4.086 IZ’s Dol Janchi

Cycle 4 – Item 86

1 (Mon) April 2013

IZ’s Dol Janchi

3.5

at Yongsusan

-Wonseo, Jongro, Seoul, Republic of Korea-

with the Family, Mom + Dad, the In-Laws, BIL’s family, Nanny 8

Dol Janchi is a party (janchi) to celebrate a child’s first birthday (dol). Back when infant mortality rates were precariously low – just two generations ago, both my parents had siblings who died in infancy – the feat of surviving that treacherous first year warranted a huge celebration.

This is the flagship restaurant, located next to Changdeok Palace.

Yongsusan is a Korean restaurant chain. The menu emphasizes multi-course meals focusing primarily on court cuisine, making the venue ideal for special occasions, including dol janchi.

Whereas standard practice calls for inviting extended family, friends, and coworkers to a large event venue, such as a buffet restaurant, a growing trend is to have a more intimate affair at a full service restaurant with just close family. As explained in a prior post concerning my niece’s dol janchi (see 2.312 Incheong Sura), one benefit to scaling back is that the overall quality of the experience – better food, less chaos – may be enhanced for those present. Another reason – more applicable when the kid isn’t the blessed firstborn – is that the parents may not wish to burden their acquaintances with invitations yet again, since guests will feel obligated to come and come bearing gifts of cash and/or gold.

For DJ, 5 years ago (pre GMTD), we’d done a big one.

For IZ, this year, we did a smaller one.

Symbolically, the highlight of the event is a ceremony to determine the kid’s career path in life. The kid is seated before a table of items, each representing a profession, and encouraged to grab one of them.

Despite my fervent hope that he’d pick the whisk, symbolizing a career in the gastronomical arts perhaps, or least a proficiency in cooking – I’d borrowed the whisk from the restaurant’s kitchen and placed on the table with the other items; it is not one of the standard items placed on the table – IZ kid grasped the gavel, symbolizing a legal future instead. The mommy was thrilled, the daddy not so much. Secondarily, IZ picked a money bag, perhaps suggesting that he’ll make partner someday.

I swear, if I could do it all over again, I’d go to culinary school instead of law school.

We’d chosen Yongsusan because it offered a dol janchi set meal at 38,000 won per person – regularly 45,000 won but discounted on Mondays – a fruit and rice cake arrangement at 400,000 won, as well as MC services for the choose-your-destiny thing at 60,000 won, all in a private standalone dol janchi room. Not a bad deal.

As befitting a kid who already shows promise as a gourmand, the food was excellent. Not a single dish was particularly amazing, but everything in toto was thoroughly satisfying. In contrast to the meat-heavy meal at my niece’s aforementioned dol janchi (WAY WAY overpriced at 150,000 won per person), the spread here consisted of 17 items that were varied and well-balanced. The mul naeng myeon, alas, was the one disapointing dish of the spread. In the end, everyone seemed quite happy.

Happy Birthday, Momo!