First of all, sitting cross-legged or kneeling on the mat is a rule that every diners must abide by. Accustomed to sitting in a chair, suddenly changing posture is really uncomfortable. The hardness of the mat is very important, as is the length of the meal. If you are not careful, your legs will go numb. Many times, when eating with group members, we often sit cross-legged or kneel. However, one day I had dinner with a host family. It's really embarrassing to change positions frequently, so I have to sit on my knees all the time. As a result, I spent an hour and a half eating and talking. My back ached and my legs ached afterwards, not to mention how much I missed that chair.
Before I went to Korea, I heard that there are three unique Korean cuisines: kimchi, rice cake and Shui Yuan roasted ribs.
In Korea, when it comes to eating, you can't help but mention kimchi. Everyone eats it and eats it at every meal. Kimchi is a representative of Korean traditional food culture. Kimchi in Korea does not only refer to spicy cabbage, radish and kelp. This is very common in China. There are countless kinds of kimchi, including chicken, duck, fish and seafood plants. There seems to be nothing that can't be made into kimchi. It is said that at the Gwangju Kimchi Festival, the raw materials of kimchi are octopus, sea cucumber, shrimp and crab, fruit, leaves and ginseng. And there are more than 1000 kinds. Koreans can make hamburgers, sandwiches, pizzas, sushi, jiaozi and steamed dumplings stuffed with kimchi. Pickles come in different shapes and colors, and can also be skillfully made into various snacks decorated with fish, animals, plants and flowers. Although I couldn't witness this grand occasion with my own eyes, at a lunch in Gyeongju, the small table was filled with more than 20 kinds of pickles, which were colorful and dazzling enough to satisfy my curiosity. And Korean restaurants provide kimchi for free to ensure that you eat enough.
Rice cake is a very representative holiday food in Korean traditional food culture. Eating rice cakes in Korea is almost as long as eating whole grains. Koreans make cakes on birthdays, go home, children are 100 years old, get married, offer sacrifices, and pray for peace during the Spring Festival or Mid-Autumn Festival. Korean rice cakes are mostly made into biscuits and fancy snacks. Many cookies and snacks also have salty and sweet fillings. In Shui Yuan Etiquette Education Center, I personally made a rice cake. Of course, due to the limitation of time and technology, I only made the simplest plum blossom rice cake without stuffing. Add the raw materials mixed with black sesame seeds, honey, glutinous rice, mung beans, etc. Put it in a wooden mold the size of a thumb cover and a lovely plum blossom millet cake is born. Holding it in my hand, I really can't bear to say it.
Since I went to Shui Yuan, I must eat the original roasted ribs. It is said that the authentic Shui Yuan spareribs are made from the tenderloin of the first-class cattle with flesh and blood, sliced with a knife, with a length of 50 cm, a width of 10 cm and a thickness of 2-3 mm (only one bone is left at the end of the slice, indicating the spareribs), then sprinkled with salt, sesame oil and sesame seeds, folded and pickled for 2 days. As for the ribs I ate, it is not known whether the production process is so standard. However, when I served it, the smell of grilled ribs filled the whole room, which really made my mouth water. As for the specific way to eat, you can eat it directly with fresh meat slices dipped in sauce, or you can eat it with kimchi such as spicy cabbage, radish, spicy crab and small whitebait on the table, and roll it into a ball with lettuce. Its delicacy is beyond words. Finally, the barbecue was robbed, and even the meat on the bones was chewed clean. Just two words: delicious!
In addition, Korean cuisine also includes bibimbap, slate rice, cold noodles, roasted pork belly, Korean ginseng chicken soup and so on. Although Korean food is not as extensive and profound as China's food culture, the industrious and intelligent Korean people have also rooted their life vision and cultural beliefs in Korean food, and finally formed a unique Korean food culture, leaving a beautiful chapter in the world food culture.