Seoul Eats

I am doing a bit of retail therapy today at Lotte Department store. 

                    There is a debate right now about Korean fried chicken. One group thinks it can be considered Korean food. The other group thinks that it is just western food. What do think about this? I believe that Korean fried chicken should be promoted as a Korean food because it is Korea's unique food culture, which led to the development of its unique taste and texture. The sauce, dips, style of eating, and side dishes also make this uniquely Korean. Chicken in the past was considered a boyang (endurance) food that was often eaten during the three hottest days of summer. Korea was mainly a farming country and when you work all day in the fields, you need protein to stay healthy. The problem is that in summer cattle needed to work the fields and the meat would quickly spoil. Smaller animals would be eaten instead such as eel, duck or chicken. But for the Korean palate, eel and duck are too greasy so many preferred the taste of chicken. The problem is that the lean chicken

Hanuso During spring I am always on the search for fresh, crispy and nourishing bibimbap. Hanuso uses top quality ingredients to create dishes that will please the epicurean in you. Their Yukhwae (raw beef) bibmbap has fresh sprouts, various lettuces, julienned carrots and pears and more. With this you get clear beef soup, Korean vegetable side dishes and a steaming bowl of hot rice. All combined, it becomes a nourishing meal that feels like a bowl of sunshine and spring rain. Pictured here this is some abalone bibimbap. Although the abalone is fresh, it is a bit chewy. For those that love fresh abalone, this is quite excellent. I would say that Hanuso has some of the best bibimbap in the city because the ingredients are very fresh. It's more like a salad with a side of rice than a heavy bibimbap. I would recommend you make a stop there. Hanuso Jongno-gu Nakwon-dong 272 Ph#:02-739-9990 Hours: 11am-10pm Price: 8,000 won-18,000 won

4,500 won at Pho Bo in Noryangjin Station area. Broth is ok, they use thick rice noodles. Not a lot of fixings but it works. And for the price you can't go wrong.  90-8 Noryangjin 1(il)-dong (27 Noryangjin-ro 16-gil) Dongjak-gu, Seoul http://goo.gl/maps/I5KZL

After a long day on the road, I made it to my mother's house where she had a feast waiting for us. We had spinach, bean sprout salad, pan-fried snapper, marinated beef, ginseng kimchi, beef and turnip soup, and rice cakes. Oh, and egg battered fish and crab sticks. It was a great meal and it was great to have my fiancé and my mother get along so well. To walk off the meal we are at Beojusal temple at Songnisan mountain. It is truly great to get out of the craziness of Seoul. Happy Chuseok everyone! Dan

Wow, another epic food week. Our food tours have been hopping nonstop and I have tried all sorts of great food and met great people from around the world. I feel quite blessed to be able to do a job as this and that so many are enthusiastic to come meet me and our team. In the last week, I have met people from Singapore, Australia, USA, and Canada that all came to Korea for the food.  Some of the cool things we saw were a cool plate that let the kimchi juice flow down and make a rose. Lots of great street food like the eggie bread thing. Is also got some Chinese moon cakes that had some beautiful writing on top. At Brew 3.14 (my pub) we made some tomato pie to the dismay of my chef. It's been a good week I must say. My chef also made some quiche at our pub and they have been a big hit.  Ok, back to work. Thanks for reading.  Dan

Test

It was a good day. 

After a long day on the road, I made it to my mother's house where she had a feast waiting for us. We had spinach, bean sprout salad, pan-fried snapper, marinated beef, ginseng kimchi, beef and turnip soup, and rice cakes. Oh, and egg battered fish and crab sticks. It was a great meal and it was great to have my fiancé and my mother get along so well. To walk off the meal we are at Beojusal temple at Songnisan mountain. It is truly great to get out of the craziness of Seoul.  Happy Chuseok everyone! Dan

I have no idea where I am but it is apparently a rest stop that has one little concession stand and I count over 30 buses. The bathrooms are porta potties that have 40 people standing in them. I can't drink water because the bathroom lines are ridiculous. Them men are going pee in the woods. I feel bad for the women. 

It is the first time I will be traveling on Chuseok day to my mother's house in Boeun. It is going to be far and I think pretty painful because I heard that that traffic is terrible. People going to Busan by car had to travel 10 hours to get there. It usually takes 3 hours to get to my mother's house but they will try and go around the traffic. I hope to get to my mother's house by 1pm.  Sadly, I won't be able to stay long this time. I have a lot of responsibilities back at home and there are a ton of email to answer. I wish my mother didn't live so far away.  This is an important day for me because my mother will meet my fiancé. We are planning on getting married next January. I am looking forward to it but I realize I really have to change. For my fiancé I am willing to change. I hope my mother approves of my future wife and adores her as much as I do.  Well because of the Internet, I can work anywhere. Time to put a dent in all those emails. 

One of the best experiences of the summer was our first group tour of 11 people from the Food Sovereignty Organization. We hosted a group of food activists on their journey to discover how farmers and the different food coop organizations operate in South Korea. It was an enlightening week for all who came. 

Chuseok is coming and that means there are a lot of food gift sets going on sale. I think it is great that Koreans are so practical. I mean seriously, how many scented candles and wine decanters does one need? I had a house warming party where I got 3 wine decanters on the same night. (I guess people think I must really enjoy red wine.) I think the food gift sets are great things. I love the ornate boxes of seaweed, apples, pears, and fruit baskets. Oh, and you have to love the Spam gift sets.  The colorful food gift sets have their origins in the harvest festival as part of the ancestor memorial service. People would lay out the food in the center of their households to commemorate the memory of their ancestors. Colorful and various foods were important to let ancestors know that your family was doing well. 

We are preparing fresh baked bread and pizzas at Brew 3.14. 

The love of my life brought me dinner from cafe mamas. It was ok. I mean I wouldn't eat there regularly not did I think it fit my palate, but it was interesting. The first thoughts that came to mind were soft and cheesy. This was followed by the thought of my arteries clogging up with grease.  The balsamic salad was topped with delicious but too much homemade ricotta (which seemed more like a drained cottage cheese), dried cranberries and nuts. This was served with a very soft white bread which seemed too plush to have been baked in an oven (this is not a complement). The sandwich was a grease bomb. It was oozing with cheese and grease from the beef. It was artfully decorated with a slice of eggplant before being pressed in the panini press. Like I said too much mozzarella  cheese that was more stiff than oozie (my fiancé did takeout, so this might have had something to do with it). Anyway, it was a bit too much it made it dense and impossible to eat. Well, it could definitely be s

I am working these days because I want to get in relatively decent shape for my health. One thing that has been helpful is 7 minute workout. It doesn't seem like much but you really work up a sweat in 7 minutes. I try to do two sets. The second set I use the equipment at my gym and do jump rope. My fiancé told me that workouts only start to burn fat after 40 minutes. Has anyone else heard this?  Ok. Back to work. 

Z Life is good today. I actually got up early and exercised for about an hour. My body needed it and it felt good. I saw some old photos and I realized how much I let myself no. It's not good and I need to take better care of myself. Especially since I am getting married soon.  Yes, I am falling into the stereotype. Once in love many things change and it is as if your life restarts. I just wish I met my fiancé when I was in my prime. But then again, I think I was probably an egotistical bastard then. In my old age I seem to have matured a bit. I am learning to be nicer and not get so stressed. I realize it is not the end of the world. I am falling into a prioritized lull. My future and that of my love are my priority. I am not going to try and rush things for at the moment everything is comfortable and lovely. I realize that a meal doesn't need every flavor emphasized. They should just work together.  Lunch 

I remember 9/11. It is as clear today as it was 12 years ago. I was driving to work in my red Chevy Blazer listening to the Smashing Pumpkins' song 'Today.' The news came on so I tried to switch the station but that station was also the news. I kept switching until I noticed something was off. The streets were empty on a normally busy day. Then I heard about the attacks on the radio.  I rushed to my workplace and I saw all my fellow employees crowded around the TV. Some people were crying. Others looked rigid and poised. We all watched and gave whispering details.  The bosses had announced the restaurant would be closed so we should all go home. Some of us didn't want to go home alone so invites were issued, supplies acquired and we left into the now very scary world.  It is horrific to believe these types of occurrences can happen in our modern world.  Dan

I am so happy that today Apple has announced the new iPhone 5c and the 5s. I have had my lowly iPhone 4 for 3 years and it is time for an upgrade. The phone is now slow as molasses opening up the camera and I am just tired of it.  Here is what I like about the new 5s and why it will be good for me.  /faster processor The new A7 processor will make my life so much easier since I am always out and about.  /better camera Although the iPhone 4 camera is still technically usable, I need something better. The dual flash is very exciting.  /fingerprint scanner I hate constantly having to put in my passwords for all the stupid websites. If this extends past just the iPhone store then this will make my life so much easier and I can say goodbye to constantly opening up my password app.  /size I like being able to type using one hand- especially on the bus or subway. Even though I have an iPad mini, I use it less and less because in public it is awkward to hold (I am always afraid I will drop it)