Galbi Time

Almost every time we go out for dinner, we go to a pretty spectacular place we've deemed "Good Kimchi Place."  And by good kimchi, I mean this stuff is heaven-sent.  We now hate kimchi everywhere else, it's pure discrimination.

Anyway, "Good Kimchi Place" has typical Korean food - Korean BBQ ("galbi").  It's a little strange at first, cooking your own food on a small grlll in the middle of the table, but after some practice we've gotten pretty good at it.  Our staple is spicy chicken, but you can also get duck, beef, or pork.

Gamjatang - Korean "Hangover Soup"

My current favorite: Gamjatang.

Gamjatang (Kam-Ja-Tang) is pretty famous in Korea.  I remember seeing it featured in one of the documentaries I watched before moving here, and it completely lives up to the hype.

It's also known as "Pork Spine Soup" because it literally is.  You're given a large bowl of broth, rice, and veggies, with a huge hunk of meat floating on top - bones included.  There's a big bucket in the middle of the table that you can use to throw the bones in once you've successfully pulled most of the meat from them (or spent so long trying that you decide to give up).  I'm sure it's quite a treat to watch a table full of foreigners attempting to pull their dinner from bones with a pair of chopsticks and a spoon.

They really make you work for it but, when all is said and done, this is a great meal.  And of course, contains the special mystery ingredients that are sure to cure any kind of morning-after haze.

Dok Dori Delicious

This, my friends, is what life in Korea is all about.  It's called Dak Dori Tang and it is so delicious.  The soup basically consists of a large pot full of chicken, carrots, garlic, peppers, hot sauce, mystery sauce, and - you guessed it - sweet potatoes.  It's like chicken stew with a tasty zing. 

This is one version that they make at a restaurant we visit a lot, right here in Suji (mostly because the guy who owns it can speak some English).  Ashley and I decided to treat ourselves to this delightful dinner on New Years Eve.  Although it's enough food to feed a large family, I'd say we made a pretty good dent.

Excuse me, WHAT?

I don't understand the obsession with sweet potatoes in this country.  As I stated before, I tried a sweet potato latte on Thanksgiving, but at the time I thought that was a season goodness.  Wrong.

You can get anything sweet potato flavored here.  I must admit that I enjoy the occasional slice of sweet potato pizza, but this cake is just taking things to another level.  When I saw it in the bakery the other day I couldn't help but document this oddity.

Kimbap Shop.

There's a tiny little restaurant right underneath my school that we eat at almost every day for lunch.  It's called a Kimbap Shop. 

Kimbap is my new favorite lunchtime snack.  It's very similar to sushi, but the roll is much bigger.  And it's only $2.50.  Major bonus.  My favorite so far is chamchi (tuna).

The other thing we get a lot is kimchi jjigae ("chi-gue").  It's just kimchi soup with tofu, and it might look disgusting, but it's quite delightful.

And finally we have dolsot bibimbap.  Basically a bunch of random fixings mixed together in a large steaming bowl with a raw egg on top.  I know this probably sounds strange as well, but once it's all mixed together it's a great meal.

The best part about any meal in Korea is the overabundance of side dishes that are served.  I don't know what half of them are, but it sure is awesome to have something to munch on while you wait for your food.

Food Update.

I grabbed a sandwich from a convenience store on the way to work today.  It clearly looked to me like it was a simple ham and cheese.  Turns out it was more along the lines of:  bologna, lettuce, some egg salad, mustard, and sweet pickles.  At least that's what I'm hoping it was.

Chew on that for a minute.

Kimchi is Life.

South Koreans eat a spicy fermented cabbage dish, Kimchi, with every single meal. I'm not even exaggerating, it's everywhere. So far I've seen Kimchi as a couple different side dishes, Kimchi soup, Kimchi rolls, and my favorite-Kimchi Mandu.

Mandu is the best thing I've had in Korea so far. It's basically a big ball of dough with something delicious stuffed inside. So far I've tried the pork and the Kimchi. They're both to die for.