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Our Ocean Table - Season 1 Episode 1 - Leaving Familiar Shores
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00:07This is our food table.
00:09Seafood is the foundation of so many of our favorite dishes.
00:14And we love eating.
00:17Oh my gosh!
00:20I'm Sonia.
00:21I'm a filmmaker and ocean nerd.
00:24I live on Vancouver Island and my favorite place is underwater.
00:29I'm Hannah, I'm a journalist and producer in Toronto, and I was a reporter on MuchMusic in the 2000s.
00:36Have you ever had anything fly from the ocean like this before?
00:40No, we've heard material.
00:43Koreans around the world are tied to the ocean through food.
00:48But overfishing and climate change threaten our oceans.
00:51What does it mean for our culture if our favorite foods disappear?
00:56Together, we're traveling across Western Canada to meet the harvesters and chefs behind some of the most iconic Korean dishes.
01:04Dive in as we learn more about the science, sustainability, and culture behind our favorite foods.
01:10Welcome to our ocean table.
01:21This is Sundubu Jigae, which means soft tofu soup.
01:25It's a spicy broth that has big chunks of soft, silky tofu.
01:28And one way we love to eat it is full of seafood.
01:33Go to any Korean restaurant in North America and you can easily find Sundubu Jigae on many menus.
01:39Koreans have been eating it for hundreds of years since the Joseon dynasty.
01:46It captures key flavors of Korean food in one pot.
01:50Salty, spicy, and piping hot.
01:57It looks really good.
01:59It looks really spicy.
02:02That is good.
02:03This is my cozy comfort food.
02:05Yeah.
02:06When it's raining, go for this.
02:08When it's cold, go for this.
02:10When it's hot.
02:12Absolutely.
02:13You go for an even hotter stew.
02:15Absolutely.
02:15Very Korean thing to do.
02:17I'm pretty sure this is what you ordered the first time we met.
02:21Do you remember?
02:21We had lunch in Toronto.
02:24Oh, yeah.
02:25Being asked by Sonia to be a part of this project and to come along for the ride, it means
02:31everything to me because it's about our stories, you know, and sharing them from our perspective.
02:37Koreans have a lot at stake when it comes to ocean conservation, and it's unfair that we're portrayed that all
02:44we're doing is pillaging the ocean.
02:47When I was living in Halifax, I didn't have a lot of choices when it came to going out for
02:53Korean food.
02:53Whenever I was craving Korean food, this is what I would make.
02:58This whole journey started when I was making sundubu jjigae.
03:02I was learning about people's relationship with the ocean, and I was like, damn, it must be nice to have
03:10an ocean culture.
03:11While I'm throwing in seafood, squid, shrimp, mussels, clams, still contemplating, where does my connection for the ocean come from?
03:19And then I realized, oh, this is where it comes from. It's from Korean food.
03:25The ocean is in this bowl.
03:27The ocean is in this bowl.
03:32Growing up, I just loved white people's food. Like, that's all I wanted. I watched a lot of TV.
03:37I wanted to eat lasagna because I read the Garfield comic strips. I wanted to eat cabbage rolls. I do
03:43not know why, but now all I want is the Korean food.
03:47Over the years, I've been feeling disconnected from being Korean. I want to learn more about my culture and the
03:55ways in which ocean is a part of my culture.
03:58Yeah, I am really looking forward to learning more about sundubu, not only how it gets made, what goes into
04:05it, but I want to eventually learn how to make it myself, too.
04:11My favorite part of sundubu is the coveted pieces of shrimp.
04:16But shrimp have some of the worst environmental impacts.
04:22From destructive farming to unethical labor practices to trawl fishing that bulldozes ocean habitats.
04:31I was vegetarian for many years, and sundubu without shrimp just felt wrong.
04:37I grew up eating it loaded with seafood.
04:40And no shrimp was like chicken noodle soup without the chicken.
04:44So, how can we eat it sustainably?
04:47It is spot prawn season here right now, and spot prawns are a sustainable shrimp industry on the West Coast.
04:54And I'm super excited to learn more about how they're caught, how it's sustainable, and meet the harvesters and the
05:02fishers who are doing this.
05:19There's aomina trustee containers, and he's veryز요, but it 최minster is the thanroy action, which you should know.
05:37Hi, how's it going?
05:39Good.
05:39Hi.
05:39We're excited to go fishing.
05:44The spot prawn fishery, it's a really short season.
05:46It opens in May and closes sometime in June, depending on when the fishing fleet has fished
05:52the prawns down to a sustainable level.
05:5570% of our annual income comes from the prawn fishery, and the bulk of that catch is like
06:00in the first two weeks of the season.
06:02If you have a mistake or you have a breakdown in the first two weeks, it's like your whole
06:06year can be shot.
06:07It's funny, I don't gamble in real life or have any interest.
06:10My wife always jokes.
06:11She's like, you don't need to gamble because your whole life is a gamble.
06:18Have you ever touched prawns before?
06:21Um, no.
06:22I've touched prawns with my chopsticks.
06:26I've never seen one in the water.
06:29How would I ever do that?
06:30I don't know.
06:37Spot prawns are a type of shrimp found off the West Coast, from California all the way
06:42up to Alaska.
06:43These prawns are bigger than some of the other species, and they are popular for their sweet,
06:48juicy meat.
06:52Spot prawns have a four-year life cycle, and they're hermaphroditic.
06:57In their first two years, they start out as males, and then transition into females when
07:02they're bigger in their third and fourth year.
07:04They're all about now.
07:06I'm on another level.
07:09All right.
07:10Here it comes.
07:11First trap.
07:11First trap.
07:13If you want to put that trap just right behind you.
07:15Why is it so heavy?
07:17I might trade you then.
07:18Cheating me.
07:18I'll trade you.
07:19We have marks on our sorting table.
07:21Oh, okay.
07:22The line is just on the head still and not in the eye socket.
07:24So that one's like the smallest sort of legal prawn you can catch.
07:28Uh-huh.
07:28So this is big enough.
07:30Exactly.
07:31As long as the seagulls don't get them, which they're not right now, it's actually like
07:33quite good survival when you throw back the undersized.
07:40The Prawn Association try to time the season so that we don't have any egg-bearing females.
07:44Generally from like October until March or April is when they're egg-bearing.
07:49That's one of the reasons why it's sustainable, right?
07:51Exactly.
07:51We're sort of never catching those reproducing prawns.
08:02What we're always trying to do when we're fishing is to target the bigger prawns.
08:05Not only because you get better price for them but also because these are the ones that
08:08are going to be dying off once they spawn anyways.
08:11Let the little guys grow.
08:12Let the little guys grow.
08:13They'll come back in a couple years.
08:15Exactly.
08:15Get them next year and target the bigger ones.
08:19So we're avoiding reproducing prawns and we're eating them when they're going to die off anyway.
08:26It's like we're working with nature.
08:36So this is a ruby octopus.
08:40Do you want to hold?
08:41I do.
08:42I've never held one before.
08:43In most fishing practices, we get what's called bycatch, which are fish and other ocean creatures
08:49who get caught accidentally and often die.
08:52R.I.P.
08:52R.I.P.
08:54R.I.P.
08:55Today, the bycatch is being thrown overboard alive.
08:58Wee!
08:58Be free!
09:00Hey, we're a basket star.
09:03Just floats.
09:05These are squat lobsters.
09:07The slang term is ass ploppers cause they...
09:09That's how they swim.
09:11High on a plopper.
09:12yeah i heard spot prawns were sustainable but i didn't know why and now i'm like doing it now
09:19i know why yeah you must be so fond of these guys whoa yeah they're they've been a big part
09:24of my life for a long time you can do you guys want to eat one raw oh my god
09:28oh listen i will try
09:30yeah okay so just grab it right here grab it here kind of pinch i want to do it yeah
09:38yeah
09:38okay let's do it together there you go heads off twist r.i.p oh my god thank you prawns
09:50have you ever had anything live from the ocean like this before hannah no no no
09:59they're from material okay what kind of sauce do we got it's a cho gochujang which is a vinegary
10:06gochujang sauce cheers cheers thanks for coming out thank you
10:14a strong oh you ate it so ladylike and delicately
10:19i feel very grateful to you and to the spot prawns yeah grateful to spot prawns for sure
10:28everything on fraser's boat was very memorable i really felt so privileged and lucky to be able to
10:37see how this particular food is being harvested
10:42i felt like in this one afternoon experience we get to bring in some more knowledge to our plate this
10:50is
10:50like when you have kids in the kitchen and they're helping they're we're helping
10:57thank you so much bye thank you for showing us
11:02thank you for showing us hushay bye
11:27I was getting so into BTS because it was bringing me so much joy yes but at the
11:32same time I had nobody to talk about it with you were posting about BTS stuff and
11:38I was like can I slide into her DS just about BTS I would love to go back in
11:47time and see how fast I responded to you I know oh yeah hi how's it going I was
11:52probably like was not expecting that but now the magic word any way in which we
12:00can feel more connected to each other is such a win in this world everything is
12:05so disconnected who would have predicted that responding to me on Instagram
12:11would lead us here tucked away in a strip mall off the highway we're a long way
12:17from Koreatown here in Nanaimo this chef is serving Korean cuisine his way and
12:24locals are falling in love with his twist on classic Korean dishes oh my god the
12:32first time I got to Horan I wanted to introduce myself to chef John I couldn't
12:37get in I couldn't even get a seat at the bar I went twice I couldn't either coming
12:41into your restaurant we see so much success what has been the hardest part
12:45Nanaimo is a small city Korean community is smaller than other cities in Canada
12:50Korean cuisine for the local market was the challenging part from the beginning
12:55you have a long history in working in restaurants why did you start a Korean
12:59restaurant I used to be a sushi chef for over 20 years Korean food started gets
13:04really popular all over the world I knew that it could be a higher risk than open up
13:10the same Japanese restaurant but then I really wanted to try so the boo was the
13:16one of the first dishes that I thought about for the menus whenever I go to other
13:21cities if you want to eat Korean cuisine then so the boo is of course one of the
13:26first dish that I want to order mm-hmm because it feels like you're eating at
13:30home oh my god that's gorgeous wow Sonia smile we are in Vancouver Islands and it's
13:45surrounded by the oceans and we got lots of seafoods out there use of fresh ingredients is
13:50main key to creating the delicious dishes right usually we use cuttlefish or tiger prawns so you use
13:58spot prawns when they're in season and then when they're not in season you just change the yeah
14:03we change the seasonal menu here too sometimes I feel a little sad that I can get the good quality
14:09local seafood I think it's a price point too it's a certain commercial season and also limited
14:15quantity that you able to catch a year round and a lot of seafood export to other countries too so
14:22we
14:22don't have much choices sometimes though oh it's so spicy it's just the way I like it
14:29I've never had soon to be with Cal cook soon it yeah really there yeah this is with the noodles
14:38which is not commonly served it I think a lot of people now so used to eating some of the
14:46foe like
14:47Vietnamese noodles and also Japanese ramen yeah so I have to choose the noodle into the soup so people
14:53more familiar is to come and try this dish no that's so interesting from your chef's perspective
14:59how other Asian cuisines have kind of opened the door for familiarity for being open to a Korean dish
15:06and then it's like you're taking steps towards like you're teaching people thank you chef John has
15:14such a warmth about him that as a Korean I feel like yes I want you to be Sally's conduit
15:23to their
15:23first Korean meal my regular customers our friends send me a lot of love you know Korean people have a
15:29strong sticky relationship like that's like a chunk together stuck together yeah yeah it's all about the
15:41memory I mean foods are memory right when you have with the good people and the good food that's the
15:47best
15:47memories ever right when you have a memorable meal somewhere it makes your feeling of closeness with
15:55that place even closer it's like what he was saying about Jung I feel Jung for Nanaimo now through chef
16:02John
16:03and Horang I recently moved to Vancouver Island I didn't really know where to find the Koreans chef John
16:10he's representing really hip Korean culture and food in a city on the island that I wouldn't think that a
16:20Korean restaurant would be popular all right I have made me really proud I recently saw somebody do
16:25sound like this oh I watch the teacock yeah it's my way I've never seen that yeah spot prawns are
16:41delicious and sustainable but not cheap in fact cheaper shrimp comes with a hefty cost to the environment
16:48one way we can eat seafood to Nubu forever is to save prawns for special occasions and celebrations
16:54if you can help me dice up the onion can do never let chef John see my knife skills our
17:03spot prawns thank
17:05you Fraser it's a big act of knowing yourself to eat like this in public growing up I would not
17:15have
17:16wanted to bring anyone home for dinner to and have this so making a picnic like this in a public
17:22space I
17:23think is an active resistance and when I think about the rise of Korean food it makes me feel very
17:30hopeful
17:30it's about acceptance and and connection food really connects us
17:41thank you for making such a wonderful you too oh man that sesame oil does it at the ending it's
17:49perfect
17:49sundubu jjigae is such a perfect meal for like a rainy cold yes wet day as Koreans we are inherently
17:58so
17:59connected to the ocean because it's on our table and you can see it and you can see it nobody's
18:05hiding
18:05what this is it's an incredible feeling to be that connected to your food beyond just the very end stages
18:12of bringing it home and to cook it in your kitchen then that's what I want to help people see
18:18a little
18:19bit more even my own family just being able to connect that back to we love the ocean but if
18:25we
18:26don't take care of it we can't have this on our table this is like a really beautiful thing it's
18:31not
18:32just an enjoyable meal you know it's so much more than that I just am so happy right now I
18:37love that
18:40to eat our favorite foods forever the first step is to learn where our food comes from and to explore
18:45sustainable options no matter where we live the ocean connects Koreans through our shared favorite
18:51dishes around the world even in the prairies in our next episode we'll be learning about the
18:58surprising connection between seaweed and cows I want to get on a horse
19:07how did that happen join us for the world's slowest tractor driving
19:18chef john said this is where he comes to crab okay chicken in and then let's shut this feel like
19:26I'm sending a love letter it is raw chicken in this envelope to the crabs deep below have you done
19:33this
19:33before no I think you're supposed to throw it what do your kids do drop it I don't know what
19:44you drop it
19:44and I'll throw it okay okay I'm gonna do one toss this is the first and only okay nice who's
20:02gonna check
20:02the traps I'll do it because I want to go inside as quick as possible
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