Finally, after getting snowed out, our class had its first restaurant meal together - Korean. A variety of food from spicy chicken, bulgogi (marinated beef), bibimbop (mixed rice bowl), spicy rice cakes, veggie pancake and kimbop was shared by the group.
First of all I asked professor Eric Winter many questions about Korea and ifs food since he been there to have clear Idea about Korean food. Many things came in my mind before I go to Sobahn restaurant and while I’m eating and after I left the restaurant. Before I go I was thinking am I going to like the food? because it’s my first experience I never ate Korean food before and the only think I know about Korean food is that they eat rice, how would it be? how should I eat specially with chopsticks? and when I arrive I actually got great first impression when I saw the tables and how they prepared to serve us. It was wonderful experience. I never thought that Korean food will be delicious. Not only the food that I liked but eating together. One of the questions I asked professor Eric about Korean culture and food is that do they eat together? he said yes and you can’t be in a restaurant alone in Korea. Eating together in my opinion is what make the food more tasty, I felt that I’m surrounded by big family so I enjoyed the food more. I tried to eat with the chopsticks, but unfortunately I couldn’t the spoon helped me a lot. The dish that win as the best Is the Mokeum Dalk Bokkeum, the dish was delicious and I can taste and enjoy the spiciness. Also the Yachae Jeon is the best veggie pancake I ever tried. When I left the restaurant I start to think that I should visit Korea, if the experience I have here in the USA was wonderful, it must be fabulous in Korea, also I’ll start to learn how to eat with chopsticks before I go. I was always trying not to eat different food, but after this experience I found myself more willing to try different food.
ReplyDeleteThis was not the first time that I've tried Korean food, but it was still a great experience. Korean food is quite popular in Vietnam, so I've had my fair share of it both in Vietnam and in the States. Though, I did learn many interesting facts about Korean culture that I wasn't aware of. Professor Winter mentioned the first time he visited Korean and how he was turned down by a restaurant because he was by himself. This surprised me since I enjoy eating alone and had never heard of restaurants turning down customers before. If this happened to me in Korea, it would be an extreme culture shock. I also enjoyed learning about people’s food experiences. Some had tried really exotic and unusual dishes while others had been sticking to the food that they grew up eating. Regardless of your culinary background, we were eager to try the food. Erika and I were the youngest of our table, so we were in charge of mixing the rice bow. I underestimated how hot the bows were, so I did burn myself a little bit. Overall, the food did taste ok though the lack of banchan and table side service did disappoint me to some extent. One thing I learned about myself through this experience is that I can be a food snob sometimes, mostly unintentionally, especially when it comes to the foods that I’m familiar with. But overall, thanks to the great company and conversations, I had a great time.
ReplyDeleteJeremy Le
I have never eaten typical Korean food before this and I was excited to try this new experience. I am typically not a picky eater so I wasn't specifically nervous but the food was better than I was expecting. When we arrived at the restaurant it smelled great and everyone at my table was eager to try the different dishes. I've never been good at using chopsticks so I was stuck using the big spoon we were given but I found it adequate for all the food we were served. The only thing I did not really like was the veggie pancake, I think this is because I really don't like foods with a soggy texture and I am also not a huge fan of eggs. If I were to visit this restaurant again I would defiantly order the spicy chicken and the bulgogi. I also liked the uniqueness of the way the bibimbap is severed. I also enjoyed being able to sit at large tables and talk about the different foods and what we liked or did not like. Overall this was a great experience and I am glad I had the opportunity to try another culture's food.
ReplyDeleteThis was not the first time I have had Korean food, but this time was a little bit different from my first experience. The first Korean restaurant that I went to was basically a “cook your own food” restaurant. You got to pick out what type of meat you wanted, and then they brought rice, and other side veggies that would go with the meal. It was different because I never had to cook my own food at a restaurant but the cool thing about it was, that we got to cook the food the way we wanted it. It was good food but it did take a lot of work. I will admit, I am a picky eater so going into the restaurant I was a little bit nervous. The beef, chicken, and rice was the first things I went for because I knew I would like those. The beef was probably my favorite because of its sweet and spicy flavor. I told myself to get over my pickiness and to try everything at least once. The one that I actually did enjoy that I did not think I would was the bulgogi. I was not a fan of the sushi that really was not sushi. It was a different texture and it was harder than regular sushi that I am used too. But overall I was satisfied with all of the food and I was glad to get out of my comfort zone and to try some new foods from a different culture.
ReplyDeleteJustin Starks
This was my first true Korean food experience. I love to try new food, so I was not nervous about trying the food at this restaurant. I however was not sure what to expect. What I loved about this experience is that the food was ordered for us. I often time stick with what I am comfortable with instead of branching out. To my surprise I liked EVERYTHING we ate and I know for a fact that I would never order a veggie pancake off of a menu. I was surprised by how much I enjoyed it. I tried everything else but the kimchi, which I kind of regret now. For some reason the color of it throws me off, so its never been something I have wanted to try. I loved the spicy rice cakes! I have actually cooked rice cakes like that before. My husband and I got a blue apron box (where they send you ingredients and step by step instructions on how to make a meal) one time and it was Korean rice cakes. That was our first time ever having them and we LOVED them. It was exciting to try it cooked with different spices/seasonings. Not only did I love the food I ate, but the atmosphere was wonderful. It felt very intimate and relaxing. I had the feeling that they want their guests to feel welcomed and be able to relax and enjoy good food. Overall I had a fabulous time and cannot wait til our next outing!
ReplyDeleteHannah Miller
I loved the dinner that we had at Sobahn restaurant on Wednesday. I have always loved trying new food, and even though I was familiar with the Korean cuisine, I tried numerous plates that I have never tried before, and they were absolutely mind-blowing.
ReplyDeleteThe thing that I most liked about that experience was that there were two main elements that, in my opinion, were composing the dinner: the food and the human interaction. Here in the United State and in my country, Italy, it is common for restaurants to mostly serve individual plates, and it is nice, once in a while, to live an experience pretty different from usual. The fact that all of us where sharing the same food gave us the possibility to get to know each other and our tastes about foreign food. I believe that this way of sharing a meal is absolutely brilliant because sometimes we have to eat with people that we do not know very well (for instance if we work somewhere and we need go to a business dinner), and we feel uncomfortable and awkward. By being “forced” to talk with the people around us, even if just for passing them a plate, can help us open up and enjoy more the evening and the food.
A funny aspect of the evening was also the fact that I was the youngest at the table, and because we tried to respect at least one of Korea many traditions, I mixed one of the Dol Sot Bibimbap :)
I believe it is absolutely fascinating learning about another culture and its food. Sometimes we forget how important food is when researching about another country, and we don’t realize that it doesn’t represent only ingredients that we put in our mouths to feel full, but it also holds much deeper meanings. It represents a country’s tradition, heritage and practice, and each one is unique from everything else.
For instance, here in Missouri, when we want to eat a snack, we eat chips or sandwich; in Italy, we eat cookies or bread with jam; in South Korea, they eat kimbaps. These are some of the variations that embed some of the peculiar, curious and sometimes bizarre characteristics of a country’s culture and cuisine.
In conclusion, I would like to say that I loved that food. I have never really liked vegetables, but the achae jeon was really good and the mokeum dalk bokkeum was just… wow!
- Erika Vallone
Even though I’m a foodie, I am somewhat apprehensive and quite picky about Asian food in general. Some of the textures and spices they use are not always tasty to me. Going in to the restaurant, I did not expect myself to like EVERYTHING we were going to eat, but, surprisingly, I did! I knew I loved kimchi as I have a few friends who are Korean and they brought it over a few times for me to try and I loved it! I also tried kimchi at Chinese buffets and never liked it there, so I was curious to see how I’d feel about it served in Sobahn. I liked it a lot! It actually reminds me of something we have in Russia which is also fermented cabbage only ours is not spicy at all. Talking about spicy, I did not find anything overly spicy. Even the spiciest dish, the chicken, was not too bad and I actually enjoyed it a lot! My favorite, however, was the beef! It was amazing and I think I could have eaten the whole plate by myself! And those spicy rice cake sticks were so good! In class, I really thought that the dish did not sound too great, but I absolutely loved the texture! I also liked the way everything was served – communal plates from which everyone shares. I think it’s great for promoting a conversation at the table and instilling a sense of unity and a shared experience. Again, it is similar to the Russian way of dining. Another thing I noticed is that not a lot of emphasis is put on the ambience of the place itself. I actually noticed that about lots of different foreign restaurants in the area. It’s almost like they do not care about the décor and place all the attention on the quality of the food that is served. All in all, I liked the experience and the food and I caught myself thinking about when I’d want to go back and eat there again.
ReplyDeleteEkaterina Posidelova
This was my first true Korean food to ever experience. I am not the one that likes to try new things, but this was definitely a unique experience. I did not know what to expect going in, because I typically do not eat at these types of restaurants. But my mind was quickly changed after receiving our food. One thing that I found that was different was the variety of food that was available to us. There were so many dishes that were served, so we did not just have to stick with one dish all to our selves. I tried a little bit of everything, but I am not a spicy food eater. The food that was more red in color I tried last of due to my week sense of spicy foods. One dish that I did enjoy the most was dol sot bibimbaq. The thing that I love the most about this dish was the rice on the bottom was more crispy with many different types of vegetables on the top, and one mixed altogether I just made a great combination. My overall experience at this restaurant was great, and I cannot wait to see what the next one will be like.
ReplyDeleteThe thing that I loved the most about this dish was the rice on the bottom was more crispy with many different types of vegetables on the top, and one mixed altogether it just made a great combination. My overall experience at this restaurant was great, and I cannot wait to see what the next one will be like.
Mary Morgan Nanney
I was pleasantly surprised by my experience at the Korean restaurant. When we were going over the menu in class it wasn’t lookin too good to me. I really liked the kimbap. The yachae jeon was also surprisingly good, I did eat it with my hands but I wasn’t sure if I was allowed to. It was greasier than I thought it would be, and I’m really interested in whether it’s made with batter- flour, or egg. I LOVED the bulgogi! It was so good. I liked the sweetness to it; I suspect at least a little sugar was involved. The mokeum dalk bokkeum was good too, but wasn’t as spicy as I expected it to be. Although we did have vegetables, they definitely were not American in any way so I kind of felt like I missed out on getting my quota. I tried kimchi for the first time; I think it may be an acquired taste. It was okay, and I’m glad I tried it. I like cabbage but don’t think I like fermentated food. The bean sprouts were good and the tteokbokki were good but the texture was a little weird. I’ve had rice noodles in Japanese and Vietnamese food but I think what made the noodle’s a little off were how thick they are! I thought the individual rice was a little unnecessary because of the dol sot bibimbap- I got the egg yolk out of that on accident and feel like maybe that’s a sign of good luck, or at least I hope so!
ReplyDeleteAnother great thing about tonight’s experience was the communal environment. I had good company! One thing I was unsure of with the communal serving was which utensil I should actually eat with. Tonight was my first experience with chopsticks! So I used the spoon to serve myself the food from the plates and used chopsticks to eat. But I did have to consciously think about using the spoon, My friend Marshay brought up the fact that we were eating less and still getting full, presumably because we were eating slower thanks to the chopsticks and the communal set up. And we sat at a table with Erik who shared some insights to Korean food in Korea. For example, he said when he was in Korea and went somewhere to eat by himself he was turned away. That makes me wonder what people who are alone in Korea do for food, I know they eat at home but do they always eat at home? They never eat out?
Overall it was a great experience and I would go back. I’m really glad we had our lecture prior to going though so we knew what we were eating, in which order and in what sequence. We had the youngest person, Erika stir the dol sot bibimbap and the oldest person ate first. And I did not invite bad omens in to my life by leaving my chopsticks in my rice, so that’s good. It was also nice to get to know more people in class in a more easy going environment. I’m looking forward to going to blue nile next week!
Kaitlyn Wilson
I have never eaten Korean food before so this was a very exciting experience for me!! I was very unsure about this food just from seeing the pictures of it before we left! I thought using the stainless steel chopsticks was pretty cool, although I did find myself cutting my food up with my spoon. The kimchi took me by surprise in that it was cold when it came out, but I did enjoy it because I like anything that is pickled. The chewy noodle dish or the rice cakes was the dish I really was unsure about but I really enjoyed it even though the texture took some getting used to. My favorite dish was the stone bowl full of rice veggies with a fried egg on top. My table didn't follow the rule about the youngest one stirring the bowl, we were just ready to eat. The only thing I didn't like was the fried egg that accidentally got placed on my plate. I wasn't sure about sharing food with people I barely know, but actually it wasn't terrible and I turned out to be sitting with all of my group members for the final project. I would consider going back to this restaurant and it was a great experience because I have never really gotten to eat truly ethnic food from anywhere. I am very excited to try the Ethiopian cafe.
ReplyDeleteI have tried foods from all over the world, but Korean was not one of them until last night. I was very excited to taste this food, as it was a new flavor profile to me. I am nervous by spicy foods because they do not settle well with me, but I was pleasantly surprised by the foods we were served. The bright red coloring of the spices used was misleading, because I thought it was be an extreme spice, but instead it was more mild, but very delicious. The spice of the food was more flavorful instead of a fiery burn. I learned that one style of food can have very many different flavors. Such as the variety of flavors from the spicy chicken to the bibimbop to the veggie pancake. I tried everything that was served to us except for the beef. I really enjoyed all the foods I tasted. The only food that i was unsure about was the rice cake, i was not a fan of the texture, but the flavor was good. All of these foods were very unfamiliar to me but i had no problem accepting any of it, as trying new things is extremely important to widen our horizons. I was not sure if i would be able to try all the food being served to us, but i am happy to say that i tried everything and would like to go back to Sobahn Restaurant to try more foods.
ReplyDeleteMichelle Reznikova
I am very happy that we were not snowed out for this restaurant trip! I enjoyed this experience a lot. I eat Korean food quite often, and I haven't found much that I do not enjoy. Everything served at this restaurant was amazing! I learned, especially from the friends sitting around me, that I am much more tolerant to spicy food than I thought. Some of my friends mentioned that some of the food was too spicy for them, whereas I didn't find any of the food spicy at all. This was a cool realization for me! An unfamiliar dish to me was the rice cakes. The flavor was amazing, but the texture was something I've never tried before. I would describe this gummy texture as hard jello. It sounds awful, but I actually kind of liked it! The whole experience was very eye opening and fun. I liked the communal eating situation; that was something new to me! Although my sister-in-law is Korean, and my family eats Korean food often, we still eat it the American style way. Sharing every dish was very cool and created conversation with everyone around! I'm excited to experience the Ethiopian restaurant Blue Nile next week! Being able to try different foods and cultures from around the world is a precious opportunity that I am very thankful for.
ReplyDeleteEmma Davis
I had never tried Korean food before, so this was an exciting experience for me. I was very excited to see if I enjoyed the food or not. I was hoping that I liked the food enough that I would want to go back and bring my boyfriend along so he could try the food. We love trying different foods from all over the world together. I l love spicy food so I assumed I would like the Korean food. However, I was a little hesitant to try the rice cakes because I was not sure if i would like the texture. I did not end up liking the rice cakes due to the unique texture, but I did enjoy it's spicy flavoring. I loved everything else we were served. My favorite dish was probably the dolsot bibimbap or kimbap. I loved the flavors of these two dishes. The kimbap reminded me of sushi except it seemed sweeter. I feel like trying this Korean food was a great learning experience for me because I realized how much fun trying new foods can be as well as how different Korean flavor principles and eating customs are from traditional American foods/customs. I find it very interesting that Koreans never pour their own alcoholic drinks, have superstitions when it comes to eating such as never leaving the chopsticks upright in the rice bowl, and that they always have the youngest stir the food and the oldest begin eating first. I think it is cool how the Korean culture seems to be very respectful of their elders.
ReplyDeleteGabrielle Appl
I have never eaten Korea food before, so I was excited but pretty nervous to try it. I am not a really big fan of trying new food, but I was actually surprised on how much I actually liked most of the food. Since I am such a big texture person there were some things that I did not enjoy, like the kimbop or the tteok bokki. Even though there were a couple dishes I didn’t like, I loved all of the others. The veggie pancake was delicious, but it was not was I was expecting at all. The dol sot bibimbaq was probably one of my favorite dishes because I liked how it had all of the rice and then the vegetables and the egg on top and then how you mix it all together. I do find it weird how in the Korean culture that the youngest will stir everything together, I would have figured that it would be the oldest that would do it. I was kind of upset that the table I was sitting at didn’t get any of the kimchi. I am from a Polish family, so my grandma makes kimchi, so I was wondering how different they would taste. Overall, I really did enjoy the Korean food even though I am a picky eater and I am really excited to try the Ethiopian food next week since I have never tried that either!
ReplyDelete-Elizabeth Harris
I have to admit that I didn't know what to expect but I have to say the pictures of the food in class showed didn't do actually experience of the food any justice. I love to try different types of food even though I become extremely anxious about it every time. I was pleasantly surprised. The atmosphere walking in was calm and serene. Table was set up nice and had a very welcoming atmosphere. the first thing I tried was the dol sot bibim bap and it was my favorite of the night. The bulgogi and jaeyuk bokkeum where on top of the list as will. The flavors were spicy and the food was cooked with many different kinds of vegetables very flavorful. the meat was tender and easy to eat. The soy sauce was really good soy is usually really salty but their soy sauce was slightly sweet which I really enjoyed. I can tell that white rice is a prominent starch. The texture of their rice was slightly sticky but really went well with some of the other meat dishes. I didn't care for the rice cakes. the flavor wasn't bad it was more of a texture thing. I couldn't get the chop sticks to work but I tried. It was fun to be with the other classmates and try something new. everyone seemed to get along and enjoy each others company over food! I would go again with friends. This was an experience to remember its been a while since I've tried something new so this was refreshing.
ReplyDeleteShonda Soto
This was my first time eating such a wide variety of Korean food at an actual Korean restaurant. Ive had "Korean marinated beef" or "Korean BBQ" and things like that before, but I didn't take it as authentic. While I know that the flavor profile of foreign food restaurants in America are not going to be as authentic as the food in the original country, I definitely tasted some new and amazing dishes that I would absolutely go back for again. I am not a pro at using chopsticks, but I can get around with them fairly well. What was different was the fact that they were metal chopsticks. It was much harder to get a hold on the food and pick up smaller things because the surface area of the ends of the chopsticks was smaller and they were more slick. Once I got down to the last couple bites of rice, I was using the spoon. The food was that good, to the point where I was scraping my plate for the last little bits. My classmates around me did not seem to be fans of the kimchee, but that was fine with me because I love it! I am a fan of spicy foods so anything that has a bit of a kick to it I was enjoying. I would love to taste a more authentic Korean spice because I'm sure it is much spicier! The spicy fried rice cakes were strange at first but the flavor was so good I ended up taking the untouched bowl across the table home with me. I also really liked the veggie pancake and the bulgogi. The sweetness of the marinated beef was a good transition between all the other flavors on the table. I have always been an adventurous person when it comes to food. There is nothing that I wont try at least once. Everything on the table was great, but the only thing that I probably wouldn't order again was the spicy chicken, simply because I don't think there was as much flavor as the rest of the dishes. It didn't jump out to me as much as everything else did. I will definitely be taking people back here to explore the menu more and order some of my favorites from this night!!
ReplyDelete-Karsyn
I thought I published the above on my google account but it didn't work. So the name is:
Delete-Karsyn Montes
I loved eating at Sobahn! Communal family-style meals are some of my favorite places to eat and my friend group loves to eat things like Hot Pot and Korean barbeque because of the communal aspect of it. I would consider myself somewhat of an adventurous eater, so I love to try new foods! I tried kimchi for the first time and I loved it! I tend to avoid cabbage usually because it doesn’t agree with my intestinal tract often so I only ate a small amount, but I still enjoyed it none the less! The yachaejeon was easily my favorite item on the table, it was so delicious! I will say though, the oily residue it left behind made it harder to use the metal chopsticks, which I was not used to using. When I eat East Asian cuisine, I usually use plastic or wooden chopsticks, so metal chopsticks were a first for me. I also thoroughly enjoyed the kimbap, I had no idea that Korea had a food item so similar to sushi, but without the raw fish! I wanted to try the bibimbap, but I don’t like the texture or taste of meat, which had already been stirred around in it. I would love to try traditional bibimbap in Korea someday, with an actual raw egg on top of it. I’ve had a similar dish called tamago kake gohan, where a raw egg is cracked onto hot rice and stirred around to cook it. I had it using a friend’s pet chicken’s freshly laid eggs, because of how old and likely to have salmonella grocery store eggs are. It was absolutely delicious and I’d love to try it abroad someday. The yachaejeon also is very similar to a dish I’ve had called okonomiyaki, which is a Japanese savory pancake. The main difference is that okonomiyaki is coated in different condiments, but the contents of the pancake is the same otherwise. I enjoyed the experience greatly overall!
ReplyDeleteNicole Blunk
I was not totally sure what to expect when going to this restaurant. I was sure I had eaten at a Korean restaurant or at least had Korean food. The food was delicious! I was very surprised by a couple of things. One thing that caught me by surprise was the etiquette of not being able to pour your own drink. To me this was very different only because I have always been empowered to do things on my own. This is very typical of most American culture, empower women and everyone is an individual. That was honestly maybe the oddest part of the meal. The second thing that surprised me was that I had my own little rice dish. I really enjoyed having that and really have never experienced that before. Most things are either shared or on your own plate, not delivered in their own little container just for you. Plus, I though the little container was adorable. I learned that I am not afraid to try new food and that eating in new ways and cultures is very fun. I also learned that I need much more practice eating rice with chopsticks. I had never used steel chopsticks before so that was very interesting as well. Overall, it was delicious food and I got to try some new things and etiquette that I have never experienced. Very fun and tasty trip!
ReplyDeleteLaura Kitchie
Well while I am no expert in Southern Korean food. I have been to South Korea about nine different times while serving in the military. And I will tell you that the experience the different foods the friends all the flavors you get to experience by going is wonderful. So, I will base my eating at Sobahn vs eating in Southern Korea. First, I will begin with the Kimbap, but I thought they called it (Gimbap) in Korea I could be wrong. I remember grabbing two of these after a long night of drinking in Korea it tended to help with my hang over in the morning. While the ones in Korea I had was not sliced like sushi it favored a hand roll. But the taste while good at Sobahn I wonder if they have different flavors like in Korea. I am sure they do as I wasn’t allowed to order from the menu as it was a school project. But like I mentioned it was good. Next, I had Yachaejeon which is a vegetable pancake, I must tell you this was amazing I have never had yachaejeon in Korea I have had kimchijeon which is a pancake made from kimchi, but meat is also added to it. I wonder if they offer that at Sobahan. I followed this up with Bulgogi which is a beef, I do know that pork is sometimes used. This was good the only time I had bulgogi was in the form of a burger in Korea, like I said this was very good. Next, I had some Dolsot Bibimbap can’t really say much the only difference is that my egg was raw in Korea. But for the most part this tasted good. Following this I had some Mokeum Dalk Bokkeum or Mokeum Dak Bokkeum which is a spicy chicken dish. It is toned down in terms of heat, I remember eating this is in Korea and wanting to cry from the heat sweat dripping down my face. But in terms of a nice flavor not over spicy it was very good. Next, I had which has always been one of my favorites in Korea minus the heat is Tteokbokki and let me tell you everytime I have been to Korea I have always made it a point to get these. The texture the spice the flavor is just amazing, I just can’t speak enough on how good these are. Last there was only two sides that I remember there was some kimchi and bean sprouts. I kind of wish they would have brought out a few different types of kimchi. One thing I would have loved to have was a coke from Korea those are some of the best. I still have one so it’s over 20 years old I don’t ever plan on opening that thing. So, my overall experience was a little different compared to being with my military family. While the overall atmosphere was a cool setting. The food overall as a whole is good based on what I had. I would recommend this place to anyone looking for Southern Korean food. Plus going with the class was a nice different type of vibe watching a lot of my classmates try new food was amazing and encouraging. I am glad they all seem to have a open mind to trying new things. This is what builds memories.
ReplyDeleteMarlon Turner
My Sobahn experience was one I will remember. I really enjoyed the family style atmosphere, I loved the way the tables are set up because it almost makes it impossible not to communicate with those around you. I was extremely surprised by how much of the Korean food I liked, as I have never had any Korean cuisine before. I tried almost everything, with the only exception being the Gimbap. Out of all that I tried, my favorite dish of the night was by far the spicy chicken dish served with vegetables, I even found myself spooning the spicy sauce over the top of my white rice. The beef dish was also another one of my favorites. The sweet marinade made the dish perfect. I was most surprised by the vegetable pancake and how good it was with soy sauce alone. Of all the flavors last night, I felt like the Kimchi had the most unfamiliar taste, the dish was tangy, slightly sour but also kind of bitter. I took a piece of the dish that looked like pasta and was defiantly taken back by the texture (even with the warning from Dotty).
ReplyDeleteAs far as utensils go, I found that the metal chop sticks were a little challenging to grasp the hang of at first. I had a hard time picking things up without them falling off the end of my chop sticks before I could get the food into my mouth. Eventually I got the hang of it though. My metal spoon came in handy a lot of the night. This overall experience has taught me that I should expand my food horizon. I truly enjoyed nearly everything we ate, so much so I would go back. I’ve learned that it's okay to have your favorite food’s but it is also a great idea to try new food’s. You never know what new things you could fall in love with until you try them. I also find it interesting learning about the culture that goes along with the cuisine.
To be completely honest, I wasn't sure what to expect at Sobahn. I wouldn't consider myself a total stranger to Korean cuisine but I certainly was no expert. The most Korean food I had eaten before the outing with our class was at the Kansas City ethnic festival and it was mostly just snack food. For example, Dak-kkochi (pieces of chicken and scallions skewered and cooked) was nothing close to the food I had at the restaurant. With that being said the food really took me by surprise. I only expected to enjoy the bulgogi but almost everything I went back for seconds even thirds for. I also had heard a little bit about Korea culture beforehand but I didn't realize just how much emphasis was placed on respect for elders. I really enjoyed the family style dinner where everyone was expected to share because it was kind of forced everyone to talk to each other. I had no idea it was common to use stainless steel utensils and I found it extremely difficult during the beginning of the meal to get used to using them but by the end of dinner, I felt more confident. Upon talking to others I learned I had apparently been using chopsticks wrong my whole life which I thought was funny because I had always thought I was “good” at using them. Overall really enjoyed the dinner and plan to take my family and friends there at some point.
ReplyDelete-Shannon Henshaw
Dinner at Shobahn restaurant was delicious. However, I would classify it as memorable. I thoroughly enjoyed the company of my fellow classmates and my side of soke. It was good to get to know more of my peers from our class, as well as shoot the breeze with my fellow classmates who are in the nursing program with me. We ended up staying till closing and the restaurant owners were very kind to allow us to stay as long as we did.
ReplyDeleteI did a lot of traveling throughout my 20s and I had the privilege of traveling with a non for profit. Some of my team members were from South Korea, and although they spoke very little English, they were the sweetest most gentle people I have ever met. They made us Korean meals frequently, and the food was so delicious. Although it has been some time since I’ve eaten authentic Korean food, I do not remember their dished being as ‘saucy’ as the ones at Shobahn. However, that could be due to their style of cooking as well as the area from Korea they were from. A common dish they made us that I was hoping to have is Japchae, which is a stir fry side dish that has a combination of noodles and vegetables with beef. I also remember the Kimchi being much more fresh tasting, crunchy, and much spicier as oppose to sour.
Overall, I enjoyed my time eating and socializing at Sobahn. The waiting staff was very kind and the soke was comforting.
- Lisa Bartlett
Dinner at Shobahn was a great experience. I am not a particularly picky eater so it was exciting to try new things in such a fun atmosphere at the restaurant with the class. It was interesting to see how differently they season and serve Korean food as compared to something we would classify as a typical meal in the United States. I am very familiar with using chopsticks so that came as a breeze to me. I also greatly enjoyed the sparkling sake that I ordered on the side. While the food was terrific, I probably wouldn't have thought to try Korean food or go to this restaurant before taking this class unless someone close to me took me/suggested it. I was very appreciative of how kind and polite the staff was considering almost all of us were completely new to the culture and weren't entirely sure what to expect. After my experience here I would eagerly come back to Shobahn and expose some of my friends to this delicious variety of food that they might not have been willing to try before. Throughout the entire meal I worked hard to keep an open mind about everything I was trying, without giving judgement just off of appearance or smell. Overall, I can't think of a dish that I had a severe distaste for. I will definitely be coming to this restaurant again.
ReplyDelete-Michael Porter
I was very pleased with my dinner at Sobahn. Korean is one of the few foods I haven't had before. My whole life I have always enjoyed different foods and am willing to try almost anything, even when my mom was pregnant with me, she says she always wanted Mexican, Chinese, and other ethnic foods. There really wasn't anything there that I did not like. The spicy chicken was super delicious and I cannot quite place the flavors that I was getting from the sauce but ohmygod it was so good and one of my favorites. I liked how it was spicy but it wasn't kill you spicy, and honestly the spice really mixed well with the flavor, especially if you eat it with the rice as well. Another thing I really loved was the veggie pancake, and then you put the soy sauce on it, and oh!, so good! I could probably eat 10 of those pancakes in one sitting if I wanted to. The communal food eating was kind of strange at first, mainly because it's not with family and that there were no serving utensils other than your own spoon and chopsticks. I mostly too used my spoon because for some reason that night I could not for the life of me make the chopsticks cooperate. As I'm reading the other comments I'm a little bit disappointed that there was no kimchi at our table because from what everyone is saying, it sounds like it was sour, and I do really love sour foods. The rice dish that was looked like pasta, I was too, surprised about the texture despite Dotty's warning, but still enjoyed it. The marinated beef dish, what I was thinking of was stew beef, because that's what it looked like, but it was sooo much different, it actually felt and tasted like strips of thinly cut steak and then marinated in this delicious sauce, the beef sauce was very different than the rest of the food too I thought. It had some kind of flavor that seemed different from the rest of the food. I will definitely be back at Sobahn with my friends Mary and Leana and am going to try and convince my family (which should not be hard) to try this because it was so good. I am currently also looking for a recipe for that spicy chicken and spicy pancake, as well as the soy sauce because it was definitely different than the one we buy at the store, and it too was very good and I also very hungry reminiscing about the time we had at Sobahn because it was so good and of the nice time we had.
ReplyDelete-Abigail Jakobe
Eating Korean food for the first time was a great experience, I did not know what to expect at first but as I arrive to the restaurant the place look great and gave me a great vibe wasn't as nervous as I was on the way there. The food was really good specially since I'm not a fan of vegetables that much but this time it was an exception specially with the veggie pancake I did not expect it to be so delicious, and both the spicy chicken and the beef taste really good as well, but have to admit the spicy chicken was by far my favorite, the other two cold servings were good but did not enjoyed those as much. Overall it was a different experience having all those servings and sharing them with the group. I must admit I had a lot of trouble at first using the chop sticks at some point I was tented to just go and use my spoon but decided not to and end up getting better at it. Trying Korean food at the sobahn restaurant was an experience to remember great service and fast food service I enjoyed trying new food and learning the culture.
ReplyDelete-Ricardo Gonzalez