It's the world I know...

Uh-oh! Carnivore Alert! Code Orange!!! Run, veggie friends, run!

I got quite the response the other day when I posted the following on Facebook:

Let's take a vote: how many of your kids, when told, "we're going out for some Korean style cow's tongue" would go" YAY YUMMY, THANK YOU MOMMY!!!" ? That's my girl.

Words used in reply included "tortured" and "child abuse." Really?

Generally Bethy does this: Mom, what's for dinner? (Insert regular sort of food...like hamburgers...here in answer.)

Then she says YUCK! I hate that! Why do you always make things you know I don't like?!

Then Mike gets into the conversation about how I cooked for the family and how Bethy should be happy and how kids are starving elsewhere...you know how this goes.

You should also hear the packed lunch reviews I get from our little critic. Yikes. Talk of disdain. Bethy's complaining puts cats to shame. Yowly cats.

Now you should be curious as to WHY this picky young thing would not just like but be excited at the prospect of eating...cow tongue.

Let me reassure you right now, that while I do not shop the offal section in the grocery stores here (and it is an extensive and vaguely disturbing gathering of parts), going out for Korean with a great group is a definite highlight in our repertoire of dining experiences. In Dubai, that's saying something, my friend.

Happy looking folks, post cow tongue ingestion.

First of all, the nice waitstaff at Seoul Garden restaurant in Karama give you your own room, behind a closed door, with a button to summon the waiter. This means that no matter how rambunctious the kids get with one another, it...doesn't...matter.

Total lack of dirty looks from us to the kids or other diners at us. The restaurant doesn't serve alcohol, but that doesn't matter. Without the dirty looks it's easy to relax and have a good time, so I enjoyed my green tea and basically let the kids goof off together. Our friends did the same. This is good stuff.

Secondly, you get to cook your meats right there at the table. Go ahead, try to tell me this is not way cool. They bring you plate after plate of marinated, beautiful cuts of meat, along with oils and sauces and cunning little dishes of things such as jalapenos and garlic, and even Kimchi for the authentic Korean experience. They provide meat tongs and kitchen scissors and let you go to town.

Now, here we go. The tongue looks like this:

Not scary at all, right?

And it lasts about three seconds after it comes off the grill. Chomp. Gone.

We spent two hours there eating sweet ribs and sliced meats, and it was fabulous, barely realising how much time had passing until suddenly we looked at each other and went uuuuuh, holy cow tongue, I'm full.

Well most of us did that. There were a few serious recreational eaters who kept at it a bit more, but eventually even they called it a night.

Full tummies, seriously smelling of garlic, we considered the evening a real success. I would take you there in a minute.

New experiences can be good for you, you know.

Now, if I could just get Bethy to eat a non-McDonalds hamburger...