Two New Friends, Two Korean BBQs

I have finally stumbled across some English speaking friends with the help of Facebook and Flight of the Conchords.  My new friends John and Nate are also in Chungju to teach English and were nice enough to take Kris and me to their favorite Korean all-you-can-eat BBQ.  The restaurant was a bit shabby, but luckily, this was reflected in the price.  Thankfully, these guys were there to show us the ropes.  Seriously, when you are frying up a piece of bacon and someone hands you a piece of lettuce and industrial-strength scissors, would you know what to do with them?

Not knowing how to eat my food has been a common theme.  Another drawback to graceful dining is not knowing what I'm ordering.  I been using the point-and-hope method.  This usually works well.  However, later the same evening (after already having BBQ for lunch), a misguided point had me eating BBQ again for dinner.  The evening's BBQ was a bit more elegant with all the Korean side dishes included.

Here's how to eat Korean BBQ:  Spread raw meat, garlic and onion slices on the grill above hot coals.  Use tongs to flip the meat.  Use scissors to cut the meat into bit-sized pieces.  Using chipsticks, place a piece of lettuce in one hand and hold it like a tortilla.  Dip pieces of meat into spicy red paste, then place on the lettuce.  Top this with roasted garlic and onions.  Eat like a Korean burrito.  Snack occasionally on side dishes.  Side dishes include: kim chi, pickled radishes, lettuce with salad dressing, green onions in hot sauce, green beans in hot sauce, spinach-like greens in hot sauce, pickled ginger in hot sauce and a extra side of hot sauce.  Everyone eats directly out of the side-dish plates.  They don't portion out bits onto individual plates.  Sharing soup is the same way.