When I asked for more side dishes at a Korean restaurant, they just brought them to me. But an international student was curious about something. "What happens to the side dishes that are left over?" The answer is that almost all of them get thrown away. Many people are surprised when they hear this. ## Why are side dishes free? A Korean meal table is a setup where rice, soup, and side dishes all come out at once. I think of side dishes not as separately sold food, but as a basic part of what you pay for the rice. So in many places, if you run out, you can ask for more and they won't charge you. Of course, it differs from restaurant to restaurant. Pricier side dishes, like meat or raw fish, are sometimes charged separately. ## Why don't they serve leftover side dishes again? Food that has already been served to a customer's table isn't allowed to be served again. It's because there's no way to know who has touched it with their chopsticks, so it could cause hygiene problems. So even side dishes that haven't been touched are often thrown away when the table is cleared. It's a waste from the restaurant's point of view, but it's a promise that must be kept in order to earn customers' trust. ## So how should you ask? Don't take a lot from the start; ask for more only as much as you can eat. It's enough to say, "Could I have a little more of this, please?" It's fine to ask for a little at a time, several times. That helps the restaurant, because less food gets thrown away. For side dishes, the most natural thing is to ask for more when your plate is empty. Next time you go to a restaurant, take a look at how much of the side dishes on the table is left over.