This might be the first Netflix thing I have watched that doesn’t have a trailer so just imagine there’s a link here.

This particular show, as well as a variety of others in the collections of similar names, is something that I really wanted to sink my teeth into for a long time; Wanting to be able to give it full focus and appreciate it in full especially because of it only being available in Korean with English subtitles. But now that I finally have I can say that it was very much worth waiting to get into the correct space.

When we think, or at least when I do, fancy cuts or specific regions for beef this isn’t one that specifically sprung to mind. Western culture is very much about Japanese Wagyu over Korean Hanwoo and this is partly linked to the popularity of Japanese food and culture in general helping to give it that elevation to a higher level but slowly Korean food is on the rise as a thing of luxury so it will no doubt only be a matter of time before we hear about Hanwoo beef more and more.

Hearing about Hanwoo beef might be more accurate that seeing it though as it is particularly hard to obtain outside of Korea and even less so outside of the Asian continent making it one of the most expensive meats in the world. Watching this two part documentary though I can see why; They truly utilise every single bit of the cow and the number of different cuts we would commonly just label under one umbrella term is extraordinary. For anybody to be able to acknowledge and find a way to refine how all these (over 100) bits have different taste and texture profiles and how cooking them just slightly can enhance that is a food lovers delight.

The thing that the show, naturally as is the way with these shows, glanced over however is something that upsets me the most when food products become a luxury. It often pushes the locals out of the market from being able to purchase of consume it. The cattle farmers see the price of their meat rising and choose to sell it, getting a much cheaper meat to feed to their own families instead, and with that a small part of the tradition gets a little bit lost because so many family specific recipes no longer get made, enjoyed and passed on to the next generation. It has regional benefits for more than just farmers pockets of course, restaurants can elevate prices of these dishes, tourists flock to Hoengseong County and give the hospitality industry a boost too and much more that creates jobs. However, this again comes at a cost itself as it means that unless people have improved wages in line with the price increases of these services locals can no longer enjoy a beef dish out with family.

There was one particular recipe that stood out to me during the show of a liver steak. Cow livers are naturally pretty hefty in size so they are able to cut off whole slices and them being able to do it as a big slice instead of smaller bite sized pieces, as we often encounter liver, and that means it can be cooked with precision and to just the right melt in mouth level instead. It looked and sounded fantastic, as it was left to rest and then sliced in the way we would a ‘traditional’ steak and it just looked amazing, and of course helps to ensure there is no waste by finding a way to elevate even something up like the offal.

Having said that though there is one bit of the no waste thing that I personally am not sure about eating; The spine. It just looked a bit like a slimy tube after cooking and… well… we cannot all be fans of everything. I could probably bring myself to try a bite of it to say that I had as people that don’t want to even try things or claim that they don’t like something without doing it upset me mildly.

And finally, it also brought potato noodles into my life. For some reason it had never crossed my mind people might make noodles out of potato. People make gnocchi and bread as well as so many other things out of potato that there is no reason noodles wouldn’t be possible and now I want them in my life somehow (perhaps it can be a little creation project one day).

It is this sort of small random thing that really helps to make this show an even more enjoyable and informative one as well. Is it ground-breaking? No. Is it stylised in a way that makes it unique? No. But is it incredibly informative, interesting and leaves you wanting to try out new cuts of cow and dishes? Heck yes.