The Joys of KBBQ

If you were to follow me and my high school football team for a month, you’d be shocked by how often we would go to Wang Cho KBBQ in Chino Hills to eat Korean Barbecue. My teammates and I ate Korean Barbecue a.k.a. KBBQ on such a frequent basis that we never had to call for a reservation over the phone, as soon as one of us spoke, our voices were recognized and we were told that a table or two (depending on our group size) was ready and waiting just for us. It might seem strange that a bunch of American jocks, primarily white, african-american, and latino would have such a strong love for KBBQ, but as you will soon find out, it really isn’t hard to understand why.

Korean Barbecue is the style of grilling beef, chicken, pork, etc, that occurs in Korean cuisine. Korean Barbecue stands out from other cultures cuisines because of the flavors of the food as well as the way that it is made and consumed. Korean Barbecue has distinct flavors and items that can only be found in Asian cultures. Whether it be the salts and marinades used to give flavor or the side dishes such as Kimchi and Japchae, it is undeniable that eating Korean barbecue is an experience that is exotic to the palette of most Americans. In my opinion, the most unique aspect of going to a Korean barbecue restaurant is the way that the food is prepared. In the vast majority of restaurants the food is prepared by a chef in the kitchen and then presented to the customer when the food is cooked and given an appealing presentation. In Korean Barbecue restaurants, the customers are given uncooked pieces of meat and have to cook the meat themselves. I believe that this is the most unique and appealing aspect of eating Korean Barbecue.

The process of cooking your own food is the main experience that people have when they go to a Korean barbecue restaurant. In an age where people are spending less time having family meals together and cooking less together, it is refreshing to be in a setting where you are cooking your meal and you can see how happy everyone is when they taste the food that you have cooked. To answer the question: Why is Korean Barbecue currently so popular in the United States? I believe that Korean Barbecue is so popular because it gives people the chance to cook and eat together in a way that is no longer common. While it does help that many of the items found in Korean Barbecue are similar to items found in American cuisine, I believe that the experience matters to people more than what they are consuming. Korean Barbecue gives people a feeling of intimacy when they are eating together because they know that they made the food that they are currently all enjoying.

While Korean Barbecue has grown significantly in popularity in recent years, it has also begun to lose part of its authenticity and has begun to assimilate into American mainstream culture. In some Korean Barbecue restaurants none of the menus feature any writing in Korean, some restaurants have replaced Korean drinks with American drinks, and some restaurants have gotten rid of chopsticks altogether and are only giving customers forks and knives. While I do believe that it is sad that this great experience is having to ‘americanize’ I believe that by going through this process, Korean Barbecue will appeal to more people than ever before and that is a wonderful thing.

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