Ya know, Korean food really doesn’t get much credit. A lot of people who come here turn up their nose at the majority of Korean culinary offerings. Still, generally foreigners here tend to like a lot of it, even if the consensus is that it doesn’t stack up to, say, Malaysian, Thai or Vietnamese food.

This is probably true. Korean food tends to be fairly plain in terms of spicing. But, let me take this moment to invite any naysayer of Korean food to dinner with me at a particular dwaeji galbi restaurant in my dong (local community). If you don’t like this stuff, then you don’t like eating and you can go back to your fruit loops.

Dwaeji galbi, step by step

First, let’s translate. Dwaeji (pronounced dweh-ji, if you weren’t sure) means pig. Galbi is the term used for barbecued meat. If I say that I’m going to eat galbi it means I’m going to eat beef. If I say I’m eating dwaeji galbi I’m talking about pork.

Most Korean restaurants tend to specialize in one or two things, and offer some smaller dishes to round out the menu. If you’re going out for dwaeji galbi make sure it’s a restaurant that advertises it. You’ll often see a little cartoon pig on the sign of the shop. Ironically, he may be giving his approval of the place with a thumbs up. While this doesn’t automatically mean it’s the best place around, it suggests dead pig is what they’re in the business for, so it’s probably safe to check out.

Now, most dwaeji galbi places will bring the meat out to you raw, with a grill already in place, or present a portable one too you. Usually you are to cook the meat yourself, turning it and cutting at the appropriate times, throwing some provided onions and garlic to cook with the meat when you see fit.

Cooking the meat while you chat away with your pals can be rather enjoyable. Not to worry though, if it’s your first time and you look lost the workers at the restaurant will likely come tend to the meat for you (sometimes they’ll do it even if you’ve been here for a year and a half because of your foreignness — these things you’ve gotta let slide).

There are some dwaeji galbi places that will cook the meat in what we would consider the traditional way (but not by their standards) — in the kitchen — and then bring it to you when it’s ready. My aforementioned restaurant of choice does this very thing. They also marinate it in such a delicious way that I can’t go back to regular dwaeji. But if you can’t make it down to Gwangju to eat here, you’ll have to find your own favorite.

After it’s cooked

Like most Korean meals, there will be a plethora of side dishes available to you while you wait for the meat to be ready. Most of them I would consider inedible. Actually every Korean has their favorite, but usually the majority will go untouched the whole meal. Anyway, the most important thing is the different kinds of lettuce (or leaves of some kind or another) you get with the meal. There will usually be two or three kinds. But one is especially enjoyable because it doesn’t take away from the flavour of the meat.

To eat the dwaeji galbi Koreans will take a leaf of lettuce in the palm of their hand, put on some meat, onion, garlic and rice, add an excellent sauce called sam jung (a combination of hot pepper sauce and…two others I don’t know of), wrap the leaf around it all to make a little bundle (or leaf sandwich, if you will).

Koreans will say you must eat it this way, and when you do, to put it all in your mouth at once. Of course any way is fair. But truly, this is the most enjoyable method. Don’t nibble away at the leaf sandwich, lest it fall to pieces in your hand. How uncultured of you!

Dwaeji galbi will usually be served with a complimentary kimchi soup called kimchi jigae. It can be a little spicy, but usually people who don’t like kimchi itself tend to enjoy it. Dip a spoonful of rice in the broth and enjoy with your galbi.

If you’re new to Korea, this could very well be your first food. It was for me. We even went to what would soon be my favorite restaurant. Looking back though, I was so overwhelmed with jet-lag, teaching, and just being here that I didn’t enjoy it. I didn’t know how to use chop sticks, and I generally had no clue what the hell all the side dishes were about. Hopefully you’ll get on better. Regardless, don’t worry — you’ll eating like a pro shortly enough.