'Welcome, first time in Korea?' Pico and his French friends enjoyed an all-time best jeongsik in Jeonju.
On the 2nd, MBC Every1's 'Welcome, first time in Korea?' 422nd episode depicted the long-awaited Jeonju trip of Paco, the 'K-traditional lover.' Paco, who had said from France, "I want to see the real life and traditions of Korea," finally faced the heart of Korean tradition and the deep emotion he felt was conveyed intact to viewers, warming their hearts.
On the morning of the third day of the trip, before heading to Jeonju, Paco revealed his uncontrollable excitement from early morning preparation time by passionately singing his self-composed "Jeonju song." Paco's upbeat energy continued during the journey. Especially, his friends, who experienced the comfort of a Korean premium express bus for the first time in their lives, marveled, "Even planes don't have this," and "This is not a bus but a bed."
As soon as they arrived in Jeonju, Paco's unique presence shone. The taxi driver recognized Paco at once as soon as they hailed a cab for transportation. Paco repeatedly said, "I'm really happy!" and shared a warm conversation with the driver. Especially when the driver expressed the wish, "I want to go to France to see Paco too," Paco, who had realized his dream of traveling to Korea, sincerely supported the driver's dream and showed a touching friendship that crossed borders. Paco added warmth by giving the driver an Eiffel Tower keyring he had brought from France as a token of gratitude.
The highlight of this journey was undoubtedly Jeonju's 25-course jeongsik. From the entrance, the staff wearing hanbok and the mother-of-pearl chest placed as interior decoration, to the ondol layout, the friends, enchanted, held in-depth discussions as if they had come to a museum. They felt a brief strangeness about the armless chairs and floor-seated culture, but when the overwhelming table filled with food appeared, their bewilderment quickly turned into huge cheers. Above all, Paco exclaimed, "It feels like I've come to the dynasty era," and enjoyed the meal as if he were a king.
True to being friends from the gourmet country of France, sharp and delightful analyses of Korean food poured out. Fabian mentioned the French broth dish "pot-au-feu" while watching friends enjoy sinseollo, pointing out why it would inevitably capture French palates. Also, "food professor" Max summoned the French traditional beef dish "boeuf bourguignon" after tasting galbijjim. Max praised, "It's much tastier than bourguignon. I pledge allegiance to galbijjim," and added, "Now I can return home without regrets," turning the site into a sea of laughter with his high praise.
The climax was the challenge of "hongeo samhap," which even Koreans have mixed opinions about. While Max surrendered, saying, "It feels like my nose is being pulled," Paco and Jamil unexpectedly showed seasoned mastery. Paco said happily, "Something rises in the nose — this is the kick, and tradition is a good thing," and Jamil also praised the jelly-like texture. Watching this, Fabian explained, "Because French people enjoy pungent cheeses, they could easily like the unique smell and taste of hongeo," prompting nods.
It didn't end there. Even after finishing the plentiful table, friends cried out happily although their stomachs were full at the continued Korean-style "jeong," which included rice and dried radish greens soybean paste soup, scorched rice, and sikhye without pause. After completing a perfect meal to the end, Paco even declared, "I'm not going back to France, I want to live in Korea!" refusing to return home and providing big laughter until the last moment.
The three French friends fully enjoyed Korea's beauty and taste with their whole bodies in Jeonju. In the preview at the end of the broadcast, their appearance as they learned pansori and burst into excitement was shown, heightening anticipation for the next journey.
Meanwhile, MBC Every1's 'Welcome, first time in Korea?' airs every Thursday at 8:30 p.m.
[Photo] MBC Every1
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