Cycle 13 – Item 331

2 (Fri) December 2022

Wings & Bongs

2.0

from Tobongee

at home

-Changgok, Sujeong, Seongnam, Gyeonggi, Republic of Korea-

solo

Despite my subpar initial impression of this place – in fact, the very first place for takeout in our Wirye apartment (see 11.163 Tong Dak) – I’ve been going there on occasion for a late-night snack while walking Louis Le Pieux.  I always get the same thing.  They must’ve improved their cooking formula, because the chicken isn’t as dry these days as I’d initially thought.

Anyway, I tried something different tonight: wings.  Unlike the standard tong dak, the wings were breaded.  Meh.

In Korean, chicken wings are called “dak/닭 (chicken) nalgae/날개 (wing),” but they’re rarely referred to as such because traditional Korean cuisine doesn’t really have a dish featuring only the wings.  These days, chicken wings are commonly served in American-style deep-fried form, either at pub restaurants or at chicken & beer joints, where they’re called “chikin/치킨 wing/윙.”  More specifically, the drumette is called “bong/봉 (stick/bar),” while the flat (wingette) is called “wing/윙.”  For some reason, drumettes are sold separately in supermarkets but not flats (if the drumettes are sold, what happens to their corresponding flats/wingettes?).  As far as I’m aware, there is also no specific term for the wing tip, which is usually discarded (factories should set these aside and export them to the Philippines).

(See also HANSIK)

(See also RESTAURANTS IN KOREA)