Bibimbop, Korean veggie pancake, a spicy chicken dish, bulgogi, tteokboki, kimchi, and various other side dishes.
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| Bibimbop |
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| yachae pajeon |
Tuesday, June 7, 2016
First Night of Class - Sobahn restaurant
On a beautiful Monday evening the Advantage Food and Culture students met for our first class, learning a little about food as a social and cultural marker. We experienced some Korean food while we learned about Korean social practices around eating. What a great group - people tried a wide sample of Korean items:
Bibimbop, Korean veggie pancake, a spicy chicken dish, bulgogi, tteokboki, kimchi, and various other side dishes.
Bibimbop, Korean veggie pancake, a spicy chicken dish, bulgogi, tteokboki, kimchi, and various other side dishes.
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Last night's experience was amazing. I'm not afraid of trying new things so I tried everything that was on the table! The most interesting thing I learned was table manners. The oldest person at the table is supposed to eat first and they are supposed to pay. With comparison to my family and our culture, we typically don't eat at the same table unless it's a family gathering or we go out to dinner as a family. The only thing that was unfamiliar to me was using the chopsticks. I tried a million times and my group even tried to help me. It was an unsuccessful experience, but I will definitely try again. The dish Bibimbop was my favorite dish at the table. Eating with just a spoon, and not being able to use a different utensil was something I had difficulty accepting. Korean food is definitely food I will try again.
ReplyDeleteYasmin Campbell
Haha.. you had faulty chopsticks :)
DeleteI am so afraid of trying new things when it comes to food. Especially because I am the person who is a really picky eater. I thought that was pretty neat about the age thing. So basically if you are the youngest you serve the table and eat for free. I also think its great that in Korea they are proud of their age. Us Americans are so guarded about our age, nobody wants to be old. Age is something to be proud of because someone somewhere didn't make it to the age that you are today.
DeleteShalise Abson
Shalise it's 2016, you have to learn to be open to new things ! I agree, most American's are afraid to tell their age and embrace their age. I always joke with my family about how old I am once my younger siblings turn a year older. I can't wait until we have a family dinner, I'm going to have my younger sister serve everyone and teach them about the Korean culture !
DeleteYasmin Campbell
Visiting Sobhan was a fantastic experience that really shed some light on the Korean culture. Before visiting this restaurant I knew very little about the Korean culture or their cuisine other than the rumors I have heard about the spicy food, which did not disappoint.
ReplyDeleteThe atmosphere was a delight; I looked around at the art and décor and felt a sense of peace and comfort. It was quiet and simple.
The food was amazing, and plentiful. I was a little taken back by how much food there was to eat. My favorite was the Tteok Bokki (I think that is right)- it was rice cakes with fish cakes in a red chili sauce-mmmm!!!
I will definitely be visiting again- it was an absolute treasure… So awesome..
Chastity Nichols
It was so good that you decided to take some for lunch today ! Ha ha :)
DeleteYasmin
Chasity,
Deletethe atmosphere was very delightful. The darkness kind of reminded me of Gojos-with the wood and lighting.
I am a very picky eater and do not like to try new or different foods, especially cultural foods. However, last night I did try everything. I was proud of myself for that. My favorite dish was the Bibimbop and I really enjoyed most of the kimchi, except for the very spicy one. I remembered to say thank you for my meal at the beginning and end and I did wait impatiently for my water to be refilled (LOL). The experience was amazing and provided a nice atmosphere to get to know my fellow students. There was a lot of food and when I left I was stuffed. I truly enjoyed the entire experience and the good.
ReplyDeleteShanelle Goods
DeleteJoy Rhoads I'm glade you tried it you will never know what something taste like until you try it not bad at all.
I was very skeptical about this experience and even considered faking an 8 week pregnancy just so I wouldn't have to try to the food. Please don't judge me. But I must say this was THE BEST food experience I've had since trying sushi in Paris so time ago. The Korean culture is very delightful and I love how it embraces the respect of their elders.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed the staff and the atmosphere of the restaurant; the food was still a nice temperature when we arrived and level of spice was perfect. I must add that the smell of the food was actually pleasant. I mostly enjoyed the spicy chicken dish and beef dish. The tenderness of the meat and sweetness from the spices made it taste great. I had 3 small plates with the rice. The bibimbop would have been my second favorite, but it had mushrooms in it. The red sauce had a good flavor to it as well.
I am very pleased even the day after.
Shanelle Goods
DeleteErika Fields I agree with you I like the Korean culture too to respect your elders and the oldest of the group get served first.
Since I have already experienced Korean cuisine and culture, really nothing was a surprise for me. I did enjoy the restaurant despite some of the differences that are between traditional and Americanized settings. The Bibimbop has always been my favorite dish. When I first tried Korean food it reminded me how my culture as a American and the Korean culture isn't as far apart as I may have once considered. I have had some food that would be considered taboo in western culture that I have found quite delightful and also not so much. But I am glad I was able to re-live the experience with new people.
ReplyDeleteJarell Gatlin
I really enjoyed the outing to Sobahn, much more than I anticipated. I enjoy ethnic foods so I was sure I wouldn't hate it but I didn't think I'd enjoy it that much. The food was delicious and I didn't try anything that I didn't like, which was surprising. My favorite dish was absolutely the pajeon...I even looked up recipes online to see if I can recreate it myself at home. The biggest adjustment was using the chopsticks. I'm terrible with wooden chopsticks so I knew metal chopsticks weren't going to be any easier and they weren't. But I gave them a try anyway and even though they weren't easier, they weren't as difficult as I thought they'd be. But I did notice the ridges at the end of the chopsticks to asssit with gripping, I'm sure. Overall, I really enjoyed the Sobhan experience and I look forward to dining there again in the very near future with friends. I'll definitely be ordering the pajeon again, too, lol.
ReplyDeleteNatavia I would have to agree. I was skeptical about how the food would taste based on the pictures that were displayed during the lecture in class. But I must say "You can't judge a book by it's cover" because you might miss out on something good ! The food was delicious, and just like you, the chopsticks was the most difficult thing for me as well !
DeleteYasmin Campbell
Shanelle Goods
ReplyDeleteVisited Sobahn restaurant with my classmates and friends was a great experience.Excellent restaurant to get some team bonding done over eating! Décor and service is simple but effective. Food and way of cooking is a fun experience. The group I sat with said it was all our first time eating Korean Food. We had such a wonderful experience. Sobahn did not disappoint me. The food was absolutely delicious. Our waiter was excellent. The Service was great as well. I will surely be back the next time I've want to eat some good Korean food. One of my favorite dishes was the spicy chicken.
The service was simple, I guess I had not really paid attention to that. They didn't hover over you and the food was brought out at the right time. It was bad service by any means, they just didn't spoil the moment too enjoy the food and the experience.
DeleteJaneva H.
DESIREE EVANS:
ReplyDeleteKorean food was quite delicious, I love the flavors of garlic and the spice. I love that they use a lot of different types of things other than just meat. I learned that the eldest must eat first, and the younger serves the eldest, I’m sure this is a sign of respect. (We did not do this at our table, because I got too excited to wait). Sorry Joy!
A lot about this culture is making sure the elders are respected, this is pretty cool to me, this needs to be observed with OUR American culture! I really like that they have only chopsticks and a spoon, this makes it easy to figure out what goes with what! Less confusing!
I knew already I liked to try new things, but I also went out of my comfort zone and tried even more things I would normal frown upon, and noticed others whom would never eat Korean food, actually liked it. I tried everything but the beef dish and was very pleasantly surprised about the great textures and flavors each small place and large plate had. After a while though some flavors went from one dish to the next and if you couldn’t handle spicy things then you had some difficulty. I thought it was very delicious for my spicy tastes. Since I like to try many different things this wasn’t a difficult task for me and I rather enjoyed watching others eat their food. Great entertainment! I would try another Korean restaurant just to compare flavors and preparation techniques! Thanks for this experience! I enjoyed it!
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ReplyDeleteI learned a lot in just the short amount of time spent at the korean restaurant. I had never had korean food before and I was pleased. I use to be against trying anything different than what I am use to and once you become open minded you will learn and experience things you would have never thought of. I didnt realize how good i was at using chopsticks i must say lol. But one thinkg that did stick out for me was the fact that the chopsticks were originally made out of steel. i was so use to wooded chopsticks I didn't know they were made in a different way. I can say that i probably ate too much because that evening my stomach was a little upset but im sure its because i ate too much lol. But over all i really enjoyed myself and i cant wait to take my mother and sister to Sobahn for their first experience.
ReplyDeleteShawnte Primers
It was a good experience. I too didn't know that they had silver or steel chop sticks. That was a fun fact to learn. Especially the reasoning behind it. As far as taking someone to the restaurant, I think my husband would really enjoy it and maybe my sister but as far as my family goes that would be it.
DeleteShalise Abson
This was my first experience eating Korean food. I will say it is different. I accidentally tried the fish cakes (I thought it was the beef strips). I could definitely tell that it was fish. The chicken dish was my favorite, the bowl mixture with egg was good as well. The vegetable pancake wasn't bad either but not something I would eat again. Overall if I were to go back I would probably order the chicken dish or the bowl. The mushy noodle was a very weird texture, I wouldn't eat that again. I do think it was neat how they use the silver chop sticks and not wooden. It makes them more like silverware than something that you eat once with and throw away. I actually thought we would be going for a taste test, not a full meal. It was a great experience. I think most of us are so used to Americanized Chinese food that it was a nice change. I would like for them to get some serving spoons though!
ReplyDeleteShalise Abson
That's hilarious what you said about the fish cakes. I thought it was beef strips myself. I didn't get a fishy taste. What I got was a slimy texture that reminded me of eating a tomato. I do not like the texture of a tomato.
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ReplyDeleteThis was a fantastic experience and atmosphere. I truly enjoyed all the dishes except for one, which was the fish cakes. My favorite of all was the Yachae Pajeon or Korean veggie pancakes. The expectations of the culture seem to be one of seniority. I got the feeling being in that culture everyone respects or listens to the elders. Just that alone reminded me of black culture growing up; mind you I'm 44 years old. I loved the variety of food. The different flavors of each dish gave me the joy of having the different taste blend together. Meaning that it wasn't the typical American dinner where you have the main dish and two sides and thats it. I would truly love to actually go to Korea to experience the energy, surroundings, and dynamics of the culture in person.
ReplyDeleteI really did enjoy the Korean experience. However, my expectations were changed right when we got there. I went in with a empty stomach ready to eat and experience what I never had. The side dishes were a bit of shock to me. I thought that would be warm, so imagine my surprise when I realized they were cold. I am a spicy eater, but there spicy was different then what I am use to. I really did love the beef and the chicken dishes. I did not like the rice cakes, not because of taste, because there really wasn't one, but the consistency was a little different than I imagined. I also did like the veggie pancake, it reminded me of like a bread and it complimented the dishes well. The fact that the Koreans acknowledge their elders is fascinating to me.I would love to visit Korea and get a full experience. Overall, I stepped outside by box and it was not at all a bad experience, it was a great lesson.
ReplyDeleteJaneva H.
I really enjoyed the Korean food experience. I am an adventurous eater so there was no hesitation on my part. I have friends and family from different cultural backgrounds so I have had the pleasure (most of the time) of trying many different kinds of foods. While in the Philippines, I tried bulut which gave me the confidence to try anything if I had tried that! I really liked all of the Korean food. The only part of the dinner that I was not as big of a fan of was the cabbage kimchi. It was just a really powerful, strong taste that I was not too sure about. One fun thing about this experience is that my sister stayed in South Korea for 3 months and so when I got home, I got to talk to her about her experiences there, including what she thought of the food...
ReplyDeleteChristina Johnson
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ReplyDelete