ways to love him: caterer choi
gotta say sorry to sweet sister... she's emailed me the translation to chapter 19 since monday, but i was busy, so... this one's actually an interview with the location meal caterer. like what sweet sister had said to me, there ain't that much new info in this one. there was a previous interview with a magazine that had already interviewed ms choi. but of course, that was during AS and that was in samcheok. seems like the TWSSG had also engaged mr choi's servies, coz he had mentioned filming in the cold and in the mountains.
with this chapter, we're inching closer to the final chapter of the book. in fact, sweet sister has already emailed me that one. that's a potentially provocative chapter and i've gotta admit i've LOTSA thoughts on that one.
anyway, let's just post chapter 19 first. as usual, lots of thanks, sweet sister!
original in japanese: ways to love yonsama
translated into english: a sweet sister / bb's blog
Ch 19 Shows No Favoritism -
“An Impartial Love”
Location Caterer, Choi Soo Yeon
He Always Greeted Me with
“Thank You for the Wonderful Meal”
In order to supply the meals on location for BYJ’s film AS, I went to Samcheok for one and a half months.
I received the request from the production company, Blue Storm, “Because it is a project that BYJ is appearing in, we want to serve proper meals. We request your assistance.”
I asked BYJ’s manager, “What are BYJ’s favorite foods?”
“YJ eats anything so you do not have to worry about him. Instead, please prepare the staff’s favorite foods first. The staff will be eating meals daily,” was the reply I received.
He is a major star, but he is not a person who expresses anything self-centered. In addition to that, he even shows concern for the staff, and I thought also how considerate the people around BYJ were.
So I prepared bulgogi, pork sauté, octopus sauté, squid sauté, and such dishes. A miso nabe (bean paste stew), tak toritang (spicy chicken and potato sauté), chicken soups, and other soups appeared at every meal. If there were many child actors appearing, I would prepare ttokpokki, corn salad, and rice curry. Including kim chi, there would be a menu of eight different dishes offered.
Doesn’t the menu unexpectedly seem like home cooking? Doing it this way made everyone happier.
Up to now, we have had meals prepared by the chef of the famous Korean Shilla Hotel, and we devised various menus, but the actors and staff are always traveling throughout the country tasting different foods, so that they have all had enough of gourmet food prepared by first-rate chefs.
That is why instead of greasy western food or fancy cuisine, in the end, they seem to prefer regular Korean home cooking.
For meals, I receive 5,000 won (about 650 yen) per person per meal.
When filming began in Samcheok, and I began offering meals with my catering truck, BYJ came to eat with the staff in the beginning, but as time went on, he stopped coming.
When BYJ came, the Japanese fans would converge onto the catering truck so he was no longer able to come, because it would inconvenience the other actors and staff. It was regrettable but an unavoidable situation.
During the short time that he came for meals, BYJ was a very courteous person. When he appeared for meals, he always greeted us, “Annyeong haseyo. Is everyone enjoying the meal?”
When actors become famous, there are some that become arrogant and will not even speak to the staff, but BYJ never showed such a snobbish attitude, and spoke to everyone equally. At the end of the meal when it was time to return to the set, he would always say to us, “Thank you for the wonderful meal.”
It would be amazing if the actors could imagine the hardships that the people who prepare the meals and others behind the scenes endure.
We were grateful that BYJ also treated us the same as he does the others, with the generous love he has.
Amazed at the Generous Love of BYJ Fans
There were many Japanese fans at the film set of AS and there was one thing that amazed me.
They would make food deliveries to BYJ by buying food from the nearby restaurants and taking it to him, but they would buy not just BYJ’s portion only, but enough portions for the entire staff. When I say the entire staff, this means portions for 80-90 people, which is quite a quantity. Despite this, the fans would prepare meals for everyone and they would deliver them saying, “Everyone, please enjoy this together.”
The women did this because if they were to deliver food only to BYJ, they know that he would not accept it. Yes, even if it is sashimi (raw fish) a pricey item, they will always bring enough for everyone.
This is not something that is easily done.
Korean fans don’t even deliver food to all the staff members. This is the difference between Korean and Japanese fans. Perhaps the fans are also responding to BYJ’s generous love by responding with their own generous love.
I am also trying to convey my love to many actors and staff members through my meals (laughs). Earlier I talked about menus but aside from the aspect of taste, I pay attention to everyone’s physical condition and filming conditions in creating the menus.
For example, if there is going to be location filming in the mountains, I will prepare a pork sauté dish. Pork has the action of absorbing dust and cleansing according to scientific data. That is why when there is filming where there is a lot of dust such as mountain roads, construction sites, and athletic areas; I will prepare more pork dishes.
Each time I consider the psychological effect of meals when creating the menus. For example, on a horror movie, where many children appear as extras, I will always serve peanut butter sandwiches.
This is because peanut butter is said to have the action of being able to eliminate fear. If the children acting as extras are scared, then filming cannot take place. Peanut butter sandwiches are meant to relax them. *bb: really...?!! never heard this one! but i don't fancy peanut butter leh...
Because the 'color scheme' also affects the emotional aspect of a meal, I try to plan menus that include the colorful colors of yellow, orange, and green. This breaks down to green peas and corn in a salad. Using these types of fresh colors relaxes you emotionally and gives the meal a refreshing impression, doesn’t it?
I believe that the emotional stability of the actors and staff on the film set is very important.
I do not count calories. The reason I do not do this is because everyone is moving about filming from midnight to dawn, burning off tremendous energy. Filming is more strenuous than we can imagine. While there maybe a need to increase calorie intake, I do not think there is a need to cut calories.
On a Cold Film Set
Boxed Lunches Would Freeze
On a film set, why do you think a catering service would be necessary to prepare meals?
On location filming in the mountains or in such unpopulated areas where filming often takes place, there are no places to dine, leaving actors and staff often inconvenienced as to meal arrangements.
When there is no catering service provided, the actor’s management office will have someone stock up on quantities of kimbap (norimaki, sushi rolls) or hamburgers to distribute to the actors and staff, but if kimbap or hamburgers are always being served, everyone will tire of them.
The alternative is to wait until filming ends even though everyone is hungry and then going out to eat. This is still said to be a better way than always eating the same hamburgers.
There is the boxed lunch called 'toshirak' with rice, kim chi, egg, and seaweed which is available. But these lunch boxes can freeze in a cold climate making them inedible.
So I came up with the idea of the catering truck that would travel to the location site to offer them meals, and by cooking meals inside the truck, everyone would be able to eat hot meals. With that idea, I began this business.
With that idea, I began preparations eight years ago. Yes, I was the first to offer catering services for location filming in Korea!
Since there was no precedent, it actually took me a year before I could start offering services. I was researching vehicles that I could easily prepare meals in. I researched snack cars (vehicles where light meals are cooked and served) in Japan also.
I used the design of Japanese vehicles as reference. Since starting the business, through testing and errors, I am on my seventh vehicle. I am using a one-ton vehicle.
The vehicle may seem small in size but if it were any larger, it would not be able to climb the narrow mountain roads to get to the filming sites, so the current size is just the right size.
I Respect BYJ’s Attitude Toward Work
The first catering services I offered were on the film, Silmido starring Sol Kyung Gu.
This was followed by movies starring actress, Song Ok Sook, who played BYJ’s mother on WS.
In 2006, I spent 10 months on the set of the King and the Clown starring Lee Junki. *bb: and i loved this movie!!
I think that I have traveled to a total of about 70-80 projects up to now. I have good memories of the actor that BYJ said he respects, Park Joon Hoon, along with actors Lee Junki, Ahn Sung Ki, Sol Kyung Gu. They were all personable and nice people.
Ahn Sung KiThe most memorable film site for me was the eight month film shoot in 2004-2005 in China and Mongolia of Cheon Gun (aka Heaven's Soldier aka General of Heaven). This was a historical film starring Park Joon Hoon, Kim Seung Woo, Fan Jung Min (You Are My Sunshine).
During the location filming in China, seafood was difficult to obtain and was a source of frustration. Since we were located inland, obtaining meat was no problem but getting seafood required a ten-hour drive. To travel from China to Mongolia took a day and a half of travel time. It was really a difficult situation. But I have distinct memories from that time.
Unfortunately, I have never been to Japan yet. Several years ago, when Sol Kyung Gu was starring in the film Rikidozan, and had location filming in Japan, I had plans of expanding in Japan, but due to financial problems and employee-union conditions, I was unable to expand in Japan.
But it is my dream to someday drive my catering truck in Japan! I am also looking forward to meeting all the hallyu fans in Japan.
In closing, if I can comment about the film industry in Korea, I think that films are being produced too quickly. They are generally being made at a pace of one movie per month! This is an amazing pace, isn’t it? Film making is an art. I think that art should be created tenaciously and simply. The pace of producing one film a month is just too quick. I think that perhaps the films are being created much too lightheartedly.
In this respect, BYJ is not swayed by current trends; he sticks to his own perfectionist style, he is thoroughly consumed by acting while performing steadily in projects one by one. I respect him for having such an attitude about work.
posted by bb @ 12/22/2007 02:07:00 AM
2 Comments:
"Perhaps the fans are also responding to BYJ’s generous love by responding with their own generous love."
Dear bb and sweet sister, once again, thank you for all your work in bringing us this post! Even if there isn't much we didn't already know, this chapter contains further confirmation of how unusual and inspiring wuri YJ is. Not only that, but how inspiring it is to learn from each other within the bae family.
It never ceases to amaze me that such an exceptional-looking being should also have such an exemplary way of interacting with others! At times like these, the words "wuri Yong Joon" take on an even more profound meaning, as if by claiming him as "ours" we agree to be held up to the same lofty standards in our own interactions with others.
But enough of preaching to the converted!
Just wanted to wish you and sweet sister a wonderful Christmas!
hey gosijo, you didn't come across as 'preachy' at all actually... and hehe, i like what you said about 'wuri' yong joon :)
happy holidays to you too!
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