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danjou writes: Yes, flounder can be great sushi/sashimi. Actually, there are two classes of bottom-dwelling flatfish -- karei and hirame. The principle difference between the two is the location of the eyes (left side versus rigth side). There are a number of species within the definition of hirame and within the definition of karei. This means that there are also significant gradations of quality, as well as varying prime seasons. One of the prized parts of the fish is engawa, which a thin, narrow cut of the heavily striated muscular flesh surrounding the fin. For me, the texture is a delight. That may indeed be the recommendation, but I can tell you that it is not followed in almost any decent restaurant in Japan that serves raw fish (with traditional Hokkaido restaurants excepted). Most maguro (other than perhaps that from the Sea of Japan) will have been flash frozen, as will a few other items that simply cannot come out of dayboat, diver, or local harvesting type environments. The remainder, though, will often be never-frozen. How many times have people here eaten live aji, odori ebi, lobster sashimi, and any number of the myriad other live/fresh raw seafood products? Some of my fondest memories are of cutting my own sashimi right on the boat from live fish I had just pulled from the water. Perhaps I am in denial, but I just can't take that warning seriously. Then again, I also ignore the FDA's advice to cook eggs until they have no flavor and no texture other than rubber. I also eat rare (and even raw) meat. I just think there's such a thing as an acceptable level of measured risk. Then again, if there are risk statistics I should hear, I'm willing to listen...at least with one ear. (danjou, please note that this is not an attack on you, but that I have little respect for the American food regulatory apparatus that scares people off of good fresh food, minimally processed or cooked...while at the same time allowing the most appalling crap to be served and sold to the public with nary a warning in sight.)

And me as well. Jim

growpower: The thread will give you a number of ways of eating it. My favorite ways, in no particular order: - on top of rice, with soy sauce and mustard and one or more of following: raw egg yolk, chopped green onion, chiffonade of shiso, nameko mushrooms; - along with the normal sauce on top of agedashi tofu; - mixed with chopped chutoro scraps and (sometimes) yama no imo; and - in a sushi roll as nattomaki. The last way is probably the gentlest way for a first try, both because you don't have to handle it (presuming you order it at a sushiya) and because it is contained within the roll. The first way is probably the most common. Kin no tsubu (金のつぶ) literally means beans of gold, but it is not as expensive as it sounds, though it is one of the more expensive varieties. Natto is not that expensive in general, though. Given that many people can be turned off by a less than perfect first natto experience, I would not recommend skimping. Black bean natto (黒納豆　or 黒なっとう) is not traditional or terribly popular, but it can still be found in most grocery stores. I find it has a little less slime and a less assertive smell and taste. I don't really like it as well as more classic natto, but it might be a gentle way to put one's toe in the water. Whatever you do, enjoy... Jim

Kazuo-san: Thanks for a great response. Several of these look particularly interesting. Is the food enough better to justify going to Roppongi? Silly question...better food is always worth it. Seriously, as you've clearly spent a lot of time seeking out and enjoying Italian food in Tokyo, how do you think Il Boccalone stacks up against the competition? I've just moved to Tokyo, so Il Boccalone was my first stab at Italian here. I was commenting to my wife that I thought it would be nice to call ahead to Il Boccalone and ask them to do omakase. The Italian who was in charge of the floor seemed to be very knowledgable about his food and about the wine and spirit offerings. Don't know if they'll do it, but I've found that most places will if one is enthusiastic and already known to the owner/chef/maitre'd. Ordering omakase (whatever the cuisine) always produces my favorite meals. These are both appealing, even if only for the wine. Unless there is a reserve list at Il Boccalone, there is nothing there that even begins to approach maturity. Is Croce & Delizia a Piemonte specialist in terms of food as well, or only wine? Thanks for your thoughts, Jim

I've looked for a similar thread, but couldn't find one. My apologies if this already exists somewhere. Last night, we went to Il Boccalone (Ebisu 1-15-9, 3449-1430). It had been recommended by friends, but I had been skeptical, as I had read elsewhere that the price exceeded the merits and that it was sometimes "filled with boistrous stockbrokers" (per Tokyo Food Page). Given the location -- Ebisu bordering on Hiroo -- I could see both charges being accurate. I don't have time to write a full review right now, and a friend was paying so I can't directly address the tariff, but I will say I was mighty pleased. Understand that I have been in the western food desert of Seoul for the past few years, so I am probably primed to have positive reactions to even moderately good Italian. (I love Seoul -- enjoyed living there, absolutely in love with Korean food, will happily spend time and money to travel there again and again. However, despite the arguments on another thread in the Elsewhere in Asia forum, there is NO good western food in Seoul. There is literally one Western restaurant in the entire city that I would cross the street to eat at in another country. Again, I love Korea, but it is an Italian food desert.) Zucchini blossoms are shun right now, so one of the app specials was battered and fried zucchini blossoms filled with mozzarella. This is one of my favorite dishes, so I am picky about it and I was thrilled with the result. My wife (similarly picky about Italian food) also ordered it and was exultant. The couple dining with us each had a simple insalata misto. My wife is the world's biggest risotto perfectionist, damn near impossible to please. Her next course was a very simple risotto seasoned with nothing more than good light stock, a well cooked soffrito, and a touch of parm. She split this with the lady from the other couple. I think she regretted having to share. At the same time, I was digging into a plate of rabbit tortolone in a butter sage sauce. Flavor was awesome, with a slight hint of earthiness to the rabbit seasoning, but not much to obscure the nice, almost sweet young meat. I might have had a touch more sage in the sauce, but the proportions were classic. It is my own debased palate that wants the dish loaded up with sage. My one criticism is that a few of the tortoloni were ever so slightly overcooked -- a minor flaw, but disappointing given how good the dish was otherwise. Unfortunately, for the life of me, I can't remember what the fourth member of the table ate. The highlight of the meal came next. As a special, the restaurant has been running a cavallo (horse) steak. I've never fabricated a horse and don't get to eat it that often, so my ability to identify cuts is limited, but it seemed to be a fairly thin cut from an area roughly equivalent to sirloin. It was cooked just to the m-r side of rare, so that it had taken on a pink tone most of the way through, but still bled generously when cut. That blood blended perfectly into the classic, simple seasoning of good olive oil to make me wish I were less constrained by convention and had the chutzpah to drink from the plate! The meat was more tender than I expected and, though not long-aged, full flavoured. I was so absorbed in my cavallo that I was unable to focus on what my wife or our friends were eating, though I know my wife had veal marsala and seemed to enjoy it. Our friends ate some sort of beef. They seemed to be content as well, but I really did zone out when my carne came. Wine list seemed to have a reasonably well selected, though perhaps a little expensive, range. As I said, we knew we wouldn't be paying (and our dining partners aren't really wine people), so I went with a simple Rosso di Montalcino for about $55 US. Drinking highlight was the following exchange: me: What choices would I have in terms of grappa? maitre'd cum captain cum sommelier: Well sir, can you tell me what you might like? me: How about some nebbiolo, something from the Piemonte? him, a few minutes later: Here sir, I've brought two -- a Barolo and a Ghemme. As you can see, the Barolo is almost empty. Why don't you try both and then pour yourself a glass of whichever you like? Needless to say, that was enough to bring me back another time. Desserts were good. I had a simple spongy cake partially macerated in cinnamon liqueur. Wife had a chocolate concoction I didn't really have room to taste. Cuban friend had cake with Italian meringue icing (traditional Cuban birthday cake treatment). They were good, but I was perfectly sated by the meat and should have stopped. I certainly had little critical faculty left. In summary: Didn't see any stockbrokers...Noise was discernable, but pleasant...Don't know the full tab, but 2,800 yen for my cavallo steak was well worth it...Ghemme grappa was excellent...definitely heading back soon. What are other peoples' favorite Italian places in town? Jim Edited to correct typo that affected meaning (and a few others that were just embarassing...because I can't proofread for s---

Generally have to agree with Brad that coffee is the best match, but I have occasionally had success with Amarone and chocolate. Jim

Kristin: Thanks for the enthusiastic and voluminous response. I can see I've asked about one of your favorite things. I guess I haven't run into it yet because I've not been to eat yakiniku here. After living in Korea, I have a hard time bringing myself to pay the typical Japanese yakiniku prices, especially for food that is only sort of Korean. However, as my cravings grow... Actually, I'm going to have to try the neighborhood over by Shinjuku. Any specific recommendations? I'd definitely like to have some more liver sashimi. Is there a Japanese word for liver other than the katakana reeba? Thanks, Jim

In another thread, Kristin wrote: Kristin: Do you mean ankimo and such or do you mean "red" meat liver sashimi, such as raw beef or pork liver? I'm intrigued, because I've only seen red meat liver served in cooked form in Japan. In fact, I've only ever seen it served raw once anywhere, at a nae jang (내장) (內 腸) restaurant in Korea. I really liked it and would like to have it again, but am a little nervous about preparing it for myself at home. Is there a restaurant in Japan where one can get liver sashimi? And how would it be written and read? Thanks, Jim

Eunny: When you've eaten it in Korea, have you had it fully "ripened" or fresher? I have bought it in Noryangjin perfectly fresh and prepared it in a Western style (browned butter and capers). More often in Korea, I have had it fully ripe, with an overpowering ammoniac smell -- either as sam hop or hong-eo jjim. I must say that the sam hop combination of very ripe, ammonia-scented skate, fatty pork cut as for ordinary bossam, and cabbage kimchee has made me a convert to Korean-style, high-smelling skate. Now that I'm in Tokyo, I don't see it any more. Never was a regular part of my diet, but this thread is making me miss it. Jim

Two more things for which katsuo bushi is a great topping: Essential on takoyaki and Delicious on age dashi tofu Jim

skchai: Thanks for the link to the website. I had never seen this before. Your comment about the depth of the chef/owner's familiarity with Mexico and its cuisine is right on target. The first time you visit the restaurant, that history of travel and research is immediately apparent. The restaurant is adorned with any number of Mexican items that just couldn't have come out of the inventory of one of those wholesale restaurant decorators that seem to have created every annoying theme resaurant in existence. The place is tiny, so it won't take you long to see everything, but make sure you walk to the back by the one table, go to the loo, etc. Everything from old Mexican books to movie posters to dance of the dead representations to Our Lady of Gaudeloupe devotional items are tucked away in this place and that. By the way, the food shows a similar level of fascination and commitment. I'll be there again this Saturday night. Enjoy, Jim

Two different dishes that are similar. Kai yat sai -- This is the one where the thin omelet is rolled around a filling, often containing rice. Kai jiaow -- This one is also delicious but a little les "composed"...a bit more of a classic omelet than a stuffed omelet. At the table, I love to season these with sri racha, but I'll slap you if you come near them with catsup. Yum....khit theung meung thai... Jim

Carolyn: Can't vouch for these recipes, as I haven't used them, but they should give you some idea. They should at least give you enough to get started, then you can experiment until you get what you like. Weird Page With Okonomiyaki Recipes Another Okonomiyaki Recipe Page Good luck, Jim

Have you tried Salsita... just behind Ebisu Station (the Hibiya line one) along the tracks? It's a little place with one four top and maybe eight to ten counter seats. Salsita Ebisu-Nishi 1-3-2 5489-9020 Perhaps I'm so starved for Mexican food after living in Seoul that my tastebuds have gone to sleep, but I really liked it. And it's pretty damn reasonable too. Enjoy, Jim

I'm with you here. We've got a new baby on the way. We were living in Washington, DC, when number one arrived five years ago and did do about 95% homemade baby food. It was surprisingly easy. We would steam veggies or stew fruit in large quantities, then puree it and freeze it in ice cube trays. These then went into ziploc bags. Having small portions made ahead for a week or so at a time meant that this could be an easy Satruday or Sunday afternoon job that fit neatly into the weekend routine. We also would grind raw rice in a coffee grinder and store it to make a quick, fresh rice porridge. I am moving to Tokyo next month, where I can only imagine prepared baby food prices are insane, so this will become important not only for health and flavor reasons, but also for economic ones. Good luck, Jim Edited to correct misleading typo.

ExtraMSG wrote: Agreed. That's why this is so difficult. However, there is a series of descriptors that can be used to describe the grey area: receding hairline, bald spot, thinly covered, major combover, etc. These are fairly descriptive and give a much more accurate picture than saying simply "The man is bald" or "The man has hair". I would agree with you that there is no good vocabulary for such gradation in describing restaurants today. However, this is what I am arguing that we should develop. Please understand that I don't blame any person or restaurant for the more or less binary nature of labeling (i.e., Thai or some term like Thai-fusion). I just think we could do much better, just as we can do a better job of describing the state of a man's pate. I am not a professional cook, restaurant investor, food writer, or food educator (though I have done a bit of catering and food/wine education, it is not material). As such, I have the luxury of being a bit of an idealist. I spend most of my day dealing with the realities of investment banking, marriage, and childrearing. When I enter a restaurant or my kitchen or my journal or keyboard I can begin to deal in the realm of what could be rather than what is. Food is amazing to me...it is both real and fundamental, as well as a potential escape from reality. The prior paragraph is just my way of saying that I will tend to be a bit of an idealist when we get into discussions of how to label food and what a perfect Thai (or anything else) restaurant should be. I realize that and I know what I argue for is not possible today. However, even if I take it to the extreme, one of the jobs of a critic is not only to describe what is, but to envision what could/should be. I think that task applies in this discussion. ExtraMSG further wrote: I think you and I come from a different perspective here that perhaps cannot be reconciled. I am a died-in-the-wool prescriptivist, in grammar and vocabulary, as well as in most other areas of life. I firmly believe that words have objective meanings and defining them contextually is simply a process of debasing them. As such, I believe that the definition of Thai food is the same anywhere in the world, regardless of context. There may be ingredient substitutions; in fact they may be necessary to maintain authenticity within the overall ethos of the cuisine. But beyond such minor substitutions, I view "Thai food" as a prescribed term that requires change when material, willful departures in the food occur. pransantrin wrote: Completely 100% agreed. I hadn't caught the fact that you were talking about zucchini in Gai Pad Kaprao. If you got through my philosophical wanderings above, you won't doubt that I agree with you. Pan wrote: I'm not sure I have the descriptive skill to enunciate it, but something about the flavor profile of green bell peppers is so out of synch with the general palate of Thai food that it just seems incredibly discordant. I guess it is a particular herbaceous note that just strikes me as off. Though, like prasantrin, I am annoyed by carrot and don't think it belongs, I think it is less purely discordant than green bell pepper. This is all very interesting and fun. As I have said, this is for me an escape from the reality of everyday life into a realm where everything is both very real and also subject to idealization. Apropos the kosher/foodie thread, food is much like religion for me in that it is at once both elemental and also idealized. Perhaps music is like that for Pan. I am a Catholic Christian who finds faith and food inextricably linked in idea, in practice, and in teaching. Like I imagine Judaism to be, Catholicism can be very much prescriptivist. At its best, I believe food criticism is as well. Jim

ExtraMSG: I don't necessarily disagree with you in that very few restaurants would meet an absolute standard of authenticity and that applying the names Thai-American or Thai-Fusion would be meaningless or just a name game. When a restaurant adheres to authenticity the best it can within the context of ingredients that are available, then I don't think it is unreasonable to call that restaurant Thai. However, I would reiterate my belief that when a restaurant makes a conscious and willful departure from authenticity, it forfeits the right to be called Thai. To my mind, substituting lemon juice for lime juice or using bell pepper is such a departure. It simply is not necessary and is either sloppy or a willful departure. I guess part of my point here is that it is a departure that goes beyond organic development or adaptation to local constraints and reaches to a level of clash or incompatibility. Perhaps that highlights my real bugaboo. Thai food does not require any particular ingredient (okay, maybe coriander root, garlic, black pepper, shrimp paste, fish sauce, lime), but it does have an underlying ethos and palate of flavors. Certain techniques and ingredients are inherently in conflict with that ethos and palate and throw the balance that is the foundation of Thai cooking out of equilibrium. It may be good. It may be bad. But it isn't Thai if it loses that ethos and balance. Taking the example of most food that is styled as Mexican, I think there is a useful label of Tex Mex. To me that is highly expressive and I know roughly what to expect when something is described as Tex Mex. Clearly there's no right answer here and I don't mean to oversimplify. There is a continuum between slavish authenticity and willful departure. Slavish authenticity is not necessarily best, as when less fresh ingredients are used in order to try to stay authentic. I would go so far as to say that substitution can be more authentic in a case such as Japanese or Italian when freshness, seasonality, and locality are such informing elements in the ethos of the cuisine. However, it is my opinion that unnecessary departure just for the sake of innovation or adaptation or greater appeal to the local market forfeits the right to the name. My preferred descriptor is probably Thai-influenced, but even that's not perfect. I agree that this is an important issue in both high criticism and folk criticism (like what most of us do here). What makes it so difficult is that I also agree that there is no easy descriptor for the problem we are talking about. I apologize if I sound pedantic or rigid or self-righteous in the post. I don't mean to be. Beyond a very limited scope, I don't think that I have the ability to prepare authentic Japanese or Thai or Chinese food. I typically describe whatever I prepare (outside the dishes that are truly authentic) as xxxxx-style or xxxx-influenced food. This is fun, isn't it? Jim

Sorry if I gave the impression that I was criticizing Typhoon. I've never been there and have no opinion of the food, the authenticity, or how they meet their stated objectives. What I do have an issue with is a restaurant billing itself as a Thai (or Japanese, or Mexican, or Italian, or Burkina Fasoan, or even American for that matter) restaurant when they intentionally take a step away from the authentic cuisine of that country. I understand that perfect replication is impossible for any number of reasons. But when a restaurant consciously decides to alter the flavor, texture, intensity, etc. of its food away from the authentic model, it is no longer a Thai restaurant. I have no problem with the terms Thai-inspired, Thai-influenced, Thai-fusion, even Thai-American. I do, however, have a problem with calling it Thai, because it is not. Thai food is not inherently better or worse than adapted/fused/foreigner friendly Thai-ish food. It's just different. None of this applies as direct criticism or praise for Typhoon because I've never been there and have no direct experience of how they describe themselves or what they serve. Jim

I think that for anyone who has not lived in Thailand or studied Thai language in depth, it would be very difficult to tell the difference between spoken Thai and spoken Lao. In fact, even for Thais it is difficult to draw a clear line between the two. As one moves northeast in the country from, say, Khon Kaen to Nakhon Phanom, the language moves more and more from Thai to Isaan/Lao. Many Thais from pak glaang (central Thailand) are have a hard time understanding (or at least pretend so for social reasons) the speech of those from the extremes of Isaan. My no. 1 (from Bangkok) mae baan (housekeeper) used to make the no. 2 (from Roi Et) speak to all Isaan workmen because she claimed she could not communicate with them. Depending on the type of restaurant (for example an Isaan restaurant), someone speaking Lao might prepare the more authentic food. Then again, for royal Thai cuisine, I would expect to hear standard Chula-style Thai. In an ideal world, for food from the south, I would expect clipped vowels and machine gun speed speech. In an environment where most American/Canadian Thai restaurants try to be all things to all people, I don't get too hung up on regional differences as long as the speech is on the Thai/Lao continuum. Absolutely agree on the bell pepper. That, along with the use of lemon juice rather than lime juice and the substitution of other peppers for prik ki nuu, is my immediate cue to leave a restaurant. On the zucchini, my reaction is a little different. It's not authentic or ideal, but I have found it to be an acceptable substitute when the right kind of makhuea is not available. Handled correctly, it works much better than ordinary eggplant as a substitute. Living in Korea, where my options are very limited, I have occasionally used it myself in gaeng kiaow waan. I'm not crazy about it, but it doesn't set me off like bell pepper. Funny how we all have our own revulsion triggers when it comes to substitution. Jim

Signage is pretty reliabily posted in both Roman characters and Hangul, although the Hangul is typically larger and easier to read from a distance. They do have the perverse habit of putting lane directions in the lanes themselves, so that they are impossible to see in heavy traffic. Some things are not marked well, but that is not a language issue, just an overall problem. However, if you've driven in Bangkok and China, you won't find it too bad to drive here. Just make sure you have a good map and get someone at your hotel/pension to help you plot/confirm routes. Drivers are aggressive here, but I find it much less stressful (and much more organized) than Thailand. Definitely do reinquire...I'd love to help. Jim

As I've been (and will be) flying a lot, I've been reading Best Food Writing 2003, featuring among its contents a few pieces by eGulleteers. It is compact and broken into bite-size morsels, so it is good for travelling. Back on the bedside table at home is David Thompson's Thai cookbook. I've also just finished the Page/Dornenburg Culinary Artistry. Somehow, I never read it before. I've also been browsing my way through a bunch of newly acquired Korean-language Korean cookbooks and a very good Japanese food dictionary (helpful as it uses both kanji/kana and romanized names). I'm not the greatest fan of compilations like the first-mentioned book above, but I've enjoyed this one because it has pointed me to some writers with websites of whom I would like to read more. Jim

Ahhh! Shock, horror, extreme disappointment! I walked over to Zuna Grill for lunch today with a couple of people from work. (If you have to have a meeting during lunch, you might as well do it over pleasant food.) To my dismay, it was closed. There were no signs indicating that it was a permanent closure, but the doors were locked tight and the lights were off. This was 12:30 on a Tuesday. No logical reason they should be closed, but the B-1 level of the building was deserted. Of course, my disappointment was muted when we walked down the street for some good kisu/anago tendon. Not garden variety, restaurant-that-serves-everything-under-the-sun tendon, but tendon from a place that every night turns into a proper one-piece-at-a-time-fresh-and-hot-from-the-fryer tempura shop. They only serve tendon and kakiage for lunch. It's one of those no-name places on the second floor of a nondescript building. Still disappointed about the burger, but the lunch was good. Especially the kisu. I know kisu is out of season, but this was good. Jim

I hope that people like Jinmyo and Kristen who prepare kimchi frequently will chime in, but I would ask a few questions before I answer. What did you use for jeotgal? How much did you use? The stronger and the more jeotgal (fermented seafood) that you used, the shorter your fermentation would normally be, simply because the flavors will already be stronger. Similarly, I would use less warm fermentation time the more garlic I included. If it is a more gentle ginger-dominated kimchee like many Chinese restaurants in Korea make, I would allow a little more fermentation time. Even more important is personal taste. How strong a flavor do you like in your kimchee? What you may want to do is take the bulk of it and move it to the warmest part of your refrigerator in about 2-3 days, but separate out a small portion to leave out to strengthen further. That is then ideal to use for making kimchee jjigae, which requires a much stronger kimchee -- basically the equivalent of the kimchee left in late winter before spring arrives and the gentle fresh spring kimchees can be made from newly arrived ingredients. When Koreans don't have old kimchee around, they will normally give what is in the refrigerator 3-5 days on the counter to strengthen before using it for jjigae. Again, though, it really comes down to your personal preference and how you have seasoned your yangnyeom. Good luck, Jim

ecr: You've got a lot more choices than you may think. Traveling Around Domestic plane flights are stunningly cheap and there are extensive schedules, although delayed flights are common. Most trains make a lot of stops so they are not always fast, though there is a new express train opening very soon between Seoul and either Daejon or Daegu. Buses are moderately comfortable and very cheap. They go absolutely everywhere and are the preferred method of travel for most Koreans. Car rental is expensive but feasible and recommended if you want to get out into the coutryside at all. Seasons Korea is blessed with four distinct seasons. Winter in Seoul and northwards can be pretty bitter, so unless you're craving a real winter, I would come at another time. I haven't found that another season makes the food any less appealing. Spring is a delight of blooming plants and emerging greenery, but the yellow dust from the great Gobi Desert gets worse and worse each year (though this spring seems to have been a bit better than the one before). Summer can get hot for some people, but having moved here from Southeast Asia, it doesn't bother me at all. I suspect it would be likewise for you. I find autumn to be the most delightful season and would choose that time if I could only come to Korea once. However, you need to avoid Chusok, as many places will be closed. Lunar New Year is the same. They're a bit like Songkran and drut jin in Thailand. Places On the food front, two things you will want to do is to get to some coastal area to eat raw fish and shellfish and to get to Cheolla-do. For the raw fish, I would focus on Pusan or the Eastern Sea/Sea of Japan in the vicinity of Gangneung/Seokcho. Pusan is a major metropolis (the second largest shi or city in Korea) with more urban things to do, but the Seokcho area is more naturally beautiful. Near Gangneung is Yangyang, the home to two major festivals worth catching if you time it right. Sometime in September is the songi mushroom (matsutake) festival. At the beginning of October is the yeon-eo (salmon) festival, when the salmon are coming upstream to spawn. There is a great pension called bulbaragi in the Micheongol national forest that is a beautiful place to stay for either festival. This pension is also only about a half hour from Sorak-san, Korea's best mountain park/resort. It is sublime in the autumn. For Cheolla-do, the food capital is probably Jeonju (the home of bibimbap), though Cheolla province is the breadbasket of Korea and a great place in general to travel for food. Food in Cheolla-do is generally more heavily flavored (and spicier) than elsewhere in Korea. Moving up the western coast from Cheolla-do leads you to Chungcheong-do, which has the mildest food in Korea. I have taken a friend from Chungcheon to a Cheolla-do shikdang and she could not eat much of the food. Farther up the western coast is Gyeonggi-do, the province surrounding Seoul. Gyeonggi contains Incheon, which, in addition to the airport, has a fishing village with a good raw fish center and great blue crab. Just south of Incheon is a village (forget the name) that has a daeha (giant prawn) festival in October that is worth catching. Seoul you probably already know. Given that you have eaten your way across Southeast Asia and like Isaan food, I assume you have no problem with spice. Among other things, you will have to try nakji bokkum, an incredibly spicy octopus stir fry/stew. To the east of Seoul is Gangwon provice, home to almost all of Korea's ski resorts. Gangwon contains Gangneung and the other mountain/Eastern Sea areas referred to above. I also had the best darkdoritang I've ever had there. Darkdoritang is a spicy stew of chicken with leeks and root vegetables that is great late autumn/winter food. Gangwon is famous for its potatoes, as well as seafood. Going south from Gangwon brings you to Gyeongsang-do, which takes up almost 2/3 of the eastern coastline and is divided into north and south divisions, actually separate provinces. (Cheolla-do and Chungcheong-do are similarly divided.) Gyeongsang is the richest area outside of Seoul and contains several significant cities. Among those are Pusan and Daegu. If you like viscera (intestines and such -- if you eat sai in your khao kha mu nam paloh), you can get most things in Seoul, but Daegu is the home to the best makchang (a particular part of the digestive tract). There is a joke that Daegu imports elephants from Thailand because there aren't enough cows in Korea to meet its demand for makchang. Right where Gyeongsangnam-do and Gyeongsangbuk-do meet (just inside Gyeongsangbuk-do) is Gyeongju. Gyeongju is the Kyoto or Sukothai of Korea and is a must see on the culture front. The only area I haven't mentioned yet is Jeju-do, the island off the southern tip of Korea. I am ashamed to admit I've never been there, but it is very popular with Koreans (probably most favored domestic vacation spot) and all the reports I have received have been good. However, having experienced the Thai islands, I would focus more on mainland destinations. Unless, of course, you want to see the famous lady shellfish divers, who free dive to great depths to harvest shellfish. Most of them are in their forties and fifties now. Unfortunately, it is a dying trade. Once your trip firms up, please let me know and I'll provide more specifics based on the time of year and your desires and budget. I'd love to return the favor for the great tip you gave that led me to Khmer Kitchen. Enjoy your planning, Jim Edited: to correct typo

Have fun. There are a ton of flavors to try. The four on my shelf right now are wasabi, mentaiko, katsuobushi, and salmon. The order I've listed them probably also matches my order of preference. What do you pay for it in Chicago? I normally bring it back from Japan to Seoul. In Seoul a bottle half the size costs twice as much as the bigger one in Tokyo. Jim