Korean Food... so many great foods, so little time!

Danny and I really had only eaten Korean food once before we came so basically all Korean food that we have had has been new to us.  I didn't think I would be a fan of Korean food, but oh how I was wrong!  Of course there are still things that I will avoid like the plague, but now there are foods that I can't do without.  Here is just a sampling of some of the BEST and some of the WORST...

Bin dae ddoek:  A fried potato pancake with beef in it... oh my goodness delicious.

On the right: kimbap ~ a "california roll" often filled with egg, ham, radish, spinach, carrot, green onion, and rice all wrapped in seaweed.

On the left you can see a few different things: In the very front you see pigs feet (I've never had them but I don't particularly want to eat knuckles), then you see the kimbap, then we have ddeok boki ~ rice cake covered in a red pepper sauce usually with cabbage and fish cake pieces in it, then last but not least chop chae ~ rice noodles with a kind of soy sauce marinade mixed with green onion, carrots, peppers and beef.

My absolute favorite: Dak albi, a spicy chicken dish that will blow your mind.  Cooked with cabbage, ddoek or rice cake, leeks, sesame leaves, and mixed with rice at the very end.  Seriously good... seriously.

Jimdak: Andong is most famous for this dish and it is really good and REALLY spicy.  We always have to get is "waygook-in" style (or foreigner style) which means waaaay less spicy.  It's a dish made with chicken, spinach, potatoe, carrot, onion, pepper, and rice noodles all in a delicious garlic-y, soy sauc-y, seasame oil-y sauce.  It's a must try.

Bulgogi ~ a classic Korean dish that most people know about.  It is thinly sliced meat cooked in a marinade with onion, pepper, garlic, and rice noodles.  Eat it in a lettuce leaf with some gochujang (red pepper sauce) and you'll never go wrong!

Another classic: Bibimbap.  I prefer dolsot bibimbap which is on the right but they are both good.  The difference is dolsot bibimbap is given to you in a hot stone pot so the rice around the outside gets crispy and delicious.  Bibimbap is made with all kinds of different steamed veggies, usually an egg, and a good amount of gochujang sauce.  

Ssam bap:  this food is a great way to try all kinds of Korean dishes.  Ssam bap is basically a crazy ton of small side dishes that you put in a lettuce or sesame leaf and eat in one big bite.  You can see zucchini, lotus root, fermented mussles, anchovies, spinach, steamed egg, denjang chigae (soy bean soup), and lots more.

If you are in the mood for meat: Galbi or ssam gyup sal is also classic in Korean food.  This Korean barbeque is usually pork, and if you are splurging, beef, marinaded and grilled on a open fire.  My mouth is watering just thinking about it.

An acquired taste: although I didn't know what to think about it at first, kimchi chigae is a soup that has grown on me.  Make with kimchi, tofu, fish, onion, and lots of other vegetables, it may not be your favorite at first, but keep trying it.

Another acquired taste:  kimchi is one of those things most either hate it or love it.  I wasn't really a fan when we first moved to Korea but I have found that I actually enjoy eating fermented cabbage (I never thought I would say that!)  Made with cabbage, red pepper powder, lots of garlic, anchovies, and lots of other mystery ingredients, it doesn't really sound good when you describe it but just keep trying it.

A soup that will rock your world:  Shabu shabu is technically from Japan, but the "Koreanized" version is amazing.  It's a spicy broth soup with mushrooms, different kinds of green, onions and thinly sliced beef.  This all comes to a boil and then you add the udon noodles and this makes it delectable.  My favorite part, though, isn't till the end when you mix rice, egg and some of the broth together to make a fried rice that is a life changer.  This is a must try!

For your sweet tooth:  It makes me sad that in most places in Korea, this is a winter food, but hoddeok is a street snack that I hate that I love it so much.  A cinnamon and sugar filled fried pancake-doughnut is really hard to go wrong with.  This food may be some of the few "bad for you" Korean food but, Oh, it is so good!

Now foods that I can just do without...

If you are in the mood for bugs and snails: On the right you can see bundaegi or silk worm larvae.  Let's just say it smells horrible and I think it tastes just the same.  Then you can see golbangi or tiny snails.  Danny says these aren't that bad, but a bag of peanuts or popcorn sounds a heck of a lot better to me ; ) Older generations love these snacks but I can say with all confidence that I will never eat them again.

Octopus:  you can have it many different ways but this is one dish that I still haven't found a taste for.  Give me some calamari and I'll be happy but there is just something about the consistency of boiled, chewy octopus that doesn't light my fire.

KFC... not so much:  there is just something about fried chicken with the head still on that makes me want to say, "I'll pass."

Traditional festival food:  at festivals in America you might find deep fried candy bars or grilled turkey legs (yum), but in Korea you find things that are a little bit different.  Grilled squid is a common sight along with soon dae (or blood sausage) which is intestines stuffed with rice noodles a pig's blood.  Yeah, not the same as a funnel cake, huh?

Never tried, never will:  I know a lot of people are afraid of accidentaly eating or being fed dog when they come to Asia, and for a while it was a fear of mine too.  Although dog is eaten in Korea, you mostly have to go out of your way to try it.  Danny and I stumbled upon the dog section of our market, to which I let out a little scream, but I thought for this purpose it would be better just to show you the outside of a shop that the actual dog. Your welcome, Mom ; )

Dried fish:  it is in a lot dishes in Korea and when it is combined with other things, I don't mind it, but dried fish is something that I haven't made an afternoon snack.  People say the bigger dried fish on the grill with a beer is an awesome combination, but I think I'll just wait for a big salmon fillet when I finally go home, thank you very much.

One of those foods that you will say, "What is that?":  as you walk through the market or you see people on a picnic snacking on a marbled looking food you might wonder what that is.  Well, compressed pig's head is the answer.  A pig's head is boiled, and with the skull removed, compressed cartalage and all until it is a nice little cube.  The crunch and the flavor of the meat is in one word "gross".  

Well that's all the food I've got for now!  Hopefully, I will continue to try as many different Korean foods as I can, and if you have the chance, you should too. Sometimes you may be sorry you put something in your mouth but if I hadn't tried, I wouldn't have found my passion for Korean food... and I only hope that I can find a place in Colorado one day that will satisfy our cravings.

Toast Sandwiches... Mmmmashisoyo!

Well it is a big day... today, February 15, marks the day that Danny and I have been out of the country for 1 whole year!  It really is crazy to me that it has been a year since we have been in the great land of freedom, Mrka (America as Danny would spell it).  One year ago Danny and I were walking around Seoul feeling overwhelmed with a look of excitement and fear on our faces thinking, "Why did we decide to move to Korea again?"  Here is a picture of us one year ago...

Yes, a lot has happened in a year here in Korea, and yes, we are both better looking that we were then ; ) I can't wait to see what is going to happen in this next year in Krazy Korea so stay tuned.

On this historic date, I want to get on to sharing some more about this land that we live in and one of our favorite parts of Korea... the food.  More specifically, we are going to talk about toast sandwiches.

Danny and I have done our best to discover the delicious food that Korea has to offer but we have found that one of our favorites is one of the simplest foods, toast sandwiches. We have even named our beta fish, Mr. Isaac Toast, after one of Korea's most famous sandwich franchises.  Basically, toast sandwiches are fried egg, almost "breakfast", sandwiches, but once you try them you will see they are so much more.  These pictures were taken at our favorite toast place in Andong where we have gotten to know the "sandwich artists".

First you fry the eggs in the shape of a square... very important.

Then you must toast the bread to that perfect golden, crispy color.

Then the magic of topping the eggs begins.

You can get a variety of toasts from pizza toast to dalkalbi toast to bacon toast to bulgogi toast to the simple but delicious ham toast.

The sauce that tops your toast is key to giving you that perfect flavor... here we have sweet, spicy, and pizza sauce. 

All of these elements come together for a delicious and cheap meal.  Danny and I can usually get 3 or 4 toast sandwiches and a fresh kiwi, strawberry, or pineapple juice for about $9.  I keep telling Danny that our own "Doerksen Toast" place is just what we need to make our millions.  And there you have Toast sandwiches... they are definitely "mashisoyo" (delicious)! 

Korea in the Fall ~ Sobaek Mountain

My last post had a lot of writing, sorry, so to balance that out, I thought I would show a lot of pictures this time. Today was the first truly chilly day, so I'm glad I'm doing this fall post before snow is on the ground. The more we are here, the more beautiful I think Korea is... especially in the fall.

Danny and I joined my co-teacher, Mrs. Byeon, and her family as they climbed Gungmangbong mountain in the Sobaek National Forest.

It was soo beautiful with all the trees changing, and I would have to say it is the most beautiful place I've been in Korea so far.

As we hiked to the peak, we saw a lot of these stone piles which is a common site in Korea. My co-teacher said that people pile the stones to represent prayers everytime they come to a place. I think it is mostly a Buddhist thing, but I think the balancing stones are really beautiful to look at all over Korean hiking trails.

This hike let us see tons of little waterfalls and red, yellow, orange, and green leaves everywhere.

This picture definitely solidifies that fall is my favorite season in Korea.

We stopped about a kilometer from the peak to have lunch and we ate the classic "picnic food" Kimbap. This is Korea's version of the california roll, and on this hike I discovered why people eat it so much. I had it before, many times, but never "go chu" style which means "red pepper". Spicy kimbap is definitely the way to go and it really does make an awesome snack.

The whole trail was next to a stream, and Danny got this awesome picture of water flowing down a huge rock covered in fallen leaves...beautiful.

As you can see, we were really happy to finally get to the top of the mountain. Gungmangbong Peak is only 4,662 ft high, but because we start at almost sea level and Korean mountains can be pretty steep, it was a tough hike.

Korea is about 70% mountains and we really got to see that once we reached the summit.

I like this picture. Danny looks like he is at the top of the world.

It's funny that in some ways, even though I come from the best state in the US, coming to Korea has made enjoy the outdoors more. (And it makes me miss Colorado even more because they look similar.) I hope I can just have a little more time before the dreaded Korean cold winter comes in full force. Well, if this past weekend happens to be the last nice one before the winter hits, it was a great way to spend the day!

Jimdak = Awesome!

Paul, Jennifer and I going to our first Jimdak place...yum!

Everyone's shoes in a big pile outside the eating area in the restaurant.

Andong's famous JIMDAK! The plate of food is the size of a large pizza so it is a lot of food and 4 or more people can easily split 1 order.

A little while ago, we went to eat the food that Andong is famous for: Jimdak. What is Jimdak you might ask? Well it is tons of chicken, boiled with potatoes, carrots, peppers, and “glass” noodles (which are basically thin, clear noodles) and then covered in some sort of spicy brown sauce that will make you feel like your mouth is on fire. Strange food is everywhere in Andong, so when we tried Jimdak, I was a little worried about what it tasted like but thankfully I was pleasantly surprised. Jimdak is now the best Korean food I have had so far and I’m glad that there are so many places to eat it.

I am definitely getting used to eating Korean food ALL the time, and it is actually growing on me. Korean restaurants are a bit different though and I will tell you how. The majority of restaurants you will go to will make you take your shoes off before you climb into the raised room where the floors are heated and you sit on mats on the floor. It can get very uncomfortable if you have to sit for a long time, but most Koreans don’t ever seem to mind and they can do it for hours. Usually there aren’t any napkins at your table and if there are, then they are like tiny pieces of tissue paper that Americans would have a fit over. Also you only drink water out of tiny silver cups (Dixie size) and Koreans for the most part hardly drink any water at all…mostly just Soju (Korean sake). (Grandpa you would fit right in since you don’t like water ; ) Also there are usually scissors served with the food because the meat is in large chunks and the server needs to kindly cut it up before you eat it. Everyone eats out of the same bowls so there is no evil looks for double dipping or anything else to do with germs. I thankfully don’t mind that, but I know some people who would…wink, wink. One wonderful thing about Korea is that you don’t tip so when you see the price of a meal, that is literally all you have to pay so that is nice. But that also means that if you want something you have to call the server over and remembering how I would hate it when people called me over at my old job, it takes some time to get used to that. And finally, you usually get a cup of coffee at the end of your meal but this time it is about half a Dixie cup so they can be sure that I won’t over indulge myself. Oh funny Korea.

All in all, eating out is usually CHEAPER than eating at home, which I was very surprised about but sometimes it’s nice to know what you are eating, you know what I mean? Danny and I keep trying to find different places and we hope that we become “regulars” at a few. Come visit us and you can try JIMDAK too!
Today’s word for the day is…coppee which means, you guessed it, coffee!

P.S. Today I made my Korean Students choose English nicknames and one wanted to be Leonardo DiCaprio, one wanted Brad Pitt, and one wanted God. When I told him I wouldn't call him God and he had to choose another name, you know what he decided? ...Tim. That is a little less powerful, wouldn't you say?