By KaYoung Kim
Translated by SeungYoun Woo


“I’ve been waiting for the festival for a week. I even skipped my breakfast.”
“It’s been 30 minutes already waiting in line said the students who were waiting at the entrance to the festival.
Last Monday, the 19th, MIT Korean Graduate Students Association (KGSA) held a Korean food festival with the theme of “Taste of Korea” at the Kresge BBQ Pit. The attendees numbered around 800, which was quite a bit above the estimate of 600s.

The good attendance was a result of MIT KGSA’s extensive promotion. The president of KGSA, Jae-beom Jang, in his 4th year of the mechanical materials doctorate program, said, “The method of promotion started from sending information through school e-mails. We’ve used almost all kinds of communication methods to promote the festival. I am glad that it seems not only enrolled students but also Korean Americans and American students are enjoying this festival a lot.”
There were 8 kinds of food, including Japchae, Bibimbap, Bulgogi and Tteokbokki, and they were distributed by the volunteers from KGSA.

The attendees’ responses to the foods were favorable beyond expectations. David, a sophomore studying material engineering, said, “I’m a big fan of Korean food. I cook Korean food often at home, such as Japchae, Tteokbokki and Bibimbap with the ingredients bought from Reliable Market. My favorite one is Haemul Japtang Jjigae (seafood medley stew). Thus, the interest in Korean food spontaneously led me to have an interest in Korean culture.” Myung-Soo Jeong, studying in the mechanical engineering doctorate program, also said, “I heard the news about the festival through my school e-mail and I planned to just stop by with my family. But unexpectedly, I was very surprised that the foods were actually tasty.”

Other than serving foods, MIT samulnori group, ‘Oori’, performed Korean traditional percussion music throughout the whole festival and New Hampshire National Association of Intercultural Family of Mission (NAIFM) was demonstrating how to make Baechu kimchi (napa cabbage kimchi). The president of ‘Oori’, Shelby Kimmel, whose most favorite Korean foods are Kimchi Jjigae, Jeon, and Nakji Bokkeum, said, “I prepared ‘samdo samulnori’ for this festival.”

There was also a couple with Korean traditional wedding dresses catching people’s eyes at the festival. They were newlyweds, who have been married for 3 months, and were studying graduate school, studying mechanical materials. The groom, Jae-Jin Kim, said, “It’s the first time wearing traditional wedding clothes since the Pae Baek (Korean traditional wedding ceremony). It feels little awkward but I thought it was one of the ways to introduce Korean culture.”

The festival of the day was planned by Consulate General of Korea in Boston. Moreover, Ministry for Food, Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries and Korea Agro-Fisheries Trade Corporation supported increasing the scale of the festival. Finally, MIT KGSA could hold the event successfully by agreeing upon the suggestion of the Consulate General’s support.”

ⓒ 보스톤코리아(http://www.bostonkorea.com), 무단전재 및 재배포 금지