Grilling Some Meat in Ji'an City
The sun was going down fast and as agreed, my tour guide started to bring me back to the hotel. I will be using his services the next day where the real tour begins. As a sign of goodwill, he will not be accepting payment just yet, we will do that the following day. This was just some appetizer. Speaking of food, it was getting dark and I haven’t had lunch yet. I thought I might as well have an early dinner here in Ji’an. I asked my driver where is a good place to eat. He thought long and hard for some place which someone from the outside would eat at and say that he has been to Ji’an. You’d think that being a tour guide he would have something ready in mind or perhaps it was because my rather strict criteria.
Sauce to Dip the Grilled Meat
He finally came up with something and it was something I didn’t expect at all. He knew of this place which was clean and delicious and yet quite affordable. The place was just off the city center and it seems that he frequents this place a lot. The name of the place is 金达菜烤肉 and it serves, guess what, Korean barbeque. I know I wouldn’t be able to eat barbeque alone so I invited my guide to eat with me, my treat of course. He was embarassed to go with me but eventually agreed to join me upon my insistence. Besides, I wouldn’t know how to order anyway.
Red Hot Grilling Pot
The way it works is they have a pot of coal with a metal screen on top for you to grill your own meat. They have a large selection of meat but because there were only two of us, we only chose three types of meat, beef, chicken and some kind of fish which my guide recommended. The deal with Korean barbeque of this type is that, whether it comes out good or bad, will be completely up to you. If it is bad, it will be your fault. My guide mixed up a batch of sauce made up of soy sauce, sesame paste, chili, garlic, and who knows what.
Don't Forget the Kimchi
The sauce was perfect for the meat and we were thoughly enjoying the grilling, of course there were some mistakes and some got charred beyond recognition. The small fish was caught from the Yalu River and it said to be a delicacy here in Ji’an. It was okay, but nibbling through the tiny fish was troublesome with all the bones and stuff. My guide was very grateful for my invitation and he was obviously very happy with the meal. He was a very cheerful fellow and ordered a glass of rice wine for us. I can’t remember when I last had that but I was quite nice, a little sweet and not too much alchol. It was a satisfying meal and I know I wouldn’t have been able to partake of this without my guide. Although it was only 5 in the afternoon, and it was already pitch black outside. Such is the life in the north.
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