Seaweed wrap does the job for under $1
Three kinds of samgak gimbap. By Cho Jae-eun
So today, I decided to confront this issue and write about my all-time favorite take-out item ― samgak gimbap, or triangle seaweed wrap (700 won, 75 cents), which you can get from any old convenient store in Korea. That’s right, I said it. Sure, I go to see obscure Iranian films once in a while, but I also, from time to time, listen to Mariah Carey (especially the album “Music Box”) while taking a bath. And though I’m not opposed to a great dish of foie gras or caviar, I need my Big Macs and fudge brownies as well.
I trace my attachment to these kinds of unhealthy, instant foods to my childhood, when my mother didn’t allow any ramen in the house. I don’t know what exactly makes samgak gimbap so addictive, but sometimes they taste much better than 4,000- or 5,000- won meals in Korean restaurants. Although all the convenience stores differ in their variety of fillings for samgak gimbap, the seaweed wrap and rice are basically the same ― the wrap, a salted, roasted piece of dried seaweed and the slightly undercooked rice with a pinch of a vinegar aftertaste.
The top three classic best-sellers are tuna-mayonnaise (my favorite), Jeonju bibimbap and bulgogi. These three varieties have been on the shelves for as long as I remember.
Along with food trends, the fillings have changed as well, like the icky chlorella samgak gimbap from a few years back, which after a few months disappeared without a trace. Currently, the trend is toward healthy, more luxurious fillings such as herbed pork and Korean beef (which is more expensive than imported beef) bulgogi, although I really don’t see what the point is with all the MSG and other additives in the rice.
With overdue articles to ponder, I am writing this column while inhaling a tuna-mayonnaise from the nearby 7-Eleven and I started to really think about what a profound little invention this is. It can be found in almost any block and is hassle-free with a quick one, two, three to unwrap. In addition, one samgak gimbap is only 200 to 250 calories ― two will equal the average amount of calories needed in a meal and most of all, with all pretensions aside, they taste great. For under a dollar, I can’t think of anything else that is worth this much.
By Cho Jae-eun Staff Writer [jainnie@joongang.co.kr]
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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