The first time I tried Korean food was about 7 years ago. I used to work for a catering company and my employers took me to a hole in the wall Korean restaurant. I was blown away by all the amazing flavours my tastebuds were just experiencing for the first time. Dishes like tteokbokki and kimchi pancakes were completely new and exciting for me. I dont think I had even tried kimchi before this point. But one dish completely grabbed hold of me and wouldn’t let go. Gamjatang; the spicy, rich pork bone soup. I spent rest of the meal sipping the spicy deep red broth and eating every piece of meat i could manage to pick off the pork bones, only stopping momentarily for a sip of cold beer to cool my mouth from the building heat of the broth.
Thinking back, this was a pivotal moment in my life for the way i think about food.
I ended up trying to re-create the dish at home, even driving an hour away to shop at an Asian grocery store for ingredients like pork neck bones and gochujang which I couldn’t get at any stores in my area. And the soup turned out pretty good for a first attempt. I made it a couple more times over the following year or two, each time doing things a little differently, but always having a tasty pot of gamjatang to eat by the end of it.
Over the years my love for Korean food continued to grow. I made many different dishes and always found new ways to experiment with incorporating Korean ingredients into my cooking. I also ate at more Korean restaurants, often ordering a bowl of gamjatang to see how their recipe measured up to others i had tried.
Fast forward to 2022, my best friend had started dating a Korean girl. The few times i met her (they live 3 hours away) we always ended up talking about Korean food. What our favourite dishes were, the ones she missed most from Korea, and the ones that i had made at home. She and my friend and had been planning on taking a trip to Korea and they invited me and another friend to come with them. After thinking about whether or not i could afford a two week trip to the other side of the world, i decided that this was an opportunity i couldn’t pass up, and i would find a way to make it work financially.
The trip was amazing. Myself and the other friend did our own thing for the first week while my friend and his girlfriend spent most of their time visiting her family. Then we all met up and spend the second week of the trip together, exploring different parts of Seoul and Jeju Island. But one of my favourite parts of the trip was on the last couple days. My friend’s girlfriend’s Umma(Mom) invited us all to stay with her. She was the sweetest woman and she was so excited to have us stay in her home. She made us multiple amazing meals with the table completely covered with different dishes. She actually used to run a Korean restaurant in Vietnam but thats a whole other story. She was so full of energy and was always chatting with us despite the language barrier. I could tell my friend’s girlfriend was exhausted from all the translating by the end of the trip. She had told her Umma how i like to cook Korean food and how i had made gamjatang a few times. Umma was particularly intrigued by this, saying that most Koreans dont make gamjatang at home, its usually something you go out to eat. And on our last night in Korea we took her out for gamjatang to give her a break from cooking dinner. Before we said our goodbyes at the airport i told her that if she ever comes to Canada i want to have her over to my house to cook for her as a thank you for all her cooking and the amazing hospitality she showed us.
A couple days ago i got the opportunity to follow through with my promise.
Just shy of a year after our visit to Korea, Umma made her trip to Canada. She came through my door as a ball of excitement and energy, just as i expected. After exchanging lots of hugs and greetings and getting everyone started off with some drinks, i had everyone sit at the table. Of course Umma asked if i needed any help but i respectfully declined and told her it was her turn to sit and relax. I put out a few banchan (cold side dishes) and then served a few starter dishes. Steamed egg, kimchi jeon(pancake), and sweet crispy mushrooms. With every dish Umma continued to show how much she enjoyed the food. This whole experience was almost overwhelming. Having the opportunity to show my appreciation to this woman who invited me as a stranger into her home and cooked for all of us was truly humbling. Finally i served the main dish; a hot steaming pot of gamjatang. It wasnt perfect. It had overcooked a little from keeping it hot while i served the previous dishes. The potatoes were a bit too soft and the meat was falling off the bones easier than it should have. But it tasted delicious. The broth was more flavourful than any other batch i had made before. And everyone, especially Umma, loved it.
I love cooking for many reasons, but one of the main ones is showing my love to people through my food. I have cooked for a lot of people over the years from customers, to family, to friends, but i dont think i have ever had a cooking experience that felt as special as this one.
by Professional_Home658
2 Comments
So warmed by your experience with Korean food. It is a gateway to the heart.
I grew up ethnically South Korean, but with almost no culture due to being later generation American. In the early-10’s I decided to take things upon myself and dove headfirst into being South Korean. I moved there for several years in both the rural countryside of Gangwondo and Seoul. Throughout my experience it was Korean food that endeared me to the people. Trying to learn how to cook with limited language was the best experience I have ever had with other people.
For so long Korean cookery was relegated to being labeled as smelly or ugly, but now it is finally getting its due. I sometimes think other Asian cuisines hit it off bigger in the States due to the food getting adapted and warped to fit American palates, like chow mein or CA rolls. Koreans never really adapted any of their dishes. They just kind of waited until it was their time in the sun.
Thank you for sharing your experience.
I’m a korean and I absolutely LOVE gamjatang.