My First Soondubu When I lived in Gyeongju, one of my good friends Jikyung wanted to introduce me to the best restaurants in the city. She was fiercely proud of her hometown. She is a food connoisseur and thought that life was too short to eat bad food. One of the first places she took me to was at a famous soondubu place in Gyeongju’s Bomun lake resort area. This restaurant, Metdol Soondubu, was a landmark restaurant and it always had at least a 30 minute wait for a table. Jikyung assured me that it was worth it. The inside was quaint with wooden floor tables all around and the interior was a Korean hanok (traditional) style. The table was empty except for some container with some sauce and there was a little bowl of brown shelled eggs. Jikyung and I had a busy day hiking so I was a tad peckish. Jikyung had gone to the bathroom. So I thought, “ok, these hard-boiled eggs must be the appetizer.” I took one of the eggs cracked it on the table and I discovered the egg was raw. This egg st...

Koreans love noodles. Actually, I think all cultures love noodles. But in Korea noodles are more than just a meal, it is a reason to celebrate. When I was a little boy in Korea, my mother would to a Chinese restaurant to eat a delicious meal noodles topped with black bean sauce(jajangmyeon) on my birthday. To this day, I still remember the loud smacking sound of the dough slamming on the table as the chef made the chewy noodles by hand. I still think black noodles are better than cake. I also remember the winter days when my mother would take flour, water and some oil to make noodles that she would cut by hand and boil in a clam broth. I would often beg my mother to make this simple noodle soup dish. She told me if I was good, she would make it for me. I would be good so I could watch my mother roll out the dough and cut the noodles with a sharp knife. Even today, noodles are an important part of the culture. I can’t count how many times, I have seen Korean dramas have the stars cook o...

The other day my wife and I invited our mother to go out to eat. I thought it would be a special treat for her since she prepares many meals for us.  We didn't get the expected response. Our mother was offended that I had suggested that we eat outside for a normal meal. She said we should eat at home.  Home meals in Korea symbolize family in Korea. The patriarch takes great pride in preparing the meals and when the family eats and enjoys the food. Well, at least it is the case with my mother. It would have been better for me to bring some high quality ingredients to her such as fruit, vegetables or meat and have her prepare the food. When I cook, I need to have this same pride and respect for my family's health. Food is not just food. Out meals are representative of our current state. How are we all doing? How is our health? How is our financial situation? My mother and I had a long talk yesterday about different country's food cultures and their perceptions of food. The wa...