My favorite new street is over by the Hannam UN Village. It's the street where my friend Johnny has the Naked Grill. If you come out Hangangjin station, you take a bus to Dankuk University and cross the road and go up the hill. I know not convenient to get there, but it's worth the walk. If you look at this post, it has better directions. My friend Ben went to the Naked Grill today for a cheesesteak and he said it was pretty awesome.

So what else is up there? There's the Banana Grill for good hamburgers. They're not the best in Seoul, but they are decent. I had the mushroom burger and it had good (but thin) meat in a plush (but too big) bun. I also went up to the Naked Grill for a pancho burger. The Naked Grill makes good tacos, but their burgers need a bit of work. I found the meat a bit gristly, but the pico de gallo was good and the price wasn't too expensive. I recommend their tacos (you'll often find the taco truck parked at the Hard Rock in Itaewon.)

There is a new taco joint. I didn't eat there, but it looked pretty popular.

Also, across the street is Puffin Cafe. I wouldn't say that this is a place that has "good eats." Johnny told me that this was the brunch place that started the craze in the city, but quality has really gone done. What can you expect? According to Johnny, thin ham steaks cut from the kimbap ham (processed crap) and runny eggs.

You will find Chakraa there and they have good curry. (I mean they have to because the Indian Consulate is up the hill and they have high expectations.)

I chatted with the woman from Lynn's Cupcakes there and had a "Red Velvet Cupcake." This was pretty darn good. Bart Simpson would have stolen 20 of them.

It's a good street and pretty quiet. I recommend you take a stroll.

On my way home, I stopped at the new Pizzarium for a beer. I ate there last week and the pizza was great. The last time I was there, I felt the crust was too moist, but now it's a crisper and cushier. I recommend the tuna pizza and the mushroom.

Dan

Chuseok

Chuseok is the Korean version of Thanksgiving. During this holiday, the family gives thanks to their ancestors by welcoming the spirits into their houses to taste the ethereal flavors of the year's harvest. This may sound superstitious, but the real intention is to commemorate the departed. Because without our ancestors, literally, we wouldn’t exist. This is a family holiday and to be invited to a family's Chuseok celebration is a very special honor. Basically, the family is accepting the guest into their family to not only meet the living relatives that attend, but also the spirits that have passed.

During my first year in Korea I was bestowed this special honor by the Kim family in Gyeong Ju. Jikyeong was a student of mine and we became fast friends and she knew that I was new to Korea and I didn't have anyone to celebrate this holiday with. I accepted her invitation, but with one request: I wanted to participate in the preparation of the various dishes. This request was met with whimsy because Chuseok is seen by many as the “wife's burden.” I didn't know this. I arrived bright and early ready to assist in the kitchen.

What I learned was that the food lacks many of the flavors that Korea is famous for. Garlic and chili peppers are purposely omitted from the Chuseok table for these strong flavors are believed to offend the ancestors. Most of the vegetable dishes such as bean sprouts, spinach, minari (mugwort), eggplant, squash, sweet potatoes and gosari (bracken) were boiled or steamed. Most were flavored with sesame oil and a little salt. I helped Jikyung's mother prepare seafood soup that was flavored lightly with soybean paste, tofu, vegetables, and squid. I then helped fry some tofu, and three whole dried fish.

After most of the food was prepared, we made “song p'yon.” Song p'yon are crescent-moon shaped rice cake that are filled with sweetened red bean or roasted sesame seed sweetened with honey. These were the most labor intensive, yet fun part of the thanksgiving feast. Mrs. Kim first took rice flour and kneaded it with a little bit of hot water to bring the dough together. The dough then had to sit for an hour or so. With half the flour she mixed it with mugwort, which turned it a dark green color. The other half stayed ghostly white. Jikyeong, Mr. Kim, and I then sat around a low table and took a little rice flour and formed a flattened disk in the palms of our hands. Then we filled with either red bean or sesame seed paste and, by closing our hands, we formed the shape of the crescent moon. It was very important to seal in the filling because they were then steamed until they were soft and pillowy.

We then set the Chuseok table. The food was arranged on two low tables upon bronze plates. The fish was laid in the center with the fish all facing east. To the northeast section we set the plate of song p'yon. Below the fish we placed seven plates of boiled vegetables: bean sprouts, eggplant, mushrooms, squash, sweet potato, gosari, and minari. Below the vegetables we put out the fresh fruit of Autumn. As high as gravity would allow we stacked plums, red grapes, apples, oranges, pears, and cham-wei: Korean melon. And then we placed three bowls of rice to the left, three bowls for soup on the right, three pairs of bronze chopsticks and three spoons, three small bronze wine cups, and one large bronze bowl which sat at the center of the table. Interestingly, the settings are the opposite of how they would normally be set, because the ancestors are in a world opposite to that of the living.

Mr. Kim and his daughter Jikyeong got dressed in their traditional garbs, hanboks, and solemnly entered the room. Mrs. Kim and I were asked to leave the room and we watched from the side. Mr. Kim and Jikyeong stood in front of the dinner table and then bowed three times, prostrating themselves all the way to the ground. Mr. Kim then poured a little rice wine from a pear shaped, long necked decanter into the large bronze bowl that sat at the center of the table, took a pair of bronze chops and tapped them three times into the bottom of the bowl.

A sonorous resonance filled the room. He then moved the three sets of chopsticks from their place setting to three different dishes. He sat one set of chopsticks on the fried fish, another on the bean sprouts, and the last set on the song p'yon. He then backed away from the table and he and Jikyeong again bowed three times. When he rose, he carefully lit incense and poured some wine into each of the small wine cups. He again tapped the bronze chopsticks three times. Then the pair reverently sat down as the scent of the incense filled the room.

When they felt it was time, they slowly rose again and bowed three times. Mr. Kim moved the metal chopsticks to three different dishes. This time he moved one set to the eggplant, another to a different fish, and the third to the minari. They bowed again and then sat before the table setting. They repeated this one last time and as the last echo of the chopsticks left the room, the ceremony was finished.

The ceremony is a beautiful progression to behold and one that has significance needs explanation to be understood. Koreans believe their ancestors live a mirrored existence, so the table settings of the rice bowl, soup, and chopsticks and spoon are the opposite from the living. The first pouring of rice wine is to welcome the ancestor into their home, the second pour is to say, "enjoy the food" and the third is to say good-bye and to go in peace. During the ceremony no living creature is allowed to be killed because- not even a fly- because it could be the spirit of the ancestor that has arrived to enjoy the meal. Koreans believe their ancestors will devour the spirit of the food but could be offended by strong flavors, so the feast is prepared as simply and naturally as possible. Everything red on the table is to the west and everything white to the east. The tops of the fruit is pared off on the end so the visiting ancestors can easily enjoy the food.

After the ceremony is finished, it is then time for the living to feast on the physical food on the table; it is a period of delicious celebration. Most families will then make large bowls of bibimbap (rice mixed with various vegetables) and share in eating the side dishes and fruit.

Not every Chuseok is the same. Some families have many more settings for each ancestor they wish to thank, and a new setting could be added for a new member that has recently passed away.

And the idea of the celebration is not superstition; it is about respect and commeration. In America, we give thanks to a distant god, but Koreans give thanks to something more tangible. Where would we be without our parents and our grandparents?
If you are asked to join in on this festivity, accept it with humility and honor. You are not only being introduced to not only the living members of the family, but also those who look over them.

Daniel Gray
(chusuk is also spelled chuseok)

1. Star Burger in Gangnam for their excellent homemade Bacon Cheeseburger.
2. Deux Cremes in Shinsa for their delectable Banana Tart.
3. Butterfinger's in Gangnam for their orgasmic blueberry pancakes.
Brian from Kiss my Kimchi

1. CEIA Brazilian Restaurant (soon to be re-opened in Gangnam) for unlimited and top quality Churrascaria style grilled meats served to your table on a spear.
2. Sortino’s Italian Restaurants (lounge/restaurant and Pizzeria/ bar) for a wide choice of excellent Italian food and great wine (the closest experience you can have to eating in Italy).
3. Sideway Wine Bar in Gangnam for wine choice, ambience, decor, and a Frenchman who knows his wines and is willing to give expert advice with a side of humor. Besides, who needs food when you have great wine (granted, they do have a decent selection of dishes if you need it). 

Manuel Lara

Go out exit 5 gangnam station and make a right at the Jump Milano.
Excellent enchiladas and slyders (small hamburgers). The enchiladas have a tart salsa
with cheese on top. Tortillas are alright, a bit dense. Slyders come in teriyaki, chili, and or topped with cheese. Good meat and flavorful. I didn't like the cheeseburger slyder-no flavor.
Concrete interior with a mock taco truck inside. Lunch specials for
5800. Entrees start at 6800. I want to get the burrito next time.

Sent from my iPod

I might have a stalker situation on my hands because I received this e-mail yesterday and she went to the same restaurants that I went to in the last week. Hmmm...I hope she looks like this:

Having waxed somewhat lyrically about sandwiches before, which included an article on this very site about the dreaded 'Korean Toast', I feel compelled to mention my most recent sandwich related discovery (read nightmare).

As if romanising 'Flakes' with a 'ㅎ' isn't bad enough, Post, the producer of breakfast cereals in Korea, have decided that they are qualified to offer advice on how to make sandwiches. It is common practice on many products nowadays to offer a serving suggestion, but surely cereal is exempt from this, isn't it? I mean how many ways can you eat cereal, at least how many ways that are a legitimate attempt to eat a filling breakfast? Cornflake and jam tarts, however delicious, are not a legitimate attempt and neither are rice crispy cakes.

One morning recently, as I was eating a bowl of cereal, I happened to glance at the back of the box. There was a huge picture of a toasted sandwich that contained peanut butter, bananas and almond cereal, all drizzled in honey. The funniest part of this monstrous, sandwichy nightmare is the attempt to legitimise this abomination of a sandwich by sitting it on a sprig of lettuce.

Will Koreans never learn.

Please leave the sandwich alone, the Earl would be so upset, even if Elvis wouldn't.

• Welcome G'OAL Adoptees to the land of kimchi, indoor grills, and metal chopsticks!

• Vegetarians in Seoul

• Have a Layover in Incheon Airport? What can you do.
  
• RE: Restaurant Recommendations in Seoul 
• Brunch recommendations in Seoul 
• The Best Chicken In Seoul, Korea Pictures! 

I just got an interesting project. Right now, a government affiliated organization is looking to make a comic illustration book that will demonstrate how to eat Korean food. The style of the comic will like Calvin and Hobbes- so it will explain how to eat Korean food in a whimsical, process-oriented manner. The audience members would be people who have never experienced eating Korean food before.

For example, bibimbap.

Panel 1: The main character looks at a bowl of bibimbap filled with all sorts vegetables, egg, etc. The main character says, "How do I eat this?" An middle aged female server (an ajumma) in the background looks concerned and confused.

Panel 2: The main character says, "I'll eat the toppings first. Sigh...the lettuce doesn't taste good plain." The ajumma looks shocked and rushes over.

Panel 3: In a whirlwind fashion, the ajumma mixes everything up, while the main character says, "What are you doing?"

Panel 4: The main character eats and looks very happy, "This is delish. Everything tastes better blended." The ajumma looks happy. FINISH.

This comic will be distributed around the world for people to learn how to eat. If you are interested in applying for this position, please look at the following requirements. The comic will be 12 pages and we are looking for someone immediately. The project will run from as soon as possible to October 20th.

1: You must currently live in Seoul and be available to meet with the managers of the project at least once a week.
2. Be able to meet deadlines.
3. Have a general knowledge of Korean foods and how to eat them.
4. Have experience in drawing comics and designing interesting characters.

If you are interested, please send an introduction, a resume, salary requirements and samples of your work to Dan Gray If you have any questions, feel free to contact me at the above e-mail address.

Thank you,

Dan

Han Bok-ryeo (pictures courtesy of Jihwaja)
Since Hwang Hye Jung recently did a story on Korea's Intangible Human Cultural Heritage #38 earlier this week, I thought I should give you a bit of background on this woman and pictures.

Bok-ryeo Han harkened the renaissance of Korea's Royal Court Cuisine through her work on the famous Korean drama, Daejanggum. It's her food that you see on the show. She is a selfless advocate of the tradition and she is the highest authority on royal court cuisine.

Bok-Ryeo Han is the highest living authority on the Royal Court Cuisine Tradition. She was awarded the title of Korea’s Intangible Human Cultural Heritage #38, which means she is the only one who can certify court cuisine chefs and restaurants. Her mother learned from the last royal chef and passed the tradition to her.

MOTTO: “I revived the memory of royal court cuisine so the legacy will not be forgotten

You can find her institute here

NOA in Haebangchon. It's the new restaurant down the road from Indigo. NOA, which stands for "nose of artist" has 2 chefs- one of whom has worked at the Italian restaurant Buon Sera. The interior is charming. The food...well... they are new so we should give them time to get their legs under them. I've heard good things about their brunch. Prices: 8-25,000 per dish. 02-796-0804

 

Eddy's Cafe Edward Kwon is Korea's new celebrity chef and he's got the skills and the look to make it big. His cafe concept, which seems reminiscent of Wolfgang Puck, has opened at the Shinsegae department store at the Express Bus Terminal. I was told by the manager, It's the first of many, many." Here you can get big salads with toppings such as "roasted cherries, hazelnuts, and cheddar beignet (W8,500)" or "tomatillos, oven roasted paprika, feta and mint (W8,500)"; sandwiches with buffalo mozzarella, roasted fig, arugula and cherry tomato confit (W10,000); entrees like oven roasted chicken with cherry and raison compote (W14,000); and a fruit dessert in decadent creme sauce. The place has excellent coffee and almost all members of the waitstaff and the kitchen speak English.Vegetarian options available. 02-3479-1234