【Covet: Island of Desire】

It goes without saying that life in North Korea is Covet: Island of Desiredifferent -- including what food its citizens can buy.

Now, four refugees of the hermit kingdom have given an account of the nation's eating habits, as they try American barbecue staples like pulled pork, brisket and burnt ends for the very first time.

It's all part of a video made by YouTube channel Digitalsoju TV and its discussion of North Korean food is particularly fascinating.

Meat is, of course, a scarce and expensive luxury in the country. One kilogram (2 lbs) of meat reportedly costs the equivalent of ten kilograms (22 lbs) of rice.

That's enough rice to feed a family for a week, as former farmer Minho (who uses a pseudonym, along with fellow interviewees) explains in the video.

The choices of meat are also restricted. Eating beef is enough to warrant execution, since oxen often do the work of machinery, which is limited in the state.

There's no negative connotations when it comes to dogs as food either, and the state collects their fur, for army coats, from its citizens each year. If they can't, then they are fined, the guests explain.

While the conversation can be a tad confronting, it's delightful watching these defectors light up at the sight of various barbecue cuts alongside sauces from different regions of the U.S. -- especially since they say the concept of sauce itself is unfamiliar in North Korea.

For those into barbecue, the defectors tried sauces from Alabama's LawLers Barbecue, North Carolina's 12 Bones, Kansas City's Gates Bar-B-Q and Rudy's from Texas.

"This was all new to me. I didn't expect to like these sauces, but I ended up liking them. I hope the two Koreas can be reunited so that people in the North can try this, too," interviewee Sun-Sil explains.

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