We decided to closely examine our food on a recent trip to Gen Korean BBQ (2540 W El Camino Real, Mountain View, CA 94040, May 5, 2019, 12:31pm). There, we ate (and observed) shrimp, kim chee, seasonings (monosodium glutamate), Bos Taurus (beef), and Sus scrofa domesticus (pork).

• Garlic Pork Belly, Hawaiian Steak, Rib Eye, and Beef Short Ribs cooking on the grill.

• Shrimp antennae (cooked)

First, we examined the antennae of shrimp. In the image above, segments from the antennae are shown. These extend along the entire length of the antennae, which are used for sensing touch and odor. The sample has an orange color which is visible in the macroscopic view.

• Mono Sodium Glutamate

In our Korean BBQ seasoning tray, there was Mono – Sodium Glutamate (MSG). MSG appears as crystals in both its macroscopic and microscopic forms. Here, we can see the cubic structure of the salt crystal.

Kim Chee pigments (left), leaf with pigment (right)
We were also provided kim chee with our meal. On the left, there is some fluid from the kim chee where pigments in the fluid suspension can be clearly seen. Interestingly, kim chee is created via a fermentation process, so there might even be more microbes if we could examine this fluid more closely! On the right, there is a green portion in the kim chee fluid. Since kim chee also includes cabbage, there was also some green coloring from the chlorophyll of the cabbage leaves.

Raw Beef Bulgogi
Unlike plant cells with defined cell walls, animal cells have membranes that have a more fluid-like shape. Observing a sample of raw meat shows that there is a scaffold of these cells in raw beef. The cells are clear and show many bubble-like patterns which could represent the lipids that are contained in the cells and the surrounding extracellular matrix.

Cooked Beef Bulgogi
The cooked sample of the beef appeared significantly darker than the raw meat. The raw meat appeared almost clear, but when cooked, there is darkening. Still, there are oil bubbles coming from the lipids and there are still round cells, characteristic of animals, still visible.


We don’t look at our food under the microscope very often, but when we do, we can see how the microscopic properties impact our dining experience. When observing meat, we see fluid cells, with oils, but when we see the shrimp antennae, there are rigid cells, reminding us of the crunchy texture of its exoskeleton. Ultimately, we believe that our Korean BBQ adventure was a success, a microscopic feast!
Additional Details: The scale bar was determined by imaging calipers extended to a known segment length (100 micrometers). This was then used to scale the images and place the scale bars. The images were taken using a Samsung Galaxy S8, with the Foldscope magnetically attached.
Acknowledgements: We would like to thank Dr. Ming Luo for cooking our meat while we were examining our food.