FatManSeoul

It’s tea time!  Although not well known beyond these shores, Korea has a long and venerable history of tea cultivation and appreciation.  Records of tea ceremonies go all the way back to the Three Kingdoms Period, and tea plants were introduced sometime in the seventh century. Tea remained a very important ritual beverage, particularly in [...]

즐거운 파이 데이 보네세요! 왜 “Pi Day” 이라고요? 3월 14일 = 3.14 = ㅎㅎㅎ Why the Pi? Because March 14 = 3.14 = Pi!  So, in celebration of Pi Day, go grab yourself a bite (or a whole) pie.  Cherry pies, apple pies, pumpkin pies, pecan pies, chess pies, cream pies,  meat pies, or any [...]

The Korea Times is running a new searies trying to help foreigners learn enough Korean to navigate the restaurant scene, but Fatman is less than sure that this is going to help much . . . so, what do you, O Wise Readers!, think would be a better approach?  What kind of information does the [...]

‘Tis the season for merrily making off with 매주! These compressed soybean blocks are the building tools of all our favorite flavorings, from 간장 to 됀장. The soybeans are first cleaned, then mashed and formed into bricks before introducing bacteria to start the fermentation process. Depending on the size and kind of block, they hang [...]

Fatman has long noted the American preference for a foodstuff that Koreans turn up their noses at, but today’s Slate Magazine has an article detailing why 미국사람 seem to go nuts over PB.

Fatman just got back from a lovely jaunt to the ancestral digs for the lunar holiday, where we got down to the serious business of eating all that scrumptious Sollal food. Of course everybody has to eat some 떡국 (ddeokguk: rice cake soup) to get a year older( ok, nearly everybody; Fatman plans to gain [...]

Fatman never needs an excuse to go snag some eats on the streets . . .but it never hurts to have one anyway.  Recently Fatman, Zen Kimchi, and some friends (including fan favorite Chef Hickey of the W Hotel and X Burger fame!) went in search of the best of winter street food in Seoul.  [...]

Is kimchi vegetarian-friendly? Is it vegan? Is it kosher? Well, in its standard form in Korea . . . no, no, and no. Why? 김치는 과연 진정한 채식주의 음식인가?  Vegan (우유, 달걀 등 동물성 식품을 일채 먹지 않다) 들 위한 음식인가?  그리고 유대교 법에 맞게 준비된 정결한 음식인가?  한국에서 보편적으로 먹는 김치로 따지자면 결고 않이다.  [...]

Seems like everybody is talking about 찔레꽃 these days. Of course, they’re all talking about this: Here at FatManSeoul though, we’re going to talk about these: and all the delicious things you can do with them. Wild roses have been used in food and medicine for centuries, and have become vital ingredients in many different [...]

Oh My News에서 빼빼로 데이 역사 설명!  And a little wikipedia-lovin’ here (영어) and here (한국어).  Gotta love those completely commercial holidays invented out of the whole cloth!   And of course, the 빼빼로 홈피!