Last evening, dining early at the tiny ghetto-edge Korean American burger joint in my home town, my usual order of a large Korean version of fried rice anda side of kimchi came with a little dish of cucumber (sliced, very small, home grown)and fresh (whole, small) jalapeno "pickle" sent out to me by the elderly lady who has run the grill for more than 35 years or so.

As I left, we joked together (my absent Korean, her fragmented English) about the "Korean Jalapenos" (which she grows along with the cukes in the tiny garden outside the front door). Next week, she promises to bring me some of the fermented soy bean paste which is a standard in her homeland, but not much seen/experienced here (at least out here in flyover country).

I know that the handful of Korean menu items are not classic cuisine, but for 35 years or so, they've been enjoyable to me, and how many here can claim to have eaten regularly at the same resturant with the same cook for that long a time?

They may not be "Korean", but the Kitok's "Oriental Fries" (a lightly breaded, deep-fried mixture of potatoes, onions, carrots, parsley, and seasonal additions) surpass not only Micky D's FF, but more than match many highly rated "Frites" in Paris and Brussels. I always share my wife's heaping order, just a minor artery-clogger when taken in moderation. Then there's the house chicken, onion and potato soup (with a touch of garlic). A local take out favorite, it will cause even the bed ridden to recover quickly from all sorts of ailments.