Taditional Korean Meal. Raw Stingray Anyone?

                So today, I went with friends to a traditional Korean restaurant. Now, living in Korea, one may think that all of the restaurants (being Korean) are traditional, but this place serves a special set menu of Korean delicacies. Walking past the garden through the wooden doors, we were greeted by women in hanbok, customary Korean dress. They led us through the old-fashioned house to our own private room where we removed our shoes and sat down on colorful silk pillows. The courses on the seasonal menu range from around $25-$100. We selected the $50 course for three people and let the epic gastronomies commence!

                First, we were served janchi guksu or “wedding soup” consisting of noodles with thinly sliced egg and seaweed in a mild broth. This is a simple but delicious dish; one of my favorites. After that, the plates just kept coming. We were served fried blowfish, raw spiced stingray, sea cucumber (supposedly good for the skin), crab, abalone, seafood soup with burnt rice, raw salmon in a delectable mayonnaise sauce, potato puree, jellyfish and vegetables, eggplant stuffed with a blend of chicken, vegetables, and tofu; then duck, beef rib, fish roe, prawns, octopus, etc. It seemed endless. Our entire table was covered in plates and dishes of varying sizes. Just when we thought our stomachs might burst, our server gently poked her head into our room and asked if we were ready for our shiksa. I thought she couldn’t be serious because that word means “meal” and we clearly had eaten enough for an army. But no no, that is not the Korean way. In Korea, after you eat…you eat. All of those dishes are not considered the main meal. Rice is real food and the most important part of the diet.

                The destruction was cleared from the table and we were then served hot seaweed soup along with our rice, doenjang jjigae “fermented soybean soup”, various vegetables that were bitter, tangy, and salty, and kimchi “fermented spicy cabbage”; the national dish of Korea. (Hmm, fermented soybean, fermented cabbage, I think I’m beginning to sense a theme here.) Finally, we were treated to grapes and apple slices along with bori shikye for dessert. Shikye is a sweet drink usually made with rice, but bori shikye is the equivalent only with bits of barley settled at the bottom instead. After sampling so many flavors and textures, it was quite refreshing and palate-cleansing.

                Even though the meal was a bit expensive, it was still worth it for a unique one-time experience. None of the dishes were completely off-putting either. The crab was quite salty and the blowfish left something to be desired, however the abalone was outstanding as well as the raw salmon. Our server was also incredibly sweet and attentive. She kept apologizing for her lack of English, but we all thought she was wonderful, and with the help of an electronic dictionary we communicated quite well. The only problem with these kinds of places is that they are usually remote. I would suggest a taxi to and from the restaurant. But before catching a ride, you may want to walk off your meal while enjoying the beautiful mountains and fresh air.