nakji

I visited Insadong-gil yesterday, which is a great way to kill a Sunday afternoon. A must see place on your Seoul itinerary, it's a place where you can find a lot of traditional Korean souvenirs, art, and some great food. Since we were in dire shape from the night before, we limited ourselves to some dumplings (mandu); but if you're there in the early evening, I really recommend visiting one of the tea shops along the way for some makkeolli, dubu-kimchi, and some pa jeon. We stopped for dumplings at Sinpo Woori Mandu, which is near the bottom of Insadong, nearer to Jong-no. I really recommend this place for travellers, especially for lunch, as the dumplings are fresh, you can get bibim-nangmyeon or sundubu as well, and the menus have photos and English! For some reason, it only occurred to me to take a photo of the fried dumplings. We also got kimchi mandu, shrimp mandu, and pork mandu.

Oh, sick! Excellent, I'm e-mailing him right away. Does this mean the cat hotel exists, too?

Just..words cannot express.... I just e-mailed that link to a friend of mine. Only last night he was asking me about Japan. He's been reading the Isaac Adamson series, Tokyo Suckerpunch - The adventures of Billy Chaka (which I quite like). In one of those books, the author describes a school-themed cafe, where people sit at desks, write their orders in notebooks, get food on lunch trays, etc., and my friend asked me if the author was exaggerating the "weird" factor to make for a good book. While those books are in many ways completely ungrounded in reality, I sent him that link to show that he has yet to plumb the depths of weird that Japan has to offer. Anyway, those fries looked delicious - but hold the ketchup! -edited to try and get the url to work...

I was once served a Grasshopper rimmed with salt.

My husband likes to suck them in with the vacuum. Not a particularly effective or long-term solution; but he finds it very satisfying when they've pushed him over the edge. I have a friend who swears by putting a small dish of wine out - he says the alcohol will kill them. I'm not sure if this is true or not. It seems like a waste of good wine to me. I've always used a small dish of rice vinegar, with a piece of plastic wrap stretched over the top. I poke small holes in with a toothpick. They check in, but they don't check out.

See? This is my problem too. The effects of this addiction are even worse when you have to consider air travel to get everything home. I remember the stream of curse words out of my husband's mouth when I emerged from the restaurant supply district in Dotombori, in Osaka. He abandoned me altogether when I hit Panjiayuan market in Beijing. If you like china? Don't visit China. I don't even want to think about what kind of trouble I could get into in Europe. I usually limit myself to small bowls and plates; only two pieces of each in any pattern. but it's so hard. I end up cramming everything in my carryon bags wrapped in dirty laundry. Every trip, I vow it'll be different, but I always see the perfect little bowl for yogurt, or a plate that would be just right for cheese.... The next thing I know, I'm walking by airport security, whistling innocently and praying they don't pull me out of the line for a weight check. /hangs head in shame/ My name is nakji, and I'm a tableware addict. Will there be donuts and coffee at these meetings?

I've lived in Korea for three years now, and this is the first time I've heard of this dish...of course, now I want to go eat it! Any suggestions on the kind of restaurant that might serve this? A Galbi jib? Or will there be some sort of restaurant that specializes in it? *edited to try and get my hangeul script to come up - no luck! serves me right for buying a Japanese import computer!

I remember reading a recipe in Gourmet of a yellow curry that called for them to be cut up and mixed in at the end....I really enjoyed it.

Curry-rice (the Japanese kind) and Hobak-jook (pumpkin jook). Serious, stick-to-your-ribs kind of food. Oh yes, and possibly Australia's greatest contribution to the pub-food canon: Fried potato wedges with sour cream and sweet chili sauce. ( we really need a drooling smiley!)

Is it true that Kit Kats are eaten at exam season because the name sounds like "luck" in Japanese? I recall reading an article here in Seoul about that. It also said that parents traditionally prepare a fried pork dish as well, for the same reason. We only have white and milk chocolate flavours here...how boring. They're terribly waxy, too. How is the quality of Japanese chocolate, generally? I see Meiji bars here all the time, but I've never bought one. I'm afraid of chocolate disappointment!

Yes, I could ask for it on the side....I don't usually because most of these places react to changes in the dish with a combination of horror, amusement, and chagrin. My husband, who can't abide gim (laver), always asks for his bibimbap without, which sends the shop ladies into flights of laughter! Then there is usually a lot of discussion about how picky foreigners are. The photo of the sauce katsu looks really yummy. They never serve doncasse on rice here, I'm not sure why. It would soak up all of the lovely grease and sauce!

Thanks! No, this was taken in a gimbap restaurant - a kind of lunch cafe. A lot of people I talk to are completely unaware that Doncasse is Japanese - they thinks it's a western dish! A lot of Chinese Jjajangmyeon places serve it as well, so I think everyone just thinks of it as "foreign". At a Korean or Chinese place, the sauce is always served on top, and it's much more tomato-ey than Japanese Tonkatsu sauce. Also, it's hot (in temperature). It makes the crust go all soggy, and I'm not a fan of this style. I'll eat it in a pinch, though. The food court at the Tesco down the road does an admirable job of Japanese style "hire-cass", with sauce on the side, etc., and you can find it at Japanese restaurants done in the traditional style. So it's almost like two distinct styles are available - Korean and Japanese. I must say I prefer the Japanese style. It goes lovely with a Diet Coke.

Words of encouragement! Thanks! I was beginning to feel like I was alone in here. Okay, another note on gimbap restaurants - they're one of the few kinds of restaurants in Korea where you can dine alone. Galbi and other "main dish" restaurants often won't serve only one person. So they're definitely worth searching out not only if you're on a budget, but if you're a solo traveller. Okay, another quick photo of a street snack: Bbeondaeggi, or silkworm larvae. Previously described in this thread as smelling like an open grave, the smell tends to send foreigners running and gagging for safety. I've tried it, and I'm sad to tell you it tastes exactly like it smells. It has the consistency and texture of a cheese curd, though. Perhaps some brave Canadian will attempt fusion poutine with this... Koreans enjoy this snack as part of something that has been described to me as, "remembering the bitterness of the past with sweetness". This is also the reason, apparently, for the popularity of the pojang machas, or the outdoor drinking tents. Even though worm larvae are no longer needed to provide protein; nor are tents needed for drinking in, people enjoy these experiences to remember the difficult times Korea has had in the past. A kind of nostalgia for the bad old days, if you will. On a more delicious note, some photos of Hansik. This is often translated in English as a Korean table d'hote, and if you get the opportunity to try it, go for it! You can find restaurants that serve this sort of meal in the area next to Gyeonbuk Palace, near Anguk station, and I believe Korea House serves it as well - and you get to view some dancing as well! The meal involves soup, rice, and will have an incredibly large amount of side dishes and kimchis, and (I think) always a grilled fish. Again, I invite any readers with more experience with this dining to weigh in...I usually just eat the stuff, and am only rarely lucky enough to have someone explain the thinking or tradition behind it... Here's a picture of the side dishes at a Hansik meal I had near Gyeongju. The soup and rice are out of view, but you can see (from top to bottom, left to right) Kimchi; Japchae; Potato Salad (It may have been sweet potato); pickled garlic; kimchi pajeon; a kind of seaweed salad; three kinds of field greens; the grilled fish; meatballs; a kind of steamed millet cake; young radish kimchi; the side of a scallion pancake; fried tofu with a chili sauce; I'm not sure; tempura sweet potato; burdock in chili paste; and preserved seaweed or kelp. Some of these items, like potato salad and meatballs, are new kinds of side dishes. Remember, these dishes will be constantly refilled if you empty them, so it's a real feast! My parents were utterly blown away by this meal. Fish glamour shot:

Yeah, I was always under the impression that the cabbage was there to cut the grease. Although, in Korea, it looks like this: So, a lot of grease nonetheless. Notice the cutlet is already smothered in sauce - which I hate, as it makes the bread crumbs soggy. Bleah. The cabbage has both mayonnaise and ketchup - a charming combination! This one has a side of curry rice as well. Hearty!

Okay, most readers here have probably been to a korean barbecue house before. I'll admit I had never been to one before moving to Korea - my hometown didn't have a single Korean restaurant. Anyway, I thought it might be interesting for you to see what's offered here in Seoul and compare it to what you can get at home. Unlike with street food, when the most variety comes out; winter time in a regular restaurant means a move away from fresh ingredients and side dishes, and a movement towards preserved vegetables and kimchis. I will say that the kimchi tastes best to me at this time of year (perhaps because it's young? Mostly, I think, because most places are still on their homemade stock and haven't had to start using commercially made stuff, like they do by the end of summer). So, it's the best of times and the worst of times in side dish land. Sweet fresh cucumbers and spicy pa-kimchis disappear, and are replaced by radishes and cabbages. Part of the reason that Korean food is so delicious is that it is very much tied to seasonality. This is my local pork house which is called 90 (tan) 92, which is a pun on the coals that are used to cook the meat. I'm told. My husband just took five mintues to try and explain it to me, and it didn't sink in. Those of you who speak Korean, please enjoy a laugh. Those of you who don't? Welcome to the vague bemusement that defines my world. Anyway. The sides are (in the back, L-R, Sweet spicy pickled radish strips; sliced raw garlic; samjang dipping sauce; in the front; shredded cabbage in wasabi vinaigrette; wasabi pickled radish (containing, I believe, crack cocaine; a vegetable equivalent to Krispy Kreme donuts to me; I simply cannot get enough; I eat it until I have a belly ache), and cold radish pickle soup. All of these have Korean names; I am embarrassed to try and spell them without my dictionary handy. You wouldn't be able to order them anyway, as they're rotated on seasonality and price. Although cabbage is omnipresent in Korea. It seems like these guys had a deal on radish this week. The main event: The deonjang jigae on one side; the meat grilling on the other. We chose pork galbi (they call it yang nyeom - I think as it's marinated- dwaeji galbi) and spicy pork galbi (maeun dwaeji galbi - humblest apologies for spelling) We always get the question, "Isn't it too spicy for you?" You'd think since we go every week they'd figure out we're okay with it. More sides and, in the words of noodlepie, "foliage": A kimchi pancake, and a dish of red-leaf lettuce, ganeep, and gochus. And some kimchi and beer in the background. The kimchi looked suspiciously Chinese, so I left it. An average place, with bog-standard sides. I'd prefer that there were some mayonnaise salad offered (thus named as the chief ingredient is neither vegetable nor starch; but is pure ottogi brand mayo), but overall they complement the richness of the pork. Two orders of meat; a large bottle of beer; and rice came out to be around 18,000 won. Not too shabby. Of course, sides are all you can eat. You can find a place like this in any neighborhood. Just look for the vacuum tubes hanging down from the ceiling, and a blue haze over the diners.

Continuing on in the street food vein, you can find dried snacks like these in popular shopping areas. This photo was taken in Myeongdong, a popular shopping area. In the back are chips made from dried fish. In the middle are dried octopus tentacles, which may look a little disturbing to some, but actually have a nice sweet taste. Squid and octopus are very popular snacks to take to the movies, so you'll often see these vendors outside of movie theatres as well. Also in Myeongdong are the famous "hot bar" vendors. Line-ups can get pretty long for one of these. Basically, it's a kind of batter with some vegetables, laver, ganeep leaf, imitation crab, and other various ingredients, shaped and then deep fried. Ketchup and mustard are de riguer. A Korean fusion hot dog? Perhaps. In action: A close up: I must say I've never been able to put one of these into my mouth. Tentacles? No problem. Hot Bar? I don't know. There must be some reason for that line-up, though.... A traditional place to get some street food is Namdaemun Market. At night, carts are wheeled in (and in the winter, tents are set up around them) so tourists and vendors alike can grab a quick bite. You can see traditional pancake - kimchi pajeon and Haemul (seafood) pajeon in the bottom left corner. A must try! The oiliness is meant to protect your stomach while drinking, so make sure you get a bottle of soju with this. (Experts: Is it always pajeon? Or is it sometimes just jeon? Because I know pa means the leek/green onion that goes in....and why is it sometimes called buchingae? Is that related at all? I've never had anyone in Korea give me a satisfying clear answer to this.) Along the front you can see dalk gochi, or chicken kebabs, which they'll grill up with a spicy sauce for you. Another must try! I often put back a couple of these after a night of soju debauchery while trying to flag down a cab that will take me back to Incheon. (Chowhounds: hands down best chicken kebabs are located at Songnae station in Bucheon, outside of Seoul. Tragically, there is no other reason to visit Bucheon. Unless you're coming to scenic Incheon! ) There are whole prawns, small octopus, large cockles, oysters (served with gojujang...mmmm), and other unidentifiable (to me) things available as well. You can order by pointing and using your fingers for numbers. There are steamed mussels in the back (no butter, alas! Do as a friend of mine and bring your own). I believe there is some soondae on the left as well, in the back, and on the far right in the back is the insidious odeng. On the far right, you can see a green bottle - that's makkeolli, which is an unfiltered rice wine (although I find it a little fizzy - like beer) In my estimation, makkeolli tastes like a banana milkshake that has been left in the fridge for a couple of days. My love for it is only surpassed by my love for dong-dongju. Anyway, makkeolli is refreshing, and I'd choose it over soju any day, although others may beg to differ. It has a reputation of being a working man's drink. Read into that what you may. Prices here depend on what you eat. It's not particularly cheap if you get the seafood, but it's worth a stop for the atmosphere. If you're on a budget, makkeolli and pancake are the way to go. I'm going to have to do a whole separate post for sweet street food - more favourites! edited for typos

Some street food you might see in Seoul: This is a typical set up. The hot red bubbling stuff is Ddeok Bokki; thick rice noodles and fish paste in a hot chili sauce. Yummy and spicy. If you get an egg in yours, make sure you break it open and mix the cooked yolk into the sauce. The sticks are odeng, and kind of solid fish paste. It's dipped in a communal bowl of soy, chilis, sesame oil, sesame seeds...I can't say I'm a fan, but you don't get the whole street food experience without trying it. Then, of course, there's lots of tempura, or Twiggim. This is usually pretty cold, but it's nice if you buy a few pieces to get swirled around in your ddeok bokki. In the front are some half-moon shaped things - those a fried mandu, called goon mandu. Yummy. In the back, wrapped up in plastic, is soondae; Korean sausage. This was also between Sinchon and Ehwa Women's University. But they're everywhere. edited to add some more details.

...Continued... A Gimbap restaurant specializes in...you guessed it..gimbap. Even a lowly stick of gimbap will come with soup, yellow pickle, and kimchi. Here's some take-out I got the other day. Normally, the tuna salad is in the shape of a fish, but the owner was in the weeds when I went in, and her back-up supply was exhausted. So this one was made quickly. Here is a close-up of those side dishes from the bibimbap. These are rotated on a daily basis, depending on what's seasonal and cheap. I usually only like two out of the four - black beans and radish pickle were the ones I like here. If you like dumplings, you can usually find them at a gimbap store, but they'll probably be the frozen kind. There have been a couple of big food safety scares over the past few years. The first one was when a major mandu maker was exposed for using rotten cabbage in the filling. Second, recently tests have been done on Chinese made kimchi revealing the cabbage is often full of worm larvae. Cheap imported kimchi is often used as a filling for Kimchi Mandu. Appetizing! If you see a place that looks like this: They make their own from scratch. This one was in Sinchon, a popular university nightlife district.

It's funny how not only the coffee, but the ritual of making the coffee helps to wake us up. My alarm rings at 5:30, but I usually can't drag myself out of bed until almost 6. My husband gets into the shower first, and while he's there, I set up my cruddy $20 coffee maker. Where I live, most people drink instant, so getting the tools together to make proper coffee is fairly difficult. The only ground beans I could find in my area were Hazelnut flavoured, which I consider an abomination. So, I got a Costco membership, where I can buy a kilo of Starbucks espresso roast for about $13. Unfortunately, I bought the wrong filters there as well, bulk; of course. So my tools are: reasonably good coffee; crappy coffeemaker; overlarge filters; noname blender to grind beans. First: Stumble into kitchen; retrieve pot and dirty filter from previous day. Chuck old coffee into the sink; rinse; toss grinds and filter into the garbage Second: Fill pot from water cooler. (Tap water being not only wretched tasting, but unsafe to drink). Pour in more than intended use, to account for spillage. Third: Pour water into maker, spilling at least half down the back of the cupboard; due to crappy quality of pot. Fourth: Attempt origami to make filter fit into filter-holder; if not folded just right, the maker will reject the filter and filter holder mid-way through brewing process, spewing hot coffee everywhere in the kitchen but into the pot. Fifth: Transfer beans into grinder, attempting not to scatter any onto the floor. Kick those that do fall on the floor into the corner, and hope husband doesn't notice. Resolve to sweep them up later. Sixth: Unplug heater to plug in blender. Grind for however long I can stand the noise. Try to remember to plug the heater back in. Seventh: Transfer grinds to filter, and shut the filter compartment, utter incantations to prevent aforemention brewing accidents. Click it on, and wander off to shower. At this point, husband usually comes in and complains about errant floor-beans. Resolve to sweep them up later. By the time I'm finished getting ready for work, my coffee's brewed, and it's into a thermal mug for my trip to work. The process takes about three minutes every morning, and it really wakes me up. Brewed coffee is unavailable within a half-hour radius around my apartment, and I can't do without. In two months, I'm moving to Viet Nam, where I plan to look for apartments based on their proximity to a Trung Nguyen.

Salad dressing. I used to buy the bottled stuff, but now the only stuff I can get is Thousand Island. So I started making my own vinaigrette and Caesar dressings. Bread stuffing - in my house, growing up, it was strictly StoveTop. Now I make my own with sausage meat, pine nuts, all sorts of lovely things. The other thing is soup - I find packaged soup too salty, so I make my own squash and carrot, or potato soups. I'll confess I still used packaged stock for them, though. I haven't graduated to making my own yet.

I'm curious - do you eat the oak leaf, or is it just there for decoration? If you eat it, is it preserved in any way?

Eat it with a spoon? That's probably what I'd do

Ah, yes! That sounds like the one. My husband really enjoyed as well. I'm gnashing my teeth now, for having missed it. I guess I'll have to go back.

Wow, that all looks incredibly delicious - especially the prawn dish. I'm almost too embarrassed to post this picture I took at Casa Luna, after seeing the quality of your pictures. I'll have to work on my food photography. Just a picture of my plate, before I tucked in. As you can see, we also made the satays, although I had already eaten one by the time I made it back to the table In the middle of the bowl is our yellow rice, in the front next to the satays is the gado-gado, and the green smudge in the back is the bean salad. All very yummy - now I tempted to take the Bumbu Bali class if I go back - it looks like you made completely different dishes. Did you eat Babi Guling while you were there? When I came back from my cooking lesson, my husband showed me this picture he took at a local place. I was so disappointed he went without me! I didn't get another chance to go.

What dishes did you make at Bumbu Bali? edited for clarity