Did you know that, as of 5 years ago, production of pork outpaced production of rice in South Korea? That’s a huge deal when you think about it. Over the past half-century, as South Korea has become more prosperous, pork has become a more prominent part of the country’s food culture, especially yummy, fatty, layered pork belly. A new Korean food docuseries takes a closer look at the country’s obsession with pork.
Opening Shot: “An unprecedented culture of roasting meat directly on the fire,” says a graphic as we see various shots of pork being roasted over red-hot coals in various methods.
The Gist: Korean Pork Belly Rhapsody is a docuseries that explores how pork — more specifically, deliciously fatty pork belly — became South Korea’s favorite protein over the past 50 years. Host Baek Jong-won goes to different locales around the country to find out the different ways pork belly is prepared, and what goes into the obsession people have with it; it has gotten so important in the Korean diet that in 2016 pork production passed rice production for the first time.
In the first episode, Baek witnesses a group prepare a hemp-steamed barbecue in the sand, which is used to cook an entire pig and then is distributed to all the members of the village. Part of the cooking process is to pour water in the already steaming hole, making a geyser of hot mud; but when the pig is done, it’s as tender as can be.
The rise of the barbecue restaurant in the country, where diners grill their own meats on tabletop grills, then add all sorts of sauces and vegetables and other toppings, is discussed, especially in relation to the rise of pork belly as an inexpensive protein. Baek cuts up a whole pig to show you exactly what’s considered to be pork belly, and why some places just offer the layered portion and others use the entire area of pork belly, including the ribs.
Baek also explores different grills that have been made and gone in and out of fashion over the years; one shopkeeper specializes in kettle lids, that are heated up to the point where the pork belly is browned right on that lid. He also visits a restaurant where the chef wet-ages and dry-ages his pork; he cuts open a pork belly and rib section, aged for over a year, and loves the fact that it “smells like cheese.” He visits a pig farm and sees how different pigs from different regions elicit different flavors, and for a dinner party of native and ex-patriate residents, he makes pork belly a number of different ways.
What Shows Will It Remind You Of? With its loving close-ups of food being cooked, Korean Pork Belly Rhapsody looks a lot like the Taiwanese series Flavorful Origins. But there’s also an element of a cooking travel show like Taste the Nation with Padma Lakshmi, as well.
Our Take: The first episode of Korean Pork Belly Rhapsody started promisingly, with shots of pork belly being cooked, and Baek, a chef who is also a prominent host of the cooking shows on the Korean Broadcasting System (KBS), has more than enough personality to add to each segment he’s in without making it all about him.
It all looks delicious, especially if you love pork belly and all its layers of fat and salty meat. But the first episode has a focus problem. No topic is dealt with in an in-depth manner, zipping from one topic to the next. Perhaps that’s due to the episode being more of an introduction to Korea’s obsession with pork belly, and further episodes will revolve around particular themes (the episodes will be released weekly; the second episode is about the rise of pork belly in Korea).
But, if you can get past the jumpiness of the narrative, you’ll get an interesting look at how pork has taken over Korean food culture over the last half century. Oh and you’ll get hungry. Very, very hungry.
Sex and Skin: Unless we’re counting roasted pig skin (aka cracklins), then there’s nothing.
Parting Shot: Scenes from the next episode, where the topics of discussion are how Koreans use every part of the pig, and how eating pork is like a festival.
Sleeper Star: The theme song, by the band Crying Nut, sounds like an Irish drinking song, but in Korean. It definitely sets the tone for how joyous the series is.
Most Pilot-y Line: The only bad part of the show is that we were watching it too late to get onto DoorDash and order a pork belly dish from somewhere.
Our Call: STREAM IT. Despite being a bit choppy in its pacing and format, Korean Pork Belly Rhapsody is a series that you can sink your teeth into. Well, not literally. But it certainly makes you want to order a pork belly sandwich the next time you want food delivered.
Joel Keller (@joelkeller) writes about food, entertainment, parenting and tech, but he doesn’t kid himself: he’s a TV junkie. His writing has appeared in the New York Times, Slate, Salon, RollingStone.com, VanityFair.com, Fast Company and elsewhere.
Stream Korean Pork Belly Rhapsody On Netflix
The Link LonkJanuary 12, 2021 at 08:30PM
https://ift.tt/3i7FsmJ
Stream It Or Skip It: 'Korean Pork Belly Rhapsody' On Netflix, A Docuseries About South Korea's Favorite Protein - Decider
https://ift.tt/2RsHZwT
Pork
No comments:
Post a Comment