Fried-Rice Guy

I'm starting to get a little tired of Korean food, so lately I've been eating Chinese food a little more frequently. The Chinese food here is terrific, a lot better than most of what you get in the states. It's less greasy and more flavorful. Like Korean meals, it's generally served as a bunch of little dishes, although interestingly, things that we would think of as "entrees" such as various chicken or pork dishes are served early in the meal, and the "main" dish is either noodles or rice. Koreans eat their rice with a spoon, not chopsticks. And the food always comes not only with the ever-present kimchee, but also with pickled radishes (which are bright yellow and very tasty) and raw onion with hoison sauce.

Anyway, the other night I went to a Chinese restaurant and sat down. The waitress brought me a menu, but it was entirely in Korean so I couldn't read it. I finally pointed to what another diner was having, fried rice with a spicy black bean sauce, and indicated that I wanted the same (not because I necessarily wanted fried rice, but because we had reached a level of futility in conversation where it was the only way I was getting anything to eat). It was very good (and cheap--dinner was only 4500 won, less than $5), and I went on my merry way.

So last night I went back to the same restaurant and sat down. I had brought my little phrase book with me this time, and was hoping to order something different, a really good sweet and sour pork dish. However, the watiress never came over to take my order. I sat for a while trying to get her attention, and when she finally arrived she had brought me the same plate of fried rice. I didn't really have much choice, so I went ahead and ate it (and it was still good and cheap). So now I either have to find a new Chinese restaurant, or be more pro-active in ordering.