G'Day, Mate!
Korea Trip Journal #6
Gumi, Korea - 11pm Wednesday, 16 July 2008
After work on Tuesday Tim and I were looking forward to something better for dinner than the mediocre sushi we'd had Monday night. We narrowed the choices down to steak or Korean beef, and chose Korean beef. But then, when we were almost there, we spied an Outback steakhouse. Yes, in the middle of nowheresville, South Korea, there's an Outback. Our Korean counterparts were surprised we're familiar with the brand, seeing how it is Australian and all. They were curious to try it, and I was a bit burnt on spicy food from lunch, so we all agreed to give it a whirl.
Pulling on my best Australian brogue as we strolled into the restaurant, I barked, "G'day mate! Oy'm ready for a steak 'n' a beer!" The hostess looked past me as if I've just muttered something unintelligible and asked our Korean colleague how many are in the party. At least, that's what I think she said. She may have asked, "Is your friend Special Ed?"
My Aussie shtick struck out again with the bartender. I could have tried it on the waitress, but I didn't want to go 0-for-3.
I introduced my Korean counterpart to horseradish. I explained that it's strong like wasabi. "Like wasabi?" he asked as he plopped a whole spoonful atop a single piece of meat. He tasted it. "Hmm, that's hot. I like." He then ate most of a dish of the stuff-- raw, not creamed.
Watching the guy suck down horseradish was probably the highlight of the evening. Overall, the food was serviceable but unspectacular. Bottom line: Outback in Korea has the same exterior as Outback in the US, but inside nobody has a clue that it's anything more than a generic steak restaurant. They don't even have a Bloomin' Onion on the menu, fer chrissakes!
Real Korean Beef
Wednesday night we went out to the Korean beef restaurant we skipped on Tuesday. Just inside the front door is an area for guests to remove and store their shoes. It's an Asian thing. But facing the shoe area in this restaurant was a display case containing a pair of cow's feet. I'm glad they're happy with just my shoes.
Now, Korean beef, that's the ticket. Bring me raw beef and a charcoal fire. Bring me tongs and a grill. Let me cook it mysel-- WAIT, this is like cooking at home! ...Except someone else does all the prep, all the cleanup, and keeps bringing me bottles of beer. So it's like cooking at home with a supportive wife. ;)
Gumi, Korea - 11pm Wednesday, 16 July 2008
After work on Tuesday Tim and I were looking forward to something better for dinner than the mediocre sushi we'd had Monday night. We narrowed the choices down to steak or Korean beef, and chose Korean beef. But then, when we were almost there, we spied an Outback steakhouse. Yes, in the middle of nowheresville, South Korea, there's an Outback. Our Korean counterparts were surprised we're familiar with the brand, seeing how it is Australian and all. They were curious to try it, and I was a bit burnt on spicy food from lunch, so we all agreed to give it a whirl.
Pulling on my best Australian brogue as we strolled into the restaurant, I barked, "G'day mate! Oy'm ready for a steak 'n' a beer!" The hostess looked past me as if I've just muttered something unintelligible and asked our Korean colleague how many are in the party. At least, that's what I think she said. She may have asked, "Is your friend Special Ed?"
My Aussie shtick struck out again with the bartender. I could have tried it on the waitress, but I didn't want to go 0-for-3.
I introduced my Korean counterpart to horseradish. I explained that it's strong like wasabi. "Like wasabi?" he asked as he plopped a whole spoonful atop a single piece of meat. He tasted it. "Hmm, that's hot. I like." He then ate most of a dish of the stuff-- raw, not creamed.
Watching the guy suck down horseradish was probably the highlight of the evening. Overall, the food was serviceable but unspectacular. Bottom line: Outback in Korea has the same exterior as Outback in the US, but inside nobody has a clue that it's anything more than a generic steak restaurant. They don't even have a Bloomin' Onion on the menu, fer chrissakes!
Real Korean Beef
Wednesday night we went out to the Korean beef restaurant we skipped on Tuesday. Just inside the front door is an area for guests to remove and store their shoes. It's an Asian thing. But facing the shoe area in this restaurant was a display case containing a pair of cow's feet. I'm glad they're happy with just my shoes.
Now, Korean beef, that's the ticket. Bring me raw beef and a charcoal fire. Bring me tongs and a grill. Let me cook it mysel-- WAIT, this is like cooking at home! ...Except someone else does all the prep, all the cleanup, and keeps bringing me bottles of beer. So it's like cooking at home with a supportive wife. ;)