This is really interesting, Mitchell. I'm not up to trying any of these ideas but I'm truly fascinated to learn about them--not just a whole new cuisine but a whole new way of eating. One thing I do wonder: is this meze tradition (as I immediately thought of it) typical of ordinary home cooking? Or is it special occasion and restaurant food?
From what I experienced and understand, this style of eating is typical at home and in restaurants. Though certainly similar to meze, the implementation is different in that it's not just that you share a number of different dishes, but you actually recombine them in different ways for each bite. With your lettuce leaf for ssam in hand, you take some of this, a little of that, a dab or doot, etc. Also, although you can be served communal dishes from which everybody takes a portion, each diner is just as likely to be served 9 little dishes of different things presented on beautiful indivdual wooden trays. The photo I published of my temple meal was just one place setting for me. There were 25 of us at that meal. I can't help but think of the dishwasher!
This is really interesting, Mitchell. I'm not up to trying any of these ideas but I'm truly fascinated to learn about them--not just a whole new cuisine but a whole new way of eating. One thing I do wonder: is this meze tradition (as I immediately thought of it) typical of ordinary home cooking? Or is it special occasion and restaurant food?
From what I experienced and understand, this style of eating is typical at home and in restaurants. Though certainly similar to meze, the implementation is different in that it's not just that you share a number of different dishes, but you actually recombine them in different ways for each bite. With your lettuce leaf for ssam in hand, you take some of this, a little of that, a dab or doot, etc. Also, although you can be served communal dishes from which everybody takes a portion, each diner is just as likely to be served 9 little dishes of different things presented on beautiful indivdual wooden trays. The photo I published of my temple meal was just one place setting for me. There were 25 of us at that meal. I can't help but think of the dishwasher!
My thoughts exactly--the dish washer!