The Korean wave has swept the whole planet off its feet. From K-pop to K-food, its all Korean now. Korean food as we know it from Dakgalbi and DubuYo is good soul food. When it comes to the stand-alone Korean restaurants run by Koreans themselves, the food is inexplicably delicious that it's indescribable. But how far is Korean food holding on to its authenticity in its country of origin and what are the true flavours to look out for?
The author is a journalist, world traveler and avid eater who has sampled some of the most intriguing cuisines around the globe. On a pilgrimage throughout the whole of South Korea to unearth the real food eaten by locals, the author discovers a country of contradictions, a quickly developing society that hasn't decided whether to shed or embrace its culinary roots.
Devotees still make and consume classic Korean dishes in traditional settings even as the cuisine modernizes in unexpected ways and the phenomenon of Korean people televising themselves eating (mok-bang) spreads ever more widely.
Amid a changing culture that's simultaneously trying to preserve what's best about traditional Korean food while opening itself to a panoply of global influences and balancing new and old, tradition and reinvention, the real and the artificial, the author seeks out the most delicious dishes in the most authentic settings - even if he has to prowl in back alleys to find them and convince reluctant restaurant owners that he can handle their unusual flavours.
The author samples sundae (blood sausage); beef barbecue; bibimbap; Korean black goat; wheat noodles in bottomless, steaming bowls; and the ubiquitous kimchi, discovering the exquisite, the inventive, and, sometimes, the downright strange. Animated by the author's warm, engaging voice, this book is a vibrant tour through one of the world's most fascinating cultures and cuisines.
As I read this book, I recollected my travel to Busan and my visit to Jagalchi Fish Market, the smells and tastes of the food. It brought back wonderful memories and a deep-rooted hankering for good Korean food. Truly a wonderful read for all foodies with a vivid sense of imagination to replay the atmosphere in this book.
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