- 9 hours ago
Our Ocean Table Season 1 Episode 3
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00:07this is our food table seafood is the foundation of so many of our favorite dishes and we love
00:15eating I'm Sonia I'm a filmmaker and ocean nerd I live on Vancouver Island and my favorite place
00:26is underwater I'm Hannah I'm a journalist and producer in Toronto and I was a reporter on
00:34much music in the 2000s have you ever had anything live from the ocean like this before
00:43Koreans around the world are tied to the ocean through food but overfishing and climate change
00:50threaten our oceans what does it mean for our culture if our favorite foods disappear together
00:56we're traveling across Western Canada to meet the harvesters and chefs behind some of the most
01:01iconic Korean dishes dive in as we learn more about the science sustainability and culture
01:08behind our favorite foods welcome to our ocean table when I think of Korean food I think seafood
01:22bubbling soups and stews with shrimp and seaweed and oysters many Koreans use oysters and savory pancakes
01:30and soups and also eat them raw I've eaten a lot of oysters in Korea they're as Korean as fried
01:38chicken
01:39cheers cheers okay I guess when I think about Korean food I also think chicken but a fried chicken is
01:47Korean food the same way oysters are Korean food what is Korean Koreans love fried chicken but is it Korean
01:57Korean food what is considered Korean food what is authentic what is traditional and not only for
02:04food but also am I Korean am I Canadian I don't feel Korean enough but I'm also like so I
02:11was born in
02:12Korea my family immigrated to Canada when I was six the only way I knew how to survive was really
02:18downplay
02:19my Korean-ness all I wanted to do was fit in I was born in Canada and Toronto I was
02:28able to integrate
02:29into Canadian society in a way that my mom really wanted for me to do I think there's a classic
02:36story
02:36about Asian kids not wanting to take their food to school because people would say their lunch is
02:42stinky my mother did not want me to take some food to school that would be deemed stinky my mom
02:48also
02:49stopped putting garlic in our kimchi she did not want us to go to school with garlic breath I think
02:55that adapting your foods is about survival moving to Canada means adapting Korean food to Western palates
03:03but also adapting Western food to Korean palates Korean fried chicken is my favorite example of this
03:11and oysters are an example too when my mom immigrated from Korea she would use local oysters to make our
03:19dishes taste more like home oysters are a shellfish that start their lives as tiny swimming creatures then
03:27they settle on the ocean floor where they filter water for food and live for the rest of their lives
03:32aquaculture in BC gets a bad reputation from open-eyed salmon farming that has impacted our wild salmon stocks
03:41but can oyster farms change the narrative of aquaculture on the west coast have you ever been
03:47on an oyster farm I don't know what that means an oyster farm I just know that I like to
03:51eat them
03:52I'm excited to find out let's go to the island I am an Ontario gal but I spent a lot
03:58of time on the
03:59west coast because it's where my husband's family is I'm actually very familiar with Fanny Bay oysters as
04:05oysters that I eat but that was all I knew about them you want to lead the way all right
04:17this is just a
04:19little access path to one of our farms I like your commute it's very west coast so what you're looking
04:27at is a freshly laid bed of oyster seed so what we think is a beach is actually a farm
04:37field we treat
04:38it like a farm field absolutely what kind of oysters are these that's a Pacific oyster Chrysostria gigas how
04:47long did it take for it to get to this size that's about a one-year-old oyster at this
04:52point how old does it
04:55have to be by the time you harvest it that's gonna be another nine months from now I'll let this
04:59one
05:00grow grow nice and pretty can we see a oyster ready for market sure we can take a look at
05:06some and how
05:08many of your oysters are on this beach on the three ten years and ships point it's well over a
05:14hundred
05:14thousand dozen I can't do that math 1.2 million 1.2 million oysters here five dollars a dozen still
05:23can't do that math so you were wondering about market size oysters so that patch of seed in six
05:30to nine months is gonna look something like those wait this gets to be this in only nine months this
05:40is considered aquaculture yes aquaculture on this coast gets a bad reputation and I feel like not all
05:47aquaculture is made the same I'd have to agree with you with that there are big differences between
05:52say salmon pens and broadcast oysters on the beach there's not a lot of detritus coming out of this
05:59there's a few inputs there's no antibiotics we do do a fairly intensive monoculture somewhat contained
06:07and we're using beaches that are underutilized by other species winter storms will move them around
06:13we'll pick them up get them back to where we want them and other than that you're collecting the essence
06:18of
06:19the ocean you're really kind of eating the ocean when you're eating an oyster the ocean's health
06:23truly is about our health and our health is about the ocean's health tube the oyster is such a perfect
06:28microcosmic item food animal to let us know that so the species of oysters is not actually native to this
06:37coast that's correct one might think that it's a problem to have a you know introduced species all along
06:43the beach can you tell me if there is an impact my understanding of the potential impacts of Pacific
06:49oysters in BC are minimal they were introduced to BC waters from Japan in the 1920s and 30s and they
06:58spawn
06:59naturally in BC waters now the Pacific oyster is the largest percentage of cultured oysters in the world
07:07would you say that this location is one of the locations where it's been bred the longest places
07:13like Korea and Japan they've been culturing oysters for centuries now our people that's why we think it's
07:22so delicious and yet we're learning from you I love it I think it's pretty incredible to learn that
07:26these oysters originally came from my people they're immigrant oysters they love that can we taste one right
07:34off the beach we'll pick an easy one here for you yeah okay oh I messed up slice it yep
07:42pretty good
07:57briny that's delicious thank you oyster
08:02how do you feel about us stepping on your oysters once they get to this size yeah they're fairly robust
08:09they can take a little bit of foot traffic they are surprisingly resilient animals there's something
08:16comforting to learn that the oysters my mom used to make our meals feel more Korean are the same species
08:22we ate in Korea these oysters also had to adapt and survive from the other side of the Pacific
08:29with the resilient outer shell and ocean II inside these oysters are a perfect metaphor for the immigrant
08:36experience the more I look to the ocean the more I learn what it means to be Korean
08:49when I first immigrated you know like get it get it it's such a juicy mosquito oh you got it
09:03growing up with my Korean family friends I was always told like why are you studying marine biology it's not
09:09a very Korean thing to do when did you first learn about the hainyo hainyo are ocean harvesting women
09:15primarily on Jeju Island these women are free divers who can hold their breath for many minutes to
09:21harvest for seafood like abalone sea snails octopus and other shellfish this harvesting tradition is
09:28decreasing in Korea because most of the hainyo are seniors but all of them are badass Korean women it was
09:36so exciting to learn that there are other Korean women free diving in the ocean what they do is so
09:43connected to the earth and an ancient way of doing things that is just naturally sustainable because it
09:51doesn't come from a capitalist industrial way of feeding ourselves they just have this extreme like
09:57confident Ajima energy that's what I want I want confident ocean Ajima energy oh my god we're back in
10:09Vancouver to try our local oysters at a Korean restaurant at Jimmy chef J is balancing tradition
10:18and adaptation with a menu that mixes imported Korean seafood with some that is Canadian harvested locally
10:37μΌλ¨μ κ·Έ κ΅΄λ‘ μ κ° μ΄μ λ‘컬 μ΄μ΄μ£ κ·Έκ²λ λ‘컬 μ΄μ΄λ‘ μ’ λ²ν°λ₯Ό λ§λ€μμ΄μ λ²ν°λ₯Ό λ§λ€μ΄μ κ·Έ κ΅΄κ³Ό ν¨κ» λκ°
10:47ν μμ΄λ§μ νκ³ κ·Έ μμ νκ΅ λνλ₯Ό ν¬λ¦¬λ―Ένκ² λ§λ€μ΄μ μ€λΈμ ꡬμλ΄λ μ리거λ μ
11:00μ΄κ±°λ μμ λ² λλ² μ΄μμ κ°κ³ μλ κ΅΄μ μ λλ²ν°μ λ§μκ² ννλΌμ΄ ν΄μμ
11:07λ£μκ³ μμ νκ΅ λνλ‘ μκΈμΉ νμ€ν λ₯Ό λ§λ€μ΄ κ°μ§κ³ μ€λΈ ꡬμ΄λ₯Ό ν μ리μ
λλ€
11:13μ λ¨Ήκ² μ΅λλ€. λ§μκ² λμΈμ. λ§μκ² λμΈμ. κ³ λ§μ΅λλ€.
11:24Okay. I want this whole row. We just get another whole row. It's very interesting to take on traditional Korean
11:31flavors.
11:31Like the idea of a Korean pesto on top? That's very cool.
11:47A fusion dish like this is a way for chef Jay to introduce Korean seafood flavors to Canadian palates using
11:54Canadian ingredients.
11:57But the real star of this restaurant is a Korean dish I've never tried before.
12:02κ°μ₯ κ²μ₯, which is a raw crab marinated for 48 hours in a house made soy sauce.
12:09This wasn't a part of my own family's food growing up so the first time I ever saw it was
12:14when Sonia sent it to me on social media.
12:18We've come a long way from when my mom had to make our food publicly acceptable.
12:25Now restaurants like Jinmi can serve food that is Korean unapologetically.
12:32So when I lived in Korea my very vivid memories is just like eating seafood and one of them is
12:37this.
12:38My grandma used to make this at home. This version and like a spicy sauce version.
12:43Uh-huh. I haven't had it since I was six.
12:46I've never had it since I was six.
12:47I don't know how to use it.
12:49I don't know how to use it.
12:49But in Canada, I eat a lot of blue crab in Canada.
12:53It's too small and it's too thin. It's too thin. It's too thin.
12:58I think it's too thin.
12:59I think it's like eating a fork in my mouth.
13:04It's hard to express it.
13:06You do the Instagram squeeze thing.
13:09Me?
13:10I'm nervous.
13:12Okay.
13:13Yeah.
13:14All right.
13:14Are you ready?
13:15Yes.
13:15Cheers.
13:17When I thought it was, I thought it was the best of the flower seeds.
13:24So I thought it was hard to buy in Korea from Korea.
13:28I thought it was hard to buy in Korea.
13:31Oh my god.
13:34Wow.
13:35What do you think?
13:36It tastes like the ocean.
13:37It tastes like my childhood.
13:39Mm.
13:40It's so sweet.
13:41Mm-hmm.
13:43There's a lot of flavors happening over time in my mouth.
13:46If it weren't for you, I would never have heard of this dish.
13:48Mm.
13:50Mm.
13:51Very good.
13:52I approve.
13:54Yay.
13:54What do you think the chef's Korean food is?
13:58What do you think the Korean food is?
13:59The traditional food of Korean food is the food from our ancestors.
14:05It's not missing from the period.
14:07It's not a time to go.
14:10It's not a time to go.
14:12It's not a time to go.
14:13It's not a time to go.
14:25At Chef Jay's restaurant, we could taste the ancestral connection.
14:30For the first time since my childhood, I could taste my ν λ¨Έλ's crab.
14:37I was told my ocean career made me not Korean.
14:41But the ocean runs deeply through our bodies, through our ancestral history and food.
14:46Even though I'm learning that caring about the ocean is actually a very Korean thing to do,
14:52I still have never been in the water with another Korean woman.
14:55So I actually love being in the water. I love swimming.
14:59But I have never done any diving.
15:02When she started to bring up, would you like to dive?
15:05I thought, is this required?
15:07What does it mean to dive? Am I capable?
15:10Welcome aboard!
15:12It's like getting into your worst formal palm dress, but even worse.
15:19Oh no. Oh yeah, this smells.
15:21Oh my god!
15:22It's extremely cozy. Like, oppressively cozy.
15:28You look like a henna.
15:30That's cute.
15:31Yeah, you look good for it.
15:32Let's see what happens when I get in the water.
15:34Can I tell you my nightmare?
15:36Yeah. It's that, um, a little piece of seaweed wraps around my ankle.
15:40Just pretend it's like a little nice hug from Intel.
15:43Not scary. Nice hug.
15:45Not scary.
15:46But I think it's okay. You're allowed to be nervous.
15:48Okay, let's get in.
15:50Okay.
15:51Yeah.
15:51Yeah.
15:52Oh my god.
15:53I need to take a breath before I do it.
15:59Mommy's stressing me.
16:03Let's go again.
16:04Ready?
16:04One, two, three.
16:13You okay?
16:14Woo!
16:17It's cold. Confirming.
16:21She was so nervous about going in the water.
16:24I think she was lying because she got in the water and she was so comfortable.
16:31And it made me feel so good that she was such a natural at it.
16:37Being underwater felt so freeing.
16:41The kelp was so beautiful.
16:45It felt like why have I not explored this realm?
16:51If only everybody could do that.
16:55Being underwater like this was the highlight of the entire journey.
16:59I felt so free and connected to the ocean and curious about the kelp and creatures around me.
17:09And how cool to see Sonia gathering urchins and harvesting.
17:15Maybe Sonia wouldn't agree with me but in my eyes, she's already a henyo.
17:22The notion of being Korean enough, it didn't really feel like I didn't fit the box.
17:28I felt like I didn't know what that box was.
17:32And then a few years ago, I got into BTS.
17:36I met Hannah.
17:37And around that time, I learned about Henyeol.
17:41I've been finally learning what being Korean means to me.
17:44But through that journey, I still wanted to be in the water.
17:47Free diving with other Korean women.
17:50Getting to experience that with Hannah was so special.
17:55For most of my life, I felt like I was abandoning who I was as a Korean to connect to
18:00the ocean.
18:00But it turns out, connecting to the ocean connects me to being Korean.
18:05Hope is looking for an ease of connection.acion
18:06contests Ok.
18:33In Pennsylvania.
18:46This is something else.
18:48These traditional plates with the stone bowl, with the nice view.
18:55Oysters from Fanny Bay.
18:58Spa prawns in our sundubu.
19:00This is my mom's miyokguk.
19:02You know, with so much Korean food becoming popular on social media, what is authentic?
19:08What is traditional?
19:09I think anything that Korean people make and eat and enjoy is authentic.
19:13Whether it's like a new food trend that's, you know, sweeping the nation of Korea over
19:19the last year or something that represents countless generations.
19:24As a Korean person or a person of Korean descent, but truly I'm a Canadian person, I like to
19:31just call it food.
19:32If I love it and I make it, then it's authentically Korean food too, you know?
19:36I think that's such a good way to put it because sometimes I don't feel like an authentic Korean.
19:42But you said it's a reminder to myself that I can be Korean however I want to be Korean.
19:48I can be Canadian.
19:49I can be Korean.
19:50I can be whatever, an ocean person.
19:53Yeah.
19:53Yeah.
19:54I mean, like growing up in the 80s in Canada, I was made to feel many times like I wasn't
19:59a true Canadian.
20:01But then there are Koreans who make you feel like you're not actually Korean enough.
20:04I don't really think it's up to other people to tell us and if you feel Korean, then you
20:09are.
20:09I love that.
20:11To me, it seems like Hannah has it all figured out.
20:14And through this journey, I learned so much from her.
20:18And it gives me the confidence to exist as a Korean person, in whatever way makes sense
20:23to me.
20:23I'm so grateful to Hannah for that.
20:35Oh my god.
20:37That's gorgeous.
20:38Korean people, we are so lucky because we are really close to the ocean so we can have
20:43the fresh fish, shellfish, and be creative at using seaweed.
20:48Rather than changing my ideas on sustainability, everything I've learned on this trip has been
20:54reinforcing of some bigger ideas.
20:58Being in the ocean, seeing its abundance, but how delicate the balance is, I just want
21:04to keep eating as sustainably as possible and just learning more.
21:10Especially in conservation spaces, harvesters don't necessarily have the best reputation
21:14because they're taking fish out of the ocean.
21:18But they are the best ambassadors for what is actually happening on the ocean.
21:23They don't want these things to go away.
21:25This is their life.
21:31I want to eat my favorite foods forever, and I want you to eat my favorite foods forever.
21:38And in order to do that, we need to do a little bit better for the ocean as a whole.
21:43Welcome.
21:45Good job!
21:47Cheers!
21:48Cheers!
21:54Want to take a nibble?
21:56I've never eaten bull, Kelp!
22:00Ah!
22:00Is that a swear thing?
22:04No!
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