BY CHESKA MARIE VELONERO
GOOD food is always trendy.
Today, countless food trends have emerged, been invented, and are still progressing due to innovation, creativity, and human’s endless pursuit of pleasure. One of the leading examples of the “good food experience” in the city of Iloilo, which scored not just on the tastebuds but also the hearts and minds of the Ilonggos, is the Korean Samgyeopsal.
The Origin
This dish which originated from South Korea, consists of pork belly meat with different side dishes and is initially served as an evening meal.
The rising popularity of Korean Samgyeopsal in the Philippines came from the fame of Korean dramas and Korean Pop artists. People got to see the living environment of their idols and certain celebrities, which influenced them to explore the culture and food of the South Korean population.
On top of that, the popularization of video content made by various influencers called Mukbang— a video showing a considerable amount of food presented and eaten in front of the camera to showcase various delicacies to the audience, further explained the “Korean Samgyeopsal” trend to Filipino citizens. The increasing number of uploads on social media platforms made countless food cultures accessible to viewers, keeping them engrossed and willing to try these unfamiliar tastes.
Filipinos’ Growing Love for Korean Cuisine
With the continuous rise of Korean food culture in the mainstream, entrepreneurs saw this as an opportunity to launch a Korean Samgyeopsal business in an unlimited buffet setup. The way consumers patronize this food trend led to the successful growth of Korean Samgyeopsal in the metro, which later transformed into a more Filipino term called Samgyupsal.
Restaurants that offer samgyupsal have many things in common, yet each has its own flair and style when it comes to the ambiance or interior of the place, service, price, and especially the taste of the food. The moment you step inside a samgyupsal restaurant, the aromatic smell from the smoke of grilled meat will cause your stomach to rumble, and your mouth will begin to salivate as you crave food to ease the starvation that envelopes your system.
After you or any of your companions inform the assigned staff to list down your order, the crew will serve various cuts of meat marinated in different flavors according to your choice. In addition to these uncooked cuts of meat, rice and a series of side dishes such as kimchi, sweet potato, pickled radish, lettuce, and different kinds of sauces like cheese, soy sauce, and ssamjang (a Korean spicy paste) will be placed on the table as well.
As the meat touches the surface of the provided griller, its sizzling sound will cause you to want it even more. With various side dishes and sauces available, there are many ways to enjoy a samgyupsal, whether you’d like to wrap it with lettuce or eat it with rice, add different side dishes, and dip it in a sauce of choice.
The Newest Comfort Food
Samgyupsal is a food experience consumed by a mouthful that would surely satisfy the customers leaving the store with a full tummy and a curve on their lips.
“Going to a Samgyupsal Resto is a fun and intimate leisure cooking with friends without the hassle of food preparation,” said Rowela Catalan, 22 years old from Janiuay, Iloilo and an avid foodie who chose to celebrate an important milestone in one of the most famous Samgyupsal restaurants in Iloilo City.
“It is worth it to spend an affordable amount where it can feed a lot rather than be served with only a little but would cost your pockets a lot,” she added.
This is only a reminder that it is only okay to comfort yourself once in a while, but it would be better to do it in trend and style. And it is undeniably a pleasurable feeling for you to fill not just your mouth and stomach but also your system with something that would make you happy. As Auguste Escoffier said, “Good food is the foundation of genuine happiness.”/PN
