Comforting Flavors of Time: A Homestyle Meal at Dongdaegu Station
Creatrip Team
2 months ago
Chef Kim Dong-gi recounts a nostalgic visit to a small family-style restaurant near Dongdaegu Station (a major train station in Daegu). Drawn by a faded sign reading “Saemaeul Restaurant,” he finds a warm, homey interior with a kettle on an old stove and hearty dishes like duruchigi (spicy stir-fry), jjigae (stew), grilled salted mackerel (gan-godeungeo), and rolled omelette. The meal—especially the well-grilled mackerel and simple side dishes—evokes memories of military leave and family care. The piece also explains gan-godeungeo (salted and grilled mackerel), a preservation-born dish from inland regions where mackerel was once transported salted; brief salting concentrates flavor and requires high heat to render the fat and crisp the skin. The column closes with a short recipe for butter-grilled tilefish (geumtae) with morel mushrooms.
