Just like hot chili in winter season or beef stew like Goulash, we, Koreans have 'pork soup' called 국밥 (Gook-bab). Personally, I would like to name it as REAL fast food and soul food here in Korea. No one refuses to have this hot bowling soup for lunch or dinner. So, let's take a sip of the soup today.
Fast food? yes, it is.
When it comes to the fast food, naturally I come up with some hamburgers or pizzas. Thses can be proper well-made meals at some places, but it's not here. Considering the word 'fast', the real fast food is this, Gook-bab. As soon as people get into the place, they call the staff 'Antie' and just order the soup even before having a seat, not seeing the menu. Then, the antie tosses the order to the kitchen and get you water and wet-wipes for dirty hands. While gulping water, the tray comes to you. This whole process takes only 5 to 7 min in total. A perfectly healthy food tray is served less than 10 min. REAL fast food.
All the other side dishes are refillable. Sometimes you can refill even the soup itself (not the meat). On the day of taking this picture, I saw a group of middle-aged ladies and guys, asking some extra soup for a few times. Well, the owner didn't look happy, though.
Soul food? Of course, it is.
Some Koreans make a joke like 'Gook-bab is flowing in my blood'. The beginning of this body-warming soup was not for upper class people but very humble and common lives such as factory or construction workers. This is why most of the Gook-bab places provide the wet tissue or towel to clean up hands. After shivering in the middle of cold weather only to provide their families, this hot soup warmed up their body and soul. Plus, nothing is better than one bottle of So-ju as a perfect match for this soul food.
Unfortunately, this soup doesn't seem to keep the tile of soul food in near future, since the price is getting higher so that it makes sense when they compare the price of items with how much Gook-bab they can eat with the same amount of money.
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