Korea - Land of the Morning Calm

[Domestic Goddess]

Peter, at the rate that you are eating I am really surprised you're not as big as Santa Claus. Tell me how do you do it????

[milgwimper]

Peter:

Thanks so very much! I am now cleaning off my keyboard...*sigh* What wonderful pictures. The duck reminds me of my Korean grandmother's cooking. Hmmm the bark like thing will most likely remain a mystery. Unfortunately I had the same experience too when asking about chinese herbs placed in food.

YAY ddeokbokki! I love ddeokbokki! Your picture of the ddeobooki looks really good, and spicy. Was it sweet? The dak kalbi looks scrumptious! I love the fact they put perilla in with the dak kalbi. I love that stuff perilla. So much so I had vision of myself with wads of the perilla leaves as pom poms...okay now that you all know I'm a little touched in the head lets move on...

Domestic:

Either Peter and has family are gifted with really great metabolism or maybe they are walking a lot? The last time I was in Korea DH said I dragged him to all the street food stalls and restaurants in korea. Well he was exaggerating but not by much. I was a little afraid to see the scale when I got home but I had lost 7 pounds from all the walking. Hmmm wonder if we can market the eat walk in korea diet. Where everything is healthy!

[nakji]

Sapporo and Krispy Kreme donuts and ddalk galbi were pretty much what defined my weekends in Korea! Can you believe you they give them away free? We used to make our friend who was allergic to wheat go through the line with us and we'd eat his, too. Good times, good times.

Fried chicken was a Thursday night thing, my husband and I would go out and get a plate, a pitcher of beer, and I'd eat as many pickled radishes I could until I got a stomachache.

The Family Mart was always our last stop before catching a cab back to the burbs around 4 am on Sunday morning. We'd stock up on tuna mayonnaise rolls and Pocari Sweat to fortify ourselves for the long drive back to Incheon.

There was a fabulous duck restaurant we used to go to in Ilsan, where you grilled duck galbi-style, and they bury sweet potatoes in your ashes - at the end of the meal we would fight over them! There were always bonfires burning outside and we had to wait at least a half-hour to get in. It was called Canna An. MMMmmmm, duck fat.

We also used to go to a killer pork place in Sinchon, in the back alleys (isn't that always where the best restaurants are?) called Don Mania, and the adjumma there made the best kimchi - no shrimp, and she aged it for 6 months before she served it in the restaurant. She always gave me a little doggy bag to carry home, because I loved it sooo much.

*Sigh.

[Peter Green]

man, this is your typical Seou l night out....

It' s gong to hurt tomorrow....

No, wait, it hurts now

[seisei]

Peter,

I'm coming out of the deepest, darkness lurkdom to say t h a n k y o u for posting about your trip to Korea! It's the cheapest ticket there I've found yet. Keep it coming!

If you ever need a second daughter, I call dibs.

[Peter Green]

Thanks, everyone.

My apologies on how slow the posting has been on my side, but we've been having way too much fun here. I'm noticing that my posting rate is inversely proportional to the square of the number of family members around.

Here's a quick synopsis:

October 8-10 we've now got covered.

October 11 (coming soon I hope) Incheon

October 12-13 back in Seoul

October 13-14 the East Coast

October 14-15 Seoraksan

October 15-17 we're back in Seoul

In answer to the waistline question.....I'd like to think we were staying trim, but Jason was in work yesterday, and the comment was "Man, you've put on weight!" "Yeah, yeah, my uncle Peter is in town".

Last night was incredibly good beef - hanu - marbled like a good Carrera villa. And then it seemed like we had a good reason to mix soju and yogurt.....

As Yoonhi says, it's easy to understand now why so many of our Korean friends are retiring back in Seoul.

I wonder if there's a Betty Ford clinic here........

[philadining]

I don't suppose you remember the name of the artist that did those spiders? Because I'm sure they have one of them in Tokyo, in Roppongi Hills. It's hard to forget something like that.

←

Sorry to jump in, but those look like Louise Bourgeois spiders.

Oh, and yet another great travelogue Peter...

[SheenaGreena]

AY ddeokbokki! I love ddeokbokki! Your picture of the ddeobooki looks really good, and spicy. Was it sweet? The dak kalbi looks scrumptious! I love the fact they put perilla in with the dak kalbi. I love that stuff perilla. So much so I had vision of myself with wads of the perilla leaves as pom poms...okay now that you all know I'm a little touched in the head lets move on... unsure.gif

Domestic:

Either Peter and has family are gifted with really great metabolism or maybe they are walking a lot? The last time I was in Korea DH said I dragged him to all the street food stalls and restaurants in korea. Well he was exaggerating but not by much. cool.gif I was a little afraid to see the scale when I got home but I had lost 7 pounds from all the walking. Hmmm wonder if we can market the eat walk in korea diet. Where everything is healthy! rolleyes.gif tongue.gif

you like perilla? me too. Every summer when I visit my parents, I like to go in the backyard and eat whole kkaenip leaves by the fistful. You have to be careful, cause bugs like to sneak underneath the leaves and hangout.

the last time I was in korea I ate like a fat ass. I ate so much food, eating at least one meal a day out for a month and I ate my fair share of street food and korean snacks. I thought I was going to gain 50 pounds, but I lost almost 20 lbs. It was probably all of that walking around in the hot summer sun all day.

peter, isn't it funny how everything korean is good for you? My mother always forces me to eat all of the pork fat on my pork. "Sheena, eat your pork fat, it's healthy kind and good for you"

since when was pork fat healthy?

[Peter Green]

peter, isn't it funny how everything korean is good for you?  My mother always forces me to eat all of the pork fat on my pork. "Sheena, eat your pork fat, it's healthy kind and good for you"

since when was pork fat healthy?

←

Sheena, how can you question the benefits of pork fat? I'm shocked!

I've got Jason and Yoonhi on the lookout in the department stores. I have complete faith that we're going to find an add for deep fat fryers saying that they're "fresh and healthy".

And thanks, Phila! I wasn't able to place the spiders, but now that I've got a name, I can bring it up in conversation with my nephew like I know what I'm talking about.

We're off back to Coex to satiate Serena's need for shopping and video games.

Peter

[SheenaGreena]

so when are you coming to boston to adopt me and take me with you on your culinary journeys?

is your nephew single? Maybe I will just marry into the family

[faine]

Man, this account is friggin' magnificent. I have got to go to Korea as soon as humanly possible. That duck looks obscenely delicious.

Is there a big difference between baiju and soju? Or are the variants on the same rocket fuel type alcohol?

[Domestic Goddess]

Peter, just a heads up. The World Exposition on Toys is now being exhibited in COEX Exhibition hall (on top of COEX mall). Maybe you'd like to bring Serena there too. The exhibition ends on Sunday. Billy and I will be going there with my Ubekhistan friend Oksana with her son on Saturday. We might eat at Jackie Chan's restaurant for lunch.

[Peter Green]

Is there a big difference between baiju and soju? Or are the variants on the same rocket fuel type alcohol?

←

Hi, Faine,

I'm not certain what baiju is. If it's Korean, I'll find out. The Japanese shochu is very similar, although slightly stronger (soju is only around 20%).

I'll devote some comments soon to soju.

Cheers,

Peter

[Peter Green]

Peter, just a heads up. The World Exposition on Toys is now being exhibited in COEX Exhibition hall (on top of COEX mall). Maybe you'd like to bring Serena there too. The exhibition ends on Sunday. Billy and I will be going there with my Ubekhistan friend Oksana with her son on Saturday. We might eat at Jackie Chan's restaurant for lunch.

←

Thanks, Doddie! We were just there today, but our feet were wearing out so we didn't do the Toy exhibit (and Yoonhi's a little delicate after last night's binge at a hojangmacha). Serena was......well, let's say "unhappy" about this.

There's also a Robotics Expo (which we did do) in there too, so it'll be a good day for you guys.

Cheers,

Peter

[milgwimper]

AY ddeokbokki! I love ddeokbokki! Your picture of the ddeobooki looks really good, and spicy. Was it sweet? The dak kalbi looks scrumptious! I love the fact they put perilla in with the dak kalbi. I love that stuff perilla. So much so I had vision of myself with wads of the perilla leaves as pom poms...okay now that you all know I'm a little touched in the head lets move on... unsure.gif

Domestic:

Either Peter and has family are gifted with really great metabolism or maybe they are walking a lot? The last time I was in Korea DH said I dragged him to all the street food stalls and restaurants in korea. Well he was exaggerating but not by much. cool.gif I was a little afraid to see the scale when I got home but I had lost 7 pounds from all the walking. Hmmm wonder if we can market the eat walk in korea diet. Where everything is healthy! rolleyes.gif tongue.gif

you like perilla? me too. Every summer when I visit my parents, I like to go in the backyard and eat whole kkaenip leaves by the fistful. You have to be careful, cause bugs like to sneak underneath the leaves and hangout.

the last time I was in korea I ate like a fat ass. I ate so much food, eating at least one meal a day out for a month and I ate my fair share of street food and korean snacks. I thought I was going to gain 50 pounds, but I lost almost 20 lbs. It was probably all of that walking around in the hot summer sun all day.

peter, isn't it funny how everything korean is good for you? My mother always forces me to eat all of the pork fat on my pork. "Sheena, eat your pork fat, it's healthy kind and good for you"

since when was pork fat healthy?

←

I love Perilla! When living with the parents I had several plants growing every year in the back yard. I would go out there to see if the plants were big enough to start picking from. LOL well There has been a couple plants that didn't fare too well with me around, but man I love the stuff.

My Emo Halmoni's family owns a farm, and one of the crops they grow is perilla. So, one of my favourite childhood memories is waking up very early in the morning and heading out to the field (well on a side of a hill) and smelling the scent of perilla in the air. Man it brings back memories.

Sometimes when the plants are too small to pick from I will gently rub a leaf between my fingers to smell the lovely scent. I never grew enough of the plants to scent the air.

I had to laugh about the pork fat! my mom used to say the same thing, but now I am trying to lose weight she tells me to eat it in moderation.

[prasantrin]

Ketsup flavour!  But I brought those from the Middle East for my nephew to try out on his friends who haven't seen these.

←

You can get Ketchup chips in the Middle East? I thought those were only for Canadians! Or are they imported to the ME for all those ex-pat Canadians? Can't get them in Japan, but I can get salt and vinegar!

[Peter Green]

You can get Ketchup chips in the Middle East?  I thought those were only for Canadians!  Or are they imported to the ME for all those ex-pat Canadians?  Can't get them in Japan, but I can get salt and vinegar!

←

I suspect it's part of the "if we can't move the stock anywhere else, then ship it to the ME".

They were just what Jason wanted, but Yoonhi almost didn't let me bring them as she doesn't consider Pringles to be potato chips (being pressed and molded dehydrated potato dust).

Hey, we're reading this stuff now - dried potatos, vegetable oil, rice flour, wheat starch, maltodextrine, emulsifier e471, sugar, natural and artificial ketsup flavour, autolyzed yeast extract, acidity regulator, dextrose, salt, flavour enhancer MSG, garlic powder, onion powder, colour, paprika extract, spice (dried cloves and clove oil), and more flavour enhancer (disodium glunyoate).

Sounds good. It must be healthy.

She wins. It's a "potato snack", not technically potato chips, as chips have to be "slices of something".

She is willing to concede that, technically, it could still be considered food.

I'm getting off topic again, aren't I?

[Domestic Goddess]

Psst, Peter, where we met you was in Icheon city, not Incheon (where the international airport is). Just a head's up.

And if it is not confusing enough, it is also spelled Ichon. And it is also a name of a subway stop in Seoul.

[nakji]

Yo, I was worried. I used to live in Incheon, and I was like, "Incheon? Why the hell did he go to Incheon?".

But Icheon is much nicer.

I have never been to Ichon.

This message has been brought to you by my Thursday night bottle of wine.

Thank you.

[Peter Green]

Psst, Peter, where we met you was in Icheon city, not Incheon (where the international airport is). Just a head's up.

And if it is not confusing enough, it is also spelled Ichon. And it is also a name of a subway stop in Seoul.

←

Yup! Yoonhi finally read through what I've been writing, and slapped me silly over that.

And I think we drove past another Incheon pm the way back from Seoraksan.

I'll just play dumb white guy. I'm a natural.

[Peter Green]

October 11 Thursday

Refreshed from a (relatively) early night, we went to Icheon to see Doddie and Billy for a traditional meal. The bus ride was an easy matter, only an hour from station to station, and then we took advantage of our meeting spot – Dunkin Donuts – to have a cup of coffee.

Black coffee, that is. And a proper sized pour. Traditionally, the Koreans serve instant, and they portion it out in thimble sized cups. Weak instant. I am not a fan of Korean coffee shops (tabang). Dunkin’ may not be the best coffee in the world, but it’ll do the job.

Doddie and Billy showed up, and it was instant recognition all around. Okay, maybe I don’t really blend in in Icheon…..

We dropped in at the same place that Doddie had taken Jason True – Sonmok Nadul Hae - a traditional Korean meal restaurant, with a lovely assortment of panchan, chigae, and main dishes. Doddie’s already described it before in her ssalbap thread, but let me use up some space here for the photos.

First, the array of dishes is huge. A normal Korean meal might have six or eight panchan, but here you end up with 25 or more plates of stuff on the table. Just to get all of those out there and positioned would, you think, take ages.

This is the really fun part.

They wheel your table setting out as a huge wooden tray. Ideally two people (but we saw one waitress do it) fit the tray to the table and then just slide it into place.

So, what’d we have? I won’t try to cover everything, but the fermented crabs were really good. Crab is always so good, but so much of a pain to eat. Here it’s easy. You just put the body into your mouth and bite down. The raw/fermented meat then just oozes out into your mouth, like you’ve bitten into a large pustule.

There was comforting chigae of golden beegee (stayin’ alive, stayin’ alive), which is a byproduct of making tofu. In the West, this is what gets used in making veggie burgers. And there was some roast pork to be taken with the lettuce and perilla/sesame leaves - I was looking at this on Wikipedia, and even though the Koreans call it sesame leaf, it’s actually a member of the mint genus. Whatever, I love the taste of it fresh.

And the pickled seaweed (miyok) was excellent, with that sunimono flavour. So, too, were the mushrooms (but not in a sunimono way).

And there was fish, thin and robust. I think this was a mackerel, as it had a good oil level in the meat.

The kim chi was fine, but the spinach and gim (seaweed sheets) took Serena’s attention, while Billy went for the shredded beef, soaked in soy.

And the rice was, of course, just the way it should be. A lighter rice, and almost translucent. Icheon is one of the key agricultural zones in Korea, famous for their beef, their orchards (peaches!), chilis, and especially for their rice (but for more on this, check out Doddie’s thread). Unfortunately, I’m missing the Icheon Rice Festival by a week. I have full faith that Doddie will cover it, and this should be a lot of fun.

While the food was good, Doddie and Billy were the best part of the meal. It’s a lot of fun getting together with her, and going over our guilty sins – like taking pictures of everything that happens in our kitchens, and of spending way too much time in egullet. She’s got amazing enthusiasm for everything she does. Not that we left Yoonhi out (I do have a sense of self preservation). When you live overseas, there are always common experiences that make for good table sharing over food. Serena was in bookworm mode at the start, but she warmed up as time went by, and she and Billy were enjoying themselves, looking at rocks, and starting to think of trouble they could get into by the end of the meal.

After lunch we stopped in at one of the ceramic places nearby. Icheon is also famous for its pottery, and hosts an every-other-year ceramic expo (and check out Doodie’ thread here).

Yoonhi’s sister phoned us during the day, and when she heard we were in Icheon, her immediate reaction was “that’s the place for pottery”.

The exhibit next to the restaurant had some very elegant pieces. The Su An Ceramic Research Centre, with the founder’s pedigree on display outside, listing where he graduated from, and what prizes he’d won. I’m always partial to the cracelature of celadon, and that green colour that’s really hard to describe (so I won’t). There was one theme of carp spiraling in a school up a slender wine bottle that I really took to, but Yoonhi had some words to say about packing. Oh well.

We returned to town to the bus station, as Doddie had a meeting she needed to be at, and then we three Greens did a bit of a stroll up the walking street (no vehicle access) that runs through town.

Koreans are really, really good at getting people to come into their stores. We’d only just stepped onto the street when a loud speaker starting speaking to us. We saw it was a guy at the cash register of the 99 cent store, with a headset on speaking into a mike non-stop. “C’mon in! Hey, you in the red shirt, get in here! That lady in the blue top has already picked up five things!”

Kind of extroverted.

We came out of there with a new rice scoop (chugok), some spatulas, and a little hand grater. You never know when these things’ll come in handy.

I’ve been told that this is the transliteration of “Cologne” (or the German “Koln” – where’s my umlaut?). It just comes out rather unfortunate here..

Korea does a land-sale business in flowers. Whenever there’s a new shop, you have to pack the entryway with these things. Tripod mounted, or just leaned against the doorsills, they look like triffids decked out for the debutantes ball.

I was pretty good about keeping the camera holstered for much of this, but all it took was the first butcher’s shop on the avenue to get me going.

The heads are on proud display here (someori). They’re also advertising ribs (kalbi), and feet (chokbal).

Here they’re advertising gift sets of meat.

Tripe, tripe, glorious tripe. Here there are two of the four types. What a wonderful animal the cow is to have so many stomachs.

This looks like a whole stomach, which is something I should ruminate over.

And blood. Great when congealed and taken like jello in soup. (I can’t really ever recall trying real Jello in a soup. I wonder what that would be like?).

Bundles of garlic for sale on the pavement, the stems dried out.

Fresh clams (over on the right front). Boy, do I miss clams. And those mini conches that you winkle the meat out of. There’s a bag of baby octopi up at the back, and crabs up on the left. Shrimp fry, and more stuff that doesn’t go to waste in this country.

Bracken fern (gosari), lotus roots, and what we think may be bellflower root and potato stems (in the back).

Two old guys were having soju and sashimi, and asked me to join them for a cup. You’re never without friends if you drink soju. Plus, it’s healthy for you!

And then there are the famous chilis of Icheon (and the not so famous carrots, aubergine, and cucumbers – but they’re still good), and there’s a package of those tubby mushrooms that just make me think of Japanese cartoons.

I love mushrooms. I am always willing to take photos of fungus of any sort (okay, no pictures of my toes, I promise). And that’s algae bundled up like a witches scalp in the styrofoam. Beans in the blue bowl, I do believe.

Pig’s feet for sale, all cooked up and ready for a gnawing, and spring onion pancake (pacheon) on the tray.

And we found some roasted barley for making boricha. We were out of this back home, so we picked up a kilo. Plus they had roasted corn for oksusucha (more “tea”). I know, I know, you can’t technically call it tea if it didn’t come from a tea plant, but we’ve got tradition on our side here (and we’ll call them sesame leaves – kkaenip – even if they’re not from sesame plants).

These little nests were shredded dried chili. They looked too good to pass up, so I grabbed a handful.

I’m drawing a firm “I don’t know” from Yoonhi regarding these three things. There was an old lady around the corner from the bori guy selling these. Dried flowers, the middle one may be chrysanthemum, as it says “suk”. Anyone want to jump in?

And then there’s gochugaru – crushed red chili. All sorts of different consistencies and grades. This is how you get those wonderful reds in the chigaes that just can’t be recreated back home.

There was more seafood, muscles and clams with sacks of ice on top, the water dripping down onto the pavement below.

And behind the shells were pretty little octopii, orange now, instead of the purply-red.

And more of the fruits of the sea to keep everyone happy (at least me).

Pears. Korean pears. These are seriously addictive. We used to buy boxes every year when the season was in, but then they stopped carrying them where we lived, as the price had become so high that we were the only ones eating them. Refrigerate, and then peel them to reveal that white crispiness that drips sweetness as you crunch in……Korean women are experts at peeling fruit. Give one a knife, and she’ll have the skin flayed perfectly in seconds…..it makes me nervous at times…….

Finally it was time to think about getting back to Seoul to meet up with Jason for dinner. The buses leave regularly, so it’s never a long wait. Serena spotted some shoestring potatoes, so we sprang for a cupful for her for the ride.

Surprise. Deep fried yam. Cold, and hard enough that I could probably use them to nail together a back porch.

She was not amused.

Edited October 19, 2007 by Peter Green (log)

[Peter Green]

Well, it had to happen. Our first really rainy day here in Seoul. I should be getting the family up for an outing, but I don't see the need for speed right now.

Maybe it'll be the Rodin collection today. Yoonhi was talking about that last night, although it's not like her to be interested in Godzilla's enemies.

This afternoon I've an appointment at the Cordon Bleu. It'll be interesting to compare the established school here in Korea with the brand new facility in Bangkok that we saw last month.

And this evening it's Nanta! Korea's famous cooking/acrobatic/dance show.

Getting tickets has been a pain, as you have to book online, and when you go to book, you need your Korean citizen's number. Jason's a returned Korean, which gets him almost all the rights of a citizen (but no voting, and he doesn't get to do military service), but he has a different prefix on his number, so the booking doesn't work.

We tried going to the office, but they said "go online". We told them we couldn't book as we weren't Korean, they said "get your tour operator to book". We told them we didn't have a tour operator, and they said "goodbye".

We finally got some Korean friends here (Yoonhi met them in Vancouver in the summer, and they've two girls Serena's age) to book us the tickets, so we're set for 8p.m. tonight. I've seen clips of the performance on Chinese TV, and it looks hilarious.

Hmmmm.....maybe I should bring the chairs in out of the rain?...

[SheenaGreena]

I want to eat 50 of those pears, but they have to be ICE cold.

speaking of which, how cold is it in korea? Is it time for those fish stuffed with red bean? yum yum How about hoddeok?

[Peter Green]

I want to eat 50 of those pears, but they have to be ICE cold. 

speaking of which, how cold is it in korea?  Is it time for those fish stuffed with red bean? yum yum How about hoddeok?

←

Having rushed out in the rain to pull in the chairs from the patio, I'd put the temperature at "%% cold". The wind's died down, though, and visibility is back up.

This is the first bad day in Seoul. Otherwise it's been in the mid20's centigrade most days, and only in the teens at night.

However, cold weather just makes hot food taste better, say I.

[Domestic Goddess]

Sheena, it's def. cold and def. time for the fish stuffed with red bean. I'll take pics of it later for you. Hoddeok is always available all year round.

Peter - great pics! Thanks for the glowing description of moi and my Billy. *blush* Hubby was appeased with the pictures you posted of the food. He was so disappointed I didn't take pics of our meal (I said you had a better camera and I was enjoying eating so much).

I have converted my hubby to the first step of becoming an eGullet foodie. Now to get him to post and read in here.

Edited October 19, 2007 by Domestic Goddess (log)