Mackerel Recalled from Childhood by Chef Kim Won-il
Chef Kim Won-il’s story about mackerel, capturing memories of a poor childhood in Busan Discover the meaning of life connected through his mother’s mackerel cooked over a wood fire and fish from Jagalchi
Chef Kim Wonil recalled the impoverished life he experienced as a child in Busan and his mother’s mackerel. He talked about his childhood, when he got by on wages from working in minari fields and fish picked up at Jagalchi Market.
His mother would bring home the unsold fish, wash them, sprinkle them with salt, and grill them over a wood fire to feed the family. The chef said that the smell and taste of mackerel from that time have remained deeply etched in his life.
Through personal memories tied to food, this article conveys his family history from those impoverished years and the background behind the special meaning mackerel came to hold for the chef.