Cycle 13 – Item 294
26 (Wed) October 2022
WHAT THE MOTHERFUCK
0.0
from Loco Taco
at home
-Changgok, Sujeong, Seongnam, Gyeonggi, Republic of Korea-
with the Family
Loco Taco is a Mexican restaurant chain. Actually, the menu offers just 6 Tex-Mex-ish items: chicken taco, beef taco, chicken burrito, beef burrito, beef quesadilla, nachos.
W found the place on the food delivery app when I requested something non-Korean/Chinese/Japanese for dinner.
Getting a chicken burrito, I dug in. On the 3rd bite, I tasted something salty, squishy, smoky – like a sausage. A closer look confirmed a piece of pepperoni. Motherfucker.
I am increasingly distressed by the pervasive practice in Korea these days of nonchalantly/haphazardly tossing in bits/slices of processed meats on various food applications, most commonly Western-style dishes (e.g., pizza), but also Korean (e.g., gimbap, kimchi fried rice), especially where processed meats shouldn’t/don’t belong, even worse when the customer isn’t forewarned:
Beyond my revulsion on culinary grounds, I can’t understand from an anthropological perspective why/how the practice has evolved. Korean cuisine is inherently healthy, mostly plant-based. While post-war scarcity and US military presence starting in the 1950s gave rise to reliance/fondness for American processed meat products (see for example 1.265 Budae Jjigae), Korea’s prosperity in the latter half of the century has facilitated a more refined palate and diet that embraces fresh meats, including very specialized and exclusive and expensive cuts. I’m beginning to wonder if maybe the ultra high premium on fresh meats has rendered the idea of processed meats into something inconsequential – obviously artificial, but harmless (e.g., fish cakes) – so nobody even thinks twice.
In any case, this restaurant is BANNED.
(See also RESTAURANTS IN KOREA)
(See also GLOBAL FOOD GLOSSARY)