The Korean Restaurant Experience

Yesterday after the students finished their mid-term exams for the day, several teachers (myself included) went out for lunch to a restaurant here in Juksan. I was unaware of this.

The restaurant was very nice, and much more intimate than American restaurants. With that said, here is the deal. There are no chairs, of course. You must sit on the floor, on very thin pillows. Now, for those of you who do not know, last winter I fell on the ice and injured my knee severely. Over the summer I injured my back while moving and have been seeing the chiropractor since then. Also, in Korea I sleep on a slab of concrete which causes constant back pain. So... sitting on the floor did not agree with me at all. It was very painful for me and not that enjoyable. Also, my leg fell asleep immediately. I endured and carried on. I'm such a brave little toaster.

The food at the restaurant was quite good. It was not rediculously spicy like the rest of the food I have had here. Each person had their own bowl of rice, and then the table was covered with small bowls of side dishes. You use your chopsticks and eat what you like from the table. This included bowls of soup that you used your long spoon, took a bite, and that was it. Kind of strange but I can adapt.

Now, the food that was offered in addition to the rice. Cabbage with apples and mayonnaise. Seaweed. Whole fish. Raw fish. Squid. Bean Sprouts. Meat? Crab. Mushrooms. Soup. Steamed scrambled egg. Fried rice pancake thing.

I am fairly certain that while at the restaurant and sampling the food, that I ate nothing but carteledge. It looked like little bits of meat, but the crunch told me otherwise. The crab that was served was eaten whole. Shell and all. Crunch. Crunch. Crunch. I did not partake in that, plus it was covered with what looked like a very spicy sauce.

At the end of the meal I had not eaten enough to please the people. These are the same people that obsess about me losing weight. I guess it's true, you're damned if you do and damned if you don't.