Banggane: In Goat They Trust

(This venue is closed.) Named for the color of its hair, not its meat, Korean black goat "is both refreshing and restorative, or so the traditional thinking goes. In Seoul, where [Banggane owner Chris Kwak] was born in the mid-1950s — not long after the armistice that brought a cessation of hostilities to the Korean Peninsula — dishes that feature the native goat have long been consumed as much for medicinal value as for culinary pleasure. Expectant women eat black goat because it's 'good for the baby, good for the mom,' says Chris. Older people rely on it to regain their strength after surgery; men of a certain age seek to improve their vigor. For these purposes, Chris tells us, 'we eat black goat only.' No other goat will do." Read more on Culinary Backstreets.