add it to the list of stuff I won’t eat
The food here affects all of us differently ~ I’ve lost weight, but other foreign teachers have put on some pounds. I poop like a rocket launching, but others have been to the hospital to deal with constipation. But we have one thing in common ~ we all hate traditional Korean food. WHAT A RELIEF ~ I thought I was the only one.
I was amazed that ALL of us have independently developed the same eating habits ~ a big “Western” breakfast at home before work, a bowl of rice and maybe some soup (if it isn’t too weird) for lunch, and a “normal” evening meal at home (chicken or pork – not “beef” or seafood). Almost all of us travel to Seoul on the weekends to spend a small fortune on groceries at Hyundai and meals at familiar franchise restaurants.
I accepted, and then declined, but was ultimately obligated to go to a lunch with the Korean teachers the other day. After an extensive debate, we went to a restaurant that offered a menu “more suitable to the Western palate”. It was traditional place ~ we sat on mats on the floor at low tables ~ but the teachers considered it “not good” and were busy planning the next “better” meal before this one even began. I wanted to scream, “NO! You don’t understand! I actually LIKE food that is not raw and leaping out of the dish. I like having the side dishes in separate bowls, rather than piled onto one big glob of intermingled tastes.” (I’m not crazy about sitting on the floor for several hours in a yoga position, but I can’t do anything about that …)
You really can’t go wrong with bulgogi – it’s probably the most popular food for foreigners, because it’s just strips of beef in a “barbeque” sauce. Saengseon-gil is also pretty straight-forward ~ it is a whole grilled fish, which has not been scaled, gutted, deboned, or decapitated. A little scary, very messy, but good. And then there is kimchi
Then there is the Kimchi. Kimchi. Kimchi. Kimchi is a “super food”. Kimchi is definitely an acquired taste, kind of a “pickle experiment” gone terribly awry. It is basically cabbage, soaked in salt, fish sauce, garlic, ginger, red pepper, and any other ingredients that the maker wishes to throw in there, which is then buried and left to rot in urns under the ground, and eventually served for meals. There are many variations on the kimchi: Ggakdugi (chopped radish), Chonggak (ponytail), Nabak (red water), Bossam (rolled), Yeolmumul (summer green water), Baek (white cabbage), Baechu (whole cabbage), Dong Chimi (winter white water). I DO eat kimchi every day, if even just a small glob, to appease the kimchi gods.
The worst thing about kimchi is not the taste, it’s the smell. Honestly, I have opened my refrigerator and wondered “what the HELL died in there? …) Not only the smell of the kimchi itself, but how it makes your breath smell. Everyone has a toothbrush and paste at work, in a dedicated cabinet in the restroom ~ you cannot brush your teeth well enough or eat enough breath mints to get rid of the rotting vegetable odor that lingers in your system. (Seriously, this is some stinky stuff.)
Wow, and after that glowing endorsement, I’m certain that all of you will be racing to the nearest Korean food store to buy a big ol’ bucketfull of kimchi, right? An alternative would be to just try it in a Korean restaurant sometime ~ you actually may like it.
Um, let’s see, what else can I tell you about Korean food ….
Ah, yes ~ they do eat dog. It’s not so common, but there are restaurants that serve yeongyang-tang or bosin-tang (dog soup) and I have been to “picnics” where dog meat was grilled. I haven’t had it and have no intention of trying it.
It’s just another one of those things on the long list of dishes that will not pass my lips, including yang gobchang-gui (broiled beef tripe and chitterlings), chueo-tang (loach and bean paste soup), and gopchang-jeongol (seasoned entrails and vegetable stew). I could go on and on and on, but you get the idea.
My diet consists primarily of chicken breast and broccoli. And coffee. And beer. Lots and lots of beer …
Tags: 1
Nancy