A slice of radish will wash down the spice in your mouth. A typical Korean meal is almost always accompanied by a big bowl of hot soup, boiled rice and five to six kinds of side dishes, such as beansprouts, seaweed, tofu, fried cuttlefish and dry squid with chili paste. Actually, the side dishes alone are enough to fill you up before you can devour the main dish. I skipped the beef as main dish in one dinner after consuming seven of the 10 side dishes. Unusual greens Koreans are proud of their diet because their classic meal contains a variety of veggies and wild greens.
Korean markets carry a huge variety of unusual greens.
Their vegetables are usually parboiled or stir-fried and seasoned with combinations of salt, soy sauce, sesame oil, garlic and green onions. My favorite is bibimbap , Korea s version of Mongolian barbecue. Before eating it, you have to add red pepper paste to taste and mix it thoroughly with the rice and vegetables. It goes best with Andong s Soju, which is comparable to vodka but less potent. Soju is a popular Korean liquor made from sweet potatoes.