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Korean
cuisine provides unique tastes for the visitor. It is nutritious,
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, spring onions, soy sauce, fermented bean paste,
ginger and sesame oil.
Kimch'i is the
most famous Korean food. A fermented vegetable dish highly seasoned
with red pepper and garlic. Served at virtually all meals, it has
become the best known of Korea's dishes abroad. Kimchi is the staple
eaten at almost every meal. There are many different kinds but all of
them are made from cabbage mixed with various spices, most commonly
garlic, chili pepper and ginger. Most foreigners who try kimchi for
the first time are generally not overly impressed with the taste but
like many things, it grows on you.
Pulgogi is the
one of the most popular dishes in Korea and one 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.
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.
Naengmyon
means "cold noodles" and this summer favourite 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.
Desserts: The
Koreans don't go in for desserts. A chilled sweetened drink is served
at the end of a meal. Patpingsu is popular during the summer months.
It is a fruit salad on ice with red beans and ice cream. Dok, or rice
cakes are a sticky traditional sweet.
RESTAURANTS
There are two
main reasons why Korean cuisine is not as prominent in UK as it might
be. Firstly there is no mass tourism from UK to Korea to give people
a clear insight into the food and culture and, secondly, there are
relatively few Korean restaurants in UK. What restaurants there are
tend to be mainly in London and the suburbs and the greatest
concentration is in the Surrey town of New Malden. Don't let this put
you off. Dining Korean is certainly a culinary experience not to be
missed and worth the journey whether to restaurant or country.
Etiquette
The Korean
style is to eat quickly and conversation is usually limited to
comments of how delicious the food is. Unlike Western restaurants,
everybody eats the same food and the communal side dishes are placed
in the middle.
*At first,
taste soup or kimchi juice, and then try rice or other dishes. Use
spoon for rice and liquid foods, such as stews or soups; use
chopsticks for other foods.
*Do not make
noises with spoon or chopsticks hitting the rice bowl or other food containers.
*Do not hold
the rice bowl or soup bowl in your hand during the meal.
* Do not poke
around the rice or side dishes with the spoon.
* Do not pick
out what you don't like or shake off seasonings.
* Do not leave
any trace of food on the spoon while eating.
* During the
meal, uneatable parts such as bones or fish bones are quietly
discarded by wrapping them in a paper so that others won't see them.
Do not put them on the table or floor.
* When
coughing or sneezing during a meal, face the other way from table and
cover your mouth with your hand or napkin.
* Eat the rice
and side dishes from one side.
* Do not use
your hands to pick at the food.
* Chew food
with your mouth closed and do not make noises while chewing.
* Do not leave
the table while eating.
* Do not read
a book or newspaper or watch TV while eating. Do not reach across the
table for distant food - ask a nearby person to pass it to you.
* Use an
individual plate for foods served for a group, and also for sauces
such as soy & vinegar sauce or sweet & sour hot pepper
soybean paste.
* Try to keep
pace with others by eating not too fast or too slow. When having a
meal with the elderly, wait for them to put the spoon and chopsticks
on the table at the end of the meal.
* At the end
of the meal, pour sungnyung (boiled water in the rice cooker or
scorched-rice tea) into the rice bowl and drink.
* After a
meal, put the spoon and chopsticks on the spot where they were placed
first and put used napkins on the table after folding it little bit
if they are big.
*When using a
toothpick, cover your mouth with one hand and discard the toothpick
afterwards so others won't see it. Hot and watery foods are placed on
the right side and cold and dry foods are placed on the left side.
* The rice
bowl is on the left, and soup bowl is on the right, with other bowls
placed in the middle.
* The spoon is
on the right side and chop sticks are behind the spoon and placed a
little towards the outside of the table.
* Place kimchi
dishes in the back row, stew dishes on the right, sauces in the
middle of the front row, meat dishes on the right side, and
vegetables on the left side.
Remember all
that and you haven't got a problem!
The Korean
respect for elders dictates that everybody waits until the oldest
person starts to eat. It is considered rude to smoke in front of
someone older or to leave the table earlier than the oldest.
And watch out
- the oldest person usually pays for the meal!!!.
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