FatManSeoul

Fatman has long lamented the lack of lactose-loaded treats in Korea*, so we were happy to hear that Lotteria had made a new contribution to the field:  Behold the power of cheese balls!

Um . . . Lotteria? Where’s the rest of it? We don’t mean to be ungrateful, but these cheese balls are roughly [...]

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!

City-slick Korean chicks know what media to watch for the best and brightest of what’s to be - and for years the bible to what was popular in the states was Sex and The City.  Whatever it was to American women, whatever the controversy and silliness, young Korean women understood it as a benchmark of [...]

Set in the picturesque area near Hanseong University, Song’s Kitchen is an old converted hanok nestled into a hollow, making for an almost Brigadoon-like space of cute kitsch. This cosy, artsy space plays host not just to a large collection of ceramic, glass, and ticky-tacky, but also to an impressive open kitchen that turns [...]

Beware! They’re coming for your taste buds!

Daseulgi Haejangguk (다슬기 해장국) is helping aid North Korea in their attempts to take over your mouth via their delicious marsh snail cuisine. This old hanok on the west side of Gyeongbuk Palace is the landing site of the next invasion from the north, featuring haejangguk, salads, [...]

Hidden among the posh boutiques of Samcheon-dong is the best deal in town for cheap eats:

Moksuidonna Ddeokpokki is easily one of the most famous places in all of Korea to get the spicy simmer of rice cakes and pepper sauce, and with justification. Unlike common street stall ddeokpokki that’s all spice and flash but [...]

Japanese* donut chain Mister Donut has been opening up chains across Seoul, giving some competition to the mostly American-founded chains like Dunkin’ Donuts*and Krispy Kreme, along with the offerings of local bakeries and chains like Paris Baguette and Tous les Jours.  They pride themselves on having donuts that suit local Asian tastes, including their new [...]

Say it ain’t so!  From Naver (한국어 링크) and Korea Beat (영어링크):
7 brands of hard tack manufactured in China contain, what else?: Melamine.  While the amount contained therin is not enough to make an adult sick, you probably shouldn’t go around chowing down on it.  Fatman has already talked about hardtack’s unique history here.  We’ve [...]

Figs are one of the great treats of fall. These inflorescence are actually not fruit at all, but collections of tiny inward-growing flowers that form the “fruit”.  This shows up oddly in the etymology of the Korean name: 무화과 means “no flower fruit”. There are flowers that contain fruit, but we can’t [...]

New York based conceptual artist Elaine Tin Nyo will be having a seminar on Korean fermented foods at 3pm Saturday, October 25th at the Seoksu Artist Project studio in Anyang. Lead by fermented skate expert chef Jeong Hyo-jin, this tasting is an excellent opportunity to learn more about the process of making traditional [...]