FatManSeoul

Ok, so FatMan’s first thought upon hearing the word “Kaya” was that it must be referring to the small Gaya Confederacy of the early Three Kingdoms Period centered in the Gimhae area of the Nakdong River Basin. But just like so much of the food scene in Seoul, Fatman was about to be blown away by the delicious possibilities of international exchange.

Kaya, it turns out, is also a delicious treat from Southeast Asia. This dense coconut custard-style jam is a green, creamy delight that Singaporeans and Malaysians have long been using to top their toast. Taken with thick, sweet coffee or tea, it’s a quintessential breakfast treat made with coconut, eggs, and pandan or sugar. And with Seoul seeing an explosion of international foods and chains opening their doors to our hungry citizens, it was only a matter of time before this oozy treat made its way to our streets.

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There’s been quite a bit of controversy in the Korean expat blogosphere about bad service, particularly at Western restaurants in Seoul. Zen Kimchi has taken some swings at Itaewon favorites, while both the Metropolitician and Expat Jane have something to say about another venerable institution of the foreigner enclave. So what gives? Is service in Seoul doomed to be less than stellar?

Golden Arches East: McDonalds in East Asia

James Watson’s illuminating book, Golden Arches East: McDonald’s in East Asia, examines the spread of the fast food chain throughout Asia, and Sangmee Bak’s contribution, McDonald’s in Seoul: Food Choices, Identity, and Nationalism, touches on something pertinent. Mainly, what customers think they’re paying for when they go out to eat isn’t consistent across cultures. Sure, everybody who forks over their hard earned cash for a meal somebody else has cooked knows they’re paying for the food. But what else is your money paying for? Read the rest of this entry »

Anguk-dong teems with great eateries, but among the most popular is the tiny hole-in-the-wall mandu restaurant called 천진포자 (Cheonjinpoja) where diners can munch on some of the most delicious and authentic Chinese-style mandu out there.

The restaurant itself is tiny, with only one real table supplemented by stools and a low bar hugging the walls. It’s cramped, but not short on atmosphere: carved furniture, pictures, and calligraphy from the Center of the World hang on the walls. But none of it hides the fact that this is a place for serious eating, not some prissy see-and-be-seen hangout where the food doesn’t stand up. These dumplings mean business.

The menu is limited: Do you want mandu, mandu, mandu, or mandu?

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Of course, this only skims the surface . . .

Andrei Lankov’s overview of the history of “Western” food in Korea, from the Korea Times (영어 링크)

Bindaeddeok (빈대떡) may be less common than the ever-popular pajeon (바전), but this chunky cousin has loads of tastes to offer. It used to be a food for special occasions, but nowadays it’s easy to enjoy it anytime your heart desires.

Basic pajeon are made with a wheat flour (밀가루) base, but it’s certainly not the only kind on offer. Similar griddle cakes are made with myriad materials, including acorn starch, potatoes, and mung beans. The thick, gritty goodness of 빈대떡 is based on mung bean sprouts that have been ground (usually on a millstone, be it battery-operated or hand-cranked) into a loose paste and mixed with any number of different vegetables or meats (and occasionally other flours or starches) before being poured onto a greased griddle and fried. The exterior crisps to a deep golden brown but the interior takes on an almost fluffy texture that keeps a bit of grit from the coarsely ground bean sprouts for an amazing mouth feel. They’re heavier and heartier than other kinds of jeon, and satisfying to make a meal in and of themselves. And, like their lighter cousins, they come in many varieties: there’s seafood versions (해물빈대떡) and ones with kimchi (김치빈대떡) – just about any edible plant or flesh can be thrown into the mix.

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So called “detox” regimens have been around for a while, but are they safe?  Mounting scientific evidence shows that they can be dangerous in the long term, and don’t have any real health benefits – check it out! (영어 링크)

위험: 과학 내용!
diet coke + mentos candy = FUN!

and for the explanation of why it works, we turn to Adam and Jamie of Mythbusters in this link.

Hardtack (also known as pilot bread, pilot crackers, ships biscuits, sea bread, and sometimes less nicely as molar breakers, tooth dullers, sheet iron, or dog biscuits) is one of the most notorious foods in history. Because the ingredients are so basic and it lasts so long, it has been a food of choice (well, or at least of practicality) for the military and others who need food that keeps well.

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Korean street food is getting more and more creative. Check out this new style of egg bread, found near Hongdae University:

한국의 길거리 음식이 점점 다양해지면서 독특한 먹을거리도 많이 만나볼 수 있게 되었다. 이번에는 홍대근처에서 찾은 새로운 스타일의 계란빵에 대해서 한번 알아보자.

Instead of the normal loaf shape, the egg-based bread was baked in a mini-pizza tin and covered with cheese, peppers, ham and corn. It may not be the world’s greatest combination (the bread doesn’t support the toppings well or provide any textural contrast, and the toppings were nothing to sing about) but it certainly is one of the more unusual.

기존의 일반적인 빵과는 달리 이것은 계란을 입힌 빵 위에 치즈, 고추, 햄, 옥수수를 토핑한 후 미니피자판 위에서 굽는다. 세계최고라고 자부할 만큼의 맛은 아니지만 독특한 음식 중에 하나임에는 틀림없다.

Fatman found this stall on Hanbeotgil, by the Hongdae University entrance but it does move around a bit within the area. Pizza egg bread 1200 won.

Fatman은 홍대입구 옆의, 한벗길에서 이 가게를 찾았는데 사실은 트럭에서 파는 것이기 때문에 때에 따라 장소는 아주 조금 바뀔 수도 있다. 피자 계란빵은 1200원이다.  

There was a recent article in the Korea Times about vegetarian restaurants in Seoul, and they’ve come up with some solid suggestions like Sosim at the Anguk intersection north of Insadong. It’s great to see some coverage of smaller or lesser known restaurants (they haven’t included the big bad daddy of them all, the Buddhist temple restaurant Sancheon, but that’s ok.)

최근 ‘the korea times’는 한국의 채식 음식점에 대해서 다루었다. 기사에는 안국동의 ‘소심’과 같은 좋은 채식 음식점에 대한 추천도 찾아볼 수 있었다. 그 동안 대중에게는 잘 알려지지 않은 그러한 음식점들을 볼 수 있다는 점에서 상당히 기분이 좋았다(기사에는 ‘산천’과 같은 크고 화려한 음식점에 대한 내용은 찾아볼 수 없었지만 괜찮았다).

Speaking of temple cuisine, they left out one of the best places to get not just delicious but totally free vegetarian food: Buddhist Temples! It’s not so well known, but most temples have days of the week or times where you can drop by and have a fabulous vegetarian meal. Check out your local temple and see what’s on the menu!

맛있기만 한 게 아니라 공짜라서 더 좋은 사찰음식. 바로 절에서 체험해 볼 수 있다. 아는 사람이 얼마 없긴 하지만, 대부분의 절에서는 일정 기간을 두고 누구든지 그곳에 들러서 맛있는 사찰음식을 무료로 즐길 수 있게끔 하고 있다.  지금 바로 근처의 절에서는 어떤 음식을 주는지 알아보는 것도 좋은 방법이다.

In the meantime, you can make a delicious temple-style, totally vegetarian 비빔밥/bibimbap with just a few simple ingredients you probably already have lying around. You’ll need:

하지만 집에서도 충분히 즐길 수 있다. 집에서 쉽게 구할 수 있는 간단한 몇 가지 재료만 있다면 여러분도 집에서 맛있는 비빔밥을 만들어 볼 수 있다.

• 2 cups short or medium grain rice, and
• 1 carrot, jullienned (당근)
• 1 zuchinni, sliced into rounds (호박)
• 1 small head of red-leaf or green-leaf lettuce, chopped coarsly (상추)
• 1 generous handful of spinach or other leafy green (시금치)
• 1 generous handful of mung bean sprouts (콩나물)
• 4 shiitake mushrooms (표고버섯)
• gochujang (red pepper paste), roasted sesame oil, soy sauce
• 쌀 2컵
• 잘게 썬 당근 1개
• 둥글게 썬 호박 1개
• 큼지막하게 썬 작은 상추 1개
• 시금치 한 움큼
• 콩나물 한 움큼
• 표고버섯 4개
• 고추장, 참기름, 간장

Rinse and prepare rice according to the directions of your rice-cooker. In a small frying pan, heat a scant tablespoon of neutral-tasting oil (such as peanut, canola, or grapeseed oil) and very briefly sauté each ingredient individually. When rice has finished cooking, divide into two bowls. Divide vegetables and lay on top of rice. Add sesame oil, soy sauce, and/or red pepper paste to taste.
Because Buddhist monks in Korea generally adhere to vegetarian diets, you won’t find any meat or egg in the foods served at temples. Also, because spicy food, onions, and garlic are thought to stimulate inappropriate appetites, traditional temple food also kept these items largely off the menu – so lay off the gochujang!

쌀을 씻은 후 밥솥에 밥을 한다. 작은 프라이팬에 기름을 약간 두른 후, 준비한 재료를 각각 살짝 볶는다. 밥이 다 되면, 두 개의 그릇에 나눠 담는다. 나물을 나눠서 밥 위에 얹는다. 참기름과 간장을 넣고 식성에 따라 고춧가루 등 여러 양념을 넣는다.

한국의 절에서는 대부분 채식을 하기 때문에 그곳에서 고기나 달걀을 찾기는 어렵다. 또한 매운 음식이나 양파, 마늘 같은 것들도 부적절한 음식으로 여겨 식단에 넣지 않는다. 그러면 고추장도 제외!