Can our dining table save the planet?

In the age of climate crisis, preparing meals with local ingredients
A Table of Recovery, Solidarity, and Hope

Homer's The Odyssey is an epic poem that describes the 20-year journey of the Greek general Odysseus to return home after the Trojan War.
Ultimately, it is a story of 'return', that is, returning to one's original place. The name 'Local Odyssey', borrowed from here, is the name of a gastronomic event that conveys the message of returning to the local area in search of lost flavors, and is also the title of this book that summarizes its contents.
The three authors, each a chef, a food explorer, and a professional translator of food literature, are at the forefront of their fields, dedicated to elevating our culinary experiences.
This book embodies the belief that we can continue our journey of sustainable gastronomy not only by introducing and consuming delicious food, but also by protecting our planet, the local producers who provided the ingredients, and the long-standing food culture, even when we eat just one meal.
(The standard Korean spelling is 'Odyssey' or 'Odysseus', but the authors of this book have been using the name 'Local Odyssey' as their own brand.
Reflecting this context, the terms 'Odyssey' and 'Odysseus' were used in this book and related materials.)

At 'Planet Lab (planEAT lab)' located in Suseong-dong Valley, Jongno-gu, an experiment is being conducted to find a specific answer to this hunger.
This is the research lab and kitchen of 'ourplanEAT', run by Chef Kim Tae-yoon and Planner Jang Min-young, and is also a site of experiments that meet the public.
The name 'Our Planet' contains the meaning of recognizing the Earth as 'our' foundation for life and 'planning meals (plan+eat)' to realize ecological values.
In line with this purpose, we are offering a variety of pop-up events, regular cooking classes, and workshops, suggesting new ways to connect with the world through food.
One of the events that Our Planet regularly organizes is 'Local Odyssey'.
This event selects a specific region, conducts in-depth research on its ingredients and food culture, and presents this in a dinner of six dishes.
Starting with Jirisan in April 2022, it has been continuously running for over three years, covering Sokcho, Gijang, Geochang, and Gwangju.
This book records a local odyssey that unfolded along the sea and coastal areas during that journey.
This book contains a journey of meeting local producers, exploring the ingredients they produce, and expressing them in dishes to gain a deeper understanding of food, become a responsible consumer, and restore meaningful communication.
--- From "Entering"

This menu is, so to speak, the result of thinking about 'how to eat more sea urchins.'
At Our Planet, we often say, “Eat as much sea urchin as your wallet allows.”
Discovering and suggesting various sea urchin recipes is also part of this practice.
As reducing greenhouse gases emerges as a common challenge for humanity, the ocean is attracting attention as a carbon sink.
Marine ecosystems play a role in slowing global warming by transporting atmospheric carbon from the sea surface to the deep ocean and storing it there.
Among them, the sea forest made up of seaweed performs the core function of 'blue carbon' through photosynthesis and respiration.
At the same time, it is a spawning ground for fish and a habitat for fry.
However, sea urchins are creatures that eat this seaweed as their main food source.
Biologically, it is natural for one organism to eat another, but as top predators that used to eat sea urchins, such as cuttlefish, sea bream, and sea otters, have declined due to overfishing and environmental changes, the sea urchin population has exploded, and as a result, seaweed has disappeared, and the desertification of the marine ecosystem is rapidly progressing.
--- 「I.
Captain 1.
From "Sea urchin (First dish: Spanish Galician-style anjanggu gratin and pimenton croutons)"

With the squishy, ​​squishy sea squirts in the stainless steel container in front of me, I searched through countless cookbooks, searched countless YouTube videos, and did countless tests.
One night, a few days before the event, I was cooking with malmijal in my dream.
Luckily, they are long-lived and lasted quite a while in the fridge while I was on my way to the rescue.
It was encouraging to find out that the overall difficult mollusk's handling method was surprisingly simple.
After rinsing the mud and a fair amount of sap under running water, it is ready to cook.
However, you have to be careful because there are many cases where they bite the fishhook.
The fishing line is mostly outside the body, so if you pay close attention, you won't miss it.

--- 「I.
Captain 3.
From "Malmi-jal (Third dish: Taiwanese pancakes flavored with balloon anemone and lady's ginseng)"

A single ingredient contains not only the recipe and usage, but also the culture inherited by that people and the memories of countless individuals.
So, when one ingredient disappears, the world it contains also disappears.
So, the food we try at Our Planet is also an homage to an old world that is moving away from us.
Just as the light of a star floats through time into space even after it has disappeared, the food I make is also a wish for an undying light.
It may be providence that, like our lives, food ingredients and culture naturally ebb and flow, but I approach each event with the mindset of 'BUT NOT TODAY.'

--- 「III.
Taean 2.
From "Park (Second dish: Park, green apple, local honey, Dijon mustard, burrata cheese)"

As the land where diverse life should coexist is covered with a single crop, not only the ecosystem but also our tables are losing diversity and becoming monotonous.
The monotony of the table increasingly simplifies our knowledge and sense of food ingredients, which in turn leads to a vicious cycle of lack of food culture diversity.
“Ulleungdo is a volcanic island, so rice farming is not possible.
It's my field.
So, that's how precious rice was.
I can't even imagine eating only rice.
They said they would eat it by adding oxycidium, by adding red potatoes, and if that didn't work, by adding the roots of this island dwarf hawkweed.
It's so delicious that I'm going to throw it away.
The boat is also empty.
In the barley hill where even rice is falling, wheat grains are mixed with saccharin and steamed with barley root.
“Beomuri” Lakajae.” Thanks to Ms. Han Gwi-suk, who could not forget this taste and is now cultivating the field of island snails, I was able to experience a taste unique to Ulleungdo that cannot be found anywhere else.

--- 「V.
Ulleungdo 2.
From "Red Potato Chips, Yellow Squid Spear, and Yellow Squid Scales (Second Dish: Mexican National Snack Esquites and Yellow Squid Spear Flavored Red Potato Chips)"

Hwang Jong-wook (hereinafter referred to as 'Hwang'): First, let's talk about what Our Planet is.
Jang Min-young (hereinafter referred to as ‘Jang’) Our Planet is a sustainable gastronomy research institute.
The physical space where research activities take place is Planet Lab.
At first glance, it may seem like an empty shop when there are no events, but inside, food ingredient testing and reporting results are routinely conducted.
While Chef Kim Tae-yoon and I are busy moving around, harvested or collected ingredients are quietly fermenting in one corner of the lab.
- "Bold: A Homecoming to Lost Flavors, a Local Odyssey," p. 404

sulfur.
If you had to describe what Our Planet wants to do in one sentence, what would it be?
page.
The most important value we pursue is 'restoring broken relationships.'
I believe that change begins when consumers become aware of where the food they eat comes from, who grew it, and through what process.
You can also have a sense of problem.
Recovering those connections that have been severed or faded is an experience that goes beyond simply understanding food ingredients; it also allows us to look at our lives, our environment, our region and seasons, and our relationships with others in a new way.
The focus of the work is on ensuring that the connection runs through today and continues into tomorrow.
We are carrying out various projects and initiatives, starting with the task of restoring connections between the various relationships surrounding the dining table.

--- From "Bold: A Return to Lost Tastes, a Local Odyssey"