We were on the hunt again for the most shocking and disgusting item we could find for our dinner, we settled on chicken feet. Some of us had tried this before in China or in UK Chinese restaurants, others hadn’t. After 30 minutes popping in and out of every samgyeopsal restaurant in Chonnam National University Backgate asking for ‘Dakbal‘, chicken feet or when all hope was lost, miming feet with my hands, we found somewhere that said ‘neh’.
We went in and cosied up around a small bbq grill table and took in the new paint scent of this recently opened restaurant. It was underneath my favourite Thai restaurant; ‘Thaiholic’ and I’d never noticed this place until now vis-a-vis it must have been new. Shops and restaurants come and go so quickly in Korea, a place can be there one day and literally be gone the next so you’re never totally sure what’s on your own doorstep.
We ordered a mixed platter which included pork cuts, chicken feet and then, well, God only knows. We stocked up on beer and soju for it was Friday and we got cracking, shots all round! We needed soju to mentally and physically prepare ourselves.
The chicken feet and pork came on the grill ready to be plonked straight over the hot stones. A kidney dish of something that looked like kidney or liver was placed down on the table with the direction that we were only to cook it once we’d eaten all that was on the grill currently. So be it. We got grilling.
The sides were uninspiring. The usual, kimchi, beansprouts, soups and silk worms. Perhaps that’s why I drunk more soju than usual! The pork and the chicken took a little longer than we were used to and when the very attentive waiter finally said it was ready, we dug in.
Cameras were at the ready to catch the first moment it hit our tongues, we bit in. I think we were all surprised by how tasty it was! The bones had been removed, unlike the ones I’d had before where you had to suck the skin off the bones, this one you just popped straight into your mouth and chewed. The marinade reminded me of a spicy barbecue sauce and was right up my alley, until my body caught up and realised just how spicy it was. The hiccups started as is the case when I eat anything particularly spicy and I had to pause and spend the next 20 minutes downing water (and soju – best cure!) The others agreed it was very spicy but carried on nonetheless. The pork was a normal samgyeopsal cut and was tasty so after the hiccups subsided I went for more of that and then reverted back to the feet, but more carefully this time!
After we’d abolished the pork and feet, we turned to the kidney dish. We plonked the contents on and google translated the item on the menu. It was rectum. Of course, it was. We cooked this for a VERY long time. Then chop sticks came up, rectum was skewed between them and mouths opened, eyes closed with a grimace of grim expectations. The groans erupted and for the first time ever amongst my friends in this group, it was quickly spat back into the kidney dish. It was just foul. It actually tasted like what I imagine bottom tastes like. I don’t think one of us managed to chew the whole thing down, the taste grew as you chewed and conjured up all sorts of disgusting images of what you were eating. After much soju to wash away the taste, we stumbled out into the fresh air, rating chicken feet high and the rectum pretty dam low! Who’d have thought!?