SHABU SHABU

I've been hearing about this dish since I arrived in Korea and finally went with two girlfriends on Friday to try the infamous Shabu Shabu, or what is referred to as "Shabs." Sounds rather posh, doesn't it? "Let's go down to the vineyard and then get some Shabs." OR "Honey, put your best suit on, we're going for SHABS!"

As my friend Katie says to me as she is stirring the pot, "This is on the "con list" for becoming a vegetarian."

Korean Shabu Shabu is a three course meal made in a Japanese hot pot. For the first course, you cook an array of vegetables, dumplings and thinly sliced pieces of pork in a spicy broth in the center of your table. After you consume (or nearly consume) all the vegetables and meat, you add noodles to the pot, finish said yumminess, and then some nice lady comes and fries rice in the pot you have been seasoning for the past hour. And then you eat that yumminess.

And then you call a cab. Just kidding. Maybe.

But really, you should be kind to yourself and not eat anything for two days in preparation because the pain induced by over-consuming does not feel like a consequence when eating this meal.

Oh, and if you're planning a visit, this just got added to your itinerary!