This post is going viral because it hilariously highlights a common cultural difference in dining etiquette, specifically the expectation of free and refillable side dishes (banchan) in Korean restaurants, contrasting it with the Japanese style of ordering them separately.
In Korea, most restaurants provide a variety of complimentary side dishes, known as banchan, which are often refillable. Seolleongtang is a popular milky white ox bone soup, typically served with rice and kimchi, where banchan are essential and expected to be free.
So this post from Singgeulbeonggeul Jigucheon Gallery is sending me. Someone named Kobayashi took them to a seolleongtang spot, and it's early AF but already packed. They're ordering two bowls of seolleongtang, cool, cool. BUT THEN they start listing off ALL these side dishes: seasoned seaweed, pollack roe kimchi, regular kimchi, and even namul?! Bro, the way the post ends with 'Ordering and paying for side dishes separately is a Japanese restaurant style' has me screaming. Like, bestie, this ain't Japan, we get banchan for free here! ๐๐๐