Spouses of the ambassadors and other senior diplomats of a total of 11 countries of the world took part in the food show staged by the government of the Namyangju City on the eastern outskirts of Seoul in a five-day run on Sept. 22-26, 2017.

1 Mayor Lee Seok-woo of Namyangju City gives a welcome speech at the opening ceremony.

Dubbed “2017 Slow Life International Festival,” it was opened by Mayor Lee Seok-woo at the Namyangju Sports Culture Center on the theme of 'Food, City and Health' with an extensive interesting program that included various events, exhibitions, performances and academic programs at a number of different venues, including the Gourmet Tour Experience Hall, Good Life Pavilion, Farmers Market, World Street Food Area, and the Food Culture Street.

8 A “5R Fashion Show’ at the 2017 Namyangju Slow Life International Festival.

The opening ceremony started with a creative Korean dancing titled 'The Light and Wind of Slow Life' and a Slow Life video covering various food items and shows presented by the 11 different countries as mentioned earlier.

The slow lifestyle is aimed at improving the quality of life by adopting traditional methods of eating and living, which eventually lead to the three spirits of the event,, namely good health, environment and empathy.

7 Mayor Lee suk-woo of the Namyangju City (right) waves a hand to the cheering crowd at the Opening Ceremony of the 2017 Namyangju Slow Life International Festival.

Organizers said there were three core spirits honored at the event which were based on a philosophy advocated by a famed scolor named Jeong Yak-yong of the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910). Jeong’s philosophy is aimed at improving the environment, economic value and the social status of rural regions.

2 Mrs. Konul Teymurova (spouse of the ambassador of Azerbaijan) receives a porcelain gift from Mayor Lee Seok-soo of the Namyangju city.

The slow lifestyle is aimed at improving the quality of life by adopting traditional methods of eating and living, which will eventually lead to the three spirits of the event--health, environment and empathy.

4 Mrs. Konul Teymurova (spouse of the ambassador of Azerbaijan), second from left, demonstrates how to make traditional Azerbaijan sweet or sour plov at a food show at Namyangju Food Show Festival.

Mayor Lee said that three core spirits of the Festival were based on a philosophy advocated by Jeong Yak-yong, a scholar of the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910), which is aimed at improving the environment, economic value and the social status of rural regions.

5 Mrs. Eman Aldomur (spouse of the ambassador of Jordan), second from left, is demonstrating how to cook Jordanian Maqluba food (chicken and rice).

A well-known South Korean fashion designer, Lie Sang-bong, staged a gala fashion parade at the opening ceremony in collaboration with 30 futuristic designers at the opening ceremony, featuring five Rs -- renew, reuse, reduce, recycle and return.

Mrs. Maria Ana Hernandez (spouse of the ambassador of the Philippines), third from left, is demonstrating Kare-Kare (ox tail cuisine).

Visitors experienced a slow urban life model at a "grocery restaurant" and other venues, and sampled various dishes and drinks from countries around the globe, including Vietnam, Germany, Egypt, Peru, and Spain.

8 Mrs. Manaz Farhadi (left, spouse of an Iranian diplomat) explains how to cook Iranian Zareshk Polo food.

The highlights of the Festival were the Country Food Shows staged by the spouses of the ambassadors. They were Mrs. Manaz Farhadi (spouse of administrative and technical attache of Iran), Mrs. Konul Teymurova (spouse of the ambassador of Azerbaijan), Mrs. Eman Aldomur (spouse of the ambassador of Jordan), Mrs. Ana Cosmen (spouse of the ambassador of Spain), Mrs. Tran Thi Lan Hinh (spouse of the ambassador of Vietnam), Mrs. Nehal Hanna (spouse of the ambassador of Egypt), Mrs. Maria Ana Hernandez of (spouse of the ambassador of the Philippines), and a number of other members of the Seoul Diplomatic Corps.

2 Ambassador Gonzalo Ortiz and Mrs. Ana Cosmen (right and second from right) are introducing Spanish house cuisine Tortilla de papatas and cold soup Salmorejo.

Each country attracted a good number of guests watching the food shows.

In the welcoming speech at the opening ceremony, Mayor Lee Suk-woo of the Namyangju City, concurrently co-chairman of the Festival, said, "Everything has its own pace, but we have suffered great damage and suffering because we did not obey the rule of nature.”

Mrs. Tran Thi Lan Hinh (spouse of the ambassador of Viet Nam), third from right, is seen with the spouses of other Vietnamese diplomats after a cooking show. Madam Hinh and her work attracted great attention from the large audience.

Among the VIP guests in attendance at the opening ceremony were Ambassador and Mrs. Teymurov of Azerbaijan, Ambassador and Mrs. Arjun Jang Bahadur Singh of Nepal and Mrs. Chafika Derraui, spouse of the ambassador of Algeria.

At the opening ceremony, Deputy Minister Kim Hyun-soo of Food, Agriculture, Forestry & Livestock, said, "Slow Life explains the value of sustainability most easily. We hope that the slogan, ‘Food, City, and Health’ will spread widely and become deeply rooted in the lifestyle culture movement.

Mrs. Chafika Derragui (spouse of the ambassador of Algeria), fourth from left, poses with the members of the food show team of the Algerian Embassy in Seoul.

The world-famous designer Lee Sang-bong's '5R fashion show' was performed. 5 R is the basic direction of the Slow International Festival this year, which means to Renew, Reuse, Reduce, Recycle and Return. Lee worked with young designers to combine Slow Life and 5 R with fashion to create clothes made of materials that were never thought of like eco-friendly materials, recycled materials, and waste vinyl.

Photo shows ambassadors and other senior members of the Seoul Diplomatic Corps visiting 2017 Namyangju Slow Life International Festival. Posing for the camera are Ambassador and Mrs. Ramzi Teymurov of Azerbaijan (3rd and 5th from left, rear row), Ambassador and Mrs. Arjun Jung Bahadur Singh of Nepal (fourth and fifth from left, front row) and Mrs. Chafika Derragui of Algeria (spouse of the ambassador of Algeria, third from left, front row)..

Hwi Won  edt@koreapost.com

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