Korean Food / Discovering the World Through Food
The other day, I went to Shin-Okubo in Tokyo with my two older sisters to enjoy some Korean food.
Shin-Okubo is known as Tokyo’s Koreatown. Many Korean people live there, and the streets are lined with all kinds of shops, from restaurants, supermarkets, and cafés to general stores and beauty shops.
I don’t know much about Korean dramas or idols myself.
But I absolutely love Korean food.
Kimchi, jjigae, sundubu, bossam…
I always end up eating more than I planned!
I also love Korean TV shows where there’s always so much food on the table. They make me so hungry just watching them.
This time, we went to one of the popular restaurants in Shin-Okubo.
We ordered a set that included samgyeopsal (Korean grilled pork belly), samgyetang (ginseng chicken soup), and naengmyeon (cold noodles).
The staff quickly grilled the pork, cut it into pieces, and arranged it beautifully on the plate.
It looked wonderful and tasted delicious!
One of the things I love about Korean meals is all the little side dishes that come with them.
And you get to eat plenty of vegetables, too.
Even when you’re eating rich, fatty meat, having it together with lots of vegetables makes the meal feel lighter.
Using metal chopsticks is another fun part of eating Korean food. They’re something I don’t often see in Japan.
As I enjoyed the delicious food, a memory came back to me.
On a previous trip to Korea, I was invited to a friend’s home.
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My friend’s mother prepared an incredible amount of food for dinner. I was so surprised!
Everything was absolutely delicious, and I could really feel the warmth of home-cooked Korean food.
But there was so much of it that I simply couldn’t finish everything.
In Japan, I think we’re generally used to the idea that it’s polite to finish whatever food someone serves us.
So I started worrying that I might be offending my friend’s mother by leaving food on my plate.
But she told me that if I finished everything, she might think she hadn’t prepared enough to satisfy me.
Preparing more food than someone could possibly eat was her way of showing hospitality, and it was perfectly fine to leave some behind.
I don’t know whether this is a part of Korean culture or simply her own way of thinking.
But it was the first time I had experienced that kind of hospitality, and I remember feeling so grateful, with my stomach completely full!
Ever since then, whenever I eat Korean food in Japan and see all the little side dishes served alongside the main meal, I think of what she told me.
I’m always grateful for all that hospitality. Of course, I make sure to finish everything I’ve ordered! 😆
With that lovely memory in mind, I enjoyed a wonderful Korean meal with my sisters.
I love food from all over the world, not just Korean food.
Some of the cuisines I’ve tried recently are Sri Lankan, Thai, Mexican, and Italian.
I loved every one of them. They’re all so delicious!
I feel lucky to live in a time when we can enjoy food from so many different countries right here in Japan.
I’ve also heard that Japanese food and sushi are very popular in other countries.
Sushi is delicious, isn’t it?
Even though our cultures, upbringings, and eating habits may be different, I was happy to discover that the feeling of enjoying something delicious is something we all share.
I’d love to try food from even more countries that I haven’t experienced yet.
There is still so much I don’t know about the world.
And that means there are so many wonderful things waiting for me to discover.
