Dad Trys LOTS of Korean Food!
Korean food has become my favorite food in the world since my first
month of living here! Many of the tastes that were very different and
new to me I was unsure about at first, but have since grown on me to the
point of craving them! Even the cold, spiciness of kimchi (김치), a taste
that I thought I would never grow accustomed to, has become sometime I
reach for willingly for every meal. I find myself wanting the taste in
between bites of other foods just as the native Koreans do. I have know for sure for a long time now that the things I will miss about Korea the most when I leave is the food.
The typical Korean meal always consists of a main dish of some type of meat (most commonly pork or beef, but also fish or chicken), soup, rice, and a plethora of side dishes called banchan (반찬) that will always include kimchi.
Let me point out the parts of the meal pictured of above... First, you can see the soup in the large, hot stone pot at the center. Inside is a type of stew called Doenjang Jjigae (된장 찌개). Doenjang is a fermented miso paste made from soy beans. The soup flavor is made from this and the other contents usually include tofu and squash, but can include all sorts of vegetables depending on what the cook has handy.
Next is the meat, directly to the right of the soup. This is bulgogi (불고기). It's made up of thinly sliced, marinated, grilled beef. To the right of the large meat dish you can see 2 small dishes with different dipping sauces. The red one on the top is my absolute favorite. It's a garlic-y flavor and it's called ssamjang (쌈장). Typically, you should place the meat in one of the sauces, and then warp it in one of the pieces of lettuce, called 'ssam' (쌈).
Directly in front of each individual is a metal tin bowl (in this picture, we hadn't taken the tops off yet) full of rice. This is the only part of the meal that is served individually. All other parts and shared and eaten communally off of the same dishes.
Covering the rest of the table are the banchan (side dishes). Korea has tons of different of side dishes, and I honestly don't know the names for most of them. Many times I don't even know what I'm eating! But one of the great things about Korean restaurants, is that the sides are always 'seo-bi-su' (서비스), or "service" - meaning they're unlimited and free! You can ask for as many as you like of your favorites and avoid the ones you don't care for as much!
Picture above is my second favorite meal of all Korean foods! This is a type of bulgogi that's made with duck meat and cooked with a spicy sauce. It's cooked on the pan right in front of you, and you get to munch on the side dishes while you watch and wait for it to cook to perfection. Then, once the plate is almost empty, you can ask for 'bokkeum bap' (볶음밥) or 'fried rice'. The dump it in and cook it in the same pan so that it soaks up all the leftover sauce and mixes in with the leftover meat and veggies! It's absolutely delicious.
Of course, no Korean meal is complete with out socializing and drinking with friends, family, or coworkers. The above picture is from the duck restaurant. When my dad visited (and of course I was making him eat everything on my long list of favorite Korean foods), I brought him and my Korean co-workers from school to my favorite duck restaurant.
The typical Korean meal always consists of a main dish of some type of meat (most commonly pork or beef, but also fish or chicken), soup, rice, and a plethora of side dishes called banchan (반찬) that will always include kimchi.
Let me point out the parts of the meal pictured of above... First, you can see the soup in the large, hot stone pot at the center. Inside is a type of stew called Doenjang Jjigae (된장 찌개). Doenjang is a fermented miso paste made from soy beans. The soup flavor is made from this and the other contents usually include tofu and squash, but can include all sorts of vegetables depending on what the cook has handy.
Next is the meat, directly to the right of the soup. This is bulgogi (불고기). It's made up of thinly sliced, marinated, grilled beef. To the right of the large meat dish you can see 2 small dishes with different dipping sauces. The red one on the top is my absolute favorite. It's a garlic-y flavor and it's called ssamjang (쌈장). Typically, you should place the meat in one of the sauces, and then warp it in one of the pieces of lettuce, called 'ssam' (쌈).
Directly in front of each individual is a metal tin bowl (in this picture, we hadn't taken the tops off yet) full of rice. This is the only part of the meal that is served individually. All other parts and shared and eaten communally off of the same dishes.
Covering the rest of the table are the banchan (side dishes). Korea has tons of different of side dishes, and I honestly don't know the names for most of them. Many times I don't even know what I'm eating! But one of the great things about Korean restaurants, is that the sides are always 'seo-bi-su' (서비스), or "service" - meaning they're unlimited and free! You can ask for as many as you like of your favorites and avoid the ones you don't care for as much!
Picture above is my second favorite meal of all Korean foods! This is a type of bulgogi that's made with duck meat and cooked with a spicy sauce. It's cooked on the pan right in front of you, and you get to munch on the side dishes while you watch and wait for it to cook to perfection. Then, once the plate is almost empty, you can ask for 'bokkeum bap' (볶음밥) or 'fried rice'. The dump it in and cook it in the same pan so that it soaks up all the leftover sauce and mixes in with the leftover meat and veggies! It's absolutely delicious.
Of course, no Korean meal is complete with out socializing and drinking with friends, family, or coworkers. The above picture is from the duck restaurant. When my dad visited (and of course I was making him eat everything on my long list of favorite Korean foods), I brought him and my Korean co-workers from school to my favorite duck restaurant.
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