first published here: Korea.net

One of the major special events held as part of the ASEAN-ROK Commemorative Summit is ‘Korea-ASEAN Food Street, ASEAN Taste’ where the ten member countries of the ASEAN are showcasing their national dishes. ‘Korea-ASEAN Food Street, ASEAN Taste’ makes these dishes readily available at their respective food booths from Nov. 15 – 27, 2019. While diplomatic events are tight with security, this culinary event is free of security checks and people can move around freely and have a taste of each member country’s food culture.

A cooking contest was held among the representatives of the members of the ASEAN on Nov. 22 in Busan. This event was held three days before the ASEAN-Korea Summit officially commenced. First lady Kim Jung-sook met chefs from the 10 ASEAN countries and had a luncheon with the participants at the ‘Korea-ASEAN Food Street, ASEAN Taste’.

A Filipina, Alicia Raz Lipata, was among the contestants in the competition attended by no other than First Lady Kim Jung-sook as well as well-known chefs and celebrities. Ms. Lipata was invited by the Municipality of Busan to represent the Philippines in the cooking contest. She once taught a group of Koreans under one of the ASEAN Culture House’s cultural programs how to cook a Philippine dish called “caldereta”, a favorite Filipino recipe that is always present at family events. She apparently made an impression so was endorsed by the ASEAN Culture House to the organizers. This time around, the organizer chose for her to cook “pancit canton”, a noodle dish that may look familiar to Koreans. It is often likened to “Japchae”, Korea’s signature noodle dish.

Representatives from Brunei, Thailand, Lao DPR, Cambodia, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam and Myanmar, were all ready to take their places to prepare their respective dishes with their Korean partners. Little did they know their partners were composed of famous actors, chefs, Busan City Mayor Oh Keo-don and First Lady Kim. It was a big surprise to them, but a pleasant one that made them feel slightly nervous but extremely honored to take part.

Alicia was filled with awe and pride. She had the chance to chat with the First Lady who asked her where she lives and how long had she been living here in Korea. Not letting the opportunity pass, she asked for a selfie to which the First Lady graciously obliged. Lipata added she felt honored to be beside her in their group photo.

She felt great pride as a representative of her country. She said, “It was a great experience and I felt proud representing our country. As Filipinos, we should feel proud and make our country known despite the hardships that we face. Even though I felt shy, I tried to do my best because it is a big responsibility to represent our motherland.”

The ASEAN-ROK Summit is the biggest diplomatic event held under President Moon Jae-in’s administration. Aside from the local leaders, its success is a result of the full support of the First Lady through her presence and participation in festivals like this. It makes the highly secured and political event relatable to all people. The summit was not just focused on the political agenda, it truly became a festival for the people.

Do you want to know who won the cooking contest? But of course you do! The team of Busan Mayor, Oh Keo-don and a student from Brunei studying at the Seoul National University (SNU) and the team of First Lady Kim and a student from Cambodia also studying at SNU, were the winners. First Lady Kim’s Cambodian team received an overseas ticket as a prize which they gave to the Myanmarese team as a gesture of goodwill.

Ultimately all of the contestants invited to participate came out as winners bringing home the prize of priceless memories.