Location: 49th St. b/w 6th and 7th Ave.
People: MKang and myself
Feelings: On this chillingly cold day, I decided to avoid the cliche of warm noodles at Bap Cha noodle cart and went for the original Bap Cha truck that serves tasty Korean dishes. This cart is MKang's go-to cart. "I usually just get Galbi special," she stated. "The meat is really good quality for street food, and super cheap considering how much restaurant galbi can cost in Korea."
As she ordered her staple galbi, I ordered a egg wrap special ($7). Egg wraps, or rolled eggs are quite a big deal in Japan. Mothers would make beautifully crafted bento for their children everyday, and their skills are tested by how beautifully eggs are rolled. My mother was not very good at rolling the eggs, so I recall being embarrassed in school. As a new mom myself, I cannot believe that they would make these state of the art lunch boxes everyday. It is not over-exaggeration to say that rolled eggs signify gender inequality in Japan. The quality of the rolled eggs is usually correlated with proper stay at home motherly skills. At the same time, they are the representation of healthy eating habits and balanced home cooked meals.
As I reminisce my mother's imperfect yet lovable and tasty rolled eggs, I enjoyed Bap Cha's version. This egg wrap special is quite a deal: a voluminous amount of rolled eggs, rice, japchae, and salad--all topped with hot sauce in one container. The eggs were tasty but you definitely need the hot sauce to bring out the flavor. Both MKang and I thought the japchae was a bit oily and did not enjoy the uncooked onions, but the salad was refreshing. "(The salad) ...even outs the meal after all the greasy meat," said MKang.
My mother won't make me a bento anymore, but I have Bap Cha's egg wrap special to make me feel warm and fuzzy inside...and satisfyingly full as well.
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