[WHY] Why do Korean restaurants serve so many side dishes?
![Side dishes served at a restaurant in Gurye, South Jeolla [CHOI SEUNG-PYO]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2023/05/07/73c1ebae-255b-4c14-8fe6-e2df37c55872.jpg)
Side dishes served at a restaurant in Gurye, South Jeolla [CHOI SEUNG-PYO]
Order a single dish at a Korean restaurant, and it's very likely that multiple dishes with a variety of food will end up on the table.
Fear not, as there's nothing wrong with the order nor will the restaurant charge extra for the additional dishes.
![Tsuki, a Japanese member of Billlie, recalls her first experience ordering delivery from a restaurant in Korea, and getting so many side dishes in a YouTube video. [SCREEN CAPTURE]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2023/05/07/7789b3b4-a595-4633-9225-5fcf292f9835.jpg)
Tsuki, a Japanese member of Billlie, recalls her first experience ordering delivery from a restaurant in Korea, and getting so many side dishes in a YouTube video. [SCREEN CAPTURE]
The abundant amount of extra food has always been a surprise to those not used to Korean culture.
Sakura, a Japanese member of LeSserafim, asked if all the side dishes came with the meal when eating ganjang gyejang, or marinated crab, in a YouTube video uploaded to channel Fearless Kura on April 19. Billlie member Tsuki, also Japanese, added within the same video, she was surprised after ordering restaurant delivery food for the first time in Korea because she "got so many side dishes," but now understands "its Korean culture."
As Tsuki said, having lots of side dishes, or banchan, is something that happens at all Korean restaurants.
Whether it is a simple combination of kimchi and pickled radishes when ordering a bowl of ramyeon to ones like gyeran mari (egg rolls) and jeyuk bokkeum (spicy pork) that seem like a standalone dish, side dishes are an essential element of Korean cuisine.
Some may now be used to the various side dishes available for every meal, but why did Korean restaurants become so generous with side dishes in the first place?
Q. Why do Korean restaurants serve so many side dishes?
One of the main reasons is the uniqueness of Korean cuisine. Koreans tend to have a bowl of rice for every meal and need various side dishes to add flavor to the bland taste of the rice.
"Northeast Asian countries such as Korea, China and Japan eat a main dish that's meant to make them full, such as grains and other carbs," said Cho Young-ha, researcher at the Academy of Korean Studies. "Because those carbs are not seasoned, it's best to eat them with other foods that are seasoned such as meat, fish and vegetables."
Cho explains that countries like China and Japan developed other types of main dishes such as dumplings and noodles, and side dishes slowly started to disappear. For instance, dumplings have different fillings and only require vinegar and soy sauce, not needing as many side dishes. Noodles have various toppings and can also come in a full broth, also not needing side dishes. Soups such as kimchi jjigae, or spicy kimchi soup, and doenjang jjigae, or soybean soup, are an essential part of the Korean cuisine.
"When eating meals, Koreans eat rice, side dishes and soup, and they think that flavors that come from combining all three of them is the best flavor," said Cho.
Numerous side dishes originate from the history of Korean cuisine, and the generous act of giving endless refills also comes from an element rooted in Korean history, known as jeong, or translated into love or affection.
"Giving free side dish refills at a baekban restaurant is something so obvious," said Chung Jang-eun, running a baekban restaurant in Yongsan District, central Seoul, which refers to home-cooked style meals. "Baekban should be a full and hearty meal and turning down requests for refills goes against what baekban is, and it could feel too cold-hearted when we turn down the requests."
![A sign at a restaurant in Yongsan District, central Seoul, reads that customers are allowed refill side dishes and rice by themselves and can eat as much as they want unless they leave left overs. [LEE TAE-HEE]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2023/05/07/2db0913d-c0c8-4387-ac91-c0c18a779e17.jpg)
A sign at a restaurant in Yongsan District, central Seoul, reads that customers are allowed refill side dishes and rice by themselves and can eat as much as they want unless they leave left overs. [LEE TAE-HEE]
Q. Has Korea always been so generous with side dishes?
Mostly yes.
But there was a brief period when restaurants were encouraged to not provide a lot of side dishes and limitless refills.
In July 1983, the government introduced the Order Menu System, which encouraged restaurants to charge customers for any sides other than soy sauce, gochujang, or pepper paste, and doenjang, or soy bean paste. Free refills weren't encouraged as well.
This wasn't an obligatory bill. But the Ministry of Health and Social Affairs, the previous name of the Ministry of Health and Welfare, required hotels and big restaurants in six cities such as Seoul, Busan and Daejeon, to follow the plan.
The intention was to prevent excessive food waste and to make sure side dishes were hygienic -- meaning they weren't left on the table too long or had been reused -- ahead of international sporting events such as the 1988 Seoul Olympics and 1986 Seoul Asian Games.
![A restaurant in Dangjin, South Chungcheong, in 1983 that is charging customers for each side dishes. According to the menu on the wall, a dish of kimchi was sold for 200 won, bean sprouts for 100 won and gim, or dried seaweed, for 200 won. [WOORIDATA]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2023/05/07/06afc393-8f96-459e-a4c1-21521e4864d8.jpg)
A restaurant in Dangjin, South Chungcheong, in 1983 that is charging customers for each side dishes. According to the menu on the wall, a dish of kimchi was sold for 200 won, bean sprouts for 100 won and gim, or dried seaweed, for 200 won. [WOORIDATA]
Despite admirable intentions, the plan didn't last long because customers were already used to having numerous side dishes. Since customers disliked the change, not many restaurants were willing to follow.
"It was hard for those past policies to be effective because they weren't welcomed by the restaurant owners and weren't made based on an adequate understanding of customers," said Kwak No-sung, a researcher at Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs.
The ministry changed its plans to allow restaurants to serve up to eight side dishes for free in April 1987, but with so many side dishes allowed, the system became essentially unsuccessful.
Q. Even with inflation hitting economies, are restaurants still willing to give lots of side dishes and endless refills?
Although it's still a norm, some restaurants will ask customers to pay for certain refills or turn down requests to have more expensive side dishes.
One of the side dishes that some restaurants charge extra for refills is vegetables to make ssam, referring to a way of wrapping meat in vegetables such as lettuce or perilla leaves.
Free refills of vegetables was something every restaurant did in the past, but soaring vegetable prices have made it less of an obvious service.
A ssambab restaurant, which sells a variety of meats such as pork and beef, located in Jamsil, southern Seoul gave one portion of vegetables -- with five lettuce leaves, four perilla leaves, four cabbage leaves and bits of others like kale and mustard greens -- per person for free. However, the restaurant charged 5,000 won ($3.75) for additional refills.
"We're a ssambab restaurant, and customers ask for multiple refills of vegetables to eat with their meat," said the owner of the restaurant, who wished his full name not be printed. "During rainy seasons and winter when vegetable prices rise, we're basically left with nothing if we give limitless refills, along with the costs for other ingredients, rent, utility bills and employee wages."
Vegetable prices have been rapidly rising lately. Lettuce was sold for 1,003 won per 100 grams as of May 3, according to Korea Agro-Fisheries & Food Trade Corporation. That's up 19.3 percent on year. Perilla leaves sold for 1,378 won, up 10.2 percent on year.
Apart from vegetables for ssam, some restaurants won't offer refills of expensive side dishes.
Myeongi namul, or pickled leaves of mountainous garlic, is often served as a side dish at luxurious Korean BBQ restaurants. But many restaurants only refill the dish once, or not at all.
This is mostly due to the expensive price of Myeongi namul, which is sold at an average of 25,900 won per kilogram. This is almost twice the price of kkaennip jangajji, or pickled perilla leaves, which is a cheaper equivalent and is sold for 12,900 won per kilogram.
Q. Although I don't have to pay for extra side dishes, is it expected that I tip for the generosity?
![A restaurant in Yeoju, Gyeonggi, serving various side dishes with meat. [SHIN IN-SUP]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2023/05/07/31df8f29-210d-4082-ab0c-464bd7c7c315.jpg)
A restaurant in Yeoju, Gyeonggi, serving various side dishes with meat. [SHIN IN-SUP]
According to the Food Sanitation Act, the price on the menu of food service businesses -- referring to restaurants and cafes -- must include all service fees. Charging more than what is stated on the menu is prohibited, unlike countries like the United States and Canada where tipping is considered the norm.
Although prohibited by law in Korea, tipping is sometimes seen in fancy venues, such as ones where employees will grill the meat for customers or expensive sushi restaurants.
"I've seen my parents occasionally tip restaurant employees when we go to fancy hanwoo [Korean beef] restaurants, and the tip would be around 10,000 won," said Kim Yoon-bin, a 29-year-old living in Seoul. "But the employees actually brought us more sides like a piece of grilled fish or fried shrimp when we gave them a tip."
"So it never really seemed like we were paying for the side dishes we were given in the first place, but it was more like paying them for even more side dishes and the service."
Q. Are there regions that are known to give even more side dishes than the Korean norm?
![Side dishes served at a makgeolli restaurant in Jeonju, North Jeolla [BAEK JONG-HYUN]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2023/05/07/bf365b42-4428-40f4-a5c1-961e2681b703.jpg)
Side dishes served at a makgeolli restaurant in Jeonju, North Jeolla [BAEK JONG-HYUN]
Most restaurants will give customers four to five side dishes per meal. But there are restaurants in certain regions that go overboard with them.
Restaurants in the Namdo area, which refers to the South Jeolla Province, will serve a table full of side dishes, with some dishes even placed on top of each other to make room on a small table.
Also in the Jeolla Province, Jeonju is another place where visitors will see endless side dishes.
The city has a street known as makgeolli alley, which is crowded with restaurants specializing in selling makgeolli, a traditional Korean liquor.
Although most restaurants would give around four to six sides on average, restaurants in the alley will fill the table with over 20 side dishes. The sides aren't simple, but includes memil jeonbyeong, or buckwheat crepes, grilled mackerel, mussel soup and kimchi jjim, or braised kimchi with pork.
Despite the variety of side dishes, restaurants charge around 65,000 won for a four-person meal.
BY LEE TAE-HEE [lee.taehee2@joongang.co.kr]
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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