Seoul Eats

Oh, my god! Wow! I'm so impressed with Brett. ㅋㅋㅋㅋ 덴

This was a hilarious show because we gave Steve a challenge to eat bundaeggi on the air. He had never eaten it before and he was adamantly opposed to eating it. We made a deal; if 15 listeners sent text messages to Steve to eat it then, he would eat 5. As soon as he said it, 20 callers texted in. Later we revised the questions so he would eat it if that day's show would topple the previous record of messages. In the next 10 minutes we got another 60 or so messages for a total of 82 for the day. Here is Steve eating the bundaeggi. Oh, and that's me on the air with him. You can listen to the Steve Hatherly Show 7 days a week from 2-4pm on TBS efm 101.3 in Seoul. You can listen to it online by going to http://tbsefm.seoul.kr Just hit the On Air button to get Internet streaming. And I found some other videos of people eating it as well. Here is Mary from www.maryeats.com And here I am as well. Dan

I am going to the fish market tonight with a couple of friends and some readers. If a couple of people would like to join us, I think it would be fun. We will go around 7pm to look around and eat some 회 and 생낚지. Four people can come and join us, so the first 4 get to come and eat with us. You can e-mail me at seouleats@gmail.com if you are interested. Dan UPDATE at 8am 3 OPENINGS LEFT! UPDATE at 8:11am 2 OPENINGS LEFT UPDATE at 5:38 NO SPOTS LEFT

  So what is Danbokki? It's my own Dukkbokki recipe that I like to make. There are quite a few differences from regular dukkbokki. First of all, I don't use corn syrup or the malt syrup that most places use. Also, my sauce uses ghee as oil. I also add onions and cabbage and trapezoidal ricecakes. Honestly, I tend to wing it with the sauce, basically I make a spicy caramel sauce and then use this stuff to baste the rice cake and fish noodles (o-deng). I like the cabbage because it lowers the spicy and it gives it a light crunch. Today, I wanted to give a more refined dukkbokki, so I added some green leaf thingies...Darn, I can't remember what the name is in Korean and yogurt. The greens added a bright springy flavor and the yogurt added a creamy cool. The grapes were just for fun. Say hi to Hubble! Danbokki! It's where it's at. RECIPE Ingredients: Gochujang (2 spoons) Ghee or butter (1 spoon) Sesame oil (2 splashes) Soy Sauce (1 splash) Sugar (half a palmful and to t

I'll show pics soon. If you are in the Haebangchon area and would like to learn how to make Dukkbokki (and eat it) post a message and I'll invite you over. I have room for about 2 more people. Dan

This blog wouldn't exist if it weren't for its readers and writers. Believe it or not, I can't do this all by myself and I always appreciate other contributors. Plus, I think it keeps the blog from getting stale. Please read Aaron's article here. Also, be sure to check out his blog, here. I agree with Aaron that food is healing. And it's not just for the body but also for the soul. I met a friend the other day and whenever he is home alone or feels out of sorts, he makes bread. He says it reminds him of home. Most of the bread he makes, he gives away. I got one of these rolls and I was so impressed it was artisan made. He told me he had to tweak his ingredients a bit and also become familiar with his oven. He also worked out a system of adding steam to the oven by adding a shallow pot with water in the bottom of the oven and then dropping a smoking hot rock into the pot. The steam would allow the bread to create a crisp crust. I asked him where he got the rock

By Aaron Falzerano My Blog I’m trying to read the Korean instructions on this medicine…10 days, three times a day? 27th of March? Sick in Seoul! Free from work for the day, it’s been a time to contemplate, rest, and drink as much water as possible. Also, a time to take a three hour trip to the doctor and pharmacy. SINCE I work at a Hagwon, it is required that I get a doctor’s note in order to get paid for my sick day. Going to the doctor was the most stressful part of my day, and all she did was recommend some meds, and tell me to go rest. Being sick is a time to do nothing. In fact, many believe that this is the reason our body gets sick: so it can stop having to do work. In Mexico, they call it Susto, a mysterious illness that occurs when the stress of labor becomes desperately mundane and someone falls ill, waiting to be nursed back to health. Admittedly, I’m fascinated by healing. I once stared at someone who was unconscious on the ground at a concert, and just lik

Today was my last regular Thursday spot on the Steve Hatherly Show for their food corner. Today I got Steve to try Bundaeggi for the first time. It was an absolutely hilarious show because he didn't want to try it. He made a bet with me that if he got 15 messages on the message board, then he would. Well, we got 82 messages. 82 messages! So, Steve ate 2, or tried to eat two. We didn't even have time to talk about the different food things that we were going to talk about. Today I was going to recommend the Lasagna at Sortinos. It's the best lasagna I've had in Korea because the layers of pasta are perfectly cooked and it is coated in a beefy tomato sauce. Also, Bread Talk in Myeongdong has great confectionary delights like it's Chocolate Granache and Bread with Pork Floss. Pork Floss is thinly dried pork that looks like snowflakes. It's so good. And I was going to talk about bibim naengmyeong from Bibimnaengmyeong from Ojangdong Hwung-namjip (오장동흥남집). Here'

,Here's something that's been on my mind for a while and it has errked me to no end. IF I EVER SEE ANYONE WATERING DOWN MY COFFEE AT DUNKIN DONUTS AGAIN THEN I WILL SHOVE BERETS THOSE YOU WEAR WHERE THE SUN DON'T SHINE. When I think of Dunkin Donuts, I think of Denis Leary who said: Been in Dunkin' Donuts lately? The last bastion of coffee-flavored coffee? It's gone. Forget about it. You walk in there now, there's people wearing berets, they're writing poetry on computers, there's a kid behind the counter: "Would you like a coffee kuhlata?" Fuck no! www.blowme.com! Coffee Kuhlata -- what the hell is that all about? Man, when I was a kid, Dunkin Donuts had two things -- coffee, and donuts, and that WAS IT! You took the donut, you dunked it in the cofee, thus the fuckin title of the place! Duuuuuuuuuukin DONUTS! That's all the had, donuts and coffee, nothing else, no ice, no napkins, no soda, no salt, no pepper, no parfait, no croissants

I was lucky enough to meet Zenkimchi and Fatmanseoul for lunch last week in Myeongdong. It was fun because Fatman took us to a place that had conveyor belt sushi for 1,900 a plate. It was great because the fish was of decent quality and cheap. I had some nice mackeral there and I could tell that the chef had skill because it didn't come out all limp like at some subpar places. You'll have to ask Fatman for where the place is. Also, I went to Breadtalk for the first time and...OH...MY...Gosh... I can't go back there. It's just torture because the food is just so good. They have a Choco Granache that's a chocolate bread stuffed with chocolate and then coated in chocolate and it's good. Also they have bread with pork floss. Pork Floss!!! I didn't try it, but next time...Oh...next time. You can find this place by making a left at Krispie Kreme.

So about a week ago I got a message on Facebook from another foodie adoptee that was considering coming to Korea to learn about the culture. So, I gave him some advice about living here and how to get visas, jobs, housing, etc and then we started to talk about food. We decided to meet and so we went up to Hongdae to this Korean 등갈비 (deonggalbi) place called RIB's. It was recommended by a friend of mine and it's over by Seven Springs in Hongdae. If you go out exit 5, make a left. Go straight and then make a right on the road and make a left. Go about a block and then make a left into a little side street. You'll see a sign that says RIB's in big letters. The place isn't fancy. You'll see poloroids of patrons from the past pasted on the walls. You have three choices for meat: plain with salt, spicy, and black pepper. The service is great. They are very friendly and enthusastic about the food. Michael and I got the black pepper and the spicy Ribs. They bri

I found this really cute movie on Youtube and it's about a precocious boy and his food adventures in Korea. It's poignant, cute, and touching. Check it out. Here is something that I wrote just for fun about my childhood in Korea. http://deconstructingkorea.blogspot.com/2008/11/national-novel-writing-month-799-words.html

I know. This has nothing to do with food, but Facebook needs to stop tweaking stuff. The new layout is annoying and it's hard to find stuff that I was able to easily find before. For example, I tried to post in their marketplace but it is not possible in Korea anymore. They asked for feedback on their new marketplace and this is what I wrote: You can't list in South Korea and it's not easy to figure out how to list stuff. I mean you click on list something and then you get a pop up to fill in the real information. It doesn't seem easy to browse either. Facebook needs to stop tweaking stuff because it's becoming a major turnoff. It'll make people want to jump ship as soon as a new social networking site becomes available. I mean, I use it a lot less then I used to because it's too hard to figure out. Dan Facebook needs to listen! Is there any new social networking sites out there that are better? I mean myspace is dead, Friendster don't got no friends

via gizmodo via mathlete via gizmodo Hilarious! The girl with the bra makes me hungry and horny. I think it's absolutely hilarious and fun. Now if a girl was to wear that for me, I'd love her forever. The second picture is Wake N Bacon where you would wake up to the smell of sizzling bacon. Not a bad idea. Next is a bad ass cow grill. I can see the headline now, "Robocow cooks his biological counterparts!" And the last picture is..just ouch. Well, I hope that brought a smile to your face or at least a smirk. Have a great Monday! I'm off to Korean class! Dan

Hello Seouleats, Here's a recent letter that I recieved My name is D.K. and I will be visiting Korea for three weeks in July 2009. I'm currently working at X.X.X. as a part of the beverage team as well as the service team in Las Vegas. I also have a culinary background having graduated from the CIA in 2006. I wanted to find out if you have a page with a list of fine dining restaurants in and around Seoul. Those equivalent to being Michelin rated. If not, I would love a list of restaurants or other recommendations to fine dining restaurants. Look forward to hearing from you soon. Thank you D.K. So...I need your help. Most of the restaurants that I think that D.K. are looking for are in Hotels in Seoul. That includes the Shilla, the Intercontinental, Lotte Hotel's Pierre Gagnaire, and the W. Most of the other places I know are small and they aren't at the level of a Michelin rated restaurant. So, can you help me add to this list for D.K? Thanks, Dan

I know it's an oldie, but I love it! It's so hilarious and the girl is so cute! Dan

Thanks Joanne! So cute!!!! hahahahaha

Via Seriouseats.com Now if you are completely chopstick inept, then these are the perfect invention for you. Now I think they are being serious, but this would make a great gag gift for the person that is constantly messing up their shirt by trying to eat a sauce laden shrimp. Here's what Serious Eats had to say: If you find yourself in Asia without chopsticks chops, consider the Chopsticks Aid . The sleek-looking fork face attached to sticks was designed by a Czech man named Jaroslav Kucera . Because, you know, those Czechs are always looking out for our chopstick dexterity. Or you could just learn how to use chopsticks. [via conky ]

Cheap Eats 1. Tomatillos over by exit 6 of Jonggak Station They have a 4,000 won Breakfast Burrito and Coffee Special in the morning. www.tomatillo.co.kr 2. The California Pizza Kitchen in Gangnam and near Myeongdong have 9,900 won lunch specials. You can order a dish for 9,900 + drink, soup and bread. I recommend their Thai Crunch Chicken Salad. It’s got crunchy rice noodles, peanuts, avocado, and edamane. 3. Chakraa Indian Restaurant in Itaewon, Hannam, Suwon, and Songtan also have a great lunch buffet for 9,900 won. They have excellent tandoori chicken and naan. The chicken is juicy and rich in flavor. Also they have fist sized samosas that are very crispy and flavorful. www.chakraa.co.kr 4. And another tip, eat where the taxi drivers eat. These 기사집’s have great food for a low price. There is one in Noksopyeong near Taco Taco Chili Chili that I like to go to. They have excellent Sundubu and bibimbap. The rice at these places are refillable and the taste is very authentic.

Up top, Homemade Tiramisu from Tutti Matti in Karisukgil. Guinness at the Wolfhound with friends Crispy Samosas from Chakraa in Itaewon Moist and Spicy Tandoori Chicken from Chakraa in Itaewon Thai Crispy Chicken Salad from California Pizza Kitchen in Myeongdong

Hey, this is a message that I got from a reader of Seoul Eats. hey Dan, I'm a kyopo in korea and I've been reading your website from time to time. I really liked this dessert place in 도곡동 in 강남~ http://blog.naver.com/yjoshjh?Redirect=Log&logNo=110032766348 How long are you in korea for? I haven't been to this dessert place, but it looks good. As for the question...hmmm...it sounds like a jail sentence, huh? I'm here until I stop having fun. I'm about to go to school full time and then study Korean cooking. Thanks for reading! Dan

When I went Thailand I went to a cooking school in Changmai. Went to a couple of different cooking schools there because I was writing an article for a travel website. One of the great things about these cooking institutes were the fun, knowledgeable teachers. One of my favorite teachers would make jokes mixed in with tips. For example, he would always have a little wedge of lime on the cutting board and he would use this to clean his knife and his cutting board area because the citric acid would kill the bacteria. I thought of this while I was peeling a pile of green onions and chopping them. You know the thin ones that look like grass. My eyes were watering and my mother taught me a trick. If you take a 4 centimeter piece of the onion and break off the end so it’s like a straw and breath through that your eyes won’t water. So I wanted to give a couple of fun cooking tips and tricks. 1. If you are trying to peel the skins off of ginger, you can easily use the inside of a spoon

Kimbap, Bosot Bulgogi, Sundubu, and Hobak Juk

Via Lifehacker After I read this, I decided that I am off sports drinks. I thought that little gnomes were putting extra special stuff in these drinks to make me run faster and jump higher. If I knew it was this easy, then I would have been doing it on my own! What next? Coca Cola's secret formula is really muddy water? Read this! Make Your Own Sports Drink By Jason Fitzpatrick, 4:00 PM on Sun Mar 15 2009, 34,181 views Sports drinks are an easy way to replace fluid and electrolytes lost exercise, but what if Brawndo isn't what you crave? Ditch the dyes and high fructose corn syrup by making your own. Photo by zzeller. At the medical blog WebMD, they have a DIY formula for making a rehydration drink to administer to a person sick with the flu or other dehydrating illness. The formula is roughly the same as any sports drink however, the goal is to get fluid, glucose, and electrolytes into your system. Measure all ingredients precisely. Small variations can make the

RANDOM DUDE: Dude, why aren't you writing for your blog? What am I supposed to read man? DAN: Well, I have been writing. I just haven't been writing anything specifically for my blog. I guess having a job where I have to write all day has something to do with it. RANDOM DUDE: But, I gots to have my Seoul food blog fix and if you don't update I feel...empty. DAN: I'm sorry random dude that I just met. I totally appreciate you reading my blog and I'll do my best to write regularly. RANDOM DUDE: I'll buy you a beer. Whatcha having? DAN: You don't really have to. RANDOM DUDE: It's on me. Whatcha having? Huh? DAN: I'll have a Cass. RANDOM DUDE: A Cass! Nah, have something good. I'm drinking Hite. It's great like Budweiser. DAN: Ok, Random Dude. Thanks. RANDOM DUDE: And can you introduce me to that Cheri girl? She's hot! I'd like to take her out to lunch if you know what I mean. DAN: Ummm...sure. Cheers! True Story. This really

Readers, Today I have a special for you. Here is a story on La Bocca by Lauren Grasch. She is a foodie from NYC and I think she did a great piece on the restaurant. Here are some pictures of the food as well. http://www.seouleats.com/search?q=la+bocca I hope that Lauren will continue to contribute to Seouleats. Dan P.S. Here is the full version. Imagine that you are an Italian chef thousands of miles away from home, visiting Seoul to see the World Cup in 2002. You discovered much to your dismay, that you cannot find your favorite cuisine. This cuisine rep resents your heritage, and your culture. This cuisine is in your blood. While most people would enjoy the rest of their stay, eat plenty of other foods that Seoul has to offer, this wasn't the case for this chef. In fact, instead of bidding "Ciao" to Seoul, Santino Sortino did just the opposite. He decided that Seoul deserved to experience and revel in the traditional Italian food that was such a huge

Join Itaewon's Biggest St. Patricks Day Party at the Wolfhound Irish Pub & Restaurant. It all starts on Thursday March 12 with Live Irish Acoustic Music and culminates on St. Patricks Day March 17th with Live Irish Traditional Music by the musical group "Bard" with a whole lot of drinking in between. Thursday March 12 - Live Irish Acoustic Music from our long time friend Eric Custer and his mates with sets at 9pm and 11pm. Saturday March 14 - St. Paticks Day Warmup Party with Green Beer and Jello Shot specials all day and night long. We will also show the Ireland Scotland Six Nations Rugby game at 2am. Its Parade Day with a traditional Irish Concert & Fair at Marronnier Park, Daehangno, Hyewha Station from 11 a.m. The St. Patrick's Day Parade to start at 1pm Sunday March 15 - All Day and All Night St. Patricks Day Party. Doors open at 11am. The pub will be all dressed up and we have ordered extra beer, mugs and party hats for the day. Green beer an

I think that this would be a great idea. I could use my leftover coffee grinds to run my car. Dan http://www.economist.com/science/tq/displaystory.cfm?story_id=13174477 Biofuels: A novel form of biodiesel is derived from an unusual feedstock that is more commonly used to fuel mental activities: coffee In the case of coffee, the biodiesel is made from the leftover grounds, which would otherwise be thrown away or used as compost. Narasimharao Kondamudi, Susanta Mohapatra and Manoranjan Misra of the University of Nevada at Reno have found that coffee grounds can yield 10-15% of biodiesel by weight relatively easily. And when burned in an engine the fuel does not have an offensive smell—just a whiff of coffee. (Some biodiesels made from used cooking-oil produce exhaust that smells like a fast-food joint.) And after the diesel has been extracted, the coffee grounds can still be used for compost. Although some people make their own diesel at home from leftovers and recycled cooking

This video was sent to me by my good friend Carol and I think you should all take a look. It's pretty cool and it's all about Soju. It's a parody of that Soulja Boy hip-hop single in case you're unfamiliar with top 40 rap :)

Readers, FoodieGymmie is coming to Seoul in April for the Korea Open Marathon and I wanted to pick out some restaurants for him/her. Sorry, tangent. You know what, in the Internet world we need to have a new designation for sex. I mean it would just be weird to call this person 1. it 2. this person 3. she/he him/her Anyway, FoodieGymmie has a great blog on training and eating. I think I should follow the blog's principle. You should train and then eat. Hmmm...I think I do too much eating and not enough training. http://eatandtrain.blogspot.com FoodieGymmie said... This is a great blog! just what im looking for! :) Anyway, I will be going Seoul in April for the Korea open marathon, after which I will be staying for about 5 days there... is there anything which you highly recommend me to try? FG 10:51 PM Daniel Gray said... Foodie Gymmie, 1. Myeongdong Gyoja for their famous mandu and calguksu 2. Woo Jae Oak for their famous bulgogi and naengmy

So, Paul Ajosshi says that I have contributed to his waste line by suggesting the amazing mac n cheese at Macaroni Market. I am proud to have done so. So I was reading his article on Macaroni Market and I was utterly blown away by his pictures. Paul, you have some mad photography skills! The two pictures above are from his website. The first one looks like a painting and the second is food porniffic. See more of his picts here! http://ajosshi.blogspot.com/2009/03/seoul-eats-and-power-of-suggestion.html

Korean Food is getting a lot of press these days. Here's an article in the Wall Street Journal. The New Hot Cuisine: Korean The noted Chicago eatery Blackbird has kimchi on the menu, and California Pizza Kitchen is developing Korean barbecue beef pizza. In Los Angeles, crowds are lining up for street food from a pair of Korean taco trucks called Kogi. The slightly sour-tasting Korean frozen yogurt served at the Pinkberry and Red Mango chains has inspired many imitators. Redolent with garlic, sesame oil and red chili peppers, Korean food is suddenly everywhere. It's even on the packaged-food industry's radar. "Last year, mostly what we saw in our database was Korean food at authentic ethnic places," says Cindy Ayers, vice president of Campbell's Kitchen, which tracks trends for new-product development at Campbell Soup Co. This year, she says, she's seen Korean flavors appearing on both high-end menus and in casual, nonethnic restaurants in cities like

The all American Diner in Itaewon is just awful. Sure, the food isn't all that bad, but waiting 1 hour and 30 minutes for a Chicken Fried Steak is just ridiculous. My friend was hoping to eat before he went to a soccer match, but he had to leave before he could be served. He was pissed and rightly so; I would be too. This isn't the first time this happened. The last time I was there, we placed an order for a hamburger to go and they forgot to start cooking it so we had to wait after our meal to get it. And another time, I was with a big group of people and they cooked everyone's meal except for one. I've said it before, it's a restaurant that needs to work on its service. I mean even trying to pay was painful. It look like a couple of minutes for each transaction. http://www.seouleats.com/2008/10/review-hamburgers-in-seoul.html The question is, why do I keep going back? Hope. Oh, and other people keep on wanting to go there. It's a good space for big group

This article is in the new issue of Eloquence Magazine. You can see it with the wonderful pictures that Penny took. Dan Restaurant Impressions: T-won By Daniel Gray, Chris Sanders, Penny Brooks, and Magik Recently, Eloquence Magazine was invited by the Seoul Plaza Hotel to visit their Chinese Bistro restaurant, “T-won.” Excitedly, Chris, Penny, Magik, and I accepted; and a few days later we were in the restaurant. They asked us to give our honest assessment of the meal and the restaurant. In my opinion, Chinese food seems to be the chameleon of its environment: the cuisine changes to adapt to its surroundings. American Chinese food is nothing like the Chinese food in Korea, Japan, or China. So when I heard that T-won was a “Chinese Bistro,” I fully expected a chameleon with polka dots. As soon as you enter the restaurant, you realize that this is a not your typical Korean Chinese restaurant. I said to my group, “it looks like an opulent space pad. I fully expect people to start do

http://www.gourmet.com/diaryofafoodie/video/2008/12/season_3_promo You might notice a guy wearing glasses and a blue jacket watching Dr. Sookja Yoon making ricecakes. Hmmm...I wonder who he might be.^^ And here is another video with Terry, Michael, and myself in it. http://www.gourmet.com/diaryofafoodie/video/2009/01/306_korea

If you go out exit 2 of Nowon and make a left and down the alley you'll find this amazing Rib's place. No, it's not galbi. What you'll get is ribs right on the bone because that's where all the flavor is. This is my new favorite Korean meal because it appeals to the caveman inside me. I don't think there is anything better than to sit around a glowing charcoal pit while gnawing on meat off the bone. What makes this place stand out is the sauce. They make this amazing smokey tasting BBQ sauce that has some soy sauce, honey, pepper, vinegar, and magic. It's a simple sauce. Its clean taste waltzes with the charcoaled pork flavor. Yummmm.... I can't tell you the name of the place or the number. Just wander around Nowon until you find it. It's around exit 2. Dan

Oozy and Cheezy. It's the best thing on their menu. The next is a shot of their duck confit and my friend Travis with their lasagna. I'd go back for their Mac N Cheeze. It's not Kraft's. It's better. Other articles on Macaroni Market http://www.seouleats.com/2008/12/blog-post_7883.html http://www.seouleats.com/2008/12/blog-post_19.html

This will be published in the March issue of Eloquence Magazine. Gostiny Dvor There is a prominent Russian population in Seoul, and you have been wondering where they eat. Once you walk out Dongdaemun Stadium Exit 7, you’ll be transported to little Russia. Gostiny Dvor has exotic dishes like Pelmeni (lamb mandu), Soyanka (a warm, piquant sausage soup), and Selyodka pod shuboj (a layered dish with beets, potatoes, smoked fish and cheese.) Delicious. #2275 7501. Chez Simon Samcheongdong has the right to be a little pretentious. It is the place where the rich and elite live and they should know good food, right? Chez Simon is up and at the a little alley, on the raised terraces of houses in the center of Samcheongdon. It has a set menu for lunch and dinner. It’s chef’s choice, and it’s reservations only. This French trained chef will not disappoint. http://blog.naver.com/chezsimon #130 1045. Tomatillos It’s like a Chipotle Mexican Grill that has been transported to Seoul. This kinetic

http://www.wingbus.com/ http://r.wingbus.com/seoul/samcheongdong/yeon_schd/map/?splayer=N If you are looking for great online maps of neighborhoods in Seoul, then I recommend you check out Wingbus. Here is a map of Samcheongdong with a listing of cafes and restaurants. It's all in Korean, but I think you can figure it out. Dan

Via Zenkimchi.com Korea’s Most Celebrated Foreign Festival Saved by Seoul Government - 2009 St. Patrick’s Day Festival to focus on community spirit thanks to “rub of the green” – (Seoul, 09.02.26) With business tightening its belt buckle in the face of the prevailing global economic downturn, one of Korea’s largest and most well-attended foreign festivals has received last-minute funding to ensure its celebration in 2009. Thanks to sponsorship and assistance from the City of Seoul, Korean Air, Diageo Korea (Guinness) and the Grand Hyatt Hotel, Seoul’s 9th Irish Festival – 2009 St. Patrick’s Day Festival – will go ahead as planned in Daehangno on Saturday, March 14th from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Attracting an estimated 18,000 attendees in 2008, the Irish Festival, organized by the Irish Association of Korea (IAK), was in danger of not going ahead this year as significant corporate sponsorship was not renewed. The traditional and colorful street parade is a costly venture, and the fe

If you read the article, she says, "This month marks the beginning of the third season of Gourmet's PBS show Diary of a Foodie... I'm especially proud of the stories filmed in Korea, because the food is so unexpectedly new, and so extraordinarily beautiful." Wow. I'm so proud because I helped Gourmet with that production. My friends Terry, Irene, Mr. Moon from the Agro-Trade Center, Dr. Sook Ja-yoon, Hoya, Soo-hyun, me, and many others helped production with their story in Korea. It'll be great to see it on the air. We filmed 7 segments for Gourmet in Korea and 1 more for Anthony Bourdain's show. Korea is going to get a ton of media exposure this year. My goal is to meet Ruth one of these days because she is my foodie hero. She is amazing at what she does and her personality just shines. She is awesome. Ruth, if you are reading this, please come to Korea or set aside a lunch break and I'll meet you in New York. Dan

Stress from work and overeating has caused me to add some unwanted pounds in the last 2 weeks or so. Now I really need to get back into shape and I just bought a Nintendo Wii Fit to help me with this task. According to the game I am 163 pounds and I need to lose about 11 pounds to get to my normal BMI. Hmmm...I can do this right? The board is also saying that I have bad posture. I lean slightly to the left. So my goal is to lose 10 pounds in a month. I would normally do this through my Spring fast, but until the weather gets warmer on a consistent basis, I don't think it would be a good idea. The Wii Fit is pretty fun so far. Let's see if it lives up to the hype. Dan

I know we shouldn't play with our food, but look how cool it can be. Thanks Eugene for the tip. Dan

I wrote this up for my radio show and I thought you might be interested. If I was musically inclined, I would probably go to this. Do the words: 가야금, 징, 복, 아쟁, and 장구 ring a bell? Maybe it should, for they are the names of Korean instruments. And if you ever wanted to learn to play the 가양금, 징, 복, 아쟁, or 장구, then you should sign up for classes at the National Center for Korean Traditional Performing Arts. They have classes starting this spring on Saturday, March 7th. For a mere 30,000 won you can 12 lessons at the center and you’ll learn how to play the gamut of Korean instruments. It’s all pretty amazing and fun. I think I might sign up as well. You can find out more information at the Korean Traditional Performing Arts center website at www.ncktpa.go.kr or e-mail at eric@ncktpa.go.kr again that’s www.ncktpa.go.kr or e-mail at eric@ncktpa.go.kr Dan

Here are some fun events for you this week. YEOL will have a lecture with Professor Yi Sung-mi tomorrow, March 3rd, at 10:30am at the Seoul Museum of History. Her lecture is entitled: Lost in Translation : Caption Alert. Professor Yi Sung-mi is a Professor Emerita of Art History at the Academy of Korean Studies. You can find out more information on their website at www.yeol.org Naminara Republic Foreigner’s Free Festival Period: Saturday 28th Feb - Sunday 8th of March 2009 - 9 days Venues: Special event halls on Nami Island, Chuncheon Province, Korea. Entry fee: free entrance for all foreigners and immigrants in Korea. Events: Exhibitions, Performances, International Free Market, Workshops, Cultural Hands-on Experiences Throughout Asia, Nami Island is famous as the setting for the KBS TV drama ‘Winter Sonata’, and it is renowned as a clean and peaceful place set apart from the hustle and bustle of urban life.