'Culinary Class Wars 2' Monk Seonjae: 'The Reason I Participated Despite Opposition is Because of My Philosophy on Food'

Monk Seonjae, the first master of temple food who left a deep impression on the Netflix cooking entertainment show 〈Culinary Class Wars 2〉, shared his thoughts on participating.

After completing his dish first in the one-on-one black-and-white battle, his calm demeanor while gazing at the opposing chef and his interview voice saying, "I wanted to cheer for him because he was working hard. I thought, 'I hope he wins this time,'" left a strong impression on viewers, showcasing a scene rarely seen in survival entertainment.

⬦ The Reason He Participated Despite Being Discouraged

The combination of survival entertainment and a monk may seem awkward at first glance. Monk Seonjae, whom I met at the Seonjae Temple Food Culture Research Institute in Yangpyeong, Gyeonggi Province on the 10th, revealed that he was indeed discouraged by those around him.

"To be honest, I haven't even seen Season 1 yet. But since then, people around me have been saying, 'If you get an offer, you must not participate.' They say it seems like famous chefs are being eliminated for entertainment purposes."

For a monk who has already established himself as the first master of temple food in South Korea and is not running a restaurant, this challenge could be seen as one with 'nothing to gain and only much to lose.' Nevertheless, the reason Monk Seonjae decided to participate was clear. It was his desire to share his philosophy on Korean cuisine, temple food, and food in general with the world.

"I have no interest in winning or prize money, but I wanted to talk about our country's food, the concept of food as understood by monks, and the mindset of those who prepare food. I thought it would be okay to be eliminated after a couple of rounds if those stories could be shared."

Having overcome liver cirrhosis through dietary habits in the past, Monk Seonjae believes that 'what one eats is everything about that person' and that 'food is practice.' This philosophy has been conveyed to many through lectures and teachings.

"One chef who participated with me said that my lecture was a turning point in his cooking life. He used to think only about how to cook beautifully and deliciously, but after that, he started to think about healthy cooking for the people who would eat it, and he became happier. That was the reason I appeared on 〈Culinary Class Wars〉. When the mindset of the person preparing food changes to create healthier dishes happily, the people eating them also become happy, and our society and all of nature can be happy too."

While it was impossible to encapsulate all of his philosophy in a short entertainment show, the philosophy of temple food, which avoids using meat to prevent killing and emphasizes the use of five pungent vegetables (garlic, green onion, chives, wild chives, and leeks), became known worldwide.

⬦ The Supportive Gaze... A Memorable Scene That Turned Survival into Healing

Monk Seonjae's attitude towards ingredients and his quiet focus on his role, along with his calm expression that is not fixated on the results, left a deep impression on viewers. Reflecting on his one-on-one battle with Chef Ok Dong-sik('Pork Bone Soup from New York'), the monk said, "Seeing him take it seriously made me think that if he becomes well-known, our food will be recognized more."

Regarding his final 6th place in the 'Infinite Hell' mission using carrots, he explained, "Rather than making a fancy dish with carrots, I thought about how to let people know the taste of carrots."

⬦ "99 Practitioners and Seasonal Food"

Observing the fiercely competing chefs, Monk Seonjae expressed, "I met 99 practitioners." He named Chef Hudukjuk as the most impressive 'practitioner.'

"While Chef Lim Seong-geun, who contributed many ideas in the team competition, is excellent, Chef Hudukjuk, who is older than me, helped foster harmony, allowing us to win."

The experience with the production team off-camera was also a valuable time of practice for the monk.

"I saw how hard and fiercely people live in their lives on set. I never heard a single disruptive sound while so many staff were moving around. I realized again that success comes from doing your best in your respective roles."

Monk Seonjae, who approaches ingredients with gratitude towards nature and cooks like an 'interpreter' between ingredients and people, recommended seasonal food as a healthy diet for busy modern individuals.

"Organic food is expensive. Seasonal food is cheap and has energy close to organic. If you understand and cook with the right mindset, seasonal food can be medicine. The best food is the one that does not go against nature."