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| Tim Fitts |
Tim Fitts, a writer based in Philadelphia, says "artificially sweetened" makgeolli is not "really" a makgeolli. He sees the traditional drink's "connection to Korea's culture and past that can and should be compatible with the future of Korea."
When it comes to trendy Korean alcohol beverages, there is a high tendency for it to be on the "very" sweet side. Most mass-produced versions of traditional drinks, including makgeolli, a rice-based alcoholic milky-white color beverage, as well as cheongju, which is filtered from makgeolli, and even soju, a clear, colorless distilled beverage, are often sweetened by adding sweetness with artificial flavors or altered with a fruity twist, to meet current trends.
Fitts, whose stories and photography have appeared in journals such as The Gettysburg Review and Granta, is better known to Korean readers as author of the novel "The Soju Club."
In his novel, he portrays stereotypical characters of Korean literature such as an alcoholic father, a devoted mother and the family falling apart.
Common liquors in Korea such as soju and makgeolli are often mentioned in the novel.
Though the title of the novel is "The Soju Club," he said the motivation for writing it came from makgeolli.
"Makgeolli is such a beautiful representation of Korean culture," Fiits said in an interview with The Korea Times.
"My wife's grandmother taught me how to make makgeolli on her kitchen floor in Geoje Island, as my own grandmother taught me to make homemade bread when I was a child."
Considering there is so much history and care involved in the beverage, he said he soon fell in love with the drink.
When he tasted the mass-produced trendy makgeolli that's "sweetened with Aspartame, Saccharin, or Stevia," he decided to write based on his own experience with the traditional drink.
Scenes from the novel are inspired by his love for the traditional drink. In the novel, he elaborated to explain the brewing process, which he experienced during his five-year stay in Korea starting in 2010.
"Mother puts three steamed sweet potatoes in the makgeolli rice beer. It adds a nice finish to the grain-liquor's taste. As the makgeolli taste fades in the mouth, the taste of sweet potatoes floods in, as if saying, 'Ta-da! I'm here.' It's such magic. Makgeolli rice beer is also effective against stomach problems. Nothing is better than mother's sweet potato makgeolli to release your tension and to relieve your throat."
The story kicks off as writer Hong Won-ho decides to go down to Geoje Island where his family lives, after receiving a call from his brother, saying something has come up in their family.
"The Soju Club" was translated to Korean in 2016 and released on Loupe, an imprint of Munhakdongne Press.
"There is no perfect solution," Fitts said when asked if there's any way to keep a balance between popular demand and tradition. "Save your family recipes and keep the tradition alive."
