Fried Chicken, Hongdae and Seoul

Hongdae is one of Seoul’s most popular college towns.  The area is filled with things to do like drinking at pubs.

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Fried chicken is a comfort food in the United States.  It’s origins dating back to Scotland where William Wallace was known to it before battle.  The dish was said to have been behind the inspirational speech he gave before the battle with the English soldiers.  The Scottish settlers brought the famous dish to the States; they continued to tell the story behind it because they can to fight as free men.  It’s rumored to be the meal eaten by Abe Lincoln before the Gettysburg Address.

In the States, fried chicken has grown to be extremely popular fast food.  There are many variants of fried chicken.  It’s one of the man staples of the South’s cuisine, but now it’s mass produced with genetically altered chicken.  Now, we know why fried chicken tastes so damn good.  Fried goodness with genetically altered chicken.  It can’t be beat.

Fried Chicken is extremely popular among the Koreans.  They have adopted the dish.  It’s a fan favorite among the college students cause they’re broke.  Plus, I don’t know what goes better than fried chicken and beers.  Maybe peanut butter and jelly.  However, that’s a far second in my opinion.

I decided to dropped by a hole in the wall spot in Hongdae.  I was starving from walking around Hongik University; the sightseeing life is hard for a fat boy like myself.   The restaurant is right next to sculpture park, which is a couple of blocks from Hongik University.  The restaurant’s decor isn’t anything special with its traditional Korean pub decor.  The wood tables, booths and the Korean service bell. It’s located in a basement and the door opens only if the magic words are spoken — “We came to fight as free men.”

Now, the fried chicken.  It had all the right flavors with textures of good American fried chicken.  The chicken had the perfect amount of brine to keep it moist.  However, the main difference between American fried chicken and Korean fried chicken was the batter.  Korean fried chicken had the extra crispness of the skin without extra batter on it.  I usually don’t mind eating the extra batter but my hips are starting to really hate me for it.

The Korean fried chicken had the right amount of batter to make it crispy without the extra calories on my hips.  It would be a dream to eat without gaining a single ounce of weight.  Thank goodness for food poisoning.  Unfortunately, I didn’t experience that in Seoul.  Now, the crunch sound echoed in my ears like my ex-girlfriend’s constant nagging about me not paying attention to her.  The cold Hite eased those horrific memories like my old teddy bear that I used to caress before bed until I was 25.

I would highly recommend getting some fried chicken in Seoul.  They make solid fried chicken and it’s everywhere in the city.  However, it’s usually better to get it near college towns like Hongdae.  Don’t forget to use the magic words — “We came to fight as free men.”

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