A Conversation About Hospitality That Begins with 'Imo'
Every country, every region — and every restaurant — has its own way of taking care of guests. If you asked which style of hospitality is most distinctly Korean, the answer would almost certainly be imo culture. Usually seen in everyday, home-style restaurants, the imo way of hosting has a warmth of its own — and this session traded lively views on whether that same warmth can carry through in the hands of a younger generation of Korean chefs.
Imo, literally 'aunt,' is normally a term for family or someone close. When it is used for a restaurant owner or chef, the affection it carries is something particular to Korea. Some imo really do treat you as an aunt would treat a niece she hasn't seen in ages — pulling out an off-menu side dish they had set aside just for the staff, and putting it on your table anyway. Some come out from the kitchen themselves, tell you exactly how each banchan is meant to be eaten, and even feed you by hand. If it is meant to be eaten as ssam, the imo will layer a leaf of lettuce or perilla, pile on the banchan, sauce, and rice, and lift the whole bite into your mouth.
Feeling That Warmth Firsthand at Nanrohoe
That easy, unguarded warmth is what sets Korean hospitality apart from what you would find abroad — and Chef Park Nu-ri of the Italian restaurant Gallina Daisy rolled up her sleeves to show what happens when you carry that spirit into a different kind of restaurant. Drawing on the floor-seated culture of the Joseon era, everyone gathered around on the floor, cooked vegetables in a jeollibtugol brazier-pot, and shared the broth Chef Park ladled out and cooled with her own breath. As people spoke frankly about the strengths and limits of imo culture, Chef Park — in full hanbok, reaching a hand across the table — brought together the bounty of an Italian grandmother's cooking and the touch of a Korean imo, and the room filled with laughter.
