I have tried tteokbokki (떡볶이) which is a spicy korean dish that uses gochujang (red pepper paste) as the base and has rice cakes, fishcakes, and eggs cooked together. Besides getting tteokbokki at the stands, I have also tried a nonspicy dish called japchae (잡채), which uses Korean glass noodles (potato starch noodles that look clear when cooked) and a mix of ingredients like mushrooms, eggs, peppers, thinly sliced meats and more.
Different dishes made me feel differently. Since some people can't handle spiciness, many restaurants have spice levels for customers to choose from. When I first tried jjigae, it made me feel warm, cozy and at home because the dish was very comforting, even though it was spicy. When I ate tteobokki, it was more of a snack dish. Even though I only had a small portion, I was full—probably because I couldn't handle the spice well and drank a lot of water. When I ate Korean BBQ, it was messy for me at first. I put a lot of meat and side dishes inside my lettuce wrap and tried to eat it in one go. When I am in New York, I do not eat spicy food often, but ever since I came here I began to enjoy spicy food more, despite it being too spicy sometimes. Trying so many new foods has been an eye-opening experience.
For street stands, all the food is prepared on the spot. Not only are we able to enjoy the hot food but we are also able to see the process of it being cooked. However, Korean restaurants are similar to restaurants in New York since food is prepared in the kitchen.
