Cycle 14 – Item 194

18 (Tue) July 2023

Cucumber in Spicy Sauce

2.5

at TimHoWan

-Samseong, Gangnam, Seoul, Republic of Korea-

with the Family, Mom & Dad

For his 78th birthday, my father wanted to eat dimsum for dinner.  “Doesn’t need to be fancy,” he said – in stark contrast to my mother (see most recently  14.047 Dimsum Hahaha) – so we were happy to take him to TimHoWan, where the dimsum is arguably the best in the city – maybe second best (see for comparison 14.160 Roast Duck Noodle Soup) – regardless of fanciness; indeed, fanciness is not a prerequisite for dimsum.

Happy Birthday, Dad!

Whereas most eateries in Korea (with the sole exception of burger joints) serve some sort of complimentary tangy/spicy side dish (pizza places provide sweet pickles, even when delivered) – the genesis of this practice is, of course, kimchi, which is served with every Korean meal, whether at home or in restaurants – Chinese restaurants have traditionally served one or more of the following: i) chopped raw onions with black bean paste, ii) kimchi, iii) pickled daikon radish, and/or iv) pickled zhacai (see for example 6.350 Nanja Wans).  However, I’ve noticed these days that certain Chinese restaurants provide no freebies but sell sides at a price: like TimHoWan’s Cucumber in Spicy Sauce (6,000 won), which is also available at Je Je (3,000 won) (see for example 12.352 Deep-Fried King Prawns, Crispy Garlic, Chili).  Wondering whether the trend was initiated by Din Tai Fung (see for example 8.307 Spicy Pickled Cucumbers) – in fact, I noticed that restaurants in Taiwan (Din Tai Fung being Taiwan-based) sell many side dishes, including kimchi (see for example 5.112 Niu Rou Mian).  What a windfall for restaurants if they could expand the selection beyond cucumbers – a win-win for everyone.

(See also GLOBAL FOOD GLOSSARY)

(See also RESTAURANTS IN KOREA)