The staff at Pam's school was having an outing, and they invited me along. It started at the director's fancy apartment where we chatted over tea (this is Asia after all.) Pam's school is rather small so were the only foreigners there. The day's plan called for a mountain hike followed by lunch at a duck restaurant. Ane that's where things got confusing.
Our Korean friends pronounced "duck" with more of an "aw" sound, "dawk." Also, in Korean there is barely a difference between 'G" and "K", so when they say "dog" it sounds eerily similar to "dawk." To make it all the worse, the Korean word for chicken is "dak." Duck, dog, dak. You can see how the stage is now set for our little comedy.
As we sat in this apartment they started asking if everyone liked "dawk." I heard "dog" and was especially appalled when Pam said that she did. From the look of near horror on my face they realized what had happened. From then on it became a running joke, though in all seriousness each time the word was used we had to ask for confirmation.
The hike was short and hot but pleasant. Down at the bottom a man was selling "juice" from the back of his pickup. I'm not sure if I can call it juice though - it was from a tree. Actually it was pressed from the root. It was dark as molasses and had an aftertaste that didn't hit you for about five seconds. It wasn't the best but like everything nasty, it's supposedly healthy.
From there it was on the the "dawk" restaurant. Did you say "dawk" with a "G"? No, with a "K." Ah, ok... As the eight of us gathered around the table, one of the teachers asked me if I wanted to eat "dawk." With a G? Yes, with a G! Um, er, I thought we were at a duck restaurant. We are, but the director's husband really likes to eat dog so he wants to know if you want some. Hmmm... I think when and if I eat dog I need to be better mentally prepared, so I think I'll just have the duck. Thanks anyway.
So we sat by the river and watched men playing cards, drank soju (a popular Korean booze), and nibbled on all the salads. The duck came and cooked on skewers over the coals. Soon, the waitress laid down a dish that needed no translation. Both Pam and I knew what we were looking at. It was "dawk" with a G. The husband ordered it for his own enjoyment, though he surely got at least a small kick out of the whole scene.
Ok... yes I tried some. I actually tried three pieces. It wasn't so difficult to do as I thought because it looked like any other meat on a plate. It was afterwards that we felt weird about it all.
As a meat, it was fairly good, if a bit fatty. But evidently, it's one of the healthiest meats around as it's full of protein. We sat at the table trying to decide how we would describe it to people. The best similarity we could come up with was that it's like stew meat or brisket - the kind that falls apart or tears. When we were lucky enough to get a lean piece, it was actually quite good. But if you got a fatty piece, it was the kind that gagged you or ended up in a napkin - but considering how expensive dog is, it's not the nicest thing to do in front of your host.
As it turned out, Pam and I weren't the only ones eating it for the first time. Two other teachers were dog-virgins. But not anymore. It seems that this is mostly a black and white issue in Korea - you either eat dog or you are against it - and we've found plenty who are against it.
Either way, I figure I can leave Korea at any time as now I've been to the DMZ, seen the palace, and eaten dog. The rest is just dessert.
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