The Glories of Peasant Food

This NY Times article on Korean food trying to become fancy and Americanized made me think about how much I like Korean food for being what it is, peasant food. This is just the food that people eat. There's not much artistic design to it. There's not much pretension to it. It's just some hot, spicy, tasty shit. The same goes for peasant food around the world. I can't imagine that I would have been happier at some upscale Mexico City or Acapulco restaurant than I was with the fish tacos in the street stands in Guyamas. Same with high-end restaurants in Bangkok and Singapore compared to the thousands of stands around those cities. I have no doubt that I would rather eat French peasant food than the finest food in Paris. What are you paying for? Air-conditioning? Lighting? Is the food really any better?

I also found this story interesting for its discussion of how Koreans are pissed with these new upscale Korean restaurants in Manhattan because they don't offer the basic amenities of Korean food, namely free side dishes. To me, the side dishes are the best part about Korean food. They are shared among all eating. That means that eating in a Korean restaurant is not privatized food consumption when you are eating with other people. It means that eating is a community function to share with those around you. Maybe for the people freaky about germs it would be uncomfortable. For me, it's wonderful. Plus those side dishes are a way to get a lot of different tastes and find out what you like about Korean food, or what you like about a particular restaurant if you are more familiar with it. To not give free side dishes, not even kimchi for Christ's sake, is basically a denial of Korean culture. I understand that this is America, or New York anyway, and that things are a lot different than in Seoul. But in trying to become the next trendy food, these restaurant owners are not only denying their fundamental culture, they are hurting some of the best things about their own food.