Hwang Shin-hye shares story of mouth-painter brother at Anyang restaurant

Actress Hwang Shin-hye visited a 22-year-old Anyang restaurant to eat gondre rice, where she spoke about her brother's resilience as a mouth-painter following a traffic accident that left him without sensation below his neck.

Actress Hwang Shin-hye visited a mountain-lodge style restaurant in Anyang to enjoy a gondre rice meal that has been served for 22 years. Using gondre sourced from Jeongseon, Gangwon Province, the establishment shows its dedication by only beginning to cook the rice in a cauldron once a customer enters.

A cauldron and a special sauce of ten ingredients that transforms raw flavors

The star of the table was undoubtedly the gondre rice. The gondre brought from Jeongseon is characterized by a unique astringent taste and raw scent, which the owner manages using a unique know-how of seasoning it with perilla seed powder. The gondre, thoroughly cooked in a cauldron, achieved a soft texture without being tough. The owner stated that they originally served barley rice and began adding gondre 10 years ago.

In particular, the special sauce containing ten ingredients completed the flavor of the rice. Made with a base of green onion, garlic, radish, and onion, with the fresh sweetness of fruit added, this sauce neutralized the unique raw scent of the gondre and created a variation in flavor. After adding the sauce, Hwang Shin-hye emphasized its role, noting, "The raw scent completely disappears and the flavor comes alive." The cauldron, which has been used for 22 years, serves as a core tool sustaining the flavor of the restaurant.

The meal was accompanied by seasonal delicacies such as Bomdong, crispy potato pancakes, and dried radish leaf dishes, which enhanced the natural flavors of the ingredients. It was noted that Bomdong is at its sweetest during this season.

The resilient family history of actress Hwang Shin-hye and her mouth-painter brother

During the meal, the conversation naturally turned to family stories. Actress Hwang Shin-hye expressed pride in her daughter, Lee Jin-hee, who is also active as an actress. Mentioning that her daughter is talented enough to express the inspiration she gains from acting through paintings, she shared that the mother and daughter are reliable colleagues who support each other's acting and artistic activities. Hwang Shin-hye added that her daughter's skill in expressing acting inspiration through drawing is considerable.

Hwang Shin-hye then spoke of her brother, a mouth-painter who paints using his mouth. Although he faced the ordeal of losing sensation below his neck due to a traffic accident at the age of twenty-nine, his life—picking up a brush with his mouth instead of remaining in despair—evokes awe. While saying, "I am sorry to bring up such a difficult story," Hwang Shin-hye proudly expressed her brother's firm perspective on the world and his skill.

Regarding her sister-in-law, who stayed by her brother's side and helped him continue his artistic activities, she expressed deep respect, saying she is "like a gift sent from an angel." Along with her brother's confession that he was able to continue painting thanks to his wife, whom he met after the accident, the meal captured the image of a family relying on one another despite hardships.

Source: TVCHOSUN JOY (YouTube)