Gimbap

I'm often surprised at the way friends back home ask what we eat in Korea, like we're in some sort of third world country where we have to hunt for our own food every week. We can't find most of the meals we'd eat in Lethbridge, but there's no shortage of produce available on almost every street corner, and the spicy sauces have been a pleasant surprise. However, nothing we make at home compares with the huge tasty meals served at local restaurants. I thought I'd write a few posts describing our favorite local cuisine.

Gimbap is my favorite meal. Koreans will tell you it's picnic food - it's basically a Korean version of a sandwich. It is also very cheap, very filling and very healthy.
Basically, it's vegetables wrapped in seaweed with a few different choices for a main filling. The basic ingredients are carrot, cucumber, lettuce, radish, egg and rice. Generally there are three kinds of gimbap to choose from: tam chi (tuna), so kogi (meat) and kimchi. In some gimbap restaurants you'll also find doi chi (pork) and cheese. The roll is covered in sesame oil and served sliced - the same as sushi. Like every Korean meal, gimbap is served with a side dish free of charge. With a roll you'll get sliced kimchi and radish, as well as green onion soup (which tastes like French onion).

Directions: place a bit of kimchi and a slice of radish on a slice of gimbap and eat it with one bite. Amazing.