Beyond offering textural contrast, what essential role do vegetables like mushrooms and onions serve on the *gui* grill?

They act as a medium for soaking up the flavorful rendered fats from the meats.

Vegetables, such as mushrooms, onions, garlic, and sweet potatoes, are integrated into the *gui* cooking process not merely as sides but as active participants on the cooking surface. As the primary proteins, especially fatty cuts like *Samgyeopsal*, render their fats during grilling, these fats drip onto the grill surface. The vegetables positioned nearby effectively absorb these flavorful rendered fats. This absorption process not only caramelizes the vegetables naturally, enhancing their sweetness, but also makes them conduits for the savory meat flavors, reflecting an efficient and flavor-centric approach to Korean cooking.