Sam's Gyup Sol


Well, I braved the far corner of town today. I went into a small restaurant and ordered some Samgyeopsal. I'm not particularly found of pork, but this is the only thing I know how to say in Korean. The restaurant owners were quick to accommodate me. They set-up the charcoal grill in the center of the table. Then they brought over chopsticks, a spoon, some jalapeno-infused-cold soup, pork, spring onion slivers, sprouts with a spicy, crushed red pepper, kim chi (fermented cabbage), garlic, lettuce, sesame leaf, and the most scrumptious, raw spinach. The latter is what I ate like it was going out of style. Our friendly patron seemed to notice this and brought me heaps of spinach as soon I finished. Man, people eat out here! I had two plates of Popeye's secret weapon and was ready to meet up with Olive Oyle and cuddle. I swear! I didn't even make a dent. There were heaps of pork, lettuce, and the rest, just lying there. I felt bad about it. But what could I do? Language prevented me from saying "less" or "to go." All I could say was was "thank you."

"Kamsahamneda," I said. "Annyang-ka-sayo."

"Annyang," the patron smiled.

Maybe "to go" and "half order" will be my new words for tomorrow. Of course, finding a Korean dish I actually like would be the best step forward. The only problem is knowing what that is. It's definitely going to take some exploration. Maybe, a nice Korean boy or girl can point me in the right direction. Maybe it will be me. I could pretend to be a world class food critic. I'll even write reviews. Hmmm. Who knows? Time will tell. For now, it's Almond Flakes and Samgyeopsal.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Looks like an interesting meal. Kinda makes me want to seek out some crazy Korean food here in L.A.

Pirooz M. Kalayeh said...

Well, if you're a vegan you'll be out of luck. Pork is the requisite for any Korean meal. Who knows? Jim told me tonight we are going to eat live octopus. I can't say I'm enthused, but I'm always winning to try new things once.