Dr K

Making bibimbap for 16 hikers... on top of a mountain?

No way!

But... for Korean ajummas?

It's a piece of cake.

In Korea, hiking is about much more than reaching the summit.

It's about spending time together—with friends, family, or hiking clubs.

One of the best parts of the day is sharing a meal.

Whether it's gimbap, seasonal fruit, a lunch box, or even a cup of ramyeon...

the mountain turns every meal into a little picnic.

Now here's something I've only seen a few times.

Bibimbap on a mountain.

Bibimbap is one of the most popular Korean dishes among international visitors.

Just mix rice, vegetables, gochujang, and sesame oil and enjoy.

Now imagine making bibimbap for four people.

Easy.

Everyone simply adds their ingredients into one large bowl, mixes everything together, and serves themselves.

One day, I even saw four women making bibimbap on top of Baegundae.

One of them was even eating barefoot after taking off her hiking boots and socks.

That looked pretty comfortable!

But what if your hiking group has...

16 people?

You'd need an enormous bowl.

Who would carry something that big all the way up the mountain?

Then I witnessed something I'll never forget.

I happened to pass by a group of sixteen Korean ajummas having lunch.

Before I knew it, they were inviting me to join them for lunch.

One of them even smiled and said,

“We even brought some homemade rice wine. Come and have a taste!"

That's something I love about Korean ajummas—there's always room for one more at the table.

How could I refuse?

Guess what they were making.

Bibimbap!

But...

where was the giant bowl?

There wasn't one.

Instead...

they simply spread out a large plastic sheet,

poured all the ingredients onto the sheet, added gochujang and sesame oil,

and mixed everything together right there.

Problem solved.

Everyone filled their own bowl...

and lunch was served.

Simple.

Brilliant.

And absolutely delicious.

It was one of the best bibimbap meals I've ever had.

Maybe it was the company.

Maybe it was the homemade rice wine.

Or maybe...

the best sauce was the mountain view.