I had bibimbap for dinner tonight and and I actually liked it! Admittedly it wasn’t a traditional version of the dish but rather a contemporary twist that wasn’t served with the usual gunky red sauce, but hey, it’s a minor detail for a big victory! I ordered a bibimbap with beef (bulgogi) and mushroom - it was quite yummy. The rice was laced with sesame seeds (as are almost all dishes in Korea) and it was served with a nice variety of vegetables. Instead of a gunky red sauce, it came with a light soya sauce. The cost? 9,000 won.

I recently also went to a restaurant near the guesthouse that specialises in (rice) porridge and it was good. I generally do not like porridge, at least not the Chinese variety, but this Korean porridge I had was almost super yummy. I had one with oysters and it was laced with finely shredded seaweed, and black and white sesame. The serving was huge and it cost 7,000 won.

A few nights ago, I was introduced to Korean BBQ - what is it, you ask? I would suggest you read the discussion on this link. For videos, go here. I went in search of dinner with two Americans who were staying at the guesthouse and we stumbled on a restaurant nearby that did Korean BBQ. It was early in the evening and the restaurant was quiet. So the waiter had time to cook the meat for us (we had ordered chicken) and demonstrate what we were supposed to do with all the various things that came in numerous dishes with our order. It was alright, not great, but it’s something that I can and will have again.

I had lunch yesterday with an academic at Yonsei University. He brought me to a restaurant on campus that served Korean meals. The options seemed to consist of fish, fish and more fish. I wished I tell you what we had ordered for me but I have no clue. Whatever it was, it was actually quite yummy. The fish tasted quite like Malaysia’s “assam” fish and it was served with steam rice and dried seaweed. As is customary with most Korean meals, there was also kimchi, a clear soup, and some pickles.

Apart from that I’ve eaten:

• california rolls (cheap and acceptable but not great - need to find somewhere better)
• Vietnamese pho (noodles) at an imported franchise-chain (not good at all and never going back)
• Krispy Kreme (they were yummy! and cheaper than in Australia)
• and of course, McDonald’s, bread and various forms of deep fried battered meat and fish.

I guess I’m not doing too badly with food at the moment. I’ve cut back on McDonald’s and I’m actually finding local things to eat. I even had a skewer of grilled chicken at a street stall two nights ago that was yummy! I did however stop trying all the kimchi that was served to me after 10 days. The search-process is still a little wearing and eating out isn’t much fun when it’s done twice a day, everyday, under force of circumstance. But this is fieldwork - my entire circumstance is forced.

Posted on October 18th, 2007 by jl
Filed under: Fieldwork