“Venerable Seonjae is setting the table for us; are exams such a big deal? We should ‘skip’ and come.”

On the 16th, at Yeonhwasa located by the back gate of Kyung Hee University in Dongdaemun-gu, Seoul. As the noon lunch hour approached, about 120 university students from Kyung Hee and nearby campuses gathered in small groups. It was exam period, so many clutched books and notebooks and looked busy, yet their faces showed anticipation and excitement. This is the site of ‘Youth Meal’, a youth lunch sharing project Yeonhwasa has run for two years. Every Tuesday, the program offers free lunch to nearby university students and young people, and on this day Venerable Seonjae, who became a celebrity among youth through <Culinary Class Wars 2>, prepared the meal. The menu, served abundantly, featured 12 items including carrot noodles showcased on <Culinary Class Wars 2>, tofu jjageuli stew, lotus leaf rice, pan-fried zucchini, pan-fried eggplant, chamoe salad, cabbage with black sesame, and fruit banga hwachae.

Venerable Seonjae said that two years ago, after sharing a temple meal with a Kyung Hee University professor, the professor remarked, ‘It would be good if students could eat a meal like this’, and now the opportunity had finally arrived. The monk explained that the menu was designed to protect health and carry on Korean food culture by using seasonal ingredients and traditional cooking methods. The monk added that food is the foundation that forms body and mind, and expressed the hope that at each meal people would reflect on the fact that this land and nature are not separate from us and on where this food comes from.

After finishing her tray, Jeong Hyeon-ju said that she usually hardly eats carrot, but after watching Venerable Seonjae on television she was especially curious about bibimbap and carrot noodles. She added that the comforting, clean flavors made her want to try cooking them at home. An international student waiting to be served, upon a friend’s explanation that he was ‘the monk who appeared on <Culinary Class Wars>’, exclaimed, “Oh, awesome!” and gave a thumbs-up.

The ‘Youth Meal’ program, overseen by the Jogye Order Social Welfare Foundation, began at Yeonhwasa two years ago and is now offered at university-area temples such as Gaeunsa and Sangdoseonwon. It has drawn a strong response by sharing not only a warm meal but also care with young people. In particular, since last year’s broadcast of <Culinary Class Wars 2>, even more young people have been flocking to it. Venerable Myojang, Director of Planning of the Jogye Order and abbot of Yeonhwasa, explained that it started with the aim of sharing a warm, comforting meal with students who save on living costs by skimping on food and miss meals, and that it provides not just a free meal but the comfort of home-cooked food and consolation that soothes the heart.

The foundation plans to expand the program to temples in regions such as Cheongju, Busan, and Gyeongsan. Together with the Temple Cuisine Dharma Propagation Group launched last year, Venerable Seonjae also said that they would continue sharing meals with children, teenagers, and young adults of the younger generation.