Kyle's Kitchen

The streets of Seoul, South Korea, are constantly full of interesting smells. The smeel of dead fish and fermenting cabbage fill the restaurants and alleys as people navigate through the urban maze that is Seoul. One of the most distinct smells comes from the street vendors that sell beondegi: silk worm larvae. If you are wondering what this smell smells like, stop it. This is not a smell that needs to be smelled. It is one of the most horrid and nose-polluting foods I have ever encountered. Virtually every subway stop has a man standing at the top of the stairs, stirring a big pot of steaming silk worm larvae. The smell carries down the stairs and permeates the whole station.

I was talked into finally trying the insectual treat when a friend came to visit. He demanded to know what the foul smell was that was filling the streets, and when he was told it was edible, he demanded to try it (8 hours later, after we’d been out drinking for a while to get our courage up.) The smell is so overpowering, I actually had trouble putting the little guys in my mouth. I got a few down and then had to call it quits. My friend ate about the same amount, and then proceeded to throw them up almost instantly. We were both plagued with terrible tastes in our mouths the next morning we could do nothing to get rid of.

On the octopus page, I advised readers of this site to try octopus at all costs if they ever find themselves in Korea. I am afraid to say the opposite is true of silk worm larvae. Do anything and everything you can to stay away from these guys. Trust me, it is not a mandatory part of the Korean experience. Just visit the DMZ, try some kimchi and be on your way. 

In the fall of 2009, the west bottoms in Kansas City blocked off the streets and hosted something for lovers of all things pig: Baconfest. For a $20 entry, I got a free Baconfest t-shirt, as much beer as I could drink (although it may be worth noting that the ‘fest was at 11am) and lots of unique bacon dishes. From bacon ice cream to bacon vodka shots, the west bottoms was a pork-lovers paradise.

Above is a picture of the dish I considered to be the most exquisite use of bacon in a dish I have ever experienced. It is a chocolate cake, filled with a chocolate-bacon ganache, covered in a vanilla creme sauce, fresh raspberries, fresh cherries, and of course, a slice of bacon. The bacon had been coated in brown sugar with a hint of cayenne pepper and then oven-cooked. The mixture of salty, meaty and sweet was intensely enjoyable. The chocolate-bacon ganache on the middle was much more chocolate-y than bacon-y, but the bacon flavor was present. It was a perfect flavor combination that I had never experienced before.

A friendly passerby saw me pick up a plate of the cake off the table and stopped to give some advice. She directed me to take a small bite of the bacon before each bite of cake. I have to say that her suggestion really brought the combo of flavors to the forefront of the dish. These flavor profiles may sound crazy, but a walk around the festival found some even zanier mixtures.

I was potentially most excited to try the bacon-vodka and the bloody mary’s they would be making with it. Unfortunately, they ran out of bloody mary fixin’s before we got there (and we got there early!) and the vodka was repulsive. We took a shot of the vodka and it tasted like a mixture of the juice in the bottom of a box of Oxypads and the congealed fat of a pig. My body instantly shuddered when the liquor touched my lips. After being totally grossed out, I was a little intrigued as to how and why this vodka was made. The bartender pulled a large vat from below the table and showed us something that looked like it belonged in a science lab. Slices of bacon had been steeped in the vodka for over two weeks, making the meat bloated and stringy. The mere sight of the bacon in the vodka made my stomach ill. Although we were disappointed with the vodka, it was truly the only item below par we encountered.

The organizers called this event the “first annual” Baconfest, so hopefully the festival will become even bigger by next fall. My mouth is already watering…

Mark my words, Korean barbecue will make it big in the United States in the next few years. It is one of the most recognizable genres of food in Korea and one of the most easily-accessible foods for Westerners to enjoy. The whole experience is a shared one, as you and your group sit around a table with an inlaid grill cooking raw meat and wrapping the finished product in lettuce leaves with a spicy red pepper paste.

Lots of different cuts of pork, beef and chicken are offered at these restaurants, but we almost always ordered pork ribs when I lived in Korea. The meat arrives at the table totally raw, ready for you to cook it. On the side you find garlic, onion, mushrooms and other delicious veggies to put in a lettuce wrap with your meat once it is cooked. Once the meat and veggies are stuffed into the lettuce, you cover it with spicy red pepper paste and then stuff it in your mouth. It is an explosion of Korean flavors that you will not forget.

I feel it is necessary to mention how important kimchi is to Korean cuisine as well. Kimchi is a staple of Korean cuisine. It is chinese cabbage that becomes pickled, allowed to ferment in the kimchi pots that fill the back alleys behind the barbecue restaurants. The spicy, pickled flavor goes great with the flavors of barbecue. Many Korean BBQ restaurants are similar, so the locals choose a restaurant based on their kimchi. If you see lots of people packed into a restaurant, you can be sure they have the best kimchi in the neighborhood.

If you want to try Korean BBQ and you live in the Kansas City area, I suggest you check out Cho Sun, an incredibly authentic Korean BBQ spot right in the middle of the Heartland.