韓·中·日 고전문학 속에 보이는 여성과 음식

Abstract

This paper attempted to examine the appearance of women making food in classical literature of Korea, China, and Japan. The act of women making food was both an expression of love and sincerity, and a means of healing someone. In addition, these women‘s actions of making food touched God in the world of religion to be blessed or to achieve miracles. On the other hand, depending on what kind of food women make and eat, their traditional status and social status were revealed, and the act of making food by women who know romance and charm is an art in harmony with nature, and has been sublimated to the point of new creation. Lastly, in a feudal patriarchal society, the act of women making food went beyond simply making food, and it was a criterion for a wise mother or wise wife, a measure of women’s identity, or a reason for their existence. Food made by women in the works of classical literature between Korea, China, and Japan fed their loved families, raised communities and society, healed themselves, and was the best reward for the dead, and a noble sacrifice to God as a dedication. All human beings have walked together holding the hands of women on the long journey of life, from milk in their mothers‘ hearts to food for ancestral rites that they eat as ghosts after death.