A Netflix-famous monk is taking on a nation of meat lovers

Like millions of people around the world, I watched the Netflix special, Live to 100: Secrets of the Blue Zones, and considered the benefits of a plant-based vegan diet. Better for individual health, animal welfare and the planet – if you believe the believers – the banishment of meat and animal products promises to be the cure for all that ails us in the modern world.

‘Veganism is the medicine that will save your body’ … Jeong Kwan takes a cooking class.

In South Korea, there’s a new push by government and industry to elevate plant-based cuisine from side dish to main course. In a country where bulgogi beef and fried chicken are mainstays of the national cuisine and a major part of the culture, it’s a lot of pressure to place on humble kimchi.

Green is good … some of the vegan dished enjoyed by visitors.

Jeong Kwan, a Seon Buddhist nun and chef, has become the face of the Korean vegan movement, starring in an episode of the popular Netflix Chef’s Table series about her life at Baegyangsa temple in South Jeolla province.

Charismatic and glowing with good health, the sexagenarian is an excellent ambassador for Korean temple life, where veganism and meditation have been daily practices for centuries. People from all over the world walk a steep, hilly incline to meet Jeong Kwan at the temple (4500 steps, according to my step counter) and to participate in her cooking classes.

Cook first, then dine.

“Veganism is the medicine that will save your body,” she says, via an interpreter. “Living off what nature gives us is to respect all living things and allows the humans, plants and animals to coexist in this world.”

Fermentation is key, says Jeong Kwan, and certain foods are forbidden: meat, seafood and all animal products, processed food, as well as pungent foods such as garlic, chives, spring onions, leeks and shallots.

“To have a clear and happy mind, you need to have a clear and healthy body,” she says. “After eating temple food for four days, people’s entire disposition and complexion changes.”

Donning rubber gloves and plastic aprons, we gather on the rooftop terrace to prepare huge vats of kimchi with Jeong Kwan. The secret is in the sauce, she says, liberally dousing halved heads of cabbage with a soupy mix that includes ginger, salt, red peppers and the local soy sauce, ganjang.

Later, we sit down to a meal of piquant cabbage salad, veggie pancake, stewed squash and fried tofu. As per temple guidelines, we eat in silence. I enjoy the food, but one of the other diners whispers despondently that it tastes exactly as you’d expect vegan food to taste. Another confesses she’s had more wind today than in a Sydney southerly buster.

Baegyangsa Temple.

So will the eating habits of South Korean ascetics catch on with mere mortals? While meaty restaurants in Seoul, Busan and other cities outnumber vegetable-forward venues many times over, vegan options are becoming more readily available.

Dishes at A Flower Blossom on the Rice.

Book well in advance for a table at A Flower Blossom on the Rice, a popular organic restaurant in Seoul’s Insadong neighbourhood. Awarded a Michelin Guide Bib Gourmand award, the restaurant’s signature dish is the Bojagi Bibimbap, a baton of cooked, seasoned rice topped with colourful vegetables and a single, edible flower on top.

In neon-lit Seoul shopping centres where international fast food outlets have a strong foothold, vegan restaurants such as Plantude at I’Park Mall are cooking up dishes that satisfy meat eaters and vegetarians alike. We feast on a satisfying, delicious meal of vegetable curry with tempura pumpkin, spicy tofu and pasta with green goddess sauce. I’m still thinking about the scrumptious vegan pizza and risotto at Lazy Farmers, an elegant fusion Italian restaurant in Seoul’s Itaewon district.

Lazy Farmers ... an elegant Italian fusion restaurant.

After a week of eating a month’s worth of veggies, am I a vegan convert? Let’s not get carried away. The day we return to Seoul from the temple in South Jeolla, I head straight to a Korean barbecue restaurant. However, I am now willing to give meatless Mondays a go.

THE DETAILS

Fly
Korean Air operates direct flights from Sydney and Brisbane to Seoul Incheon (ICN) airport. See koreanair.com. Australian passport holders can visit South Korea as a tourist for stays of up to 90 days without applying for a K-ETA visa waiver.

Stay
A two-day/one-night temple stay package at Baegyangsa temple, including accommodation, vegan food, cooking class, meditation and Buddhist ceremony, costs KRW160,000 ($185) a person.
See eng.templestay.com

Dine
Vegan restaurants in Seoul that are leading the vegetable-forward movement include A Flower Blossom on the Rice, Lazy Farmers and Plantude. See happycow.net

The writer travelled as a guest of Korea Tourism Organization. See korea.net; english.visitkorea.or.kr