Nampo Myeonok for Naengmyeon in Seoul

Nampo Myeonok for Naengmyeon in Seoul

Nampo Myeonok for Naengmyeon in Seoul

Nampo Myeonok for Naengmyeon in Seoul

It's hot, so it is best to get some cool, chilled Naengmyeon at the classic Nampo Myeonok Restaurant by City Hall.

Pictures by Jihyun Lee

Seoul Eats: Nampomyeonok

Contrary to popular belief, Korean “naengmyeon” is a wintertime specialty dish that originated in North Korea. I guess the idea of combating cold with cold is similar to people in India drinking blazing hot coffee to fight the heat. Although some still eat naengmyeon-which translates to “cold noodle”- in winter; these days it is more common to eat it in summer cool down from the heat

Naengmyeon has become ubiquitous around Korea and the world. The standard seems to be a brown chewy noodle that's dense (and often clumps), a salty beef broth, half an egg (which you are supposed to eat first to prepare your stomach for the cold meal), turnip, chunks of crushed ice, and julienned cucumbers and pear. This standardized dish is the result of many shortcuts and compromises in ingredients. This is where Nampomyeonok stands out; it has stayed true to its origins and the evidence is in the food.

Nampomyeonok is near Eujiro 1-ga exit 1. You take the first right past a strange stone tower that is eccentrically covered in headlights and straight into an alley. About 100 meters into the alley you will see a big wooden sign to the right that says 남포명옥. If you miss the first entrance; don’t worry, there are two. As soon as you walk in you’ll be intrigued by the traditional han-ok (Korean traditional house) décor and the pots embedded in concrete on the floor. These pots contain dongchimi: a water radish kimchi, that is essential to the soup’s broth.

I know some people like it but...i prefer hot sauce or maybe some ketchup.

Dan

Just in case you were wondering, one bottle of Soju contains 540 calories. That's like 4 beers. So to put it in perspective, you would need to walk about two hours to exercise it off. (Walking two hours with a soju hangover is not an easy task.)

Soju originally was made from rice but whenever there were rice shortages, people were forbidden to make Soju. Alcohol producers the started to use sweet potatoes and tapioca to make an ethanol based alcohol. Overtime they doctored up the taste so it has a smooth, crisp taste that goes great with raw seafood and grilled meats.



The world drinks a lot of Soju. 61.38 Million cases of soju were produced in 2012 with Korea consuming about 2.75 billion bottles of Soju a year. You would think that everyone would be falling over drunk in Korea, but this is not the case. The alcohol is only about 17-19% so a bottle won't wreck you (but two or more might.)

Koreans judge how good of a drinker you are by the number of bottles of Soju you can consume.

This post is sponsored by Host.fieramilano.it. Host is a food and hospitality conference in Milano, Italy which will be held from October 23-27, 2015. I will be in attendance, hope to see you there.

Picture from Korea Tourism Organization

Koreans call beans, ‘Meat from the fields.’ A long time ago, meat was a luxury that commoners rarely had a chance to eat. So instead of meat, Koreans cultivated a wide variety of beans to supplement their diet. Beans such as black beans and peanuts were often used to make banchan or side-dishes, but others like wild kidney beans, white beans, and peas were added to rice. Red bean in a sweetened paste was used as a filling for rice cake desserts.


There is even a bit of notoriety about eating rice steamed with beans. If you suspect someone has spent some time in prison, you could subtly ask them, “how long did you eat beans and rice.” If they know what you are suggesting, they’ll tell you how long they were in prison. Also after being released from prison, the first meal would often be a block of white tofu in order to signify they will live a pure and innocent life from that moment after.


Now the most important bean in Korea is the soybean but in its regular form, it is nothing special and they are quite inedible. However, when the soybean is transformed using artisanal techniques and a special slab pottery pot called an Onngi. These clay, slab pottery pots can be made in various sizes that can hold from 500ml to 100 liters. The pots are the perfect vessels for fermenting food for it is waterproof yet porous for air due to the high proportion of sand in the clay. These pots are one of the most important elements in making soy sauce and bean paste that are two very important jangs, or fermented sauces, in Korea.

Daniel Gray, iFamily, Peter Castleman and Chip Marsland of Yevo43

There is a new food startup that I am working with as a marketing client.  The food is called Yevo and they make superfood that is loaded with 43 essential nutrients. Basically, you can eat it and its got all the nutrients you need. You could live off of 3 of these a day and get 1200 calories yet have all the essential nutrients you need.

The founder of Yevo is Peter Castleman who bought North Face when it was bankrupt and turned it into a 3 billion a year company. He also started Pharmanex and turned it into a 50 million a year company and then sold it to Nuskin. He took Herbalife from a $700 million a year company to a 3 billion a year company and then sold it and netted $850 million dollars. They had invited me out to an event in San Diego and I was really lucky to meet the man and have a discussion with him. It's not often you get to meet a billionaire.

In San Diego, the food we tried was really food. It was fast like in the form or shakes, oatmeals, or rice. It was also a sauce like cheese, curry, or tomato sauce that could go on top of other foods like rice or noodles,

This is going viral because the author is an (insert adjective after reading). I am posting this here because if the Korea Times knows what is good for them, they should take this down.
http://m.koreatimes.co.kr/phone/news/view.jsp?req_newsidx=183210
Dan

By Choi Shi-yong 

After The Korea Times published my article, some people agreed with most of what I said. Others might think that I was pretty biased. Besides, the producer of the Café Seoul podcast wanted to request an interview with me, because my article has become a discussion topic among expats in Seoul.

Anyway, my column has proved to be controversial and sensitive. However, I want to write about the same issue again to reduce misunderstandings between Koreans and foreigners. I also aim to promote cultural awareness between locals and expats by touching on a provocative theme.

I like to drink beer, especially during the sizzling summer. I drink a beer fast to cool down. Spending two minutes drinking a beer is too long for me. I watched a movie star advertise a beer brand on TV. He expressed his pleasure after consuming it. His actions provoke TV viewers to think of beer and drink it more and more.

On the contrary, most foreigners talk over a beer and they don't eat the side dishes such as dried squid, snacks and fruit, which average Koreans usually enjoy with beer. Hence, Westerners are more economical than Koreans when they drink beer. They don't have to waste a lot of money on eating food with beer. Nevertheless, I still don't understand many foreigners who take 30 minutes to drink a draft beer during a conversation. These foreigners drink a beer too patiently.

In Korea, seniors generally pay the money for juniors when they go out together for dinner and go to the bar to hang out. I definitely say that Koreans have an immaculate virtue, which foreigners cannot think of. A senior feels the responsibility for taking care of juniors by treating them to some food using his money. The juniors meanwhile feel happier to know that their seniors are willing to care them. Later, they will show more sincerity to their seniors. I think the unilateral trade from the seniors is the steppingstone to progressing favorable friendship with the juniors.

In a nutshell, Koreans are so generous and benevolent. I wonder if this character originates from a "collective society," in which people prefer "we” to "I.”

I think that Koreans are more polite and respectful to the old. I also think foreigners should learn from Koreans about how they treat the aged with courtesy. A British friend of mine alleged that he could punch an elderly person if he is lazy and an alcoholic, while I said that we should embrace them whatever they do.

Westerners are even reluctant to give special favor for an old lady. For instance, when I was in Brisbane, Australia, I saw a vacant seat on the bus stop. As I was a conventional Korean man, I was supposed to yield it to the old lady who stood right next to me. At the moment I found a young lady staring at me so unkindly and sharply. She seemed to be extremely upset with me. She wanted to take the seat for herself. She never cared about the person who was at least 70.

I think that Westerners hardly regard the elderly as important and trustworthy. Worse, they make light of them, because they are physically weak. What I am saying is that ``All men are equal" does not make sense in this regard. We should be more attentive to the old who have devoted their life to the community. They are worthy of being loved and revered whatever they are.

On the other hand, I saw a Canadian friend in a bus who has lived in Gwangju for over 10 years. He was willing to give his seat to the old lady after finding that she was standing right behind his seat. I thought that Korean society has taught him how to respect the old and that a desirable tradition in Korea has affected him in a more positive way.

The writer lives in Gwangju, which literally means the “City of Light.” His email address is freddd@hanmail.net.

We need think more about our health and bodies. We eat to live, but these days a lot of the food that we eat is hurting us because it is loaded with preservatives, sugars, salts, and fats. Here is a company that is working to change it all. I was lucky enough to meet the CEO Peter Castleman in San Diego and he is a visionary looking to change the world starting with what we eat. Check out this video and for more information check out http://ifoodkorea.myyevo.com/ for more information.

Good health is just 1 meal away.

Omija Makgeolli

Awesome Braised Pork and Octopus with Eggplant and Potatoes!

So...again, this is another place that I love and I'll tell you about it, but you have to promise to behave if you go. This is a local Korean hotspot that is sort of a speakeasy. It's hidden and in such a nondescript place that you probably wouldn't even know it was there. Also, it's one of those places that it helps to know someone that knows the place (if not, you'll never get a table). You might have to wait for a while and you'll probably have to make a reservation.


The star of the evening was their Awesome Braised Pork and Octopus with Eggplant and Vegetables (매운돼지갈비). This is a flavor bomb whose sauce should be savored slowly after bowl after bowl of rice. The sauce is so good and flavorful, that I actually felt like I was in Thailand. Yes, this dish tastes like Thai Red Curry.

Just to note, don't get their Kimchi Chiggae. I had it once and it was sweet and weird. Get the jeon, get the omija makgeolli and the 매운돼지갈비. They are great!

Yummy.

Hannam Bukeotguk
Seoul, Yongsan-gu Hannamdong 73-2
02-2297-1988
Directions: It's over by the old Danguk University in Hannam-dong. You'll see the cross walk on the side of the Richen Apartment and make a left at Munyakguk (문약국). Make reservations.

During the Summer my favorite vegetable is eggplant and it can be cooked in many ways. For example in a recent piece that I did for NPR (National Public Radio) I steamed it, mixed it with garlic and soy sauce. Here this one is dipped in flour and then egg and fried. I like both but this one reminds me of a good eggplant parm.

Dan

Sadly, this is a scene that is too common and I am at fault on this as well at times. I find that on dates there is not enough for just two people to talk. There is always a third party. I wonder what we used to do when we didn't have phones. I blame it on apps.