Daegu's Jeongmin Makchang: Tasty Pork Intestines
I took advantage of the weekend to take a trip to Daegu to see a friend. Living up to its nickname "Daefrica" (Daegu + Africa), it was so hot I thought I was going to pass out. The weather was so insanely hot that I just kept hunting for indoor spots with air conditioning. It wasn't until evening that I met up with a Daegu local for dinner, and of all places, they brought me to an outdoor BBQ joint in this weather.
Since it's a highly recommended local spot, there was a wait, so we stood in the blazing sun for about 20 minutes. Honestly, waiting outside on such a hot day made me think to myself, "Is the food really that amazing to suffer like this?"
After shooting "please finish eating and leave" glares at the seated customers for a good while, an outdoor table finally opened up. I really wanted to eat inside with the AC, but they told us the AC was broken and we absolutely had to eat outside. At times like this, drinking fast and getting drunk is the only answer.
The only makchang (grilled intestines) I’d ever had before were beef makchang during a business trip to Gumi and beef makchang in Euljiro (Seoul). Since those were both beef, I was worried that pork makchang might not taste as good. I don't really like offal to begin with, so I wasn't sure what to do, but once it came out and I took a bite, it wasn't just "edible"—I couldn't stop stuffing my face.
The weather and the greasiness of the pork intestines just wouldn't allow for drinking straight soju. So I excitedly drank somaek (soju mixed with beer) instead and got completely wasted. Because of the heat, the buzz hit me even faster. No matter how many cold glasses of somaek I mix and drink, I just can't get used to this damn Daegu weather.
I wouldn't recommend it during the sweltering summer, but on any other day, I highly recommend having pork makchang with somaek in Daegu. It offers a different kind of charm compared to beef makchang, and even people who usually can't eat intestines because they're too chewy will find this delicious.
If only the weather would cooperate!