Every single American friend I've introduced dak kalbi (닭갈비) to has taken quite the liking to it. How could you not? Watch Stephanie as she becomes mesmerized with the yum-yum-in-the-tum-tum stir fry. I think I'm going to open up my own place stateside. Would you come visit?
We were going to put together a silly "Seoul guide" video but never got around to filming the rest... maybe next time. ^^ I thought I'd share this clip anyway.
There's nothing like deep fried goodness and rice cakes soaked in chili pepper paste, especially when you're in need of a quick bite or cheap eats (particularly nice after a few too many drinks). I can't say I'm 100% confident that it's completely sanitary, but it sure is tasty. ^^
I've had more than my fair share of Korean slip-ups. I found this English one amusing. ^^ These are the types of things you'll never forget, and it's definitely beneficial to the learning process.
...but she'll make the kitchen smell like kimchi. ^-^
Some random home cookin', granted, it doesn't look very appetizing so you'll just have to take my word for it. I wish you could have seen my delicious japchae, hehe, I was damn proud of that beautiful thing.
And just for kicks, my œuf mimosa (because it sounds so much cooler in French.)
Now there are two things in the world I love, one of which is sesame oil. It's savory scent is almost as good as, if not better than, inhaling gasoline. I admit the latter's an acquired taste. But honestly, I'll put sesame oil in just about anything - in my salad dressing, on my rice, in my noodles, while I'm frying up an egg, doong doong.(On a side note, I'm considering replacing all future 'etcetera's with the much cuter sounding Korean version, 등등 doong doong. "Hobbies? I like writing, playing tennis, dining out, doong doong. Favorite food? Ice cream, roasted hazelnuts, cheese, doong doong.")The other is fresh ahi, what I'm accustomed to calling "tuna" in Hawaii, or "chamchi" in Korean. I went to another "chamchi jib," a restaurant specializing in tuna, a while back in Suwon. This one charged a minimum 65,000 won a head, which meant we were treated to sprinkles of fancy gold flakes over our sashimi. The entire spread easily included over a dozen additional non-tuna courses, ranging from a simple salad to fresh shrimp, and by fresh I mean alive and kickin' - one of them literally jumped off the plate.
One of the most interesting things I discovered upon this visit was the fact that the tuna platter was served with not only salted kim (also known as nori, or dried seaweed), but also three types of dippings - hot sauce, soy sauce, and sesame oil. Having eaten poke all my life, I don't know why I found this so marveling. Sesame oil and tuna, you say? No... really? Yes, really. I had noticed Koreans eating it this way before, but I guess old habit or pangs of hunger had overruled curiosity as I ignored the practice and went along with my usual face-feeding ways, sans nori and sesame oil. Still, I thought it was worth sharing - how to eat your chamchi Korean style: dip, add, wrap, and repeat. : )
When I heard this song (SNSD's "Gee") for the first time, all I could do was cringe... I have to admit though, it's since grown on me, and dare I say that I've actually come to enjoy it? o_O haha, in certain doses of course. Anyway, this remix version was pretty cool...!
Since I can't sleep, I've been finding other ways to keep myself distracted... and this is the latest, 꽃보다 남자, a fantasy K-drama with I'm sure will be yet another fun rags to riches storyline, apparently based off a popular Japanese comic series. Who says we can't dream about Prince Charming? I know, I shouldn't hold my breath...
I'm thinking it's finally time to turn one, or two, or a dozen in...
Look not mournfully into the past. It comes not back again. Wisely improve the present. It is thine. Go forth to meet the shadowy future, without fear.
A month overdue, but better late than never. I present to you - Grace and Cheri's Thanksgiving Dinner 2008! Ranked by biased ono-licious-ness levels. ^^
"It's like I'm in Hawaii" portuguese sausage and cornbread stuffing
Pasta salad with broccoli and egg, local style ;)
"Mmmh can I just drink that straight up?" onion gravy
Easy maple butter glazed carrots
"Skinny" roasted garlic mashed potatoes
Sauteed green beans with garlic
"Next year I promise it will be homemade, but the goppy canned stuff is a tradition" cranberry sauce
"The crust actually came out ok! but it would have been better with ice cream" pumpkin pie
Deep fried turkey. Not really my thing.
Thanksgiving Dinner Part II (aka Christmas Dinner) coming soon!
My "officially one year away from hitting a quarter century" birthday passed a few weeks ago, and I totally forgot to make birthday soup (aka 미역국, seaweed soup) this time around. I must be getting old. ㅠㅠ I've been eating 미여국 on my birthday ever since I can remember, and attempting to make it for my mother since middle school. It's quite easy so if you've got a Korean friend, it wouldn't hurt to learn the recipe. ^^
To celebrate, my big sis took me to Flea St. Cafe, a charming little restaurant in Menlo Park known for their "local, seasonal, organic, sustainable and naturally delicious cuisine." Aside from the slightly awkward waiter who kept referring to my sister as "Madam," the food was excellent and the restaurant itself was adorable.
Rehydrated peaches on a bed of butter lettuce, served with fried cheese croûtons.
Pacific coast sole, dungeness crab, smoked salmon roulade with thyme butter sauce, bloomsdale spinach, caramelized red onion, and gingered carrots.
Pasture-raised chicken with parsnip, apple and leek hash, guanicale, rosemary zinfandel beurre blanc, with a poached egg. Pumpkin bread pudding with vanilla sauce and cranberries
So I've received a few random emails and Facebook messages that have kindly demanded requested that I update my blog. Apparently the subject of "tofu hell" was starting to get a little tired and old. I've got so much to update (slowly but surely), but every time I think about the backlog, I push it aside even more... well, no more! I intend to take full advantage of tonight's minor case of insomnia to help the blog cause. So where do I begin?
Well, for starters, I had a pretty awesome Korean meal at Pyung Chang Tofu House in Oakland last night. Ok, it wasn't really "awesome" by Korea standards, but it was pretty darn satisfying. That bowl of 동태찌개 (spicy pollack soup) pictured below was licked clean, along with the banchan.
The service 아줌마 was... um... interesting. ^^ Let's just say this establishment prefers cash to credit cards and is even willing to promise free 순대 if you oblige and return.
So Oakland... this brings me to Point B. I'm currently in the SF Bay Area, California. While I'd much rather be freezing my butt off in Seoul, it looks like I'll be stateside for a while. But I'm homeward bound in TWO DAYS for a nice little vacation, good eats, and family/friend time, so I've definitely got something to look forward to. Homemade 닭도리탕 has been requested. ^^
During dinner tonight at Ginza-Mienoumi (which, by the way, is quite nice but not the focus of today's post), the subject of food came up several times as I poked and prodded our Japanese dinner companions.
So what do you think of the Japanese food in America?Very big sizes.
What about the taste? Not bad. It depends where you go.
Nobu's not really as well known in Japan as he is in the States, huh? Nobu? Nobu? Ah, Nobu. No.
I guess Masaharu Morimoto isn't either. No.
So what kind of food is Tokyo famous for? I mean, most of the food is "imported" or has different origins, so what's "good Tokyo food?" Tokyo food is "bad" because of the soil due to Mount Fuji. Because so many people are here, everything can be "imported." Sushi is good here because the fish is really fresh. And monjayaki, like okonomiyaki, but thinner. In Korean, you know, they say... jijimi?
But then our conversation turned to the slightly bizarre, as my dad started to talk about an eel and tofu dish he once had here a while ago. Eel and tofu don't sound so strange, right? Well, it's not so much the ingredients as how it's prepared.
Imagine the little baby eels swimming around minding their own business, going about their mundane baby eel lives, suddenly wondering, "Hey, why are we swimming in a confined space next to blocks of tofu?" As the water in the pot begins to heat up - "Aaaah, global warming is real?! Those damn emissions!" they scream in panic - the baby eels kick into survival mode and burrow into the cooler tofu, unbeknown to them that this temporary shelter is really an evil ploy by clever humans to cook them alive.
If we could only get chocolate chips to do this type of thing in the oven with our cookies...
I know it sounds awful, but I can't help but be a little curious to see what this dish looks like... a picture would suffice - I'm not sure I could bear watching it in person, let alone eating it after the massacre.
On the other hand, I shouldn't really be surprised. I mean, I used to live within walking distance to a Dr. Fish cafe (where fish eat the dead skin off your feet), and I've met Chinese friends who've told me all sorts of culinary tales that include lions, tigers, and bears, oh my. So what's a little stuffed tofu?
I still haven't gotten used to the fact that the Korean restaurants here charge you for your kimchi and side dishes... But if any of you happen to be in Tokyo and want a little taste of Korea, Shin-Okubo's (JR East line, one stop from Shinjuku) one of the places to go!
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