# What were these "side dishes" I was served at a Korean restaurant? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 28, 2011, 3:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-these-side-dishes-i-was-served-at-a-korean-restaurant/601036 "2011-10-28T03:26:59Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![guizot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guizot/32/3636_2.png) [@guizot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/guizot)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2011, 11:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-these-side-dishes-i-was-served-at-a-korean-restaurant/601036/21 "2011-10-28T23:03:55Z")
> [@teela\_brown](#): > > Korean side dishes are awesome, and different restaurants trot out different assortments according to the expertise of their cooks…It’s a tasty way to get a giant dose of vegetables. Sometimes it’s the only part of the meal that I eat. ---
**Author:** ![Monty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monty/32/47_2.png) [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2011, 12:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-these-side-dishes-i-was-served-at-a-korean-restaurant/601036/22 "2011-10-29T00:16:09Z")
> [@teela\_brown](#): > > Korean side dishes are awesome, and different restaurants trot out different assortments according to the expertise of their cooks. I always order the soft tofu soup, and have seconds on the bancheon. It’s a tasty way to get a giant dose of vegetables. Except, of course, for the apparent inability for Korean cooks to grasp the simple fact that ham and fish are not vegetables. Almost all the kimchi here has shrimp sauce added during the preparation. ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_Robson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gary_robson/32/3448_2.png) [@Gary\_Robson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_Robson)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2011, 1:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-these-side-dishes-i-was-served-at-a-korean-restaurant/601036/23 "2011-10-29T01:30:20Z")
[moderating] Since this is a food question, I moved it to Cafe Society. [/moderating] ---
**Author:** ![aruvqan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aruvqan/32/2891_2.png) [@aruvqan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2011, 2:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-these-side-dishes-i-was-served-at-a-korean-restaurant/601036/24 "2011-10-29T02:02:38Z")
> [@Acsenray](#): > > You can buy them at the store. > > So how is this similar to the Korean restaurant problem again? Not being indian in any way shape or form [I am so caucasion I practically glow in the dark] and not speaking any dialect of indian, I have absolutely no idea what the 3 glops are, nor how to google for the recipe should I want to make them. The only indian restaurant in Glastonbury [which is now closed, hence my desire to find the recipes] had waitstaff that didn’t actually seem to speak english, or be able to understand the charades enough to give me a coherent answer naming the 3 glops enough for me to be able to google the recipes. [one ordered by pointing at the menu and throwing oneself on the mercy of strangers.] Rather like someone who is not korean wondering what the little veggies with eyes are. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2011, 2:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-these-side-dishes-i-was-served-at-a-korean-restaurant/601036/25 "2011-10-29T02:04:46Z")
> [@aruvqan](#): > > Not being indian in any way shape or form [I am so caucasion I practically glow in the dark] and not speaking any dialect of indian, I have absolutely no idea what the 3 glops are, They won’t tell you. The guy at _Star of India_ told me the little white tasty things were “Indian Poocorn. It’s good for you!” the son of a bitch. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Taomist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/53a042/32.png) [@Taomist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Taomist)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2011, 2:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-these-side-dishes-i-was-served-at-a-korean-restaurant/601036/26 "2011-10-29T02:13:30Z")
I’ve only been to Korean lunch a couple of times, and also had no idea what to expect. I ate everything and I think I liked it all; I agree it’s fun and delicious 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![limegreen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/82dd89/32.png) [@limegreen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/limegreen)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2011, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-these-side-dishes-i-was-served-at-a-korean-restaurant/601036/27 "2011-10-29T17:46:21Z")
I’m not sure I’d taste anything called Poocorn, no matter how good it was for me. ---
**Author:** ![audiobottle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/bc8723/32.png) [@audiobottle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/audiobottle)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2011, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-these-side-dishes-i-was-served-at-a-korean-restaurant/601036/28 "2011-10-29T18:27:53Z")
I’m sort of baffled how anybody would think the little anchovies were vegetables. They look exactly like whole, small fish. I also just wanted to correct what I think might be a mispronunciation of 반찬 based on what I’ve seen written here. It’s pronounced bahn-chahn (a as in like ahhh). Tha t might be exactly how you pronounce it, but to me, bancheon looks more you’re saying something like banchun (반천). ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2011, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-these-side-dishes-i-was-served-at-a-korean-restaurant/601036/29 "2011-10-29T20:26:23Z")
> [@limegreen](#): > > I’m not sure I’d taste anything called Poocorn, no matter how good it was for me. He probably meant popcorn. Like I said, he’s an SOB. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2011, 11:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-these-side-dishes-i-was-served-at-a-korean-restaurant/601036/30 "2011-10-29T23:38:20Z")
> [@Monty](#): > > Except, of course, for the apparent inability for Korean cooks to grasp the simple fact that ham and fish are not vegetables. Almost all the kimchi here has shrimp sauce added during the preparation. There’s nothing intrinsically wrong with getting large servings of vegetables with bits of ham or fish. They don’t claim that their vegetables are vegetarian, do they? ---
**Author:** ![Helena](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c68b51/32.png) [@Helena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Helena)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2011, 5:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-these-side-dishes-i-was-served-at-a-korean-restaurant/601036/31 "2011-10-30T05:10:33Z")
Hey, we’re in Tacoma! Which place did you go to? We like O Bok Jip and Chung Ki Wa (which are right across the street from each other), but I know there are a lot of places down there that we haven’t tried. ---
**Author:** ![Monty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monty/32/47_2.png) [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2011, 1:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-these-side-dishes-i-was-served-at-a-korean-restaurant/601036/32 "2011-11-04T01:21:32Z")
> [@limegreen](#): > > I’m not sure I’d taste anything called Poocorn, no matter how good it was for me. You may want to avoid [then as it’s pronounced–and I kid you not–“Cow piss.” Maybe [url=http://www.pocarisweat.com.ph/]this](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calpis) will tickle your palate a bit more: Pocari Sweat. Yep, sweat, right there in the name of the stuff. FTR, I think both drinks are delicious. I’m fairly addicted to the Pocari Sweat which is widely available in South Korea. > [@Acsenray](#): > > There’s nothing intrinsically wrong with getting large servings of vegetables with bits of ham or fish. They don’t claim that their vegetables are vegetarian, do they? I think you meant to ask if they claim their ham is vegetarian. There’s everything wrong with getting shrimp in your meal when you tell the cook that you’re allergic to shrimp and don’t put the damn things in there. There’s everything wrong with getting ham when you told the cook, “No meat.” And, yes, they really do consider ham to not be meat. My guess is that it’s because every other part of the pig is referred to as 돼지고기/pig-meat/pork but ham is simply called 햄/ham. It’s one of the very many logical disconnects to be found in South Korea. Last time I flew, I forgot about all that and unfortunately got the “Asian Vegetarian” meal. In English, the proper name for that is “Absolutely Disgusting Concoction of About 20 Kinds of Fish and 10 Kinds of Shellfish, Including, of Course, Shrimp, Stew.” Even if I could’ve eaten the stuff, I don’t think I would’ve found it at all palatable. It was just _this_ side of being something you’d see in a mad doctor’s laboratory. Funny story. A few years ago when I was dating a Korean nurse, we went to a nice place she’d heard about. The place was not just nice; it was incredibly awesome. It looked like we’d time warped back to the heyday of King Sejong’s reign. And it wasn’t just slapped together like almost every other building in the country is. This place was _built_. Well, we’d ordered some stuff (mixed vegetables and rice, which, of course has shrimp in it). My date spoke with the chef and let him know not to put any shrimp in mine due to my allergy. He did and she freaked out before I actually ate the stuff. His excuse, “But these are the really tiny shrimp and you know it’s not the real dish without them.” After a short, let’s call it a discussion between them about food safety and food allergies, the chef whipped up a huge replacement dish for me. It was about twice the size of the original order. Actually, I wish I could remember the name of the place. It was a great joint, the shrimp encounter notwithstanding. ---
**Author:** ![Monty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monty/32/47_2.png) [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2011, 3:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-these-side-dishes-i-was-served-at-a-korean-restaurant/601036/33 "2011-11-04T03:55:27Z")
[Calpis](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calpis) {Fixed the link.} ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2011, 8:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-these-side-dishes-i-was-served-at-a-korean-restaurant/601036/34 "2011-11-04T08:06:25Z")
> [@Helena](#): > > Hey, we’re in Tacoma! Which place did you go to? We like O Bok Jip and Chung Ki Wa (which are right across the street from each other), but I know there are a lot of places down there that we haven’t tried. It was the Palace BBQ, on South Tacoma Way near 84th. It’s in a shopping center with a Korean grocery store and some other Korean businesses. ---
**Author:** ![devilsknew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4da419/32.png) [@devilsknew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/devilsknew)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2011, 8:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-these-side-dishes-i-was-served-at-a-korean-restaurant/601036/35 "2011-11-04T08:35:39Z")
My favorite Bancheon is sweet and sour sesame octopus. ---
**Author:** ![devilsknew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4da419/32.png) [@devilsknew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/devilsknew)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2011, 8:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-these-side-dishes-i-was-served-at-a-korean-restaurant/601036/36 "2011-11-04T08:37:04Z")
It must be cold. ---
**Author:** ![devilsknew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4da419/32.png) [@devilsknew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/devilsknew)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2011, 8:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-these-side-dishes-i-was-served-at-a-korean-restaurant/601036/37 "2011-11-04T08:40:09Z")
**Baby Octopus** , if the tides are right. ---
**Author:** ![hogarth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hogarth/32/1773_2.png) [@hogarth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hogarth)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2011, 1:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-these-side-dishes-i-was-served-at-a-korean-restaurant/601036/38 "2011-11-04T13:42:47Z")
> [@Smapti](#): > > I see the cucumber salad in the top picture, and the white sprouts and the green stalks in the picture of _namul_. The reddish-white vegetable was clearly kimchi. Those stalks are spinach or watercress stems, I think. I agree that the mystery wedges in sauce could be boiled potato (although I’m used to seeing it in nondescript chunks). Did you poke them to see what the consistency was? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-these-side-dishes-i-was-served-at-a-korean-restaurant/601036.md?page=1)