Wednesday, May 6, 2009

Cinco de Mayo, Korean Style

In the ultimate culture clash, Ryan was treated to a Cinco de Mayo birthday at a Korean BBQ restaurant called "Kun Jip." Recommended by a friend, we'd been waiting for a chance to sample the Korean fare. We were not prepared.

They took our orders while we waited on line. We sat down at a tiny table, where loads of dishes were immediately placed in front of us:

  • Chile/Pepper flavored pears (maybe? we never found out)
  • Kimchi (also known as soggy red cabbage, spicy as balls)
  • String Beans with Sesame (at last, something familar!)
  • Bitter Bean Sprouts with...you guessed it...chile
  • Something silvery, scaly, and too fishy looking for either of us to eat
  • Something brown and also ugly looking
  • Purple - yes purple - Rice
Before we could even sip our Sapporo's, some lettuce leaves appeared with some kind of stringy vegetable salad in a yummy, sugary sauce.

Then came the wonking BBQ cooker, which was so large we had to move plates on top of one another to fit. Then the meat. Oh what wonderful meats....beef brisket, prok strips and....ox tongue??? Oh well what the hey...

The pot sizzled and spewed grease, while a little pot of stew was placed nearby. We couldn't really figure out what it was, only that there was some tofu floating in the red sauce, with a clam sticking out as if had tried to squeal a final "Help" before it was boiled. It tasted alright at first sip, until the chile flecks started to reach the throat, and you couldn't keep from coughing or choking from the hotness. In another bowl, some eggs....that tasted like bacon (I'm presuming it was miso.)

The meat was delicious. And y'all know I love my meat. We wrapped it in the lettuce with the shredded stuff as grease squeezed out. Delectable.



And to top it all off, a little cup of Cinnamon-Ginger Tea. It was cold, and it was sugary. We were about ready to leave when an incredibly loud, staticy Korean voice blared over a speaker, and began singing a very catchy pop tune. A beautifully ornate cheesecake went by, with Koreans clapping all around us. The table nextdoor were celebrating their own birthday......Knew I should have told them it was Ryan's!

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