starving. i m carlton mccoy, raised in inner city d.c., educated in kitchens around the globe. these days i make a living as a master sommelier. i m a nomad, driving to move in and out of different cultures, different worlds. i celebrate diversity by embracing what makes us both unique and the same. after all, we carry our travels with us to our next destination. that s what life is all about. let s do this. south korea. like most people, i m starting out in seoul, an international mega city located near the center of the korean peninsula. it is the beating heart that drives the korean economy and churns out record-breaking pop culture exports, squid game, parasite and bts, the biggest band on earth. this place is fast paced and runs around the clock. what about the rest of the country? is it super traditional, modern or both? after today i m headed further into the country side. i want to learn about the people, the drinking culture and, most importantly, the food.
drink. okay. this is soju. you have to shake it. and put it in there. so this is a korean apertif, we call it somak. is that moon che cheers, buddy. cheers. it is like the korean spritz? this is a very typical anything that accompanies drink. this is chicken feet and pork skin in spicy sauce. it is a staple street food everyone loves. then we have a rice cake with pepper paste. everyone is using it everywhere. they use it. let s try the blood sausage. that s [ bleep ] good. it is actually very different. it has a similar texture like the sticky rice. it is well-balanced, delicate. it is one of my favorites.
what? because korea has a very strict social hierarchy. you to respect the elders. how old are you? 38. okay. so i can t disrespect you is what i m saying. i ll give you a welcome drink. so this is soju. so you have to shake it. and put it in there. this is a korean aperitif. we call it somak. cheers. cheers. it s like the korean aperol spritz. this is very typical companies drink. this is chicken feet and pork skin in a spicy sauce. and this is staple street food that everyone loves. rice cake with the red pepper paste. everybody in the u.s. is juicing goji jong. even shake shack uses koby