KOREA FOODS

# KOREA FOODS

Famous KOREAN Foods Eating out is one of the great pleasures of visiting Korea, a country famous for its many native dishes. Korean cuisine will provide unique tastes for the visitor. There are also a wide variety of American, Continental, Chinese and Japanese restaurants.

Korean food is rich in nutrition, well-balanced and low in calories. They say that you can eat as much Korean food as you like and never gain weight. Korean food is chiefly made of a wide variety of vegetables.

Seasonings include garlic, red peppers, scallions, soy sauce, fermented bean paste, ginger and sesame oil. *Quick Reference to Korean Cuisine Kimch'i is the most famous Korean food. A fermented vegetable dish highly seasoned with red pepper and garlic, it is served at virtually all meals, and has become the best known of Korea's dishes abroad. Pulgogi is the one of the most popular dishes in Korea, and on which Westerners find very pleasing. Pulgogi literally means 'fire beef,' but it is generally translated as 'Korean barbecue.' Thin, tender slices of beef are marinated in a sauce made with soy sauce, sesame oil, garlic, and other seasonings, and then cooked over a hot charcoal grill at your table. Kalbi, short ribs of beef or pork, is also popular. Kalbi is also grilled at the table.

Restaurants that specialize in pulgogi also serve good kalbi. shinsollo is a delicious mixture of meat, fish, vegetables and bean curd which is simmered in beef broth over a charcoal brazier at the table. Hanjongshik literally means 'full course Korean meal,' and it is just that. When you order hanjongshik, you are usually served pulgogi, steamed short ribs, grilled fish, and a host of side dishes.

These side dishes may vary from restaurant to restaurant, but the servings are always ample. Pibimpap is made from cooked rice mixed with bits of meat, seasoned vegetables, and egg. If desired, it can be eaten with koch'ujang (a hot red pepper sauce). At an elegant Korean dinner, the first course might be kujolp'an. Strips of cooked meat and vegetables are arranged in a large sectioned dish with a stack of Korean pancakes in the center. The fillings are wrapped in the pancakes and eaten. Sollongt'ang is rice beef noodle soup seasoned with sesame seeds, salt, pepper, scallions, and sesame oil. It is served with rice as the main meal and is accompanied by side dishes and a special radish kimich'i called kkaktugi.

People can restore their bodies and spirits on hot summer days by eating hot ginseng chicken soup. The chicken is stuffed with ginseng, jujubes, sticky rice, and garlic, then stewed, and seasoned with salt and black pepper when served. Naengmyon literally means 'cold noodles' and this summer favorite is truly refreshing. Very thin, chewy buckwheat noodles are served in a cold beef broth with chopped scallions, shredded radishes and cucumbers, sesame seeds, and slices of lean beef, Appropriate condiments are hot mustard and vinegar. There are many restaurants that specialize only in naengmyon. Be sure to try the mild mul-naengmyon before sampling the spicier pibim-naengmyon.

# Korean Table Manners Traditionally, Korean food is not served in courses, but instead it is all placed on the table at the same time. There is no set order in which to eat the food, just according to personal preference. The main dish is almost always accompanied by pap (rice), kuk (soup), kimch'i, and several side dishes with chopsticks, which are all included in the price. Do not leave chopsticks inserted directly into the rice, as this is a ceremonial act performed in memorial services for the dead. Koreans always wait for the oldest person present to begin eating before they begin and do not leave the table until the oldest person has finished.

# Western Fast Food Throughout Seoul's downtown and campus areas are many Western fast food restaurants such as McDonald, KFC, Wendy's, Hardee's, Burger King, Pizza Hut, and Domino's Pizza. Recently, Western family restaurants like TGI Fridays, Cocos, and Bennigans are also opening.

# Korean Liquors Korean beer and soju, a distilled liquor, are popular drinks. You will particularly enjoy tasting traditional Korean liquors such as Ch'ongju (strained rice wine), Insamju (ginseng liquor) and Makkolli (unstrained rice wine). Each province has its own special liquors. Munbaeju in Seoul, Igangju in Chollabuk-do Province, Andong Soju in Andong, Kyongju Popchu in Kyongsangbuk-do Province, Changgunju in Chonju, Chollabuk-do Province and Paegilju in Kongju, Ch'ungch'ongnam-do Province are famous. You should also learn Korean drinking etiquette. When somebody offers to fill your glass, hold it up with your right hand and place your left hand lightly under it.