Spring 2012 Korean Cuisine

132 asian perspectives . 51(1) . spring 2012 Sneath’s approach is an attempt to follow of Scientific Information on the So- the old British functionalism; even Evans- cial Sciences of the Academy Sci- Pritchard (1940) called the Nuer “acepha- ences of the USSR, No 29892 (in Russian). lous.” However, the imperial confederations 1992 Nomadic Societies. Vladivostok: Dal- of nomads in Inner Asia are not Nuer. Their nauka (in Russian). internal organization differed from systems 2003 Ernest Gellner and debates on nomadic characteristic of both early nomads and pasto- feudalism. Social Evolution & History ral societies of modern times and they brought 2(2) : 162–176. considerable threat to great agrarian civiliza- Kradin, Nikolay, and Tatyana Skrynnikova tions. Sneath’s work illustrates that there have 2006 The Chinggis Khan Empire. Moscow: Vostochnaya literatura (in Russian). been significant achievements and progress in the investigation of nomadic peoples in Inner Markov, Gennady E. 1976 The Nomads of Asia. Moscow: Moscow Asia. However, many difficult issues and un- State University Press (in Russian). solved problems remain. 1978 Problems of social change among the Asiatic nomads, in The Nomadic Alterna- tive: 305–311, ed. W. Weissleder. The REFERENCES CITED Hague: Mouton. Earle, Timothy Morgan, Lewis H. 1997 How Chiefs Come to Power: The Political 1877 Ancient Society. London: MacMillan & Economy in Prehistory. Stanford, Calif.: Company. Stanford University Press. Said, Edward Evans-Pritchard, Edward 1978 Orientalism. New York: Vintage Books. 1940 The Nuer. Oxford: Oxford University Service, Elman Press. 1975 Origins of the State and Civilization. New Fried, Morton York: W.W. Norton and Co., Inc. 1967 The Evolution of Political Society: An Syrynnikova, Tatyana Essay in Political Anthropology. New 1997 Kharisma i vlast v epokhy Chingis-khana York: Random House. [Charisma and power in the Chinggis Gellner, Ernest Khan epoch]. Moscow: Vostochnaia 1988 State and Society in Soviet Thought. Ox- Literatura. ford: Oxford University Press. Yoffee, Norman Kradin, Nikolay 2005 Myths of the Archaic State: Evolution of 1987 Social and Economical Relations Among the Earliest Cities, States and Civiliza- the Nomads in Soviet Historical Litera- tions. New York: Cambridge Univer- ture. Vladivostok — Moscow: Institute sity Press. Korean Cuisine: An Illustrated History. Michael J. Pettid. London: Reaktion Books, 2008. 223 pp. + color photos, index, bibliography, references, recipes. UK£22.50. US $39.95. ISBN 978-1-86189-348-2. Reviewed by Ellen F. Steinberg, author of Learning to Cook in 1898: A Chicago Culinary Memoir. Detroit: Wayne State University Press, 2007. Compared to the vast number of books treat- ways, and only a single recipe titled Bool ing Chinese or Japanese foods and culinary Kogi (translated in-text as “Spicy Fire Meat”) histories, few have been written about Korea. in a cookbook devoted to pan-Asian dishes. This dearth became quite apparent recently The author of Korean Cuisine: An Illustrated during an admittedly non-scientific survey of His tory, Michael J. Pettid, aims to remedy two large urban bookstores, which produced this deficiency with his slim volume explor- not a single tome devoted to Korean food- ing Korean food, its history, and connection book reviews 133 to the culture of that land. Profusely illus- from the provinces to the palace, from the trated with more than one hundred mouth- court to the noble houses, and from there to watering photographs of traditional dishes, the commoners’ tables. Korean utensils, implements, and kitchen Chapter Six, “The Kitchen Space and spaces, and supplemented with a selection of Utensils,” discusses some particulars of food recipes, the book goes far in dispelling what preparation, utensils, implements, and spatial the author contends is a prevalent ( Western?) organization in premodern Korean homes. perception that Korean cuisine consists only As with Korean food and etiquette surround- of kimch’i (fermented vegetables) and pulgogi ing its consumption, all of these are uniquely (thinly-sliced marinated beef; the same dish Korean and serve as identity/ownership romanized as Bool Kogi above). markers. Chapter Seven, “Food in Contem- In the Introduction, Pettid writes that the porary Korea,” traces change in modern purpose of the book is to provide a window Korean food culture that is, nonetheless, into Korean culture — one that extends back underlain by historical constancy in terms of more than twelve hundred years — by exam- philosophy, seasonings, and presentation. To ining its food. To start, he explores the support this argument, Pettid cites restaurants melange of mythical, historical, and environ- in South Korea whose menus are peppered mental influences that affected premodern with formerly “high-end” foods modified to Korean cuisine. Chapter One, “Daily Foods,” meet contemporary taste, foreign foods and discusses both everyday and ideal meals con- “fusion cuisine.” The “Recipes” section sisting of rice, a soup or stew, accompanied by covers the gamut of Main Dishes, Side a variety of side dishes. The author explains Dishes, and Drinks. The recipes are for typical the Korean notion of social status as expressed Korean foods and beverages. The ingredients, in three-, five-, seven-, nine-, and twelve- except for dog meat and abalone (listed on dish meals. He also emphasizes the harmony the International Union for Conservation between flavors, textures, and temperatures of Nature and Natural Resources Red List for which a Korean cook strives even today. of threatened species and protected under Chapter Two, “Ritual and Seasonal Foods,” the U.S. Endangered Species Act), are readily expands on some of the foods and food types available in most urban Western groceries or mentioned in the first chapter, but sets them in Korean/Asian specialty shops; the prepara- in the context of celebrations and rituals, tion and cooking instructions are clear, and many of which are documented here. give lie to the notion that making this style Chapter Three, “Regional Specialties,” food is extraordinarily difficult. shows how geography historically influenced Prior to listing his references, helpfully di- regional foodstuffs, flavorings, and season- vided by chapters, Pettid states that “Korean ings throughout Korea. It is a chapter that words are transliterated into English using the one wishes were much longer. Chapter Four, McCune-Reischauer and Chinese words by “Drinks,” covers water(s), alcoholic beverages, the Pinyin system” (200). These two systems and different types of tea, consumed by all attempt to match each word’s spelling to how social classes in Korea. All were important to it would be written if it were an English social interaction because their consumption word. The MR system, of necessity, adds was governed by formality and etiquette rules apostrophes, breves, and diereses when print- detailed in this chapter. Chapter Five, “Foods ing romanized words. Because some, if not of the Royal Palace,” reveals that Korean royal most, English speakers might not know how court cuisine was actually not one specific to interpret these marks, a short pronuncia- type, but was composed of regional special- tion guide would have been helpful. The ties. By virtue of their sheer numbers and ex- “Bibliography” is extensive, divided into Pri- quisite preparation, these dishes matched and mary and Secondary Sources. The primary enhanced the prestige and opulence found sources are, as might be expected, in Korean. at court, particularly during the Chosun dy- There are a few English secondary sources nasty (1392–1910). This chapter traces the listed that make additional information acces- movement of dishes, beverages, and etiquette sible to non-Korean speakers. 134 asian perspectives . 51(1) . spring 2012 In sum, the book’s English text “reads” tory and Culture of Korean Cuisine in the Kegan easily, although it would have benefited from Paul Library of Culinary History and Cook- tighter copyediting. For example, since it is ery series (Gunning 2008), apparently covers aimed at English speakers wherever they re- much the same ground, albeit more expen- side, recipe ingredients should have been sively. listed both in grams and ounces. Closer atten- An academic audience, composed of culi- tion to the manuscript would have guaran- nary historians among others, might find the teed that all items discussed were defined coverage of historical periods and religious somewhere in the text body, e.g., jujubes and influences on Korean cuisine a bit cursory. lees, obviating the need to consult a diction- Yet, the “References” and “Bibliography” ary. What emerges best from this volume is would be extremely helpful to specialists, that, indeed, as the author asserts, “Korean even though most of the cited works are in cuisine is diverse” (9). Readers will have Korean. Sociocultural anthropologists teach- no difficulty in verifying that statement for ing comparative courses could assign this themselves. But can readers make the con- book as one of the Korean components with nections that the author claims are evident confidence. Indeed,Korean Cuisine . would between what Koreans have historically eaten be a solid supplemental text in any class fo- and their culture with only the material pre- cusing on Asian food and culture. For archae- sented? And who are those readers? The gen- ologists working in Korea, the well-illustrated eral public? Academics? Students? traditional cooking utensils and implements, The

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