A little reveal for you, this is a very meaningful fundraising volunteer project of Woosong students!
* To order food from the Culture Food Fest, please click HERE.
Woosong University, located to the east of Daejeon City, is a very culturally rich school because it gathers students from many countries around the world. Every year, students here eagerly prepare for the most anticipated cultural festival season in November. And today, we will introduce you to a cultural fundraising project by Woosong College students! It is a fun and meaningful occasion for Woosong's Hotel and Tourism students to showcase their cooking skills with challenges from the world's most famous culinary culture - The 9th Cultural Food Fest.
WalkintoKorea was honored to have the opportunity to talk with the two professors who led and founded the "Woojeong Helpers Club", Mr. Gordon Lloyd and Mr. Scott Curtis. According to Professor Lloyd, the festival is an annual project of the Hotel and Tourism students of Woosong University. This group of volunteers called "Woojeong Helpers" is a charity fundraising group to help the elderly in Seonwoo Senior Center, lying in the east of Daejeon.
They visit the center once every year to help with cleaning, tidying up, or admin. But soon after, they realized that the center was not very well-funded, and they wanted to help more. Since then, they have decided to hold a Culture Food Fest every year to raise funds for the Seonwoo Senior Center, and so far, they have successfully maintained the event since 2018.
In sharing the 9th Culture Food Fest preparation process, Professor Lloyd said they had to prepare all the organizational stages themselves. SIHOT students made the food with the help of SICA and SICAP students and the assistance of the professors in the preparations. Even in 2020, when the Covid-19 epidemic broke out, they still tried to carry on their annual fundraising project.
Although there was no longer the festive atmosphere of students gathering together on campus, they still made an effort to adjust by changing the format to online ordering and on-campus pick-up. After all, the project went on successfully.
The preparation stage also encountered many difficulties in terms of cooking facilities. Professor Lloyd said, "As you can see, we don't have a kitchen to cook, so we have to improvise. In the past, we held the festival on the West campus and would use the kitchen available there. Now we have our own stove and our own air fryer [laugh]…."
They may not realize, but the scene of the students gathering to discuss and prepare while their professors are wholeheartedly supporting and leading them - the scene in which everybody is helping one another - is truly heartwarming from an outsider's perspective like mine.
On top of that, the most remarkable thing is the culinary skills of the students of the Hotel and Tourism department of Woosong College. Not only the kind hearts but also talented cooks they are! We ordered two dishes from their first week's menu, Vietnamese Bun Cha and Italian Pranzo Pack, and we were totally impressed.
Bun Cha is a rather complicated dish. However, despite improvising in the making, the one made by these students was 80% similar to the original taste! They did a great job with the meal, and indeed, it was better than many Vietnamese restaurants in Korea. If another Vietnamese taste this Bun Cha, I don't think they will believe that it was made by foreigners!
The most challenging part of Bun Cha is grilled meat and dipping sauce. But I was amazed by how the meatballs were super juicy and savory with spicy pepper and a beautiful caramelized sugar color. The dipping sauce is rich and super aromatic, harmoniously blended by the taste of sour, salty, and spicy. Overall, the food is not only delicious but also beautifully presented.
The Italian Pranzo Pack was super delicious with fresh ingredients: fruit, bread, pasta, sauce. The nutritional composition was also satisfactory: Carbohydrates in pasta, protein in cheese, and vitamins in fruits. It also came in two options of vegan and non-vegan. This pasta salad really made me feel healthy and would make a great breakfast that boosts anyone's mood for the whole day.
They also provided desserts of cakes and beverages in each order. I especially enjoyed my carrot cake, which was thoughtfully made vegan so that vegans would not have difficulty selecting their desserts. The only thing that I regret is being late for the add-on 'Sun-dried Tomato Hummus,' which was sold out by the time I ordered!
Professor Lloyd shared, "This is a pure fundraising charity event, with all proceeds going to the Seonwoo Center. Moreover, we communicate completely in English during the fest, so that helps to improve the students' English as well." We, WalkintoKorea, can't describe how honored we are to have the chance to contribute our small donation to such a meaningful project of the Woojeong Helpers.
The Cultural Food Fest takes place over two weeks with two different menus. Currently, the project has reached the 2nd week with a very delicious menu that, by just looking at it, I got excited already. Not only to experience the culinary talent of the students of the Hospitality and Tourism Department of Woosong University but also to support this project and the beautiful act of these potential students! Click HERE to order the food you want to try right now!
For more information:
- Woojeong Helpers' Facebook homepage: WooJeong Helpers - 우정헬퍼스
- Mr. Scott Curtis (scottcurtis@woosong.org) or Mr. Gordon Lloyd (gordonlloyd@woosong.org)
- Seonwoo Senior Center: www.sunwoowelfare.or.kr
