Seoul Food: Glutton Fest 2006

It has been a week now since I returned from South Korea, and I think my stomach is still full. Yes, we saw "the sights," and we talked with "the locals," and got Korean "massages." However, most importantly, we ate! Seoul food is nothing like grits and cornbread. Seoul food is the meat and potatoes of Asian cuisine, minus the potatoes. Yes, Korean food is basically meat--be it beef, pork, intestines, chicken, or dog. Oh, and kimchi. And for those of you who don't know what kimchi is...it is...umm...delicious. It is pickled cabbage mixed with a secret family recipe of 14 different herbs and spices. Kimchi is to Korea, as miso soup is to Japan, as curry is to India, as vodka is to Russians*. In other words, you can't have a meal without it.

*If I happen to die of exposure to Polonium, you know who did it.

Urano-sensei and I made our rounds 'round Seoul in search of the most delectable dishes, choicest cuts of meat, and frostiest mugs of beer. His Japanese and my English came in handy when coming across the typical Korean waitress. If she didn't speak English, chances are she spoke Japanese...or vice versa. The fact that Urano-sensei is a math teacher also came in handy when counting the exorbitant amount of complimentary dishes on the table (26 at one restaurant). It was so gluttonous, it was sinful.

FYI: If you want to be a cook, I suggest never moving to Korea to start a restauant. As you can probably tell by the pictures, you basically cook your own food on a little stove in/on the table before you. It is awesome, but I don't want you to discover this after landing at the airport in Seoul and handing out your resume filled with culinary cum laudes. That would be embarrassing. On the bright side, it would be a pretty lax job.