Bibimbap, 비빔밥

Thursday I had the wonderful privilege of eating lunch with 2 Korean women I met at BSF.  They took me to a place called Korea Traditional Restaurant in the Myeongdong district.

They took the lead and ordered lunch, asking if I was brave and did I like spicy food.  They ordered bibimbap, mixed vegetable rice bowl.  Bibimbap is a common dish and there are many, many variations.  My lunch was served in a hot (very hot) bowl and made up of rice, thinly sliced vegetables, beef, mushrooms, and a raw egg yolk. You stir this together along with gochujang, chili paste, and the egg and vegetables are "cooked" along the sides of the bowl.  

The presentation of the bowl is really beautiful and each of the ingredients are arranged carefully in the bowl.  I almost hated to stir everything together but I wasnt' really up on eating raw egg.  It was a delicious meal.  I think I could easily make this at home although I don't have the proper clay bowl so I might pass on the raw egg.  Just like all the meals I've had so far it also included various sides such as kimchi (red and white), mung bean sprout soup, seaweed chips and raw squid in chili paste.  I tried the squid; it wasn't awful but a little too fishy for me.  

As a side note, Koreans eat with metal chopsticks and a long soup spoon.  They eat rice and soups (obviously) with the spoon and use the chopsticks for everything else.  Eating rice with chopsticks has always been a challenge, very happy that it is culturally acceptable to use the spoon.

The meal was finished off with a spicy cinnamon cold tea.  The ladies were unsure how to translate what was in the tea, other than the cinnamon, but it is "very good for you."  Next week they have invited me to lunch again, what a gift.