From Soul Food to Seoul Food

Undoubtedly the most exciting part of experiencing a new culture is sampling the food, and if there is one thing that Koreans are most proud about in regards to their culture, it is their food.  Eat Korean food with a Korean outside of Korea and you are bound to hear comments similar to, "it's not the same as in Korea" or, "in Korea it is so much better".  Having now lived in Korea in what is now approaching three years, I too have acquired a taste for the local cuisine (well, most of it).  Here is a list of some of my favorites:

1. 갈매기살 (Galmaegisal)
Grilled beef skirt.  This is not the traditionally most common Korean BBQ food item (that is 삼겹살 samgyubsal) but it is definitely my favorite.  Not only is it delicious but it is a fun social experience as well with friends.

A before and after look.  That is egg with kimchi and spring onion on the outside.

2. 닭갈비 (Dakgalbi)
Mixture of grilled chicken, rice cake, cabbage, and other add-ins coupled with a cheese fondu.  This is certainly my overall favorite Korean dish.

3. 만두 (Mandu)
Deep-fried or steamed dumplings.  This is more of a side or a snack than a meal, but delicious and must be included.  My cousin Hudson was addicted to these when he visited me.

4. 김치찌개 (Kimchi Jjigae)
Kimchi soup.  This is a very basic dish which usually is eaten with rice, however when I ask many Koreans what their favorite Korean meal is this one is the most common winner.

5. 김밥 (Kimbab)
These look like sushi rolls but can have a variety of meats in them.  김in Korean means seaweed and 밥 means rice, so it is no surprise that this is primarily rice wrapped in seaweed with a few different ingredients in the inside.  Typically the inside consists of your choice of meat, pickled radish, SPAM (yes the same SPAM), egg, carrots, and kimchi.  This is basically the Korean equivalent of a sandwich, not because it is anything like a sandwich, but in that it is a common quick packable lunch that people eat when they just need to eat something simple.

No not sushi

6. 짜장면 (Jajangmyeon)
A thick noodle dish covered in a black gravy-like sauce.  This is debatable on whether it is considered Korean, but rather Koreanized Chinese food just like Kung Pao Chicken is Americanized Chinese food.  Despite it's look and my description of it, it is really delicious.

7. 돈까스 (Donkkaseu)
Deep fried pork cutlet covered in gravy.  Another dish that is not authentically Korean, but is quite popular.  This has a Japanese origin, but some might argue that the Japanese emulated it after the German schnitzel.

8. 갈비탕 (Galbi-tang)
Beef short rib stew.  Not much to add here, it is just beef stewed with some veggies but is really good.

The one on the left is 갈비탕, the one on the right is basically the same thing but with a whole chicken.

9. 제육뽁음 (Jaeyook Bokum)
Spicy pork stir-fry.  This is just what it sounds like.  Pieces of small chopped pork bits marinated in spicy chili sauce, stir-fried with some vegetables, and served with rice. 

10. 치맥 (Chi-maek)
Chicken and beer.  Although definitely not authentically Korean, this is a very popular meal in Korea amongst friends.  You cannot walk hardly anywhere in Seoul without seeing competing 치맥 restaurants.  The chicken can come coated in a variety of different sauces, and it is this that Koreans argue makes it uniquely "Korean Style".

No Sauce, Just Plain

11. 빙수 (Bingsu)
Flavored shaved with different toppings.  A popular Korean dessert,  the shavings of 빙수 dissolve quicker in your mouth than ice cream and is a really delicious treat in the hot summer.

Blueberry Cheesecake 빙수

The Strange Popularity of SPAM in Korea

This last week was one of the biggest Korean holiday of the year known as 추석 Chuseok.  This is the equivalent of Korea's Thanksgiving in that it originated to celebrate a good harvest.  It is celebrated the same way as American Thanksgiving as well, with large family gatherings and lots and lots of food.  However, substituting green-bean casserole for glass noodles mixed with vegetables (잡채), buttered rolls for kimchi pancakes (김치전), pumpkin pie for sugary rice cakes (송편), and turkey for SPAM.  Yes, that is right, SPAM.  That can of suspicious meat that most often get associated as "trailer park food" in USA.

Not only does SPAM not have the same negative association attached to it in Korea, but it is loved and almost viewed as a luxury. In my first year in Korea, I was shocked when I visited the local grocery store and found an isle of elaborate and fancy SPAM gift sets.  This, of course, got me thinking, "why is this American product which is mostly viewed as 'disgusting' in its home country, so popular in Korea, especially during its biggest traditional holiday?".  And the most logical theory I could come up with has its connections to the Korean War.

See during the Korean War, South Korea was not the developed modern country that it is today.  It was still very agrarian with many people living in poverty.  It used to be that some Koreans would hang outside US Army bases and collect the food that they discarded.  Usually this would be things like simple produce, but occasionally cans of SPAM would be thrown out as well.  Now to a person from a modern, developed, and wealthy nation, where fresh meat is readily available, it is easy to understand why canned preserved ham would not be very appetizing.  However, to a poor farmer, during a time where meat was scarce, SPAM was a delicacy!

So it really comes down to perspective when the food was introduced, but what I find interesting is how that perspective becomes part of the culture even 60 years later when Korea is a modern, developed, and wealthy nation.  Today, meat is readily available and yet Koreans still love their can of blended pig parts and preservatives and it is all due to cultural and historical perspectives.  Fascinating!