Yes, I can confirm, borrowing the lyrics from a song frequently recited by the children at my school, Korean food is "yummy, yummy, yummy yummy & good" (minus the dish of nerves I tried once). Korean food culture is thriving; 4 months in to my stay here, I was quite tight-in-my-pants, ripe with the results of being treated to regular 3-4 course dinners of blatantly fatty duck, beef, and pig's legs & pig's skin (quite often, the percentage of fat in a piece of meat is equal to, or greater than, the meat part of the meat), free teatime rice-cakes at school, Lotteria (Koreanified McDonalds) experiments with my Western friends, and the bi-weekly pizza/fried chicken days that the teachers have at my school.
During my first week here, I was told that, instead of the English greeting, "How are you?", in Korea, I would consistently be asked: "Bap mogosoyo?" which means: "Did you eat?". I was instructed to reply (disregarding the truth of the matter): "Ne, bap mogosoyo!", which means "Yes, I ate!" I took care to learn the phrase, but havn't had a chance to use it. I can recall being asked the question from my Korean friends in English a handful of times. However, after my frequent encounters with food here, I can still verify that this alleged question and answer routine represents the somewhat obsessive relationship that Koreans have with food.
Given the centrality of food to Korean culture, I will model my blog after a few tasty dishes/meals well-loved by Koreans, and, by me:
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A Roll of Kimbap-
A Hearty BBQ-
A Slice of Radish or KimchiThe
A Roll of Kimbap sections will be quick reads. Kimbap, a rolled-up combination of seaweed, rice, pickled veggies, ham and other optional goodies is served in the orange and yellow buildings housing Kimbap joints across South Korea. You can choose from a variety of combinations to have tucked inside your Kimbap Roll: Pickled Veg & Processed Cheese, Pickled Veg & Kimchi, Kimbap wrapped in Egg, Pickled Veg and Beef, etc. Please enjoy my rolls of Kimbap - a collection of pictures, stories, and the brilliant ideas/methods that I've picked up from South Korea.
A Hearty BBQ will feature a more in-depth look at what it is like to be a South Korean. South Korea is inhabited by a wide variety of meat houses featuring meats like pork, beef, duck, and dog. As the wide selection of meat restaurants matches the tastes of the South Korean populace, I will also present you an ecclectic literary feast of my own interviews and research. My first project is to gather information and willing interviewees on the subject of what a South Korean mother's life is like (I'm aiming to have this posted by the end of Feb 2012). I hope that, as Korean hospitality would dictate, you will leave these posts feeling satiated.
A Slice of Radish or Kimchi: Radish and Kimchi are, respectively, the bright yellow and firey red side dishes supplied with all Korean meals. The Kimchi can be spicy, and may not appeal to foreigners, while the Radish is slightly sweet, and a touch salty; the food I turn to when I need to cool my mouth. Even though they are only a tiny portion of the meal, you are not truly eating Korean-style without them. In this blog, then, I will provide you with a sides: some controversial and intriguing links to compliment my own writing and observations.
This blog is my attempt to regularly serve you a taste of as much of South Korea as you would have. Just as my culinary experience has been in South Korea, I plan to make this blog something savory, memorable, and diverse. Please enjoy and, of course, do let me know how you like it!
