Last Friday night, I threw it down - Bobby Flay style and proved that I can hang with the big boys.
OK, so I didn't actually grill up the meat for the four of us that night. I watched MK (aka Master Kalbi-Griller) work his magic over the flames, and salivated as the flavors of grilled marinated meat filled the cold night air.
Along with what seemed to have been several pounds of meat, we also grilled some zucchini and squash with side dishes of kim-chee flavored vegetables, bean sprouts, and spinach [pictured left] to go with our kalbi. But what made this night of carnage that much more special was MK's bowl of peeled garlic cloves.
Apparently, the most delicious way to eat kalbi is to wrap it around a raw garlic clove. But beware of raw garlic touching your tastebuds - it's face scrunching, nose burning nasty! Some of those cloves were HUGE, and my eyes watched in disbelief as MS popped one in his mouth like it was a mentos! Though, I couldn't help but laugh when his face twisted and contorted in gastronomic pain.
I chose the smaller cloves in the bowl, and diced the larger ones for a more manageable bite. And when eaten just right, there's a burst of flavors that dance in the mouth - sweet, savory, sharp, spicy, sensational!
At the end of the night, I tallied up the number of bones piled high on my paper plate and easily packed away the meat from almost 20 bones (if not more). With some basic alegebra, here's the breakdown:
/
3
(# of bones on avg piece of meat)
=
6-7 pieces of kalbi
(And that's a very low estimate!)
I consumed about the same amount of meat as any of the three men with whom I ate - along with a generous fill of vegetables and rice.
Too bad MS couldn't finish his last piece of meat on his plate. It was truly sad (yet oh-so-side hurtingly funny!) to see him shamelessly sprawl across the floor and pass out from what he called a "food hangover." I was kind enough not to take any incriminating photos. But it was then, when I knew I could keep up with the big boys.
Yes, I'm a girl who can eat... and I eat a lot.
Hannam Chain Super Market
(where I bought the kalbi and korean side dishes)
street: 2740 W. Olympic Blvd | Los Angeles, CA | 90006
tel: 1.213.382.2922
currently listening to:"Wicked" - composed by Stephen Schwartz
8 comments:
You forgot to mention how the Kalbi aroma managed to inbed itself in my hair, clothes, etc. Good times.
yes, you can hold it down. i dont know if thats a good or bad thing.. jk.
food hangovers are hazardous!
Whats up with gary forgeting to bring the games with his Wii!?
You can completely hang with the guys! I am proud of you! Haha, if that had been my equivalent of MS, I would have helped him to finish that last piece of meat on his plate, and then laugh and point at him until he was humiliated!
Oooh Garlic - I agree with PE, you sure can hang!!! I once dated a Korean Girl who taught me to eat Bulgogi wrapped around green onions and sliced raw garlic, with the Bulgogi wrapped in lettuce.
Hey Mark! Good times, for sure! Yeah, you smelled that night. Smelled real bad. LOL!
Hey MS! Don't be embarrassed that you passed out b/c of your food hangover! You know you love my hearty appetite. ;)
Hey PE! Yeah, believe me... I was spying his last piece of meat. But didn't want to humiliate him even more. LOL!
Hey Kirkk! Mmm... bulgogi, green onions, lettuce, and garlic... Delicious!
Mmmm... I lovies kalbi and garlic cloves. In Taiwan, my cousins taught me how to snack on raw garlic cloves dipped in a little dark soy sauce for flavor.
This sounds interesting for sure! I've never tried kalbi, I'm not sure if I could eat a clove of raw garlic...
...much less 20.
Hey Chubbypanda! OH MY GOSH... raw garlics with shoyu as a snack? Whoa... I could just imagine the aftermath...
Hey Patricia! Thanks for stopping by... You'll have to try some kalbi... it is THAT good! I crave it at least once a month!!! :D
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