So, you’re probably wondering what exactly kimbap is.  Or at least, you should be if you don’t already know.  It is, after all, our blog’s name sake.  

 

The easy way to describe kimbap is to call it Korean sushi.  However, as one of our favorite blogs, Mary Eats, says, kimbap is “more proletarian than sushi”.   Kimbap is a combination of dried seaweed (called kim or gim) and rice (bap).  It can be filled with a variety of different foods; ham, carrot, egg, bitter melon, and something that tastes vaguely of sweet pickle are the most common, but there is also bulgogi (beef), tuna, and a whole variety of other kimbaps.  

From what we can tell, unlike all sushi, kimbap is comprised of cooked meats and fish.  It’s not as delicate-tasting as sushi, but it’s more filling and super cheap. (The two rolls of bulgogi kimbap we ordered cost us 5,000 won–about $4.50).   The photos in this post are from last week’s lunch–takeout kimbap from a spot about a block from our house.  

Like sushi, kimbap is eaten with soy sauce.  Hot sauce is also common, but no wasabi here, folks.  The taste is less refined, but really yummy, and kimbap, like almost everything else here, is eaten with chopsticks.

The kimbap joint itself is a paragon of the Mom and Pop business model. They are always small, tucked into bottom floors of large buildings or little nooks and crannies in alleys all over town.  You go in, communicate your order as best you can (in our case, this usually involves gestures, pointing, and copious use of the word OK), and your food is made while you wait. Kimbap menus are usually pretty varied, and we are looking forward to sampling all the awesome that our little kimbap joint has to offer.  

Kimbap restaurants, actually restaurants in general, are all over Korea.  In the block and a half between our home and the school, there are at least six places to eat that we can positively identify.  (There may be more restaurants on the second floors of buildings–it’s tough to tell what things are when the signs are all in Hangul.)  Good, cheap food is everywhere here.  

In fact, Korea may be the eating-est place we have ever lived, which is saying A LOT for two people who hail from the by-God American South, where eating is required for socialization.    The Korean teachers we work with eat all day long.  Really.  No lie.  If you walk into our communal office at any given time during our eight hour workday, someone is eating something that either smells heavenly or repulsive–very little in between.   

So, there it is–the first installment of your Korean culinary education.  There is more to follow, we promise, including our upcoming first trip to a Korean McDonalds (a new one opened up just by our house).  All this culinary excellence is a tough cross to bear, dear readers, but someone has to keep you informed.  Luckily, we’re up for the job.  

Filed under: Uncategorized Tagged: Busan, Korea