Bear Korean

At first I am confused by the syntax...shouldn't it be The Korean Bear? or perhaps The Bare Korean? (That might be interesting) But opening the door which jangles with a bell and seeing the statue of the bear poised above the far wall...I get it. The owners are busy in the kitchen mixing a batch of Korean Bar-B-Que. A huge tub laden with slices of meat and red sauce. The tables are set with bottles of chile sauce and soy sauce the Asian compliment to salt and pepper. There is a large hot pot of fragrant tea brewing in the corner and a refrigerator of cold beverages where customers can serve themselves. A smiling sparkly-eyed older man takes our order. I get the Bar-B-Que Chicken and my husband orders the Beef Hot Pot.

Korean Bar-B-Que is not American Bar-B-Que. It is not sweet and sticky, but salty, hot, and spicy. The meat is tender and cut into chunks that are easily managed with chop sticks. The big pile of meat is served on a fajita type platter and comes with white rice in a separate bowl and numerous side dishes among which are potato salad with chunks of apple, various types of kim chee ( a pickled vegetable hot, sour, and salty), a little dish of bean threads, buckwheat noodles, shredded daikon, tofu, mung bean spouts, and other dishes - up to a dozen!! This is fun! Each little dish is an adventure in taste and texture. My husband and I vie for the ones we like best and have on occasion ordered more. His hot pot comes - a boiling lava-like bowl of beef and vegetables in a savory broth with an egg on top. It is served with rice and a bottle of the hottest hot sauce on the planet. We eat silent, sweating, grunting with pleasure.

As we finish our mid-day meal and pay the bill which comes with two sticks of Korean gum, the husband and wife team bid a smiling goodbye. We will be back. The large tank of koi and goldfish swim about in their greenish water as we exit into the real world of freeways and traffic. I think we should have popcorn, Coke, and a movie for dinner. (sigh)

Bear Korean
8577 Gravenstein Hwy
Cotati, CA 94931
707-794-9828

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Dave Roberts

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