- I've been eatin', I've been eatin'
I get filthy when my soldier give it to me
I've been thinkin', great some me and Beyonce
Off the Run, on the couch tour.
- Got the runs.
- Got the runs tour.
- What's up, y'all?
I'm Timothy DeLaGhetto and this is Acquired Taste.
You know, food really is like a window
to different cultures.
When you learn about different food,
you learn about the people and you learn about yourself.
Today I'm in Downtown Los Angeles, Korea Town, baby!
About to try some Gopchang.
That's intestines.
Gopchang is a popular Korean dish made
from the small intestines of cow, pig, and sometimes lamb.
It's known as one of most popular dishes in Korea.
People of Korea started eating it as a cheap source
of nutrition, that made use of every part of the animal.
Rich in iron and vitamins,
it was served as a health supplement for the ill.
But nowadays, it's considered a delicacy
and is a lot more expensive than it used to be.
Many Koreans believe Gopchang pairs perfectly with soju
because it breaks down the alcohol.
Today we're gonna give it a try at Hak San,
a family run Korean Barbecue restaurant.
I'm gonna be joined by the lovely Akilah Hughes.
She's a YouTuber, podcast host, comedian, and author.
She has no idea what we 'bout to be eating.
Akilah says she loves food,
but let's see if she's down to try some intestines.
Aight.
- What's up?
(mumbles)
- I heard you guys are the place to go to get Gopchang.
- This is the perfect place to go.
- Show me your world. - Let's take you to the kitchen.
- Thanks.
All right, hello.
- Hi.
- Tim, nice to meet you.
Anyang, I know a little bit.
Okay, this is your brother.
- Yes.
- How come she gets to be in front
and you have to be back here, it's all hot.
- Yes, sure, I like it.
I bring ingredients or every secret
recipe is kept from my father, so.
He teach me like more than two years.
- This a family business, it's handed down from my dad.
- Oh, really?
- Yeah, and he has experience in Korean food for 30 years.
- Who's older?
- I definitely.
- I don't know.
Thank you.
- You Asian people, you can't tell.
- Yeah, well.
- You can be 19 or you could be 45 and I would never tell.
- Okay.
- What do we have cooking right here?
- So, that right here from the far right is called daechang
which is the large intestines.
Then the one right next to it is call makchang.
- Makchang, now what is that?
- Really the last part of the stomach.
- The last part of the stomach.
- That one is called Man Tu Trong.
We marinate it for three days.
It was very popular in Korea about 1960 or so.
Like, not a thing in the beef or cow was left out.
So, people eat everything so includes intestine too.
This is such a different texture than just regular meat
that you have.
So, if people are adventurous, they just wanna try it out.
- Okay, so I know when I was growing up,
whenever my mom would cook,
sometimes other kids thought it was stinky
or they thought it was weird.
- One time my mom packed me Kimchi.
- Kids, they're not used to that Kimchi,
but now they're all eating at your restaurant
and charge them double.
- That's right.
Fun, well, I'm excited to try the food.
- All right.
- Yeah, I love Korean Barbecue,
but I've never had the intestines before.
- Don't be scared.
- No, I'm not scared.
We'll see if my friend is scared, she has no idea
so we'll see. - All right.
- Go.
- Thank you.
- Thank you for having me.
- Akilah Hughes, writer.
- Yeah.
- Comedian.
- Some say.
- Podcast host.
- True.
- Youtuber.
- Real.
- Yes, we're gonna have some Korean Barbecue today.
- I'm pumped!
- Then later on something's gonna come
that maybe people in the U.S. don't normally eat.
- Oh, got it, they might be a little reluctant or scared.
- They might be a little reluctant or scared.
- I'ma throw down.
- So let's throw down!
- I'm so pumped.
- Okay, so this is Q.
This is her family's business. - Hi.
- Oh, wonderful!
- Yeah. - Welcome.
So this prime short rib, and this is pork belly.
- Oh, I love.
- Oh, you love?
- That looks fabulous! - Yes.
(mumbles)
- Are we drinking today?
- Absolutely, they can't stop me.
- Let's do it. - Well, cheers.
- Oh man, we're gonna be lit.
- So did you dad train you on how to cook
each piece of Korean Barbecue, or what?
- Yes.
- We have to.
- Look, forget good grades, learn how to cook your meat.
I'm excited for you to try something new today.
Well, I'm gonna try it with you.
I mean, I've had it prepared in different ways.
- Got it.
- But like not in the Korean way.
- Ooh!
- The left side, it's bean paste.
- Oh yum!
- It's called Doenjang.
- Cheers.
- Hey, you've messed with the chopsticks.
- I made it! Oh, that one.
- Yo, I'm eatin' all of it.
- Oh, so are you a picky eater?
- So when I was a kid, I really was.
Like, to the point of like I was the only person
in my family who had those sectioned plates.
- You didn't like food to touch, what?
- I didn't like spinach or like greens juice touching
like macaroni, like if it touched
it was like the end of the meal.
- You wouldn't dip your chicken into the mashed potatoes?
- No, and I would never have it all on the same fork.
Like to me that was like blasphemy.
- When did that change?
- I think it was probably when I moved away from Kentucky.
So now I'm a Thanksgiving sandwich person.
- Oh my god, me too, I love that!
- Yes, together in a pile, my favorite!
- Did food play any part in like your identity
and culturally or just who you are?
- Nah, I've been in the south and specifically Kentucky
it's a very white, like to be completely honest
and through food that was sort of the closest connection.
That was the thing that made me different.
And so when I had friends come over and my mom was cooking,
they were, oh, like what are all these different spices.
- Oh, what are these?
This is seasoning?
- There's dust on my chicken.
I'm like, girl, eat your food.
- My chicken is dirty!
- Yeah, that was a way that we could,
feel like we were still connected to our roots
and where we came from.
And food tradition in America with like black people
starting back in slavery is like really strong.
And when I moved to New York, I moved to a block
that like all black people lived there since the '80s
They have a huge block party, and everybody cooks.
And I'm like, this feels like a deeper part of something.
- For sure!
- Yeah. - That's dope!
Well, I mean we're eating Korean food
so this is soul food in another way.
You know what I'm sayin'
- I'm leaving.
I love it.
Soju is hitting!
- Is it? (laughing)
Girl, you've only had one.
- I know, I'm a big baby!
- Oh my!
- Hope there's room for more.
- Yeah!
- I love that sound.
- Oh man!
- Yummy.
- You're really good at this.
- I'm the one who's handing all the meat.
Even with my friends, I get to.
- I came to know you as a Youtuber.
- Yes.
- So, how did you get into like podcasting
and what made you wanna write a book.
- I guess I always saw YouTube as a portfolio.
Like, I was from the south, no one knew who I was
I didn't have any connections, and I moved to New York,
I did standup, I did all the stuff and--
- Were you funny?
- I'm so funny.
And I met this girl doing improv.
Years later I ran into her, I was working at MTV
she worked at Penguin.
- And she was like--
- Penguin Publishing?
- The publishing!
And we kind of got to know each other and they were like,
"I feel like there's a book here, like do you wanna write
"some pages and like pitch something?"
And that's sorta how the book happened.
And it took me a million years.
- I bet!
- But it's out now, - That's awesome.
Obviously, stories from my timeline
sounds better with that sizzle.
- The stories are on fire.
- Yeah, fire!
But the podcasting was like a weird knack for progression.
Crooked Media.
Basically these dudes who used to work
with Obama kinda headhunted me.
Then I couldn't turn it down
so now I'm here, embracing it.
Number one daily news podcast.
- Oh, that's poppin'!
- Yes, only black woman talking politics in the Top 10!
- Look at you!
- This is like my dream.
Is to like be very tipsy talking to you, eating meats.
- I'm here to make dreams come true.
One of my boys says that like,
arguably the food in Korea Town is better
than the food in Korea.
- Wow!
- I mean how do you feel about that?
- Yeah.
- After we eat a little bit of this,
I think we'll be ready for the main thang!
- Yes.
- So, whenever you ready.
- What's it gonna be?
- What's it gonna be, intestines?
- I don't know man, no!
- Yeah.
- All right enjoy, guys.
- Thank you.
- Oh, man!
- This soup, very meat in this soup.
- Well are you ready for the pièce de résistance
of the night?
- I'm so excited, I'm nervous.
Is it like a bizarre animal?
Can I get a hint?
- It's not opossum.
- Oh, great.
Wow, drag me to this.
I know you're from the backwaters of Kentucky,
so we made a rat stew for you!
- Okay yes, please bring it out.
- Here we go.
- All right.
- So what do you know about food?
- I know it's called Gopchang, one of these.
This one!
- Whoa, yes!
- Yes.
And what that is?
- I know what it is.
Is? - I know what it is.
- It's intestines.
- I can tell by the name.
- You're right, Timothy, this is called Gopchang.
It's the small intestines.
And this right here is the fatty one, it's really juicy.
And this is the large intestine.
And we have two parts of the stomach.
- I love that.
As a child, I would have literally
run out of here screaming.
- I was gonna ask you, you're from the south, Chitterlings.
- Yeah, chitterlings.
- Which is just, you know, beef intestines.
- Yeah. - The small intestine.
- Wild! - So that's up.
- I've never had anything like this.
This is definitely like uh, a moment for me,
and I'm not scared, it doesn't scare me.
I'm a bad bitch.
I'm not afraid of no food!
I don't know what it's gonna taste like
I have no concept.
- At various taco trucks,
you can get some tacos called tripas.
And the tripas is actually small intestines, as well.
- Really?
- Yeah.
- So, it's like very common across cultures.
- That's what I'm sayin', I think in different cultures
it's used in different ways.
- Yeah, and I think that like, it is sort of
from the tradition of using every part an animal.
- Totally! - Which is good!
Sustainable, better for the world.
- Don't waste it, and also I feel like
it shows respect to the animals.
- It does, yeah, we are not calling any part of it garbage.
- Throw the dick away though!
- Yeah, I'm all set.
If any of this is dick don't put it on.
I don't need that to be my legacy.
- Yeah, she choked on the cow dick.
That's what took her out.
- RIP.
- Did you grow up eating all of this stuff, as well?
- Yes.
- So how do you like to cook it?
Like what's the best way to prepare it, that you found?
- Definitely nothing as like regular beef meat.
Like beef meat you just sear it
maybe once or twice and you just eat it.
But this, you cook it all the way.
The crispier the better.
Ooooh.
Except for this part.
- Okay. - Okay.
- Which is called Yung the mountain cheese.
So when you were growing up, Tim,
what was sort of like your food background?
- My mom loved cooking.
And if I was ever mad at her
or she yelled at me and made me sad
she would cook me something.
- Aw, yeah. - You know what I'm saying?
We didn't have a lot of money growing up
but she always made sure the food was good.
Even if it wasn't expensive.
- Right, you were eating well.
- So even now, if stop by the house and I'm not hungry
my mom offers me food, I'm like, yes, I will have some.
'cause I know that's her like.
- Right, she's trying to bring you in.
- Yeah. - Oh my god!
- So, these are right here small intestines, it's ready.
Gopchong is ready. - Gopchong is ready, okay.
- And also, the abomasum right here.
- Oh yeah, those are really rare.
- Oh, yes!
- Oh my god, the potatoes.
Look at that flavor here in the potatoes too.
- Well, let's get our first flavor.
Cheers!
- Cheers, oh it smells good.
All right, little nervous.
- That's delicious.
- You like it?
- Mmm hmm!
- It's so crispy and good.
Love the fat, love the crisp.
- The crispiness and then like the inside fatty part
kind of breaks apart a little bit.
- Oh yeah!
- Almost gets a little melty in there.
- Loving 'em!
- Which one should I try next?
- I would I recommend this one, I love some.
- That's the muscle.
- Oh the muscle, okay.
- Cheers!
- Ooh, and this is a special recipe?
- Yes.
- Love it.
- If you want like original taste
you can just like dip it in the sauce, the sesame oil.
- Yeah, like this is super flavorful.
A little spice with the sauce.
- I like the texture on that.
It's almost like, have you ever had beef tongue?
- No.
- So tongue is like similar consistency
I feel like a little chewier.
Tender but its like, you know you get a little more--
- There's like flavor in there.
- Yeah, a little more density to it.
- I love that, yes.
- Poppin'
It's large intestines.
- Yeah, the fatty one.
- What's that in Korean?
- Daechang
- Oh!
- It's fire.
- That's poppin'. - That's the one!
That's the one!
- Oh my god!
- Yeah, that's the winner.
- That's bomb. - That is wild.
- That one's bomb.
- This is fire.
- And this is large intestines?
- Large intestines.
It's our actually favorite for all the ladies.
- Oh, yeah?
- Uh huh.
- Why do they like it so much?
- I don't know.
Then I'm gonna mix all together.
This is gonna have all the flavors.
- This is like Christmas day, I'm like, yes!
- You're Santa Claus right now.
- You are, this is all I wanted today.
It's good that one is not lost for this world.
I will be eating it right off the table.
Don't even trip.
- So, I think I'm done.
- Thank you, you're the best.
- So, when you're full--
- Do you want anything before you leave us?
- I'm gonna have what you just ate.
- Oh yeah, yeah, yeah.
- So, let me search for this, this is the fun of it.
This is the fun of it.
- Right, so you're actually like cooking it as you search.
- So, awesome, my choice.
The sauce is wild.
If you bottled this.
- Thank you for cooking for us.
- No problem
- Thank you for having us. - Enjoy, guys.
- Thank you!
- Bye.
- Ooh, lemme get this this big old garlic.
- Yeah, oh yeah, yeah, yeah.
- 'Cause you know whose not in love, me.
I ain't got no kisses lined up.
- Hey man, thanks for joining me.
- Thank you so much for having me, anytime!
- We just learned something new about ourselves.
- We did.
- We love intestines.
- I'm glad you uh expanded your horizons.
Expanded your belly.
- It definitely expanded my belly.
- Expand your belt, me too.
And it's beautiful that we're here in a country and city
where it's a melting pot.
Where you, a southern girl, from New York.
- From New York, now in L.A.
- Can come with me, a little Asian boy grew up in L.A.
Can share some Korean food and bond over that.
- Yes, thank you! - Thank you.
- This was eye-opening and delicious.