Is there any Korean foods that I can eat?!
I am open to all cultural foods and experiences but...I cannot stomach a lot of the food he likes to eat. I am black/spanish and my cultures foods are very different save for certain seafoods, everything is cooked and not fermented. Are there any Korean foods that I can suggest so that I won't gag and that he won't feel embarrassed?
Answers: I have tried a few of my friend's cultural foods. He's Korean. The snacks, like these little orange chip like things with seaweed wrapped around it are pretty good. I also like this pancake sorta thing with bacon in it. But the Kimchi(spell?) makes me gag something horrible.
I am open to all cultural foods and experiences but...I cannot stomach a lot of the food he likes to eat. I am black/spanish and my cultures foods are very different save for certain seafoods, everything is cooked and not fermented. Are there any Korean foods that I can suggest so that I won't gag and that he won't feel embarrassed?
If you like the seaweed, you should try some kimbap, which is kind of like sushi rolls (with crab, some vegetables, and rice wrapped up in seaweed. Everybody (pretty much that I've seen) likes bulgogi, which is Korean barbecue. There's a simple recipe here: http://www.eatkimchi.com/bulgogi.html That's a site I was trying to work on, never finished, but there are recipes for bulgogi, budae jigae (which is my favorite) and tomyun (my own creation kind of, I ate it tonight). The first time I smelled kimchi and saw any Korean cuisine, I swore that I would NEVER eat any of it. Now I love it. Kimchi is an acquired taste, you will enjoy it's spiciness!
Most people from other countries know that other counties do not like their foods. They do not like our foods either. Sit down and talk to him about this. Let him know that he must eat his type of food and you MUST eat your type of food. Be honest and forward with him.
When you go out to restaurants or fast food places try to find the ones that serve all kinds of different foods.
Try these:
Gal bi- Korean BBQ fatty beef
Bulgogi- A popular thin, prime cut marinated beef dish.
Dolsot bibimbap- A rice dish served in a hot stone pot with mixed vegetables, egg, and a spicy sauce.
Yes there are many foods you will love. First you should try Kim Bab it is Korean sushi except it is served with tuna and not raw fish or spam or beef there are so many kinds. Also you should ask for Mandoo, it is a Korean Ravioli with pork very good especially when they are fried. Also you should try KalBi (beef short ribs) or Bulgolgi which is beef flank steak marinated. As for the Kimchi ask for winter Kimchi or white kimchi it is a little sweet and crisper. I love Kenip which are marinated sesame leaves. As far as soups go there is Miso soup which is very nice or Youkajeong which is a spicy beef soup also very nice. Also you should try Bim Bim Bab which is mixed veggies, meat and rice with a pepper paste. I think it is amazing. As to my ethnicity I am Jewish, but have been to Korea twice. As far as snacks go ask for a choco pie.
A very common dish is Korean ginseng chicken soup, good for health & great on a cold day. It includes glutinuous rice & other ingredients as a sort of stuffing, thus like a complete all in one meal.
If you can take spicy food, you should be able to take kimchi unless it is the fermented aspect that is an acquired taste. Traditionally kimchi is kept for 5-6 months when it is considered best tasting. As an alternative try fresh kimchi made on the same day that still tastes great but without such a sharp fermented flavor. There are plenty of more 'normal' & unfermented stuff. In any food culture, be it Western, Asian or African, there will always be certain foods considered gross & Fear Factor worthy by others but considered delicacies by natives.
Boiled Rice (Bop)
There are many ways to cook rice and many ingredients which may be added to it. Barley, beans, chestnut, millet, or other grains are often added for better taste and nutritional values.
Soup (Tahng)
A Korean table is never complete without a soup. Vegetables, meat, fish and shellfish, seaweed, and even boiled cow bones and intestines are used to make soup.
Porridge (Jook)
Sometimes a delicacy, porridge has been served as a restorative food to recovering patients in Korea for hundreds of years. Pine nuts, red beans, pumpkin, abalone, ginseng, chicken, vegetables, mushrooms and bean sprouts are the most popular ingredients.
Stew and Casseroles (Tzigae and Jungol)
Less watery and containing more substances to chew than soup, these dishes are one of the main parts of a meal. Soybean paste stew is one of the popular stews. Jeongol is usually cooked in a casserole dish on a fire at the dining table. Beef, mushrooms, shrimp, octopus, tripe, noodles and vegetables are favored ingredients for jeongol.
Broiled and Barbecued dishes (Gui)
Various meat and Fishes, often vegetables are cooked directly on a grill. Bulgogi (thin-sliced marinated beef) and galbi (marinated beef ribs) are well-known examples of gui.
Smothered and Simmered dishes (Tzim and Jorim)
Tzim is a time-honored technique that preserves food for weeks. Meat and fish whit soy sauce and other seasonings are smothered in an earthenware pot over low heat until the ingredients become tender and tasty. Jorim is similar to Tzim. Meat, fishes or vegetables are glazed in soy sauce or red pepper paste and simmered at low heat.
Pan-fried and Pancakes (Jeon)
Mushrooms, zucchini, fish fillets, oysters, or green peppers with ground meat filling are thinly coated with flour, dipped in a beaten egg, and then pan-fried. There are also pancake-type jeon: mung bean powder, wheat flour or grated potato is used to make a batter, and green onion, kimchi, or chopped pork are stirred in, then pan-fried.
Vegitable dishes (Namul)
The Korean diet includes hundreds of vegetables and wild green dishes called namul, and Korean marketplaces show a huge variety of unusual greens. Namul is usually parboiled or stir-fried and seasoned with combinations of salt, soy sauce, sesame seeds, sesame oil, garlic and green onion.
For more info, go to www.koreanrestaurantguide.com
Hope I helped!
Korea is in culinary terms Asia's Germany. The food is blunt, it is inelegant, it is almost always an acquired taste. One either acquires the taste or simply does not like the food. I suggest trying various dishes as side dishes, even if they are main course items, to get used to them.
Korean Fried Rice !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!