Korean Job Discussion Forums

Mitch Comestein · Joined: 13 Jun 2006 Location: South

I've been thinking about this for a while. Why does it seem that Koreans will eat anything that will not kill you? Why does it seem that the most vile, inedible stuff that we in the west would never touch is on most menus?

For example...

Why is chicken breast less expensive than chicken fat?

Why is the tenderloin the cheapest part of the pig?

Why don't Koreans ever filet their fish or shell their shrimp?

Why are side dishes things that should be allowed to grow into real food? Honestly, what is the deal with eating dried minnows or boiled baby crabs covered in red pepper paste?

Some of the fish that I see in tanks at the local seafood shops are clearly not meant for human consumtion, such as the "*beep* fish" (You know the ones that look like un-circumsized penises), the anemones that cling to the sides of the tank, the long flatfish that have more bones than meat, etc.

Granted, I know that this is Asia, and I know that Asian food is quite different than Western food. However, eating the neck or the foot of a chicken is what people do when they don't have anything else to eat.

So, my question is this:

Is there anything that won't kill you that Koreans won't eat and claim that they love becuase it is "Korea's food?"

Many of my students, in their diaries and essays, will admit that they don't like a lot of the food that they are supposed to like, but they are ashamed to admit it due to national pride.

Hyeon Een · Joined: 24 Jun 2005

A good chunk of Korean cuisine is "Starvation Cuisine" i.e. things they started eating because they were starving to death and didn't have tasty things to eat instead. Ajummas told their children "eat this or you'll die". Koreans respected their parents so they became proud of their mothers' advice . So now they eat stuff that they wouldn't otherwise have eaten if the country hadn't been poor for 4,975 years of their glorious 5,000 year history.

This also explains the reason why everything is good for you health. Back in Tangun's time it was good for you health, because if you didn't eat it you'd starve to death and die. That is why its almost impossible to find a Korean national dish which is acknowledged as being bad for your health.

This reasoning also explains a lot of Chinese and Japanese cuisine too. (However the Japanese went homo for a brief period back in the day which explains the reason they like to make their food look pretty. The Chinese and Koreans never went q*eer eye though)

Out of interest, could anyone tell me when Korean history is going to start again? I mean, when will we start to hear about Korea's glorious 5001 years of history, or 5010 years of history? Or will we still be hearing about 5,000 years of history in another 5,000 years time?

Juregen · Joined: 30 May 2006

thebum · Joined: 09 Jan 2005 Location: North Korea

Juregen · Joined: 30 May 2006

yesnoyesyesno · Joined: 28 Jan 2006

Qinella · Joined: 25 Feb 2005 Location: the crib

princess · Joined: 16 Jan 2003 Location: soul of Asia

Well, I HAVE seen some Koreans who actually like chicken breasts. I have seen some who don't like pponddaegi( silkworms). It's usually the younger generation though. I had an older ajumma standing behind me in line at Lotte Mart making rude remarks about my chicken breasts. I understood her Korean and popped a remark back to her. Very Happy

jaganath69 · Joined: 17 Jul 2003

mount real · Joined: 07 Apr 2005

poet13 · Posted: Tue Aug 08, 2006 5:59 pm Post subject:

Those little minnows are great when you're drinking cold beer. The chickens feet, when they are boned out, are good too. I dont much enjoy them with the bones in. Silk worm grub. Had them many times. Still dont like them, though the smell isnt as offensive to me as it is to many.
Scrapple. Wouldnt touch it with YOUR tongue. Live octopus? Seafood doesnt get any fresher.
and so it goes....

seoulkitchen · Joined: 28 Dec 2004 Location: Hub of Asia, my ass!

poet13 · Posted: Tue Aug 08, 2006 8:21 pm Post subject:

"There seems to be something sexual going on with Korean seafood I think...."

Coooooooooollll!

seoulkitchen · Joined: 28 Dec 2004 Location: Hub of Asia, my ass!

Oh yes, about that poverty thing. it is true.
One of my friends told me some stories about his childhood.
This was just a bit over thirty years ago or so, not that long ago.
When he was in preschool he was really looking forward to getting into elementary school. So much so that they let him in early.
The reason being that he would get to gnaw on a root for lunch! (not like a carrot, more like a small tree or bush)
Not kidding.
No lunch in preschool, but once he got into elementary school his mom promised him a big boiled root for lunch. Yay!

Another story, his dad was raising pigeons. One day his starving neighbor drank too much soju and had a pidgeon barbeque. Dad didn't get too angry because the neighbor saved him some.
They were all hungry and food was hard to come by. They were pretty glad to get anything at least semi-edible into their mouths.

Perhaps that's why the good ole red pepper paste is prevelant, it was used to make unseemly dishes more palatable.

BTW, I really wanna go to China and eat some of their weird stuff, especially a fried scorpion on a stick!

Oh, and have some fun with the food here, just drink a lot of soju and eat the weirdest things you can find. Some of it is pretty gnarly, but some is quite munchable.

Yesterday · Posted: Wed Aug 09, 2006 12:50 am Post subject:

When people are hungry they will eat anything.......

early 1900's - china - strips of meat from 3~14 year old boys were the in thing to purchase at the local butcher......

( http://www.crimelibrary.com/serial_killers/notorious/fish/9.html )

why?

cheap and lots of it........

old habits die hard........

early 1970's - Korea - anything that moved was consumed.........