Monday Market – Crunchy Crab (방게조림)
the bang-gae is a small type of crab (방게) Click photo for source link
Whenever I eat this, which is almost everyday, I am reminded of the kind of oral sensation you might experience if you ate a handful of cockroaches. However, despite the fact a portion of bang-gae cho-rim (방게조림) consists of numerous disengaged legs, claws and bodies in a thick spicy coating, they are quite delicious. Cho-rim is a type of side dish which is prepared by boiling ingredients in soy sauce. While the bodies are somewhat soft, the legs and claws are crunchy and because they are spikey and sometimes sharp, need to be eaten with a little care.
un-cooked bang-gae
legless bang-gae
fresh from the market
© 林東哲 2011 Creative Commons Licence
Elwood 5566 
Since moving to Korea, when I visit my family in the States I can pretty much freak them out by eating shrimp shells without flinching. They’d pass out if they saw me eating bangae-chorim.
It’s not my favorite, but it does add a little crunch to any meal A bit too grainy/sandy for my taste.
Yes, I forgot the sandy element.