Ernst in Singapore

On my last trip to Seoul I did not enjoy much - 5 consecutive days of torrential rains (that turned deadly 2 weeks later) and 17-hour working days.

The lone bright spot was the always fantastic Korean BBQ! Seoul is the Mecca of Korean BBQs - any true fan of the food must at some point make a pilgrimage to the place where it all began and still does it best.

The key ingredient in Korean BBQ is beef and the absolute best-quality beef is known as "Hanwoo" 한우 - it can only be found in Korea. The stuff is so delicious there is no export market for it as the locals gobble up all that is available. The Koreans I spoke with are extremely proud of the quality and look down upon Kobe/Wagyu/Angus and all the other "famous" cuts of beef as inferior.

This is heaven on a plate - big chunks of perfectly-marbled beef.


Notice the green bottle in the background - no authentic Korean BBQ experience is complete without copious amounts of Soju (Korea's national drink, a rice-based alcohol)!

After you are full to the gills with beef it is Korean tradition to order some naeng-myeon (냉면) or cold noodles.



The texture/temperature is a perfect antidote to the dragon breath filled mouth you are left with post-BBQ.

Korean BBQ is ubiquitous in Seoul - from simple street-side affairs to fantastically expensive luxury joints. Since my first trip to Seoul and my discovery of Korean BBQ I have always been curious about one thing: Do Korean couples go for Korean BBQ on a date? My anecdotal observations lead me to think yes - but why??!

Can you imagine a worse "date night" with a girl than Korean BBQ?

"Let's stuff our face with copious amounts of red meat, garlic, onions and slather a spicy paste all over it."

That garlic/spicy beef smell gets into your clothes and leaves a noxious substance in your mouth that takes hours to dissipate.

I guess it works because both the guy & the girl have such horrendous breath that they cancel each other out.