Seoul

Food From K-pop to kimchi,

Montgomery is full of Korean culture
Montgom
Kimchi l
ery
ogo

BY JESSICA FENDER m PHOTOGRAPHS BY KERRY MALONEY

“Annyeonghaseyo!” The Korean greeting sounds almost musi-

remind me that a good, shared meal is a great
way to learn how much you have in common
with someone.
cal as we enter So Gong Dong Tofu & BBQ on The latter sentiment happens to be a key part
Montgomery’s east side. Our hostess leads us of the Korean ethos, Seoul-born Montgomery
past tables laden with steaming stews, mar- attorney Soo Seo Yang later assures me.
inated rib eye, and shallow dishes of crisp “Koreans think eating together is an import-
pickled vegetables. ant part of getting to know each other, getting
If I were a cartoon character, I’d be floating closer, and building friendships,” Yang says.
through the wood-paneled restaurant on wisps
of tantalizing scents right now. Sharp garlic. Siz- Hyundai Hub
zling meats. Caramelized starches. Peach-colored robot arms move in quick hy-
Nowadays, the cool kids fall in love with draulic jerks around the frame of an SUV-in-the-
South Korean culture via K-pop music and making. Sparks fly with every weld. Just ahead, a
binge-worthy TV dramas. (There’s even a name self-driving delivery cart glides past our tram on
for this modern phenomenon, Hallyu, a.k.a. the its own preprogrammed tour of the cavernous
“Korean Wave.”) But the East Asian nation fol- building.
lowed a far more traditional path to my heart: Whenever I ask how Montgomery—the “of
straight through my stomach. all places!” rarely added but always implied—
A brief visit to Seoul a few years ago opened became a hotbed of hot pot, it is this futuristic
my eyes to the singular flavors of Korean cui- 3.4-million-square-foot facility on the capital’s
BONUS: sine. And it’s this trip to Montgomery, with its outskirts that gets the credit. Not bad for a fac-
Free tours of sizable Korean-born community, that I hope tory that also turns out 1,470 vehicles a day.
Montgomery’s will teach me more about the culture or, at the Korea-based Hyundai opened its first U.S.
Hyundai plant
very least, enough etiquette to not embarrass manufacturing plant here in 2005. And, in the
resumed this
summer. No food or
myself at dinner. nearly 2 decades since, thousands of Korean Hot bowls of Dolsot Bibimbap satisfy
drink provided or My lessons, as it turns out, reach beyond the employees have either rotated through on as- hungry diners at Kalim Korean BBQ.
allowed on-site. table to the stage, stadium, and shop floor, and signment or moved here permanently with their

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 to try
Kyung Han Kim spent years perfect- berjack, playing out on stage at the Davis
ing his technique and his spice blend— Theatre thanks to the Alabama-Korea Ed-
“Korean-style fry powder,” he says with a ucation & Economic Partnership (A-KEEP). 
laugh—before opening this mom-and-pop Those seeking Korean culture outside
with his wife 2 years ago. Most of their cus- the dining room can check out one of the
tomers are Korean, but Cheol Mi Yang says handful of events—including kite demon-
she enjoys the chance to get to know her strations, language-learning sessions, and
American-born regulars. 
“I want to share stories so we can come
the city’s first-ever K-pop concert—that
A-KEEP hosts throughout the year.  atlanta hwy
3
together, American and Korean,” she says.  Or they can simply wander into Riverwalk
231
At nearby Kalim Korean BBQ, the last of Stadium on a weekend when the Mont-
the lunch crowd sizzles Wagyu short ribs gomery Biscuits become the Montgomery

lvd
and thinly shaved brisket over tabletop grills Kimchi. On those nights, the Minor League

nb
in private dining stalls. Restaurant owner Baseball team’s name, logo, and jerseys

ter
eas
Sanghyup Lee understands how this iconic change along with the in-stadium entertain-

5
85
do-it-yourself Korean dining experience can ment. Visitors might see a classical dance
baffle first-timers. (My own maiden encoun-
ter in Seoul ended with the proprietor’s
performed by dancers wearing traditional
Korean clothing, called hanbok. Between
1
tweenage son cooking my entire meal for innings, there are Korean snack–eating
2
4

rd
231

bell
me. Embarrassing, but I went back for more contests or rounds of jegi chagi, a hacky
later. Dinner was that good.) sack–like game. 
vaugh
Menus can be voluminous, ingredients There are skits, taekwondo demos, n rd

unfamiliar, and prices a bit higher than ex- K-pop music performances, and Ko-
pected, though portions are generally large.  rean street food. Not to mention the
And then there’s the multitude of de- custom-logo gear that Biscuits General

Clockwise from top left:

lightful little dishes filled with everything Manager Mike Murphy says has flown off 1. Seoul Market
from kimchi to fish cake to spicy greens the shelves ever since the first Korean The snack aisle at this small
Seoul Market; Kalim Korean
BBQ; Sweet Rice; Kyung that just show up on the table, sometimes Heritage Night in 2021.  full-service grocery is an easy
Han Kim (left) and Cheol Mi before you’ve even ordered.  The festivities, designed to attract Mont- and exciting way to get to
Yang at Kim Cook; dipping know favorite Korean flavors. 
“The first time people visit, they say gomery’s Korean-born community, were
chicken at Kim Cook.
‘What is this appetizer?’ ” Lee says, clari- developed in partnership with cultural lead-
fying that the dishes, called banchan, are ers, who helped the team settle on “Kimchi”
2. Kalim Korean BBQ
The menu offers
an ever-changing array of communal sides as its alter ego. 
recommendations for first-
served before the main course. “We will The spicy, salted fermented cabbage timers, making it simple to
families. With them came churches, shops, Shared Plates teach you.”  dish is served with just about every meal, sample a Busan-style take on
and eateries catering to Korean palates.  Slight and smiling, Cheol Mi Yang ushers A couple of years ago, the entrepre- kind of how biscuits are in the South, traditional Korean fare.
Visitors seeking these culinary delights us into a narrow kitchen for a peek at how neur added special recommendations for Murphy says. 
must venture beyond Montgomery’s down- her husband makes the house specialty: non-Korean guests to his picture-heavy “We wanted to expose the Korean com- 3. Kim Cook
town tourist attractions eastward until Han- Korean-style fried chicken.  menu and tweaked a few tradition- munity to Minor League Baseball, but we Enjoy mountains of the
perfectly fried chicken that
gul lettering starts appearing alongside She says chicken was a special-occasion al dishes to appeal to American tastes. also wanted to introduce our Biscuits fans
diners go wild for in Korea.
English in the signage for the shopping pla- luxury when she was a kid—something your Mostly, this has meant tempering spice to Korean culture,” he says. “I’m a big be-

4. Sweet Rice
zas that fringe Atlanta Highway.  dad brought home on payday.  levels. That was right around the time the liever that food is the gateway into culture.” 
More than half a dozen authentic Today, the fried version is a beloved sta- Korean Wave started washing ashore in
From boba tea to bingsu
restaurants, cafés, and markets (sadly, ple of Korea’s drinking culture. In fact, it’s Montgomery, bringing with it a host of Southern Manners shaved-ice desserts to
COVID shuttered the karaoke bar) offer so often consumed with beer that the pair- K-curious newcomers.  I figure it’s time to get a primer on table Korean-style rice cakes made
everything from bulgogi to boba tea and ing has earned a portmanteau: chimaek (a etiquette, so I call Soo Seok Yang, Korean fresh every morning, this café
feature cooking styles that span the penin- mash-up of chikin and maekju, the words After Dinner cultural ambassador to the Biscuits and my indulges your sweet tooth.
sula from northern Seoul down to Busan’s for “fried chicken” and “beer,” respective- Four fairy sisters dance together in a for- new attorney friend.  
southern shore. ly). The chicken, with its light and crispy est, unaware that one will soon be tragically We chat about food culture in general— 5. So Gong Dong
Tofu & BBQ
Be sure to The latest arrival to this panoply might coating and the flavorful sauces served tricked into marrying a mortal.  beignets in my adopted city of New Orle-
designate a driver
if you plan to drink also be the most on-trend, as I discover af- alongside, has grown so popular that Ko- No, this is not the plot of a fanciful Kore- ans, the differences between Korean and A local favorite with a broad-
alcohol. ter entering the dining area at the simple rean chains have started opening outposts an television drama; it’s one of the country’s American rice (we love them both)—as well enough menu to tempt
fast-casual restaurant Kim Cook.  in major U.S. cities.  best-known folktales, The Fairy and the Lum- as the hiatus and feared breakup of Korean any palate.

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 101
Korean Cuisine

BANCHAN
A variety of small side dishes
that often include kimchi,
bean sprouts, and fish cake.

BIBIMBAP
Rice topped with meat and
vegetables. Dolsot bibimbap
is served sizzling in a hot A full spread, including banchan, at So Gong Dong Tofu & BBQ.
stone bowl. 

boy band BTS, which made international language teacher who’s agreed to walk me
news a few days earlier.  through a meal in real time. 
As he runs me through proper behavior She presses a small button on the wall
at the dinner table, I’m struck by how many to call for our waitress. I file that tidbit away
BULGOGI Korean mores could have come straight out for later. 
Thin slices of marinated meat,
usually pork or beef, cooked
of a Southern mother’s handbook.  Over haemul pajeon, crispy seafood
over a grill. Respect your elders. Wait to start eat- pancakes so good I secretly rue this whole
ing until they’ve lifted their spoon or chop- “shared plate” concept, she explains that
sticks. Show care by passing items at the jalmeoggeseubnida means “I will eat well,”
table using both hands, and refill your com- the traditional way to thank your host at the
patriots’ glasses. Wait for them to fill yours. start of a meal. 
Dinners are family style. From the banchan Payne browns thick slabs of pork belly—
GOCHUJANG to the soups to the main courses, everyone her personal fave—on our sizzling grill, then
A fermented chile sauce that’s
serves themselves from communal dishes.   cuts it into manageable pieces with scissors
savory, sweet, and mildly
spicy. It’s used in many
I ask if there is a “no elbows on the ta- and shows me how to wrap bites of meat
Korean dishes.  ble” rule. There’s not, but leaving chopsticks and rice inside lettuce leaves. 
sticking straight up out of a bowl of rice is As we eat, she shares that she hails
considered rude.  from rural Georgia and fell in love with Ko-
Soo Seok Yang says he often jokes with rean culture while studying in Israel. I ask
his American friends that, since he was born about her work at A-KEEP, which dramas
in South Korea, he’s a Southerner, too.  I should watch, and her favorite places to
PAJEON “Koreans focus on the value of family,” shop in town. 
Thin savory pancakes stuffed
he says. “That’s something we also have in It’s in this way that I learn the most im-
with fillings like scallions,
seafood, or both.
common with the South.” portant lesson of my Korean food journey,
though it doesn’t register just yet. 
Jalmeoggeseubnida “Food is very much about relationships,”
Back at So Gong Dong, my dinner compan- she says. “For Korean people, a meal is not
ion is Brittany Payne, a fresh-faced Korean just to eat, it’s to be together.”

SAMGYEOPSAL
Thick-cut pork belly cooked Food lover and travel guide author JESSICA FENDER enjoys eating her way across the
on a tabletop grill.
South and beyond. Follow her adventures at travelerbroads.com.

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