Mystery of the Korean Resturant Solved

I had a personal mystery surrounding Korean resturants. It all started back in Seattle before I came over here to Korea. My neighborhood borders a Korean neighborhood with lots of Korean resturants and more importantly Korean barbeques. Each time I drove past these resturants, (which are usually in shady strip malls and share the parking lots with nail saloons, adult "bookstores," places where women exercise their First Amendment Right to dance without shirts, checking cashing places, hmm I guess that is why my condo was cheap. :) and your occasional shopping mall church) I would see lots of cars parked outside and front of this resturant but I rarely, if ever, saw any people sitting down or moving about in the resturant. I could never figure it out. It bothered me, could there be a savage robbery, a mass suicide or what? My inquiring and morbid curiosity raged on as I left Seattle.

Finally after about six months and a couple of visits to Korean barbeque resturants, I put two and two together and "solved" the mystery. When you go to a Korean resturant you go up to a buffet style type table and there is tons of meat and other goodies (chicken, beef and no dog!! at least that is what I am told and yes kimchi that wonderful pickled cabbage that has made the smell of Korea memorable for myself and many other Soldiers and Officers). Once you get your food you return back to your table, which is about the size of the kids table in a dentist or doctor's office. There is an mini oven cut out in the center of the table. You throw all of your meat on this mini oven and it cooks. The problem with the table is there are no chairs and you sit on the floor. Aha!!!! (que imaginary yellow light bulb appearing above my head and flickering on as I sit cramped on the floor my legs sticking straight out underneath the table among Koreans eating barbeque) there was no axe murder or robbery occurring at those Korean barbeque places in Seattle. It was just bunch of Koreans sitting on the floor enjoying their barbeque, kimchi and soju. That is why I could never see anyone in the resturant. Although the food in these places is very good, it is not worth sitting on the floor for it, especially when you are tall. Chairs have been around for a while. I appreciate that the Koreans dined without chairs for thousands of years. However, we now have them and they should be used!!