Korea: The Skinny on Korean Cuisine

Guest Blogger: Laura Seewoester
Much like Koreans have a rich culture and history, they also have a rich (and tasty) culinary tradition to please any foodie’s palette. Most of the meals (eaten in restaurants, anyway) involve a Hibachi table in some form or fashion. Their most well known eating experience would be the Korean barbecue. You order different cuts of meat, cut them with scissors and grill them on the grill conveniently located in the middle of the table. The grilled meat pieces are then wrapped in lettuce, and any variety of onions, more lettuces, and sauces are added to taste.

The Korean cuisine also includes a lot of soups and stews, also cooked at the table. Shabu Shabu is more a feast than a meal and is eaten in phases. First a mildly spicy, tomato based broth with vegetables is heated and eaten at the table. Then small, usually thinly sliced pieces of meat are added to the remaining broth. Once all the meat is eaten, you add thick noodles. As if that wasn’t enough food, once the table is finished with the noodles the waitress comes over and takes out what remains, then cooks up some fried rice in the remaining, now reduced, brothy goodness.

We had other stews, or chigae, cooked at the table, containing delectable treats such as bulgogi (thinly sliced beef) and nakji (octopus). We ate these stews mostly when so little English/Korean was spoken by the respective parties that the waitresses just kind of took care of us. (Hats off to those ladies by the way – they were very hospitable and mighty excellent cooks.) Banchan, the various little dishes served before your food comes out, also accompanied every meal. The Banchan served differed from place to place but always included Korean’s beloved kimchi.

Should you find yourself in a Korean restaurant, other yummy dishes include pajeon (a savory pancake with anything from green onion and kimchi to seafood), dolsot bibimbap (my favorite, a rice dish served in a stone hotpot with a raw egg cracked over it that is cooked when you stir it all up), and any kind of mandu (dumpling) because let's face it...dumplings are awesome in any way, shape, form, or fashion.

Despite their distinctive cuisine, Korea has taken to some Western eats and they aren’t afraid to put their own spin on it. Not only does the McDonald’s serve up a Bulgogi Burger, but Korea has its own answer to fast food: Lotteria. Lotteria is eerily similar to McDonald’s, serving up burgers, soft drinks, and fries, and the décor is very McDonald-red. They also offer up options with a Korean flair including a Kimchi Burger, shrimp burger, and a spicy squid burger made of squid mixed with sweet potato.

While Korea seems generally proud holding on to many traditions, one tradition they seem to have pushed aside is tea. I expected to try (and bring home) all kinds of teas on my travels; however, the tea was expensive both by the cup and by the leaf. We are talking $6 a cup or $20 for about 30 teabags. There were a few teahouses but they (and their prices) seemed to be more geared towards tourists than tradition. Instead, coffee seems to be the Korean caffeinated beverage of choice.