I Ordered What?
In a town called Joenju, I wandered into a non-descript Korean barbeque restaurant. The proprietress, after seating me at a low table in my very own room, rushes me to a decision by pointing to an item on the menu that was displayed on the wall. I had little choice but to nod, as yet incapable of deciphering Korean. I had no idea what I ordered…oh boy!
I sat on the floor eagerly, if somewhat warily, anticipating my first sit-down Korean meal. I was certainly in for a treat.
Okay…so it’s not bad…don’t cringe…I didn’t eat dog, so don’t ask. What I got was a typical Korean spread…for an entire family!
The proprietress soon brings me some yummy fish (not sure what kind), small plates of several kinds of kimchi, broccoli and cauliflower, pickled yellow-squash, a basket of lettuce leaves and a macaroni salad (just like the kind you get in a deli), along with the bottle of soju (Korean vodka) I had ordered…a small bottle, really. She pours my first bit of soju for me in hospitable, Korean fashion. Then I ready my chopsticks and tuck in, excited by all the colorful little plates. But the feast was just getting started!
Again, through the sliding doors, shuffles my little Korean hostess. Again she has a loaded tray with a number of plates…?!? She kneels and places more veggies, tiny battered shrimp, tofu in water, a smoked fish and more sauces on my table. Smiling she leaves…
…only to return shortly with even more!! (This is the point where I started to laugh…so many plates!) This time I’m given soup, a creamy mushroom something, a curry-like pork dish and rice in a region-specific stone bowl. She is smiling, enjoying my surprise and she laughs as I take a picture of all the plates. (Would you believe 19 in total?!)
The door slides open again in a few minutes and I fear she will be placing even more plates in front of me. (I think to myself that there is already enough on my table to feed a small village in Africa.) Instead she kneels across from me, illustrating the correct way to eat my rice (scoop it from the stone bowl to a metal one, then add water to the stone bowl and cover it…for a rather strange mushy-rice concoction) and the pork (take a lettuce leaf, add hot pepper paste, rice and pork, then roll it up) and pores more soju for me, smiling and encouraging me to eat more.
And eat I do. I try everything. Big ‘ewww’ on the shrimp which still had the shells on, but ‘yuuummmm on both fish dishes. Thumbs-up on several kinds of kimchi, but not on the most typical (big cabbage leaves, which I find awkward with chopsticks). The rice was tasty, with it mixture of beans sprinkled in. And the soju…I drank less than half the bottle and found that I was swaying to-and-fro from my perch on the floor. (I called ‘uncle.’)
I was more than full when I went to pay the bill. I checked my dictionary and mangled, “Chongmal mashissossoyo!” (“It was delicious”) to let the happy little lady know that I’d enjoyed the food, despite barely making a dent. And the cost of this unforgettable meal? Just $7. Can’t beat that…
Tags: South Korea
LizG
I saw this post on my favorite food blog and thought of you: http://www.slashfood.com/2006/12/03/koreas-royal-court-cuisine/
How about Tuckerton Tacos?