Seoul Eats

Coca-Cola Pulled Chicken Sandwich I didn't know that my sister was now a cook. She has introduced me to the world of New-American Eats. Here we have Jill showing off her Coca-Cola Pulled Chicken Sandwich. She chopped up onions and put them in a slow cooker with a whole chicken and then dumped a can of coca-cola that was mixed in a bottle of ketchup and let it slow cook in a crock pot for 3 hours. After it was done, she pulled the bones out of the chicken and shredded it with a fork and plopped it on some bread. It was tender and a tad sweet. The coke flavor was minimal, but I did get a whiff. I would have to say it was pretty darn good after adding a few veggies (see my take on the sandwich below with a bit of cucumber, sliced radish, and served on wheat bread). My sister did a good job with it- I think I'll have it for breakfast tomorrow. Here's the recipe: 1 chicken, cut up 1 1/2 lg. onions, sliced 10 to 12 oz. Coca Cola 10 to 12 oz. catsup Lay chicken in

Spam: The Dice Game This is one of the games that my parents got me for Christmas: It's Spam the Dice Game. It's basically a dice game like yahtzee but with pictures of Spam! Hilarious! So what gifts did other people get? If anyone got a Kitchen Aide Mixer, I'll be quite jealous. Spam: The Dice Game Spam: The Dice Game

Tofurky: Snapshots of a Supermarket in Florida I was in Publix Supermarket in Florida and I was impressed and shocked. Impressed because it is so big, shocked because the produce section is so small and most of the market is filled with dry foods, cooking equipment, sauces, and frozen foods. The other oddities were the vegetarian section with Tofurky. This thing claims to be tofu turkey with stuffing, and rich giblet gravy. Sorry, but I think people should simply eat Turkey or make a new tradition. Wouldn't that be great? I think vegetarians should come up with a new thanksgiving feast dinner. I could even imagine having something like a cornucopia of vegetables that are grilled and fresh with bean pancakes or something. I don't know something like that- if not, it's like a constant reminder of the food you are missing. The other odd thing I saw was dutch chocolate with red wine. I don't know what it tastes like, but it doesn't quite jell in my mind. I hope

American Eats: Chick-Fil-A For Christmas, I am in Winter Haven, Florida to spend the holidays with my family. Now just because I'm in America, doesn't mean that I will stop eating. So...for the next 2 weeks or so, the blog will become American Eats. The American food culture is fascinating. Just being here for the last couple of days have opened my eyes to how much my eating habits had changed. I think our Christmas dinner had 1 thing that I would say was from the vegetable group: green bean casserole doused in mushroom soup and topped with Durkee's French Fried Onions. Sure there was sweet potatoes with marshmallows and potatoes, but I feel these fit in the bread and starch group. Anyway, my sister was craving Chick-Fil-A and we went to stand alone store. Now I have had Chick-Fil-A in the past, but I remember them as being a "Mall Fast Food Franchise" that was closed on Sunday. I had found memories of this place, but I nothing that I craved from afar. I

Merry Christmas Everyone! I am spending the holidays with my parents in Winter Haven, Florida. Weather has been great- much warmer than Seoul. Today, I went for a run and then ate steamed blue crabs for Christmas Eve dinner. It was my first time to have crabs for Christmas dinner and my hands still smell from it. There is a Korean anecdote that makes sense right now. You can eat an entire cow and no one would know, but if you eat just one crab, the whole village will know- that's because the smell is so strong. Anyway, after dinner we went for a ride around the neighborhood to see the Christmas lights in Florida. My favorite is the Santa Flamingo. Merry Christmas! Dan Christmas Lights in Florida: Santa Flamingo Christmas Lights in Florida Christmas Lights in Florida Christmas Lights in Florida Christmas Lights in Florida Christmas Lights in Florida

Here are some shots of Christmas Cakes in Seoul. The ones in the cases are from Paris Croissant. They looked great, but were a tad expensive (37,000 for a cake). I ended up getting a cake from Crown Bakery. It was a yellow cake with chocolate icing. Not bad and at only 20,000 won, it was great. Merry Christmas! Dan Christmas Cake from Crown Bakery Chiffon Cake from Paris Croissant Cakes from Paris Croissant Cakes from Paris Croissant

Korean Food Globalization Team's Year End Conference My company was invited to the Korean Food Globalization Team's Year-end conference to see all the work that had been completed by different organizations this year. These are companies and universities that had been funded by the Hansik Jedang (Korean Food Globalization Team) to create products or do research on the topic of globalizing Korean food. The standout this year was CJ Food's "Rice & Nice" Microwaveable Rice dishes. The product was extensively researched (I know because I helped find the focus groups) and I feel their initial offerings: Spicy Chicken, Bibimbap, and 5-grain Rice is what the western market will like. The packaging is eye catching as well. I'm not a big fan of the name "Rice & Nice," because it sounds cheesy and Asian cutesy; but that's something that can be worked out by the marketing team. The products taste good and its something I could see taking off.

O'ngo Culinary School In January and February, O'ngo Culinary School will be offering Saturday Cooking Classes for those hoping to learn Korean cuisine and meet other foodies. You'll learn Korean favorites such as Daktoritang, Bibimbap, Japchae, and Sundubu throughout the 2 month course. You'll get a deep understanding of the culture and the techniques of Korean cuisine from our award winning chefs. First, you'll see a demonstration from the chef, then you'll have a chance to make your own, and then you'll get to eat what you made. January 8th: Kimchi and Bulgogi January 15th: Daktoritang and Vegetable Side Dishes January 22nd: Dolsot Bibimbap and Bean Sprout Soup February 5th: Korean New Year's Class: Mandoo Rice Cake Soup February 12th: Sundubu and Seafood Pancake February 19th: Japchae and Spicy Pork The classes will be offered in English at 11am and at 3pm. You can sign up for 1 or all of the classes. There are 3 classes a month and cla

Hyojadong Old-Fashioned Tteokbokki at Tongin Market The other day I got a letter from Jules who is planning a trip to Seoul and she said she is searching for the best tteokbokki places in Seoul for a story she is writing for a magazine. I guess I was wrong, maybe tteokbokki will become an overseas hit. Anyway, here is my first recommendations. If anyone else has any let me know and I'll tell her. Hyojadong Old-Fashioned Tteokbokki are not drowned in a slurpy spicy-sweet sauce. Instead, chewy fingers of rice cake are either dry rubbed with red pepper flakes and then then pan fried over high heat or it is basted in soy sauce and then pan fried as well. They are crispy on the outside and chewy in the middle like a deep fried Mars bar. The only other things on the menu are soondae (blood sausage), pork pancakes, and Nokdu Bindaetteok (a pan-fried bean pancake). The lady running the place is a sweetheart, so be nice to her. She often gets busy during the daytime, so you might hav

Song Gane Kamjatang and Bossam Restaurant in Hongdae Taxi Drivers have their pick of the land in Korea and where they eat the food is often as authentic Korean as you'll find. You won't find Taxi Drivers parked outside of faux Italian restaurants carrying their ultra-made-up girlfriends drinking overpriced pumpkin lattes. Nope, you'll see them in real Korean restaurants eating soups and stews and meat- that's why the cabs smell so delicious (not really) when you get inside. Anyway another great place is Song Gane Kamjatang (potato and pork stew) and Bossam restaurant in Mapo-gu. It's not that far from Hongik University Station (Line 2).  I highly recommend their Kamjatang- the broth is rich and porky and potatoes are delicious. The Bossam is great as well, especially with fresh oysters. If you have problems finding the place- ask a taxi driver, they all know where it's at. Directions: Go out Hongdae Station Exit 3 and go straight. Turn right on the fir

Me and Marja Vongerichten It's been a great year for Korean food and next year looks to be even bigger. Let's first talk about the good. 1.      Korean Tacos. This was the year of Korean tacos when bulgogi tacos and dakgalbi burritos became king. Roy Choi and his crew at Kogi turned kimchi into a gourmet topping. There were also copycats all over the place and I think the trend will continue. 2.      Korean-Gyopo Chefs gain respect: Roy Choi, Sang-hoon Degiembre, Corey Lee, and Rachel Yang, and Akira Back were featured in many news stories. And we can't forget David Chang who was nominated as one of Time Magazine's 100 most influential people list. Corey Lee's new restaurant in San Francisco, Benu, has a 2-month wait. 3.      The Korean Bibimbap Commercial. I love the dancing, the colors, the juxtaposition of dancers to Bibibimbap. It totally works. 4.      The Jean-George and Marja Vongerichten's upcoming show on Korean food: The Kimchi Chronicles. I ha

Chef Corey Lee: Benu, in San Francisco Written by Andy Isaacson for Koreataste.org You can see and read more of his work at  http://www.worldwebeyes.com Chef Corey Lee: Benu, in San Francisco At Benu, James Beard Award-winning chef Corey Lee’s first solo restaurant, which opened last August in San Francisco, each intricately prepared dish is so exacting, so considered, and so nuanced in flavor that to talk while eating— “mmm”, “woah” and other involuntary expressions of sensual pleasure aside—would be far too distracting. Fully appreciating the subtleties of each dish requires a certain meditative state, which is encouraged even before you pick up a fork: the modernist, cement courtyard outside, planted with symmetrical Japanese maples, calls to mind a Zen temple garden; the minimalistic, neutral-toned dining room—grey carpeting, grey padded chairs, bare grey-colored walls—achieves the serenity of a day spa. My treatment: first, some crisp, delicate, toasted buckwheat and nor

Doenjang Bibimbap at 툇마루 One of my favorite places to eat in Insadong is at Tweet Maru (툇마루). They are famous for Doenjang Bibimbap and their sauce is earthy and full of flavor. The sauce over barley rice and topped with fresh vegetables and a few drops of roasted sesame oil is delicious and hearty. 툇마루 Seoul Jongno-gu Insadong 4-2 Tel 02-739-5683 Doenjang Bibimbap at 툇마루