Grilled Clams (조개구이) with Friends: A Korean Night Out

Saturday night, my friends suddenly gathered for what we call a spontaneous meet-up (번개). We met at a seafood restaurant near my home and ordered my favorite dish, grilled clams (조개구이).

In Korea, we usually grill clams over charcoal. But the real fun is when we top them with cheese or butter. As the shells open and the cheese melts, the aroma fills the table.

The best part is dipping the hot clams into a spicy-sweet Korean sauce (초고추장), and pairing it with a shot of Korean spirit (소주). That’s when the whole table bursts into what we call clapping like a seal (물개박수) — the highest praise for food.

There’s a saying in Korea: “Good people (좋은 사람), good drinks (좋은 술), and good food (좋은 음식) = happiness (행복).”

That night, I felt exactly that.

번개 = beon-gae 조개구이 = jogae-gui 초고추장 = cho-gochujang 소주 = soju 물개박수 = mulgae-bak-su 좋은 사람 = joeun saram 좋은 술 = joeun sul 좋은 음식 = joeun eumsik 행복 = haengbok

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