[Seoul=RNX News] Reporter Kim Ye-eun = In the broadcast themed ‘Unprecedented Dopamine World Food Festival’, the 2MCs Jang Sung-kyu and Kang Ji-young picked ‘Australia Tuna Festival’, ‘Germany Oktoberfest’, and ‘France Giant Omelette’ as the TOP 3.
On the 17th broadcast of tcast E Channel’s ‘From One to Ten’, the MCs Jang Sung-kyu and Kang Ji-young decided the TOP 3 under the theme of ‘Unprecedented Dopamine World Food Festival.’ They dug deep into the origins, duration, and attractions of various festivals around the world.
The first place was selected as the ‘Australia Tuna Festival’. In the fishing village of Port Lincoln in southern Australia, an unusual event is held every January where people throw tuna as if it were a shot put. This place, with a population of 15,000, has the highest ratio of millionaires per capita.
It was revealed that a family’s fortune from tuna farming amounts to about 60 million dollars, approximately 85 billion KRW, surprising many. This festival started in 1962, and actual frozen tuna has been thrown since the idea of a fisherman in 1980.
Since 2008, an 8kg rubber tuna model has been used. Australian hammer throw national representative Sean Carlin achieved a record of 37.23m in 1998 and has maintained the number one record for 27 years.
True to its name, the ‘Tuna Festival’ offers various dishes using all parts of the tuna, as well as sack races and boat building events that children can enjoy, earning strong recommendations from the MCs.
The second place went to ‘Germany’s Oktoberfest’, the world’s largest festival. Held from late September to early October every year, this beer festival had 6.5 million participants this year alone. Participants dressed in traditional German outfits created a spectacular scene as they chose their preferred beer tents and did an ‘open run’.
The highlight of this festival, which originated from the wedding of King Ludwig I of the Kingdom of Bavaria, is the last day where everyone joyfully sings together, known as ‘mass singing’. While mostly German songs are played, famous tracks like ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ and ‘Macarena’ captivated the hearts of people worldwide.
Jang Sung-kyu, drooling over the resplendent golden hue of the beer, threw in the bold comment “(The kids) love going to the pub with mom and dad to drink beer and play next to them…” expressing his wish to participate.
Third place was the ‘France Giant Omelette Festival’. This traditional festival in Bessières, France, involves making an omelette with 15,000 eggs collected by residents, cooked in a specially made fireplace and oversized pan, and shared among everyone.
This festival is said to have started from an incident where Napoleon’s army stopped in this village on their way to war. Napoleon was impressed by an innkeeper’s omelette and ordered an omelette made with all the eggs in the village for his soldiers.
Jang Sung-kyu amused everyone by impersonating the innkeeper with the statement “If ‘the boss’ says so, you have to oblige… it’s Napoleon,” referring to the humorous nature of the situation. Meanwhile, he shared, “I once cooked 10 packs of ‘Sari○ramen’ with my father and ate six packs myself. That’s my most vivid memory with my father,” revealing his ‘glutton’ side.
Not to be outdone, Kang Ji-young said, “I’ve also eaten up to six slices of pizza,” but added, “I can’t digest more than two now,” reminiscing about her ‘stomach prime’.
Additionally, the ‘America Lobster Festival’ which started with a one-dollar lobster 80 years ago, the ‘France Lemon Festival’ featuring a parade full of lemons and flowers, ‘Italy White Truffle Festival’ famous for a 1.5kg white truffle auctioned for 370 million won,
the ‘Thailand Monkey Buffet’ started for around 10,000 monkeys, the ‘UK Pea Shooting Competition’ which began with the principal’s idea, the ‘Garlic Festival in the USA’, known as the ‘Garlic Capital’ of America, and the ‘Cheese Rolling Festival in the UK’, where participants chase cheese rolling down a hill at speeds of up to 110km/h were also highlighted.
Moreover, the MCs humorously challenged each other to participate in the UK Pea Shooting Competition held every July, but avoided it saying, “I have plans next July.” Then Jang Sung-kyu jokingly asked, “Did we plan to meet together?” causing laughter.
The show ‘From One to Ten’, featuring curious and enticing informative tidbits and chit-chat with Jang Sung-kyu and Kang Ji-young is broadcast every Monday at 8 PM on tcast E Channel. (Photo courtesy of tcast E Channel ‘From One to Ten’)
