A foreign friend ordered fried chicken delivery for the first time and was startled. When they opened the box, there were little white square pieces next to the fried chicken. "Is this dessert?" they asked. That's chicken-mu, pickled radish. Koreans eat it with fried chicken even if nobody orders it. ## The Rule Nobody Wrote Down Hardly any restaurant writes “radish included” on the menu. Still, when you order fried chicken, the radish always comes with it. Koreans alternate between a bite of chicken and a piece of radish. If a restaurant forgets the radish, it's common for customers to call right away and ask about it. That's because eating only chicken makes it greasy pretty quickly. ## Pair Rich Foods with Something Tangy Fried food is greasy. Sweet, tangy, crunchy radish washes the oil out of your mouth. Then the next bite tastes as good as the first. Korean meals have many pairings like this. Jajangmyeon comes with pickled radish and onions, and meat comes with kimchi or pickled scallions. Putting something sour and crunchy next to greasy food is an old Korean habit. However, it's not clear who first paired pickled radish with fried chicken. All we know is that it became a staple because it works so well as a palate cleanser. ## Try it right now When you order on a delivery app, try writing "Please give me extra chicken radish" in the request field. It differs from shop to shop, so be sure to check the app's instructions. If you have leftover radish, it also goes well with ramen or meat.