Diners are divided into two main camps when it boils down to certain foods like eel or ‘jang-eo’ in Korean. They either like it or dislike it! Yummy or Yucky?
Some may not have tasted it yet but squirm at the idea of eating it. The sight of eels is simply so repulsive to them. However, some may look forward to eating it in gleeful anticipation. Many tourists, when they arrive in Korea, are invited to enjoy the fresh taste of grilled eel, traditionally grilled over glowing coal briquettes. The eels are alive in the tanks outside the eatery and one can watch them wriggle before one’s meal, so one has to be psychologically prepared for the experience.
Eels are elongated fish which seem to be very popular in South Korea as they deliver a host of vitamins such as A, B1, B2, proteins and unsaturated fats. They are traditionally popularised as a source for improving male stamina and energy, and as a boost for athletic performance. Its unsaturated fats help strengthen capillaries. It is said that that eels are even more popular in Japan as the population consumes more than 70 percent of the global eel catch.
Shown in one of Lee Joon Gi’s uploaded Instagram photographs is a type of marine eel, the conger eel. Lee Joon Gi, who is eating a group meal, seems to be a huge fan of eels. Grilled eel is a favourite summer food particularly in Busan, the hometown of Lee.
In the Instagram video clip, Lee Joon Gi seems to be eagerly waiting for the scrumptious-looking eel to be (already marinated and seasoned) grilled to perfection. The succulent grilled eel had most probably been cut with a pair of scissors into manageable sizes for the diners. Leeuses a pair of stainless steel chopsticks, a unique traditional eating implement, to pick up a chunk of eel and then, dip it in Korean soy sauce.
The way Lee shows it, the piping hot eel seems to be a ‘piece de resistance’, a most remarkable feature of Lee’s dining, one of his greatest pleasures. The eel dish seems so delectable and mouth-watering, and Lee has certainly brought viewers into eel paradise. A toast will be raised to the adventurer in the tourist if he or she decides to take the plunge, sink their teeth into the chewy grilled eel and enjoy it!
It is generally known to fans that on 5 August 2009 Lee Joon Giwas appointed ‘Honorary Tourism Ambassador’ for the Korea Tourism Organization under the Ministry of Culture and Tourism. The organization promotes Korea as a tourist destination to attract foreign tourists.
Lee Joon Gi had long ago paid his dues, but he still, patriotically and quietly, advertises for Korea and Busan through his Instagram and elsewhere. Lee plays a singular role as a tourist-magnet and is at the forefront of driving the Hally Wave across the world, attracting inbound visitors and influencing the Korean economy.
In the Instagram video clip, the way the grilling and eating of grilled eel is shown is an education in itself, and foreigners have to thankLee Joon Gi for the cultural service. The whole process of watching adorable Lee Joon Gi eat his dinner makes for a unique, sizzling experience.
From the uploaded photographs and Instagram video clip, we can conclude that the very diligent and sexy Lee Joon Gi is definitely multi-tasking; eating his dinner, advertising Korean cuisine whilst in the midst of filming and promoting his latest vampire drama, ‘The Scholar Who Walks The Night’, which is due to premiere in July 2015.
So now, do you know what the idiom, ‘Killing two birds (oops four!) with one stone’ means?
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