20 DAYS - BON CHON

At any given time during a Korean meal it can be assumed that there are a lot of bowls on the table. The small bowls are called bon chon, or Korean side dishes. The most common, of course, is kimchi.

This is my own theory, but bon chon works as a concept in Korea because meals are family style. You order for the group and therefore nobody needs their own plate space.You have your chopsticks and you simply pick around the table, shoveling tiny pieces of goodness into your mouth.

Bon chon make it easy to try new things. You don't order bon chon. You order something else, and then anywhere from 3-10 side dishes arrive for "free." Bon chon are also bottomless.

My favorite is standard kimchi. I also like gamja jorim (braised potatoes), seasame leaf kimchi, cucumber kimchi, bean sprouts and the various mushrooms. Bon chon have also conveniently let me try larvae, octopus and an uncountable amount of unnameable, questionable foods.

Here's to bon chon -
For larvae.
For making it normal to reach across all my neighbors for a bite of food.
For securing the fact that I'll get my hand swatted in America for sticking my fork in someone else's meal.