Korean for Dummies (19 page)

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Popular dishes

One cannot discuss Korean cuisine without mentioning
gimchi
and here’s why: while the term
gimchi
is generally used to describe
tongbaechu gimchi
(
tongbae-choo gim-chi;
whole Chinese cabbage gimchi),
gimchi
is made with many different vegetables and varies from region to region. For example,
chonggak gimchi
(
chonggak gim-chi
) uses a similar fermentation technique on small turnips instead of cabbage. Other types of
gimchi
include
oi sobaegi
(
o-ee so-bae-gi;
gimchi
made withcucumbers,
baek gimchi
(
baek-gim-chi;
white
gimchi
where no red pepper flakes are added),
mul gimchi
(
mool gimchi;
water
gimchi
which has a refreshing broth),
dongchimi
(
dongchi-mi;
watery radish
gimchi
),
bossam gimchi
(
bo-ssam gim-chi;
wrapped
gimchi
), and
kkakdugi
(
kkak-doo-gi;
diced radish
gimchi
) just to name a few.
gimchi
is now worldly known to have curative properties, aids in proper digestion, and even prevents various types of cancers.
gimchi
, as well as
doenjang
(
dwen-jang;
soy bean paste),
ganjang
(
ganjang;
soy source), and
gochujang
(
go-choo-jang;
red pepper paste) are kept in earthenware jars so that the cabbage can ferment and breathe through the jars. Plus, these hardy jars also kept out pests, vermin, and insects.

These earthenware, crock jars that
gimchi
and other foods and sauces are kept in aid in the natural fermentation process of foods by keeping the temperature consistent and absorbing toxins that are innocuous to humans. In order to keep these jars at a consistent temperature, some of the jars are kept in caves or brooks during the summer time, and during the winter time, some of these jars are buried in the ground to prevent the contents from freezing. The items stored in these jars sometimes takes months, or years to cure properly, and many hours of care and dedication go into taking care of these jars. Indeed, the secret to great cooking is passed down through gener-ations, with one generation teaching the other this very method of keeping food. The spirit of Korean culture is embedded in
gimchi
and the care and devotion it takes to make this tasty dish is an embodiment of the soul of Korea. Even in the city, many families have a
gimchi naengjanggo
(
gim-chi
naengjang-go
), a special refrigerator dedicated to keeping home-made
gimchi
in their apartments and high-rises.

Enough about
gimchi
, as there are plenty of other things to try in Korean cooking than just pickled vegetables. A very popular dish in Korea is
bulgogi
(
bool-go-gi;
marinated beef), when translated literally means, “fire meat.” This generally refers to strips of beef, marinated in various sauces and grilled over an open flame. There’s also
dwaeji bulgogi
(
dwae-ji bool-go-gi;
marinated pork), and
dak bugogi
(
dak bool-go-gi;
marinated chicken), which are marinated pork and chicken, respectively. The marinades for the different kinds of meat are different, and the pork and chicken variation of
bulgogi
tend to be a bit more spicy, whereas the traditional beef
bulgogi
is sweet and savory.

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Koreans are big on soup, too. Soup usually falls under one of these two categories:

guk
(
gook;
soup): Tends to be lighter and has almost a clear broth.

jjigye
(
jji-gae;
stew): A soup rich and strong in flavor, and much thicker in consistency.

guk
and
jjigye
rarely share a table, but an important distinction is still made between the two. Usually,
guk
is served in a small bowl next to your bowl of rice, whereas a big bowl of
jjigye
sits in the middle of the table and is shared by all. Here’s a little trick to know what’s
jjigye
and what’s
guk
. If you see people spooning the soup into their bowl of rice, chances are, they’re eating
jjigye
. If you see the person dump their bowl of rice into the soup, chances are they’re eating
guk
.

Setting time for a meal

Once you agree to a set time for a meal, it is considered rude to be late.

Especially if the person you are meeting is someone older than you, you are expected there beforehand to greet the elder when they arrive. As a matter of fact, it’s considered good manners to arrive early regardless of your age, but it is considered incredibly rude to keep an elder waiting. If you do see the person you are to meet already at the location, you can say, “
oraetdongan
gidarisyeosseoyo?
(
o-raet-dong-an gi-da-ri-syuh-ssuh-yo
),” which means, “Did you wait long?” They will usually say, “
aniyo, onji eolma andoeyo
” (
a-ni-yo,
on-ji ul-ma an-dae-yo;
No, I’ve just arrived), even if they had been there a while. You can also say, “
neujeoseo joesonghaeyo
” (
neu-juh-suh jwae-songhae-yo;
I’m sorry I’m late), then bow, if you were late. Not to say that you should be early to every meeting, but punctuality is a sign of your consideration of others, and therefore a value highly regarded among Koreans.

Liking and disliking with adjectives

Do you like what you’re eating? Perhaps you don’t care much for it. Well, if you want to communicate that, check out Table 5-2 for some examples.

Table 5-2 Words and Phrases to Describe Liking Food . . . Or Not!

Korean Word/Phrase

Pronunciation

Translation

mat

mat

Flavor

aju

a-joo

Very

neomoo

nuh-moo

Really

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Korean Word/Phrase

Pronunciation

Translation

eopseoyo

uhp-ssuh-yo

It’s not there or not exist

iseoyo

ee-ssuh-yo

Is there or does exist

mat eopseoyo

mat uhp-ssuh-yo

Flavor is not there, it is not tasty

aju mat iseoyo

a-joo ma shi-ssuh-yo

Flavor is there very much, it is

very delicious

darayo

da-ra-yo

It’s sweet

aju darayo

a-joo da-ra-yo

It’s very sweet

jjayo

jja-yo

It’s salty

neomoo jjayo

nuh-moo jja-yo

It’s really salty

syeoyo

syuh-yo

It’s sour

Dining Out

The service mentality in the Korean food and service industry is second to none. You can easily get the attention of the waitstaff by making eye contact with them, but you can simply call them over to your table as well, by saying,
yeogiyo
(
yuh-gi-yo;
here), or
sillye hamnida
(
shil-lae-ham-ni-da;
excuse me).

jumoon badajuseyo
(
joo-moon ba-da-joo-sae-yo
) means, “please take our order,” or “we’re ready to order,” and
gyesan haejuseyo
(
gae-san hae-joo-saeyo
) means, “can I have the check, please.”

The sections that follow give you the info you need to successfully and confidently navigate public eateries in Korea.

Understanding what’s on the menu

At most restaurants, the menu explains in English what the dishes are all about. If the menu contains only Korean words, feel free to ask the person you’re with, or the waitstaff and they will be more than happy to help you.

A thing to remember about Korean cooking is that there are no set courses.

A meal is a continuous process that begins with the main course and ends with fruit, or a sweet drink. It is considered bad manners to leave rice in the bowl, so do try to finish. It is generally a good idea to take a look around the restaurant to see what other people are eating. If you feel a little daring, you can always point at another table and say,
jeogeo juseyo
(
juh-guh joo-sae-yo;
give me that one), or
jeobuni deusineungeo juseyo
(
juh-boon-ee deu-shi-neun-guh joo-sae-yo;
I’ll have what that person’s having).

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Looking at a menu at a Korean restaurant, you may feel a little lost, because the words seem so foreign. Don’t be afraid to ask questions, as Koreans are most proud of their foods and recipes and will go great lengths in describing what it is that you’re about to order. You will find that they will be quick to accommodate you if you show a little daring and inquisitiveness. You can ask your waiter the following phrases. Point to an item on the menu and say
igeoneun eottaeyo
(
ee-guh-neun uh-ttae-yo
) which means “how about this?” or
eotteon eumsigi masiseoyo
(
uh-tteon eum-shi-gi ma-shi-ssuh-yo
) which means “what food is good here?”

Ordering at a restaurant

Because the word
juseyo
(
joo-sae-yo
) means, “please give to me,” you can use this phrase to ask for many things, not just at a restaurant, but around town.

To start with a couple of simple ones, you can say,
mul hanjanman juseyo
(
mool han-jan-man joo-sae-yo
), which means, “please give me one glass of water.” If you want another bowl of rice at the restaurant, say
bap hangongi
deo juseyo
(
bab hangongi duh jou-sae-yo;
please give me one more bowl of rice)? Table 5-3 gives you some more words you may want to use at a restaurant.

Table 5-3

Words to Use at a Restaurant

Korean Word

Pronunciation

Translation

bap

bab

Rice

han
(in both
hangongi
and

han

One

han-geureut
)

gongi
and
geureut

gong-gi, geureut

Bowl or container

deo

duh

More

juseyo

joo-sae-yo

Please give to me

jusillaeyo?

joo-shil-lae-yo

Will you give it to me?

You can ask for many other items that you may want when you’re dining at a Korean restaurant.
keopi hanjanman jusillaeyo
(
kuh-pee han-jan-man joo-shil-lae-yo
)? Translates into, “May I have a cup of coffee?” You can also say,
yeogi
banchan jom deo juseyo
(
yuh-gi banchan jom duh joo-sae-yo
), which translates into, “please give us some more side dishes here.” A simple way to ask for things is to say,
igeo jusillaeyo
(
ee-guh joo-shil-lae-yo
)? (Will you please give me this one?), or
jeogeot jom deo jusillaeyo
(
juh-guh jom duh joo-shil-laeyo
)? (can I please have some more of that?) 10_037188-ch05.qxp 6/24/08 11:08 PM Page 103

When the person brings you whatever that you’re looking for, you should always say,
gamsahamnida
(
gam-sa-ham-ni-da
), which simply means, “thank you.” Another way of saying thanks is to say,
gomapseumnida
(
go-map-sseumnida
). They’re both acceptable ways of saying thanks and be polite at the same time, but
gamsahamnida
is the more formal of the two.

Smoking in front of an elder before he has lit up himself is considered a great faux pas in Korean culture. If the elder does not smoke, you shouldn’t smoke in front of him, either. If the elder does smoke, you should wait until he lights the first cigarette and have it not facing the elder, preferably down wind. And of course, blowing smoke in someone’s face is considered rude in any given culture, but much more so and disrespectful if you do it to an elder in Korea.

Ordering at a roadside shop

The streets of Korea are filled with these little roadside shops that sell everything from puffed rice snacks, to ramen, to sweet cakes, to rice cakes and all other kinds of food you can think of. Sometimes they’re called,
pojang macha
(
po-jang ma-cha
), which means, “a covered wagon.” Many of these roadside shops are open well into the night and you can see a myriad of people frequent these places, oftentimes leaving a bar or a club late at night. These “covered wagons” usually are quite specific in what they offer, and their choices are rather slim. A
pojang macha
could specialize in ramen noodles only, or rice cakes only. You rarely see a variety of menu items because of its smaller size, but each wagon will at least offer you one or two similar types of items. Depending on what you feel like, you can go and hunt out the right
pojang macha
to fit your taste. They’re usually parked close together, so you wouldn’t have to walk far to find what you’re looking for.

Simply go into the one that you desire, and most of the time, you will find a long bench and a table across from the owner. Whatever it is that you’re looking for, just add
“juseyo”
to it and they’ll be happy to give it to you. For example,
tteokbokgi juseyo
(
dduk-bok-gi joo-sae-yo;
please give me rice cakes in red pepper sauce) and
odeng juseyo
(
o-daeng joo-sae-yo;
please give me fish cakes). Remember to thank the owner when your food arrives, and also remember to say,
jal meogeotseumnida
(
jal muh-guh-sseumni-da;
I’ve eaten well) when you’re done. After a satisfying late night snack, you can say,
gyesan haejuseyo
(
gae-san hae-joo-sae-yo;
I would like to pay now). And the owner will tell you how much you owe for the food you’ve eaten.