They asked us what we wanted (kind of, none of them speak english, and none of us speak korean). We said definitely yes to the sam gyeop sal, but were unsure of the others, one of them being san nakji which we soon found out was raw (wriggling) octopus. I felt no need to try this, and munched on my delicious pork, but Jake will tell you he legitimately enjoyed the octopus...sure.
After eating my share of food, I put my chopsticks down to signal "I'm full," but these Koreans would have nothing of it. Onni decides to hand me the worlds largest bite of sam gyeop sal. I should mention, the sam gyeop sal is pork meat wrapped in a lettuce leaf with bean paste, onions, garlic, or any topping of your choosing. The one rule that comes along with it is that you eat it in one bite. And the food filled lettuce leaf I had handed to me was about the size of my own fist (and I was never one of those kids that could fit their fist in their mouth).
I looked at her incredulously, and Oppa says "One bite!" I look around to Jake, Erica and Jay, hoping for some support, but am told that this is a rite of passage in the Koreans mind. I eat this all (in one bite) or am banished to waygookin status forever! To make matters worse, Onni was kind enough to put an entire hot pepper into it for me...great.
Well, without much detail, I managed to eat the damn thing (looking like a hamster with too many cheerios in its cheeks I'm sure), but oh boy was my mouth on fire for the next 10 minutes. After suffering through this, I took a swig of my beer (which magically refilled itself constantly, thanks Oppa), and set my chopsticks and dipping sauce far from me, to signal yet again, I'm finished.
Well, not 2 minutes later is a new dish brought out. It's covered in red spicy sauce, has some vegetables, and what appears to be octopus tentacles minus the suckers. None of us can figure out what it is before Onna wraps some up in a leaf and shoves it (ever so nicely) at my mouth. Now remember, you CAN NOT refuse a Koreans offerings. It's just not kosher. So again, with great trepidation, I take what she's offering, eat it, and think, hey this actually isn't so bad. Yeah, I have to chew for about 10 minutes before I can actually get it down, but overall, things could be worse. I ask her "Igo, moyayo?" (What is this) and she simply replies ggom jang eo. Ah, of course, ggom jan eo! How could I not know!
We made her write it down so we could research when we got home what it was exactly that we ate, and here dear read, is what I found:
The Hagfish: Their unusual feeding habits and slime-producing capabilities have led members of the scientific and popular media to dub the hagfish as the most "disgusting" of all sea creatures.[2][3][4] Although hagfish are sometimes called "slime eels," they are not eels at all.[5]
And there you have it, tonight, I ate slime fish, scientifically known as the most "disgusting" of all sea creatures.
