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An Insider’s Look into a Home-Cooked Korean Barbecue Feast

This article is written by a student writer from the Spoon University at UC Berkeley chapter.

At the very core of Korean culture is the concept of jeong. While there is no word in English that fully captures the weight of this simple yet significant word, its essence can be roughly translated into deep love, affection, and attachment. It is common for Koreans to express their jeong through the act of making, serving, and sharing food – particularly through Korean barbecue

In this article, I will be giving an insider’s look at an intimate home-cooked Korean barbecue feast that my roommate’s parents lovingly prepared for a pack of hungry college students – all as their way of encouraging us during midterm season.

Samgyeopsal 

Samgyeopsal, one of the most popular Korean barbecue dishes, was arguably the shining star of the feast.

korean barbecue bacon meat
Jenny Mun

Thick slices of marbled, fatty pork belly were seasoned with salt and pepper, then liberally grilled over an open fire. 

korean barbecue broil steak
Jenny Mun

Jeon

As for side dishes, miniature jeon (fish pancakes) were served. These savory bites are essentially fish and vegetables coated with egg batter, lightly pan-fried in oil until the outside slightly crusts to a golden brown.  

korean barbecue pork meat
Jenny Mun

They were perfectly complemented by heaping spoonfuls of piping hot rice, a staple for Korean households and especially feasts.

korean barbecue rice
Jenny Mun

Tteokbokki 

Another side dish was tteokbokki, soft rice and fish cakes stir-fried with gochujang, a sweet and spicy red chili sauce. 

korean barbecue beef pork
Jenny Mun

Kimchi jjigae

Of course, no Korean-American barbecue feast could be complete without a big pot of kimchi jjigae (kimchi stew), and that’s exactly what my roommate’s mother generously prepared from scratch.

korean barbecue goulash pepper
Jenny Mun

Aloe vera drinks

To quell our tongues from all the spiciness overload, my roommate’s parents also thoughtfully brought mango- and kiwi-flavored aloe vera drinks.

korean barbecue ice juice
Jenny Mun

Korean persimmons and grapes

As for dessert, two types of Korean fruit were served – persimmons and grapes. Korean persimmons are mildly sweet and have a hard flesh, while Korean grapes have a slimy and saccharinely flesh. These were the perfect ending notes to a feast of spicy and savory goodness. 

korean barbecue
Jenny Mun

All in all, this Korean barbecue feast was truly the ultimate gesture of jeong, and succeeded in charging and fueling us to face our midterms victoriously. 

Jenny Mun

UC Berkeley '17

Jenny Mun is a fourth-year English major at UC Berkeley and a lover of cold brew black coffee, chicken tikka masala, and green tea ice cream.