Let's All Bibimbap!
It’s rare for me to be surprised by airline food. My expectations aren’t high to begin with since I’m not always sure my flights qualify for meal service. And if there are meals on the flight, it tends to be the same: a heated platter covered in foil (either protein or pasta options) and plopped on a tray of preset items such as bread, salad, dessert, condiments, utensils and a plastic cup with handle (for coffee or tea during dessert). If I’m lucky, I might also get a plastic cup of sealed water in case the beverage trolley doesn’t get me in time to quench my thirst.
However, on a recent flight to South Korea, I was served a tray of bibimbap (a Korean rice dish mixed with vegetables or meats), which included instructions on how to assemble my dish. I found this so fascinating, partly because I didn’t know bibimbap could be served like this on a plane and partly because this was not the foil-covered platter I was expecting.
Instructions, written in English/Chinese/Japanese were as follows:
Put the steamed rice into bibimbap bowl (I couldn’t believe they gave me the entire tray of microwavable rice - and it was still hot!).
Add sesame oil and Gochujang to the rice and vegetables (not sure what Gochujang is but, eh, what the hey).
Mix all the ingredients using your spoon or chopsticks (chopstick for me!).
Best served with side dish (which I thought was the seaweed soup or the pickled garnishes - doesn’t matter since I ate everything!).
You’re probably wondering, “How was it?”
Well, you know, it’s still airplane food. It’s not the best bibimbap I’ve ever had, but it certainly was good enough to eat and a lot better than I thought it would be. I found the flavors were light for my taste and I probably should have asked for more sauce.
For me, the joy of the meal came more from reading the instructions and putting the bibimbap together. I felt like I was experiencing a part of Korean culture through food, and that bibimbap was a preview of an unexpected adventure to come in Seoul. Just because of this experience, I was so glad I flew on Asiana Airlines.
~ T ~
