Behind the Ivy - Spring 2018

LIFE

잘 먹겠습니다 (jal meokgesseumnida)! This is a Korean saying that is a combination between, “I will eat well because of your effort,” and, “Thank you for this meal.” In my culture, we say this before eating to show appreciation to the person who prepared the food. When I go back to my hometown, Seoul, one thing I always look forward to is the food. If there is a new food trend, you will most definitely find it in Seoul. Koreans love to try new foods from different cultures. However, nothing can break the strong connection we Koreans have to our traditional dishes. The one dish that stands out, in my opinion, is Dolsot Bibimbap. Bibimbap is Korean mixed rice which includes rice, your choice of vegetables, meat (although not necessarily), and hot sauce (but not always!). You serve it in a bowl, or in a “dolsot,” which is the kind of bowl that it is traditionally served in. I prefer eating it in the “dolsot” because the hot stone bowl keeps the rice warm throughout the meal. Out of the countless Korean dishes out there, I have chosen to introduce Bibimbap to you because it is my favorite Korean dish. I also have an appreciation for Bibimbap because of its history. Bibimbap

is now one of the most popular, if not the representative dish of Korea, and a dish many Koreans love for its tastiness and health benefits. The origin of Bibimbap, however, is very humble. Korea is now one of the wealthiest nations in the world, but Korea used to be an extremely poor country after the Korean War. There was only a very small group of people who lived in comfort, while most of the country struggled to survive. To feed themselves, families would make rice (which was always affordable and available), add any vegetables they could find, stir-fry the veggies, and mix the veggies and rice together, thus creating Bibimbap. Bibimbap is now part of Korea’s culture but, in the beginning, it was a food eaten by poor families who didn’t have access to more extravagant dishes. As Korea has grown, Bibimbap has evolved to include beef as well as vegetables. Among the different recipes I have tried, the best homemade Bibimbap recipe is the one by Sue from the website, My Korean Kitchen. She gives a detailed yet easy-to- follow description of all the ingredients and instructions, in addition to the mouth- watering photos on her website. So if you need to empty your pantry, this dish will allow you

to clear out whatever’s left into the rice bowl. Making the dish from scratch may looking daunting, but with these simple instructions, you will be well prepared for the task ahead. From the moment the hot pot is put in front of you, there is an array of colours flashing at you— paper-thin slices of seasoned carrots, zucchini, daikon, spinach, shiitake mushrooms, cucumbers, soybean sprouts, and beef bulging on a bed of white rice served in a hot stone bowl— while the steam mixed with the aroma floats its way up into your nose. As you stick your fork into the rice, you hear a sizzling crackle and the smell bursts upon you again. You carefully split the egg yolk (a common addition) and watch it spread over the vegetables like a small cocoon covering the surprise that waits inside. You can’t forget to drizzle a bit–or okay, maybe too much– gochujang to give the dish that spicy kick. Now, it’s finally time to eat, and you know what to say... 잘 먹겠습니다 !

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Click here for Sue’s delicious Bibimbap recipe!

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