Best Korean Meal You'll Never Find outside of Korea

Honestly, if you found something good, I mean really really good, would you want to share it with others at your own expense? I've debated on whether to write this article. Until now, I have felt as though my favorite restaurant in the world is busy enough without me recommending it to others. I mean, this place is packed with locals during dinner eating hours just about every day of the week. There has been no need for me to augment this rush thus causing my waits to eat there to be longer and more frequent. Think about it for a second. What if it's so good that you don't want others coming and ruining it for you?

Well the time has come for me to share it with the world. The first reason is that I'm no longer in Korea and thus others' enjoyment will not be at the expense of my own. Secondly, I have recently stumbled upon others who feel the same way I do about this particular dish. Seoul Korea Travel has listed it as Three of the 10 Best Things about Seoul. His list isn't too dissimilar from my own list of Things I love About Korea, though I clearly left out my absolutely favorite part. My buddy, Dogles, listed it as

the only thing I could ever substitute for a real Thanksgiving meal and not shed tears over.

Brett Elmer over at Travelpod made a trip outside of Seoul to the hometown of this dish in a place called Chuncheon where it is 100% fact that they have a street named after the dish with approximately 20 restaurants all serving one thing. Mr. Brett Elmer not only gives a great description of the process involved in preparing and eating the meal, but also declares and I quote

It made me think about a line from that old TV show, 'Get Smart', when Max says - "That's the second best meal I've ever eaten. If I eat one better, that'll be the best."

So, what is this "best Korean meal you'll never find outside of Korea"? And how do I know that you will never find it outside of Korea. For one, I've tried to find it in several major cities around the world (Sydney, Auckland, Washington DC, Atlanta). Secondly, even if I did find it outside of Korea, I could almost guarantee that it would taste not nearly as good as the traditional dish. If the dish is bastardized in Seoul (the capital of Korea, mind you), then there's slim chance that they'll get it right outside of the country. The only two places in the world where I know for a fact that you can get the dish served the proper way are the dish's hometown of Chuncheon, and where I fell in love with the dish, Jeongja-dong of Bundang.

Life-altering Meal

True Story: Man lives in Korea for a year in Bundang. Man eats the meal in Jeongja-dong. Returns to Canada. Starts his Masters Degree. Korean friends send pictures of meal to man in Canada. Man returns to Korea, marries the Korean woman who sent him the pictures, now lives and works in Korea. Never finishes his Masters. True story. I have wedding photos to prove it.

If you want directions to the best restaurant in the world serving the "Best Korean Meal You'll Never Find outside of Korea," leave me a comment.

Cheers to all.

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