I just read an article titled "7 disgusting looking Korean foods that you should probably never try" and was inspired to write my own response to it, just in case you're interested in the new and exciting foods I have encountered in my past 5-ish years in Korea.
One (slightly long) note, before I begin: I am disappointed with the title of the above article.*
I believe that the "deliciousness" of food, like many other cultural things, is subjective, and it was a bit insensitive of the author to label the dishes as "disgusting," even if s/he was referring to how they looked. If s/he were to say, "7 Korean foods that I think look disgusting," that would be one thing, or perhaps just using a word with a less negative connotation (say, "fascinating," or even "unusual") would have been better.
I believe that the "deliciousness" of food, like many other cultural things, is subjective, and it was a bit insensitive of the author to label the dishes as "disgusting," even if s/he was referring to how they looked. If s/he were to say, "7 Korean foods that I think look disgusting," that would be one thing, or perhaps just using a word with a less negative connotation (say, "fascinating," or even "unusual") would have been better.
I also have an issue with the second part of the title- "that you should probably never try." I am a strong believer in trying new things, especially if it will help you better understand another culture. I think the only circumstances in which "you should probably never try" a food is if:
A. It looks like you might be allergic to it or it could do you some physical harm (see poisonous puffer-fish mentioned below), or
B. You are in a situation where you are quite sure the food won't stay down for long, causing distress to you, your outfit, and the physical and mental health of those around you.
That said, if you simply don't try a dish because "it looks icky" you could run the risk of offending your host, or even worse, missing out on a great culinary experience! This is not to say that I always abide by this rule: I can think of a few times when I simply was not in the mood to try something strange, so I made a mental note to try it later. I also think that if you have tried something once and didn't love it, you should try it at least one more time somewhere else or prepared in a different way. However, if you tried something once and absolutely can't stand it, then don't force yourself to keep trying it!
Also, if we find foods strange or even "disgusting," this should not negatively impact our view of the people who enjoy those foods. I have been training myself to react to my husband's aunt gobbling down raw baby octopi (see photo under #4) not with disgust, but rather with, "WOW! Now SHE is one tough lady! I wish I could do that." It is completely fine to be intrigued, fascinated, impressed, and even stupefied by someone's ability to eat something that we might deem inedible, but once that fascination turns into condescension or--heaven help us--racism, we are traveling down a very dangerous path (a path that I have certainly been guilty of stumbling on now and then).
Having said that, if I mention a food below being "bad," "good," or "scrumdiddlyumptious," that is my personal opinion and may very well be different from your own. In fact, let me know in the comments if you have tried any of these foods and what your opinion of them is!
Enough scolding. Now on to the fun part.
First, a personal review of the foods mentioned in the above article (all pictures except for in #4 are from Google Images- I'll replace them with my own soon!):
1. Silkworm Larvae (번데기/beondaegi)
These crunchy-on-the-outside, squishy/pasty-on-the-inside creatures are one of my husband's favorite street snacks, but definitely NOT one of mine. Even the slightly-sweet smell of them wafting by is enough to trigger my gag reflex. Sometimes I wonder if Hoya simply insists on loving them because he knows I don't... hmmm. These little guys are usually found boiling in a pot on a food cart next to other tamer (usually some form of potato) snacks in busy shopping areas. I know many Koreans who also don't like these, but you should try them at least once if you come to Korea- you never know! If you can't find them on the street, you also have the choice of buying them in little tin cans, in the same aisle where you might find canned tuna.
2. Fermented skate (홍어/hong-eo)
I believe I tried this once, at a fancy sushi place. I did not enjoy it. Perhaps it has to do with the ammonia-urine taste that the author of the above article mentioned. I'll have to check with Hoya, but I don't think he likes it either.**
3. Penis fish/spoon worm (개불/gaebul)
I have not attempted this one, but I have had sea cucumber quite recently, which I did not like whatsoever. It was surprisingly tough, almost like cartilage (maybe it was cartilage?), and I believe that despite the slightly similar shape it should not go about masquerading as a cucumber anymore, because it tastes NOTHING like it (see pictures below for the infamous sea cucumber). Anyways, it seems to be quite similar to the aforementioned phallic worm, so I might give myself a little break before trying this one.
4. Live small octopus (산낙지/san-nakji)
*insert video here of me eating live octopus legs*
(I had one, but can't find it. I guess I'll just have to make another one!)
The legs of the small octopi are not bad! They are pretty tasteless, and actually fun to eat, if you are with the right people (it also helps to have had a few shots of soju beforehand). Just like you might imagine, the tentacles flail about and the suction cups stick to your chopsticks and tongue, so this one is certainly for those who like adventurous eating experiences.
HOWEVER, I cannot recommend whole baby octopus (쭈꾸미) to anyone but the very brave of heart (and stomach). This is another one that many Koreans cannot handle. The legs, again, were not so bad, but the head (the size of a golfball and containing the eyes, egg sack, and ink sack) barely made it into my esophagus before I not-so-discreetly made use of my napkin (sorry if that's TMI, but... well, if you're still reading this, you can probably handle it). The hubby loves the octopus legs and put on a very brave face for the head, insisting that it wasn't all that terrible, but I know him too well to believe that.
*insert video here of me eating live octopus legs*
(I had one, but can't find it. I guess I'll just have to make another one!)
The legs of the small octopi are not bad! They are pretty tasteless, and actually fun to eat, if you are with the right people (it also helps to have had a few shots of soju beforehand). Just like you might imagine, the tentacles flail about and the suction cups stick to your chopsticks and tongue, so this one is certainly for those who like adventurous eating experiences.
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| Sea cucumbers fresh from the sea! |
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| Sea cucumbers chopped up on the white platter |
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| Raw octopus being added to soup |
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| Octopus head chopped up- rice looking things are eggs, black part is ink. Yes, I ate that! |
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| Hoya's aunt & poor baby octopus- down the hatch! |
5. Hangover soup containing congealed ox blood (해장국/haejangguk)
I'm pretty sure I've had this before (no, not for hangover-related reasons)... but I'm not positive. After a while, all of the many Korean soups and stews start looking (and sounding) alike (they usually are some form of -jangguk) If not, I should try it, because it's probably tasty! After all, good blood sausage (순대) is (in my opinion) very good, so a little blood in the broth can't hurt! Hoya probably likes this soup as much as the average Korean (which, considering how much the average Korean enjoys a drink, is quite a lot).***
6. Duck tongue
I haven't seen this before, and I'm not sure my husband has either (I'm making a list of foods that I need to ask him if he has eaten). In fact, it looks seems to be more of a Chinese delicacy than a Korean one– when I searched for an image, they were all linked to Chinese sites. However, if it's anything like cow tongue (tender and delicious!) or the other parts of a duck, I'm sure it's not all that bad.
7. Crickets
This is another one that I don't think I have ever seen in Korea, but I have seen in parts of Africa and Central America. It seems that the whole world is eating bugs except for "Western" society! Again, I couldn't find any pictures of crickets in Korea, and the one above is from another part of Asia. I ate a lollipop in Mexico once that had a cricket in it... although I don't recall what it tasted like. That's not very helpful I suppose, sorry about that. However, this is a very interesting video on why we should maybe be eating more bugs:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iM8s1ch5TRw
Well, that concludes the food listed in the article above! I think I'll do another post about 7 other foods that could be included in the "unusual foods of Korea" list soon!
*The author probably didn't mean it to be disrespectful –maybe s/he is even Korean– but still, not the best title.
**I checked. He says it's stinky and expensive.
***Before there are any misconceptions, no, not every Korean drinks, and yes, many drink responsibly. However (and perhaps due to the nearly complete lack of any other recreational substances) Koreans do tend to drink a lot, and there are even many age-old customs and traditions rooted in the consumption of alcohol. This is evidenced partly by the fact that they have a soup specifically meant to cure hangovers :)
