Over 50 years ago, an old grandmother on a small street in Dongin-dong, Daegu, started serving galbijjim as anju for patrons drinking alcohol. The establishment was your average hole-in-the-wall, but there was something magical about the old woman’s recipe for the meaty stew. Word spread fast and people from all over the region began to make their way to her little place near Daegu’s city hall. An old rumor has it that the local butchers of that time used axes to cut up the galbi to be used for the stew and in one case, shards of the axe must have made it into someone’s meal, which led them to hastily scurry off to the hospital. Whether it’s true or not, the positive buzz certainly outweighed anything bad, as over time, other entrepreneurs decided to cash in on the craze and began opening up galbijjim restaurants on the same street. The food became less of an anju and started to become the feature entree.
It wasn’t until the early 70′s that the area started becoming renowned as 동인동 찜갈비골목 (Dongin-dong Galbijim Alley) and despite the grandmother’s original location eventually closing, the famous street has now grown to 14 restaurants serving the popular dish, which still regularly attracts young Koreans, chattering ajummas, and local government officials from nearby city hall. With so many establishments jockeying for position on the small stretch of road, you’d expect a heightened atmosphere of competitiveness, with the resident ajummas standing at the door, calling out to passerbys and ensuring everyone knows that their place is the most delicious/the original/the spiciest, etc…But in fact, the proprietors are anything but. In fact, they collectively support each other and their interest to promote their street, so much as they often swap recipe secrets and tips on which local butcher is currently offering the best deals, etc…
Best way to get here is to walk to the northeast corner of Gukchaebosang Park (the corner where the skateboarders tend to congregate) and cross north to the KT Building. Then once across, cross east to the other side of the street. Then go left and walk for a few minutes and look for the small sign on a pole (it’ll be written in English) pointing you the way to the alley.
A ‘must visit’ for any Daegu-ite. Just tell them to go easy with the axe.
Another vegetarian-friendly meal that is worth trying at least once is 버섯전골, which is various mushrooms and veggies boiled at your table in a soupy broth.
Back when I was doing the 7 am commute to privates around Seoul, I’ d always make time to stop at 김밥천국 in Gangnam Station. And my daily breakfast would almost always be the same. Chamchi-jjigae. Good, old, reliable kimchi stew mixed with onions and tuna. My personal Korean version of Mac and Cheese. Or wait, maybe that’s ramen. But ramen still leaves me hungry.
Eating 뿌셔뿌셔 dried ramen straight of the bag is enough for some to forget how hard it is for Western tongues to find a proper snack in Korea. But eating dry Shin Ramen with its spicy kick and being able to lick all the hot, sticky powder off of your fingers? Well, that’s almost enough to make me forget about real Doritos. At least for a moment. If there was ever such thing as low-cal Shin Ramen, it’d instantly become my 4th meal of my day.
Quick and Dirty Recipe
- Buy bag of Shin Ramen
- Without opening the bag, use your hands to squeeze, crush and break up the ramen inside.
- Once you can feel that the ramen has been broken into little bits, open the bag (be careful to open one side, while preserving the bag like a pocket) and take out the seasoning packs.
- Open and pour the contents into the bag with broken-up ramen still inside.
- Seal the bag opening with your fingers and shake vigorously for 1 minute.
- Open bag and enjoy!
- For best results, eat while sitting in patio furniture in front of Family Mart, with friends and beer.
Although Samgyetang first comes to mind when thinking of chicken soup in Korea, there is simply not enough said about Dakgaejang, which amounts to chunks (or flakes. It depends on the place) of chicken, mixed with sprouts and vegetables in a spicy broth. Even better once you’ve mixed in your rice. Not as easy to find as the other more popular chicken soup, but can often be found on the menus at places that have a featured chicken dish, such as dakgalbi.
It might not be the cheapest fried chicken around, but in the case of Kyochon Chicken, you pay for what you get. Kyochon is the best fried chicken delivery/takeout joint in Korea, bar none. The students in your class may often go on about BBQ, but that’s BS. They’re not young enough to know what it feels like to sit in patio chairs in front of Family Mart, drinking beer, and eating a box of Kyochon Red Original. Don’t forget how to order.
Budae-jjigae is something that every expat loves (or should love). Ham, spam, bacon, onions, and ramen, boiled in front of you, make an experience to remember. Budaejjigae spawned from the ashes of the Korean War, where Koreans used leftovers and GI rations to create meals. And this delicious concoction decided to stick around after the tough times had passed. If you haven’t tried it, run, don’t walk to a place like Nolbu, which is arguably the most popular chain of restaurants that specialize in the dish. Or if you are in the area, visit Budaejjigae Street in Uijeongbu, where it is said to have originated.
Bossam can bring to mind ‘cold cuts’, but its much more than that. It involves warm slices of pork, with heaping helpings of leafy greens for you to wrap the pork (with nice dollop of dwenjang), sliver of garlic and gochu), before exploding into your mouth and leaving you wondering if you’ve ever tried a more memorable combination of flavors before. Don’t leave Korea without having the Bossam experience, at least once.
Boribap is a popular twist on Bibimbap in that it uses barley rice and often tends to surround itself with a lot more banchan, making it a great alternative for vegetarian-leaning stomachs. Boribap restaurants can be found all over the place, but specifically, you can expect to see them near the base of mountains that are in urban areas (such as Namsan, Apsan, etc…) and can also be seen frequently on the menus of the small 식당 that sometimes reside at the top.
Jjimdak is the Marcia Brady to Dakdoritang‘s Jan. Much bigger, much more popular, and much more expensive. The differences are bigger portions of chicken, Chinese-style vermicelli noodles, and more mixed vegetables, making it a feast meant for 2 or more. Jjimdak almost always comes with a spicy kick, so consider yourself forewarned. A really great way to bring some western preference into the meal, is bringing along a loaf of bread for use as dipping, as the dish tends to accumulate a nice gravy.
