork. They tell me, “It’s so delicious,” or even, “Don’t you miss eating meat?” To all of those comments, I stay confident in my choice to be vegetarian. After all, since I have become vegetarian, I feel healthier and happier. I also am a vegetarian to care for the planet and produce less waste. In fact, by not eating meat, I can reduce my carbon footprint on the Earth. You too can eat less meat (especially red meats like steak and pork) to reduce carbon waste. As I reflect on being vegetarian, I always go back to my days living in Bolivia. Every lunch, the volunteers rotated cooking. For a year, I cooked one or two meals a week for a dozen people. I learned to try new flavors in beans, use rice, quinoa, and potatoes creatively, and I even started making breads like sourdough and pizzas! The easiest recipe I learned was from watching another volunteer from the Czech Republic. He was really creative with using leftover food from lunch. Once a week, he would take all the leftover beans and vegetables, and combine them with a little flour to make bean burgers. This recipe is what I will be sharing with you all here. It is an adaptable recipe, which means you can use any vegetables you already have or buy your favorites. You also can use your favorite beans, or protein, and your choice of flour, potato, or quinoa!
Photographs by Becca Buse.
The Author
Becca Buse has been an ESL teacher in Gwangju since March of 2021. Before moving to Korea, she lived in Bolivia; Minneapolis, Minnesota; and Nottingham, England. She has a degree in international studies and a minor in English writing. As a global thinker, Becca is an advocate for protecting the Earth, caring for communities, and peace-building. In her free time, she enjoys hikes with the Gwangju Hikers Club, cooking, and reading fiction. @bkahbuse
The Recipe
Adaptable Bean Burger
INGREDIENTS
2–3 cups of cooked beans: kidney beans, black beans, lentils 1 cup of cooked vegetables: zucchini, pepper, carrot, eggplant, etc. 1 small onion 3 cloves of garlic (with the oil for sautéing) Seasoning of your choice: pepper, salt, cumin, chipotle, sesame seeds 1 cup of grains: 3 tbsp flour, 3 tbsp oatmeal, 2 tbsp flaxseed powder or quinoa
Serve on lettuce as an open sandwich, or on bread of your choice. It also goes well with avocado and cilantro with chipotle mayo (vegan options available at E-Mart).
PREPARATION
1. To begin this recipe, check your fridge for any cooked beans, vegetables, or ingredients you may already have. This recipe works best if you use what you already have, instead of buying ingredients solely for this recipe. Be creative and trust your instinct! I checked my fridge beforehand and found two bell peppers, onion, garlic, and cooked eggplant. Then, I went to the store to buy zucchini and lettuce. Next, I checked what to use to bind the ingredients together, I found flour, oatmeal, and flaxseed powder. If you only have one of these ingredients that is great! You can also use quinoa or potatoes.
2. Next, if you have cooked beans and vegetables, skip ahead to Step 3. If you need to cook your beans and vegetables, let us get started! Cook your beans as directed. While they are cooking, mince 3 cloves of garlic and a small onion. Sauté the garlic in an oil of your choice, then add the onion. While the garlic and onion are cooking, dice your vegetables into small cubes (remember, this will be a burger, so think small, bite-sized pieces). I like to cook the zucchini and eggplant first, then add the bell pepper at the end so it stays crunchy. Once my vegetables were cooked, I added the eggplant from my fridge and cooked it for a few more minutes. I love seeing the beautiful colors of all the vegetables! Once everything has been cooked to your liking, set the vegetables aside to cool.
3. Once your beans and vegetables are cooked and cool, combine them in a bowl. If the beans or vegetables are too hot, Step 4 will not work as well. Mix and add any seasonings you would like: salt, pepper, cumin, chipotle, sesame seeds, etc. Taste and see how it is before going to the next step. Mash
the beans and vegetables together so it becomes half smooth and half chunky. This will help the burger form in the next steps.
4. Now you will add the binding agents to keep the burger from crumbling apart. Depending on how soft your beans and vegetables are, you may need to adapt the recipe for the correct consistency. Add around 3 tablespoons of flour, 2 tablespoons of flaxseed powder, and 3 tablespoons of oatmeal. This should be around one cup in total. Slowly add each ingredient, mixing and checking the consistency. When it feels thick enough to form into balls, try one and see if it sticks together. You do not want to add too much, then it would dry out and lose the flavor of the beans and vegetables.
5. Finally, heat a non-stick pan on medium-low heat. Then, form your bean burgers, rounding the edges and patting them together. (I prefer smaller sizes, which cook faster). Place 4–5 burgers in the pan at once. Cook on each side for 3 minutes.
6. The last step is to assemble the burger. You can serve things on a bed of lettuce or as a traditional burger on bread. Either tastes delicious. I enjoy mine both ways. On bread, I toast the buns, then place mustard on the bottom bun, then lettuce, the bean burger, and onion with ketchup on top. On lettuce, I enjoy it with mustard, ketchup, and onion as well. Another good combination is avocado, cilantro, and chipotle mayo (if you can find these ingredients). I have also made simple wedge potatoes while my beans and vegetables were cooling – it made the meal complete for me. If you are eating alone, keep the remains in your fridge for 2–3 days, or put them in your freezer to enjoy later.
Note: this recipe makes around 15 small burgers and can serve around 4–6 people if each person is eating 2–3 burgers. If you are serving many people, double the recipe, or add more side dishes.
ADDITIONAL WEBSITES FOR INSPIRATION
The Korean Vegan: Enjoy delicious recipes from this website of a Korean-American vegan. https:// thekoreanvegan.com/blog/ Cookie and Kate: Check out another veggie burger recipe and other plant-based recipes. https:// cookieandkate.com/best-veggie-burger-recipe/ Vegan Space: A website you can order vegan ingredients from. https://veganspace.co.kr/ Etta Projects: http://www.ettaprojects.org/
Eating Plant-Based Korean-Spiced Falafel Recipe
By Nicky Archer
VEGETARIANISM / VEGANISM IN THE UK
Over two decades ago, eating out at a restaurant in the UK as a vegetarian was often a dish minus the meat or a token mushroom taking center stage. Now, I have nothing against mushrooms, as they can be as versatile as any vegetable, but it is not always the main ingredient you desire as a child. I turned vegetarian when I was really young because of my ethical beliefs around animal wellbeing. Now though, in the UK, there is currently a huge shift happening, as more and more people begin to understand the immense benefits eating a plant-based diet can have on their health, animal suffering, and the environment.
Big cities such as London, Manchester, and Bristol have all seen an increase in cafes and restaurants serving vegan food only. Not only is this changing the way people eat but the way we think and engage with our food, too. Supermarkets are finally starting to listen more to what their compassionate, eco-conscious customers want, diversifying their aisles with alternative meat proteins such as tofu, seitan, legumes, nuts, and seeds as well as dairy-free alternatives to milk, yogurt, and cheese. Before, being a vegan meant giving up more foods than you could eat; now you can get almost anything minus the cruelty and with a reduced carbon footprint. Supermarkets still have a way to go to reduce their levels of plastic waste, but in the UK at least, plastic bags are becoming a thing of the past with a new tax being brought in back in October 2015.
SHOPPING, EATING, AND COOKING IN GWANGJU
Coming from having a myriad of plant-based produce at my fingertips to navigating my way through Korean markets carrying foreign goods with limited Korean language knowledge, it has not been easy. I have spent hours scouring ingredient labels of packaged goods using translation apps to discover if it is suitable or not. However, it is not an impossible feat. Finding Korean recipes online such as doenjang jjigae (soybean paste stew) or bulgogi wraps (made with tofu or mushroom instead of meat) allows for a more targeted shopping experience. When it comes to eating out, there are the staples such as kimbap, bibimbap, and naengmyeon that can almost always be ordered in most places without the meat (or egg).
As a long-term strict vegetarian, falafels have always been a favorite. Usually easy to come by or make at home, they work great as a snack, lunch, or dinner. (Even as a cold breakfast food, I would not say no!) Generally, most falafel recipes I have come by always include coriander, parsley, and cumin. Although it is not impossible to buy fresh herbs and spices here in Gwangju, I do not normally see them in my local mart. What I do see though is a lot of gochu-garu and sesame seeds. Gochu-garu is a beautiful, vivid, red chili powder that can be found in gochu-jang paste and is commonly used in Korean cuisine. Gochugaru adds spice to a dish while sesame seeds can add a nice nutty flavor. So, as I experimented with falafel-making one recent Saturday, I set out to include those ingredients in one of my falafel batches. And it worked!
RECIPE INTRODUCTION
Falafels really are truly versatile, adaptable, and forgiving. You can create them to your taste by adding more or less of a spice or herb or by including spring onions or chili peppers, or you can even make them gluten-free by using chickpea flour instead of plain flour. Do not let the ingredients on any recipe become a barrier! Don’t have plum tomatoes? Use a different type of tomato, or even something other than a tomato! Can’t find any herbs? Use a spice instead! If you are keen to have a go at making a plant-based meal for whatever reason, just give it a try! It might be the inspiration you need to commence a healthier, cruelty-free, and more environmentally friendly diet.
Photographs by Nicky Archer.
The Author
Nicky Archer is an ESL teacher and animal rights campaigner from the UK. She is a foodie, art enthusiast, and somewhat of an adrenaline junkie. Living in Gwangju, she enjoys coffeeshop hopping, mountain hiking, and learning new things.
The Recipe
Korean-Spiced Falafel
INGREDIENTS
200 g dried chickpeas (soaked overnight) 10 plum tomatoes 3 tbsp of plain flour 3 cloves of garlic 1 onion (white or red) 3–4 tsp toasted sesame seeds 2 tsp gochu powder (red pepper powder) 1 tbsp of olive oil (plus more for cooking with) Squeeze of lime Salt and black pepper to taste
PREPARATION
1. Soak your dried chickpeas overnight or for at least 12 hours. Boil them for around 50–60 minutes until you can squash one between your fingers – that way you know they are ready! Put them aside to cool.
2. Wash your tomatoes and remove the stems. Halve and blitz in a blender until mushy.
3. Add salt, pepper, olive oil, the cooked chickpeas, salt, pepper, gochu powder, sesame seeds, chopped onion, and garlic into the blender and combine. Blend until it forms into a sticky dough-like consistency.
4. Scrape the mixture into a bowl. Add the flour, some more sesame seeds, and mix thoroughly. This should form a dough that is not too sticky.
5. Cover the bowl with cling film, and put it into the fridge for 1–2 hours to firm up the mixture.
6. Shape the mixture into about 20 balls. They should be around the size of a ping pong ball. Next, flatten them slightly on the edges to form a small patty shape. (If you choose to make them larger, adjust the cooking time accordingly. Or if you want to keep them ball-shaped, turn them more frequently when cooking.)
7. Cook the falafels in batches. For each batch, heat a large frying pan with 2–3 tbsp of olive oil and cook for 2–3 minutes. Leave enough room in the pan to turn them over halfway through.
8. Drizzle falafel patties with tahini and serve warm with salad and bread. Alternatively, for a bit more of a Korean twist, try combining with fried mushrooms, Korean rice, vegan kimchi, or other pickled vegetables.
Most organizations mentioned below provide support in multiple languages. Call them when you are looking for information about living in Korea and convenience support for foreign residents in Gwangju.
Organization
Buk-gu Multicultural Family Support Center Danuri Multicultural Family Support Center Dong-gu Multicultural Family Support Center Foreign Workers Culture Center Gwangju City Hall Peace Foundation Development Division Gwangju Foreign Workers Center Gwangju Foreigner Welfare Center Gwangju International Center Gwangju Migrant Health Center Gwangju Migrant Women Support Center Gwangju Migrants Support Center Gwangju Support Center for Foreign Workers Gwangsan Women Job Seeking Center Gwangsan-gu Multicultural Family Support Center Immigrant Whole Support Center International Migrants Cultural Institute Koryo-in Village Korean Cooperative Nam-gu Multicultural Family Support Center Rainbow Multicultural Family Segyero Multi-cultural Center Seo-gu Multicultural Family Support Center
Contact No.
062-363-2963 062-366-1366 062-234-5790 062-943-8930 062-613-1481 062-971-0078 062-962-3385 062-226-2733 062-956-3353 070-7502-6797 062-959-9335 062-946-1199 062-381-5417 062-954-8004 062-962-3004 062-515-1366 062-961-1925 062-351-5432 070-7783-5586 062-522-1673 062-369-0073
