Lorenzo, 27 years old and a great passion for cooking: exclusive interview with an Italian in Busan
1. Introduce yourself to our readers (name, age, city of origin, study path, job, etc.).
My name is Lorenzo, I was born in Rome. I’m 27 years old and I am a chef. I started working
when I was 18 after taking the linguistic degree finishing the last year in a night school since
in the morning I went to help make preparations in a restaurant (obviously I was not paid
😅).
In short, It was a mess!
2. How did your passion for cooking start?
It all started when I saw my paternal grandmother work in the kitchen.
In my early years I was mostly raised by her, as my parents both had to work. I remember
that I was always fascinated by the different scents coming from the kitchen. Seeing her
cook was a gesture of love.
3. How long have you been living in Korea? Was Busan the first korean city you lived
in?
I’ve lived in Korea for a year now and I have only lived in Busan although I visited Seoul and
Jeju Island for vacation. Jeju is a well-known location where Koreans go to spend their
holidays especially in summer.
4. What are the main differences between working in an Italian restaurant in Korea
from working in a restaurant in Italy?
The biggest difference between Korean and Italian restaurants lies in the organization of
work in the kitchen.
In Italy, the different tasks are divided based on the so-called "brigade", a group of cooks to
which a department is entrusted to take care of. The brigade also includes dishwashers.
In most Korean restaurants this division does not exist, everyone has to do everything. The
chefs must cook, wash dishes etc...There is no division into departments.
5. What are the cultural differences that you noticed immediately between Italy and
Korea?
The cultural differences between Italy and Korea are enormous, we could talk about these
for days. The most obvious difference is that it is very difficult to express one's true
personality, while Italians are very open and expressive, Koreans tend to keep everything
inside.
It's hard for anyone to really tell you how they feel when you ask "how are you?"
6. Which Italian dish do you like to cook the most?
I am a great lover of risotto and I also have a lot of fun cooking meat, especially beef.
7. Did you ever have to make changes to make your dishes more pleasing to the
Korean palate? If so, can you give us some examples?
The biggest taste obstacle at the beginning was definitely the salt. They have a very different
conception of flavor from ours because they often use marinades or sauces instead of table
salt to salt dishes so I had to adapt my palate to theirs.
8. Are there similarities between Korean and Italian cuisine?
The only similarity between Korean and Italian cuisine is the conviviality of the meal. For
them as well as for us, sitting in front of a table to eat and drink with other people is
something sacred and conviviality must be honored.
9. What is your favorite Korean dish?
There are so many dishes that I love about Korean cuisine but among all of them there are
soups. They are true masters in preparing them.
10. Is there a Korean ingredient that you like or you think goes well with the Italian
cuisine?
My favorite Korean ingredient is the inevitable kimchi or fermented Chinese cabbage that is
used as an accompaniment to meat or fish but also in soups.
A typical Korean ingredient that might go well with the Italian cuisine is the yuja, very similar
to our orange.
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