Korean Food – Interview with Juno Kim

Juno Kim, travel blogger, travel photographer and former mechanical engineer. She left her cubic farm to follow her true love: the world. A firm believer of serendipity, astronomy enthusiaster, and living by passion and love in life. Currently, on a quest to find the place where she can call ‘home’ while eating, drinking tea, and good beer and wine.

at a  galbi  restaurant—traditional  Korean BBQ.  Each  restaurant offers  its  own unique  side  dishes, which  are  a gratuitous  part  of the  meal  and always  refillable.  The meat  is  every carnivores  dream:  sweet, salty,  or  spicy, but  always  grilled to  tender  perfection. Beware:  while  many travellers  consider  the blackened  parts  delectable, most  Koreans  think its  unhealthy.  Cook your  meat  too long  and  one of  the  restaurant’s staff  will  quickly scoot  over  and slice  the  chargrilled parts  off.  Best to  eat  the black  bits  quickly. An  average  meal, with  a  king’s portion  of  food and  drink  will cost  between  15,000 and  20,000  won.

pork.  (2000  won/plate) You  can  easily find these  anywhere in  the  country, but  in  Seoul, Jongro  is  well known  for  street food  and  they are  open  till midnight.

The  variety  of Korean  food  is enormous,  but  if you  ask  me what  I  would eat  when  I want  Korean  food, I  would  say Kimchi  chijae.  I don’t  eat  out for  Korean  food; mainly  because  all the  food  is very  easy  to cook  at  home and  my  mother is  a  great cook.  Kimchi  giggae is  a  very basic  Korean  meal and  is  a combination  of  Kimchi and  hot  soup. And  this  is a  comfort  food that  reminds  me of  my  mother and  her  kitchen.

Bundaegi:  Literally  meaning “chrysalis”  or  “pupa”  in Korean.  Bundaegi  are steamed  or  boiled silkworm  pupae,  which are  seasoned  and  eaten  as a  snack.  It was  a  very common  street  snack until  the  90s, but  now  its only  sold  in particular  regions,  notably hiking  trails.  However now  it  is available  in  supermarket as  a  canned good.  Personally,  I had  no  idea this  might  be an  extreme  food; while  I  was growing  up,  it was  every  kid’s snack.  Sannakji (Live  octopus): Sannakji  literally  means live  small  octopus. It  is  served sliced,  diced  and still  wriggling!  Usually, its  lightly  seasoned with  sesame  and sesame  oil.  Seafood is  a  huge part  of  Korean cuisine,  especially  raw. Bosintang (dog meat soup): Bosintang is a soup mainly made with dog meat. This is  not considered a popular cuisine anymore, but it is still part of our food culture, and  considered one of the most extreme Korean cuisines. The consumption of dog meat in Korea can be traced back to the 4th century and earlier.  These days it’s hard to find restaurants for Bosintang, but it is still here because it is  thaught to improve male stamina.

Ingredients  vary  regionally, but  as  you can  see  Korea is  a  very small  country.  And due  to  transportation  development, there  aren’t  many regional  barriers.  These are  considered  as regional  specialties:  South West  (Jeollado):  Hongeo (Fermented  Skates),  Gul Kimchi  (Kimchi  with Oyster)  South  East (Gyeongsangdo):  Gukbab  (pig meat  and  intestine soup)  East  (Gangwondo):  Potato, sweet  potato  and corn  West:  Clams, Shellfish

Garlic  People  would most  often  think ‘red  pepper’  because Korean  food  has a  reputation  for being  spicy  and looking  hot.  However one  of  the essential  ingredients  in Korean  dishes  is garlic.  A  jar of  smashed  garlic can  be  found the  refrigerator  of any  Korean  home. 

Soju  is  the signature  Korean  alcohol. It  goes  well with  any  Korean cuisine.  Usually  it is  better  with a  soup-°©‐based  meal. Soju  is  usually comparable  to  vodka. Makgolli,  another  signature Korean  alcohol,  is a  milky,  sweet alcoholic  beverage  made from  rice  and several  different  grains and  it’s  easier to  drink  than soju.  This  is  a great way  to  wrap up  any  hiking endeavour,  and  is best  enjoyed  with sore  legs,  good company  and  pajeon, a  korean  pancake.

Sikhye:  traditional  sweet beverage  made  with malt and  rice.  Soojeonggwa: traditional  sweet  beverage made  with  cinnamon, ginger,  and  dried persimmons.  These  are often  served  at the  restaurant  for free,  after  the meal.  Also,  both are  available  in canned  form.  Yeot: Soft  like  taffy, hard  like  candy. It’s  Korean  traditional candy  made  out of  pumpkin  or ginger.  Easy  to get  at  the supermarket  or  from the  street  vendor.

Korean  food  is more  about  the culture  than  the cuisines  in  general. Eating  well  is very  important  to Koreans  because  they have  a  long history  of  poverty. They  had  ate anything  they  could find.  ‘Have  you eaten  yet?’  became the  normal  greetings. Because  of  the historic  basis,  Koreans value  home  cooked meal  more  than anything.  Food  was a  survival,  before pleasure.  Maybe  because that’s  why  there’s no  strict  way to  cook.  There are  always  few key  ingredients  that should  be  included, but  no  measurement required.  If  the taste  is  right for  someone  who eats,  than  it is  right.  This is  what  I like  about  Korean food:  there’s  no rule,  and  it’s more  about  culture and  concept  than doing  it  correct.