Seoul Eats

Tuesday – As For Me and My House, We Will Serve the Penguin (and the Panda) Enough of the introductory nonsense. When we last left our hero, I was gearing up to visit an “Orthodox” Paschullian house church in the wilds of Girum-dong. Rumor has it that this area is where the False Prophet is alleged to have begun his fool's errand. I've been sent here against the prevailing better judgment to find out what these people are up to and why they're not doing anything better with their time on a Tuesday night. The term “house church” is a term from the early Christian church and it bears a bit of explanation as it pertains to the Cult of Paschull in Korea. Back in the day, people would meet in normal houses, partly from the fact that the Roman government didn't want to rent space to a terrorist organization and partly because the early Christians viewed large religious buildings as pagan edifices that they wanted nothing to do with. Mostly being mega-c

One of my favorite shows of all time is "How I met Your Mother." This episode has Marshall and the gang searching for New York's Best Burger. Regis Philman makes a surprise cameo and he is hilarious. He plays a rage-aholic, meat feign who has been to that burger place. This show has some of the best burger lines ever. Lily: My first Burgasm. Ted: I am never brushing my teeth again, unless it's a toothbrush made from this burger. Robin: Oh, my god, I just want you inside of me. Barney: This feels so good. I'm worried I'm going to get this burger pregnant. Marshall: If he does get that burger pregnant, I have dibs on the delicious burger babies. The Marshall Burger Speech: Just a burger! Robin it is so much more than just a burger. I mean that first bite. Oh, what heaven that first bite is. The bun like a sesame freckled breast of an angel resting gently on ketchup and mustard below- flavors mingling in a seductive pudduah (?) And then a pickle. The most pla

I'm not one of those people who thinks ice cream is a summer food. I might enjoy it slightly more in the summer, but I eat it pretty much year round. I was happy to see that the Cold Stone Creamery store near me was offering autumn flavors. I was lured in by the free samples, and the banner inside piqued my curiosity. It doesn't take much to make me curious when it comes to ice cream... The featured ice cream flavor for both "Autumn mood" Cold Stone creations is Earl Grey. I am absolutely in love with Earl Grey anything. It is an extremely nostalgic flavor for me. There are two creations feature on the banner. The first, Tea-licious, is a mix of Earl Grey tea ice cream, pie crust, walnuts and chocolate syrup. The second, Strawberry Tea Time, is a mix of Earl Grey tea ice cream, strawberries, pie crust and honey. I was in the mood for chocolate, so I got the "Tea-licious". I wasn't disappointed. It was scrumptious. I ordered a cup, I was trying to cu

It's the Korean M & M, ricecake style. via http://dater.co.kr/164868

Damn. I need a new camera. Check out these images. Via http://cafe.joins.com/cafe/index.asp?cid=sowaa&folder_no=4

I am working on a new writing project for Korean food and I am finding the most delicious pictures on the net and I just had to share them with you. The first is Haemuljjim (해물찜) which is various seafoods such as chewy baby octopus, crab, shrimp and shellfish are braised with vegetables in a red chili sauce. It is a sumptuous feast that has components of the land and sea. The second is 은대구조림 (eundaegujorim ) or braised cod. Sadly, with all the delicious options out in the "Land of the Chosun," I had Papa John's pizza for dinner with a glass of coke. Don't judge. I had to stay in tonight and write. Dan

monkey's butt is red from min oh on Vimeo . Here is a really cool video by a Korean professor. Check out her page here.

What is jung and how do you define it? This is something that I've been wresting for years because it goes deeper than the simple dictionary definition of "affection, love, a feeling of closeness." Here is my recent effort to define what jung is. Dan Jung 정 YJ's story of Jung. Warmth. There is a commercial where there is a grandparent's house in the dead of winter. The son calls the house because he is worried about his father and mother. He asks, “are you ok? It's really cold out.” It is a kind of connection. It is something that binds people together that is deeper than just feeling. There is something ethereal, almost psychic. It's like my favorite Buddhist expression. Think of generosity as a word and only as a word. When you do this then it is a true feeling. Jung is a feeling of closeness, respect and relationship that people have with each other and with food. It is the invisible thread that binds people together and the food is the visible element

This is via Travis Shakespeare, producer and actor extraordinaire with whom I'm currently working with. We are taking Korea to the world! Here's his site.

Foodbuzz 24, 24, 24: Behind-the-Kitchen with Chef Hu-nam Kim of Star Chef Posted in: Restaurant Last month, we were helping the Travel Channel’s “Bizarre Foods with Andrew Zimmern” scout locations, foods and guides for their upcoming Korea show. In our research, our friend Jennifer Lee (Naked in the Sauna, Between Pee and Kimchi) told us about this amazing restaurant with an amazing Chef, Hu-nam Kim. Cathy and David Harris (SeoulLife.net) concurred. They said it was one of the best meals they ever had in Seoul. Really? We had to check this out. A couple of weeks later, we headed to the Maebong neighborhood in southeast Seoul, near Yangjae (you know, “Costco” Yangjae). Tucked in the corner of some back streets is this cozy little pub. Star Chef. Jen, Cathy and David weren’t exaggerating. The food here was amazing (I’ve noticed that I tend to say, “Amazing,” as much as Andrew Zimmern says, “Fantastic.”) I wanted to immediately post about the restaurant, but the evil self-promotiona

Boin Boin breast-enlarging tea POSTED BY MARK FRAUENFELDER, SEPTEMBER 24, 2008 1:46 PM | PERMALINK Hahaha... Boin Boin is a breast-enlarging tea from Japan. From Boingboing.net

Star Chef By Dan Gray After tasting the dishes that the chef Kim Ho-Nam presented, my date remarked, “I can’t believe I’m in Korea.” Sure, it is a tad pessimistic, but I understood where the sentiment came from. When I think of Korean fusion food, I think of the recent Korean hit action flick, “The Good, The Bad, and The Weird.” Often these three elements are on the same plate. There is something good, something bad, and one fusion element that’s just weird. The absurd combinations at the various omelet rice restaurants (Omoto Tomato) are testament to this fact. Fusion has gotten a bad rap on this tourniqueted peninsula. If it weren’t for Andrew Zimmern, the host of the American TV show “Bizarre Foods,” I wouldn’t have ever discovered this restaurant. Andrew needed a chef and this chef’s name came popping up. And then my foodie brother Zenkimchi (Joe McPherson webmaster of the very popular food blog, www.zenkimchi.com) went to the restaurant and gave it rave reviews. I was

The following is my article on my journey to Gyeongju and Yeongdeok. You can read the rest at the Seoul Tourism Site. The site is one of my paid gigs, so help a brother out and please, please post a comment on their site. Thank you! Dan Sometimes you just gotta get away from the maddening energy that is Seoul. Getting away lets you appreciate all that you have. Recently, I had a weekend free and I decided to visit my old haunt, Gyeong Ju and since I was near the East Sea, I decided to see Yeongdeok. Gyeong Ju is famous for being the birthplace of the Shilla Dynasty- one of the most powerful and longest ruling dynasties in Korean history. The city has a tremendous amount of history and it is a tourism spot for Koreans and foreigners alike. My first year in Korea, I lived in Gyeong Ju and I developed many close friendships. I really enjoyed the simplicity of this city and the warm-hearted nature of the people. The food is comforting and very fresh. I wouldn’t call Gyeong Ju a food Mecca,

“Paschull, like all other gods, springs purely from humanity's crazed imagination. He's just the only one out there who has the good graces to admit it.” Mike, The False Prophet of Paschull It was true that after reporting on such oddities as Ajummah-do and the rise of the mullet among schoolchildren, there was little I would credit to this peninsula that would still have the power to outright surprise me. I suppose that's the beauty of living here; your arrogance of having seen it all is ever being challenged. One day, you see a few happy guys in gold-lamé windbreakers and feel like a world traveler and next week you see a venerable old lady dry-humping a tree. I should not have been surprised then that a flier concerning a recruitment meeting for the Cult of Paschull passed across my desk a week ago. It's the latest craze to sweep Korea up in a tide of religious fervor, but I should have seen it coming. I had heard the odd rumbling in the underground before, but nothi