JB Life March 2017

LOCAL FOOD
By Heather Allman
JB Life Contributor
Hoetjip, 회집, pronounced roughly as
“hway-chip,” is a restaurant whose main
dish presents itself abundantly in most
Korean towns or cities on the water, while restaurants
can also be found scattered throughout landlocked
areas as well. “Hoe” (hway) itself is any sort
of raw dish, but is primarily used in regards to raw
fish. Situated on the west coast of Korea on the south
bank of the Geum River, just upstream from its exit
to the Yellow Sea, Gunsan is known for its seaport,
which brings along with it a strong industrial trade
industry as well as an abundance of delicious seafood.
Gunsan is known as one of the best places in
Korea to find a hoetjip, with restaurants from Seoul
to Busan named “Gunsan Hoetjip” after the city and
its local delicacy.
Prior to traveling to Gunsan, my knowledge of the
hoetjip was, let’s say, undercooked. While I did my
research pinpointing areas and suggested restaurants
to try, I was unsure of exactly what I would be eating.
I have found that an important part of living in Korea
and trying new foods is the adventure that comes
along with it. Each time I try something new, I’m not
only eating a meal, I’m deepening my understanding
of Korea’s rich and flavorful culture.
In my limited amount of research, I learned that
most of the restaurants in Gunsan were simply named
something like “Hoetjip” and were all situated next
to one another along the seawall on the port. I chose
Kunsan Seafood Restaurant for a couple of reasons.
It had a significant (enough) online presence (albeit
a bit limited in English) and it seemed to be one of
the largest restaurants in the area. While I do love the
authenticity of a mom-and-pop type place, because
I was traveling to Gunsan with the sole purpose of
trying a certain type of food, I wanted to have a good
idea of where I was going. A fresh seafood lunch in
an eight story restaurant on the water sounded worth
the time and effort to me.
As the taxi neared the seawall, snow lightly fell
from the grey afternoon sky. I questioned whether
or not this was a setting in which I wanted to sit near
the water and eat raw fish. It tends to be something
I might imagine myself enjoying on a hot summer’s
day or on vacation on a tropical island. As the taxi
rode along the long wall, hoetjip restaurants lined the
narrow street on our left, only the open river full of
boats and ships on our right. We soon arrived at Kunsan
Seafood Restaurant, directly situated across from
a large arched bridge.
Walking inside the building, it was more reminiscent
of a fish market than anything else. After being
escorted to an elevator and instructed to take it to the
fourth floor, the doors opened to a warm, eloquent atmosphere.
Deep wood tones stretched from the floor
to the ceiling, with low and natural lights providing a
sense of calm and serenity. We were led to a private
room, our table adjacent to a large window
g
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