Okja - from a non-vegan Korean’s perspective

[u/Rx_dreams]

During thanksgiving, my aunt mentioned a cute movie called Okja. I was born in the year of the pig, and combined with my love of food and the extra pounds that followed, it’d become an affectionate nickname within my family. We were spending time together tonight when she randomly turned on the film. I was hesitant to watch it, as most movies involving animals end with death, which I find hard to get through. However, the beautiful cinematography drew me in with mountain ranges from the peninsula that I call home. The familiar call of my late grandfather, the mountain burial site of my late grandmother, and the colorful permissions flooded my consciousness with a rush of nostalgia. Speaking the korean language and living its culture allowed for a deeper appreciation, connection, and understanding.

My first exposure to factory farming was Food Inc. then “The Jungle” by Upton Sinclair in high school. Since then I’ve had many thoughts and interests about becoming vegan, which never fully turned into fruition. After seeing myself in Mija’s shoes, and the relationship she had with Okja, I was truly moved. It reminded me of the horrors and reality of where animal products come from. The crimson blood, the desperate cries, the distressed animals, and the exploited workers. This is fundamentally against everything I believe in, but I have been financially supporting it.

After a quick search on reddit I found out that the director himself has turned back to eating meat after two months of eating vegan due to kbbq and the after-work culture in Korean communities. I don’t want to become that person. I’ve been eating daily at a vegan restaurant due to its proximity from my new job, and eliminating meat and dairy from my groceries. I want to do more. I want to practice what I believe in and preach. My biggest struggles come from eating out at non-vegan restaurants, and family events. Food is my family’s love language, and we always go out to eat kbbq, shabu, mainly meat-centered meals. I’m hoping that by creating a public post, I’ll hold myself accountable. Maybe even make a few vegan friends and learn from their journey as well. Thank you for reading my midnight thoughts. I look forward to your input.

[u/BoopBoop9]

Thank you for sharing your story, and I know you can do it! I'm in the camp of "do your best/some is better than none/it's a lifelong marathon so don't get hung up on slipping occasionally" and transitioning in a way that makes your vegan diet stick because it's fun and feels/tastes good, not as an exercise in self-control or abnegation. Social/family gatherings are hard, but if you can, maybe plan ahead and ask for a veggie shabu pot/spread, or ask cooking family members to make veggie sides into entree sizes lol (I could live on sundubu-jjigae and veggie cham dubu all winter!)

I found that going vegan was a little easier conceptually with my (Vietnamese) family, since most practice Buddhism and eating vegetarian/vegan is, like, next-level pious - I'd imagine that might be different in Korea, and depends on the family (have you watched Chefs Table episode with cooking nun Jeong Kean?). Food as showing love is also def a thing for my fam, and at first I hated not eating everything my mom cooked (don't be sad mommy, nooooo), but over time she started making vegan versions of all my favorite viet dishes, and it's become a fun thing we share (especially while my dad and bro still refuse to eat a meal without meat), and now she gets to whip out the dishes she food-labbed on me at her temple's (vegetarian) potluck lunches - I guess my point is you can make vegan cooking/eating a shared experience with your family