A special friendship born at the Berlin dinner table
A hearty meal that comforts life in an unfamiliar city

The first collection of essays by author Jeon Seong-jin, who has shown his unique thoughts and wit on YouTube and podcasts under the stage name 'Gwangyeo', titled 'There's No Yukgaejang in Berlin', has been published by Anon Books.
Life in Berlin (like in Korea) was like a raft floating precariously on the sea.
I was suddenly overcome with anger at the harsh environment and the unwitting racial discrimination, but I had no other choice but to just go with the flow.
Into this Berlin life comes a roommate named Jonas.
Jonas uses the guest room and living room.
Jonas, the German man who resembles a sea lion, Jonas who pronounces 'Seongjin' as 'Sungjin', Jonas who knocks on the door every day while preparing breakfast...
Living in the same house with him, eating together, chatting, cooking together, arguing, making up, and talking again, the author creates a special friendship and affectionate cooking.
The author's delicious writing style and the unexpected events that unfold in everyday life draw you into the essay as if it were a novel.
The German food stories and various recipes that conclude each article satisfy both readers' taste buds and their enjoyment of the text.


In an unfamiliar city like Berlin, friendship and food become a source of comfort and encouragement in life.
The 'good friends' and 'warm meals' you discover in this book will enrich your life, no matter where you live in the world.

“This is Jonas.”
At the time I posted the article, my Korean female flatmate kindly introduced me to Jonas.
Jonas blinked and smiled brightly.
It was just like a real-life version of the pot-bellied white man character from a cartoon.
He especially resembles Santa Claus, and it is said that he actually dresses up as Santa Claus in the winter to earn pocket money.

“Hello, Sungjin.”
When I corrected his pronunciation to 'Sungjin, not Sungjin,' he nodded with a serious face and said 'Suwoongjin.'

--- p.35

The well-heated broccoli was moist and crispy.
The refreshing taste of cream cheese and cucumber went well with the salty and oily salami.
Only then did I laugh.

“Wow, it’s delicious.”
“This is a typical German breakfast.”
“What is a German breakfast?”
“I take out all the bread, ham, cheese, yogurt, jam, and butter I have at home and make a table and eat it.
Put the rest in the fridge and take it out to eat again tomorrow.
And drink whatever you want to drink.
Coffee, tea, orange juice, apple pie… … .
“The choice is yours.”
Jonas, who was explaining excitedly, picked up the ham with his bare hands, using all three fingers in a clumsy movement.
When was the last time Jonas washed his hands? He was going to put ham on his plate, but decided to just put a slice of cheese on it.
--- p.45

“If West Berlin has currywurst, East Berlin has ketwurst.”
Ilias ordered three ketwursts.
The clerk took out a long brooch that looked to be about 15 centimeters long.
It looked like a brochen, probably over 30 centimeters long, had been cut in half, and there was a hole in the cut end long enough to fit a sausage through.
The clerk, who had poured ketchup into the hole, put in the warmed sausage and poured ketchup on the end of the sausage again.
It was complete.
“It’s East Berlin street food.”
Ilias said, handing over the ketbust.
Seeing Ketwurst, which is just bread, ketchup, and sausage, made me miss Korean tteokbokki and sundae.
--- p.165

“Don’t worry about anything.
Sungjin.
You think too much.
Just eat the Rote Grutze in front of you.
Then you will be happy.”
Jonas poured a whole lot of lote grütze into a bowl filled with vanilla sauce and pushed it towards me.
A sweet scent also came to me along the bowl.
I was momentarily reminded of Jonas' diabetes.
And then he picked up the spoon.
--- p.182

Jonas greeted each and every child without exception.
The children whispered their wishes to Jonas, and some of them burst into tears, saying that they had not listened to their parents.
I couldn't stand it because the child was so cute.
Next up was Jonas' guitar performance.
Jonas sang three Christmas carols.
He wasn't good at singing, but he played the guitar well.
I sang carols with the kids to Jonas' guitar playing.
The event was over in less than an hour.
The children followed Jonas to the end and greeted him.
Jonas shook hands with everyone and said they would meet again next winter.

--- p.234

I stood up and left Jonas.
Feeling sorry, I paid for the food I had eaten and asked the staff to wrap up a large rye bread and give it to Jonas.
I said hello to Jonas once more as I left the room.
He held up a piece of rye bread and gave it a thumbs up.
The month I was supposed to meet Jonas was also busy.
Jonas just said he was fine and to contact me when he had time.
Every time I postponed my appointment, I kept thinking about Jonas calling me his 'good friend'.
I thought it would be better if you called me 'busy friend'.

--- p.270