On the Verge of Skipping Bi Bim Bab
Traveling from Thailand to Los Angeles with Asiana meant having three meals onboard. The first one was a very late dinner – or was it a very early breakfast? – on the way to the stopover in Seoul. The insipid, shapeless rice and the suspicious meatballs convinced me to skip the following meals during the last leg of the trip; I could no expect the airline to redeem itself with such a short notice. After landing at the Incheon airport I enjoyed several restaurants and prepared myself to a meal-less almost eleven hours long flight.
The second plane was of better quality; it was more modern and included more varied facilities. Among the magazines and brochures provided to the passengers was a menu. I picked it up and studied the dinner and breakfast options, but only after the landscape below had disappeared under a thick layer of clouds. The dinner included two main dishes; the Western style one was "Beef Tenderloin Steak" ("302 kcal" was printed next to it). The Korean style option advertised "Bi Bim Bab" (396 kcal), a name that meant nothing to me; the short description next to it was an excellent example of vagueness.
On the Verge of Skipping Bi Bim Bab
I have learned not to expect too much from Asian prepared Western style steaks and I was not in the mood for yet another rice dish. Planning to concentrate on the fruits and coffee, I watched the reaction of the Korean people near me when the stewardess approached them. All of them were eager to get Bi Bim Bab; "obsessed" may describe better their reaction.
"If I want just the coffee, it doesn’t matter which dish I order," I reasoned while asking for the same. The stewardess seemed very please of my choice, smiled, and passed me a loaded tray. However, on my way to pick up the desired fruits, I noted a small piece of folded paper; its title was "How to enjoy ‘BI-BIM-BAB’." That caught my attention.
How to enjoy ‘BI-BIM-BAB’
Written in English, Japanese and Chinese – and obviously skipping Korean – the colorful paper explained with many errors and inconsistencies (the dish appeared also as bibimbab) what Bi-Bim-Bab is and how to eat/prepare it.
Yes, I was supposed to prepare it by myself.
The approach was remarkable, and soon I found myself mixing the ingredients as per the instructions. A Korean woman sitting next to me was obviously amused by my careful study of the instructions and labels on the packed ingredients.
BI-BIM-BAB
The largest bowl on the tray included several vegetables (sprouts, cucumbers, sweet pepper, mushrooms and others) and minced meat (it was mentioned that octopus and wild-greens variations of the dish also exist). The first step was to pour over the veggies the smaller bowl with steamed rice; the last was a bit too sticky, but acceptably so for such a dish.
Following, the gochujang (a thick red chili paste popular in the Korean cuisine) and the sesame oil were added. At first I was wary of the chili paste, but later I found it to be relatively mild. Then, the stainless steel fork and spoon were used for mixing up all the ingredients; unlike in other Asian cultures, stainless steel is the standard for Korean cutlery. The clear soup next to the dish was to be enjoyed together with it. Kimchi – the ubiquitous pickles of the Korean cuisine – completed the dish, though in a too small serving.
Other side dishes included two excellent egg rolls, hard-boiled burdock and peanut, and steamed pumpkin. Overall, the result was excellent; the dish was rich and tasty, and displayed a remarkable mixture of textures and shapes. Moreover, it offered a true gate to the local culture; something it is seldom achievable during an in-flight meal.
Last and Least
The coffee and fruits became a secondary feature of the meal, but not an irrelevant one. A nice touch was that the coffee was guaranteed to be produced eco-friendly methods; it was a cup of decent quality for a flight, decent enough for asking a refill.
The fruits served in flight are usually a weak point, which is understandable due to the conditions of a long flight. A peeled wedge of mandarin sitting next to small pieces of a green apple provided the first surprise; the second was a dried prune, which despite not being a fresh fruit added another nice touch to a meal that turned to be a good example that in-flight meals can be imaginative and provide a meaningful experience.