I guess when you are in a combat zone, you really look for home that will remind you of home. The New York Times took apart 14 different MRE's (Meal's ready to Eat Meals). (See the full article here).  Here are MRE's  from my two home countries: America and Korea. So if I was in the military which one would I choose to eat? The Korean one has Sauteed Kimchi, Ham Fried Rice, Flavored Sausage, white beans and sauce, almond cake and chocolate candy. The American one has Pork Ribs, Barbecue sauce, tortillas, potato cheddar soup, blackberry jam, peanut butter, skittles, nut raisin mix, chewing gum, sugar, instant coffee, creamer, lemon lime beverage powder, salt, moist towelette, toilet paper and matches. Hmmm...assuming that I was in a war zone. I would have to go with the USA MRE just because of the shear number of stuff that I could barter or MacGyver into something else if I was in a fix. I think Skittles would go for a goat or something on the black market and there ...

Here is the text: How about bibimbap for lunch today? Bibimbap is a dish mixed of cooked rice with various vegetables, beef, garnishes, and fried pepper paste. It is said that this dish came from the customers of memorial service and rural villages. This dish is very convenient to provide, just mixing of cooked rice with various vegetables, namul, and red pepper paste together. I assume this was written by Seo Kyoung-duk - an honorary professor at Sungshin Women's University. The title is ok. It grabs your attention and so does the picture. However, I'm not sure if the text matches the picture because there is raw beef and a raw egg. (I guess the egg is the "garnishes".) Here are my problems with the text: I have a major issue with the following line, "It is said that this dish came from the customers of memorial service and rural villages." Customers at a funeral? What are they buying? Oh, and death does evoke pleasant feelings, nor does...

I thought this was very enlightening and awesome. I love the lampshade trick and the shaky picture trick. Here's the permalink. http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/18/technology/personaltech/18pogue-email.html?partner=permalink&exprod=permalink Dan December 18, 2008 From the Desk of David Pogue Pogue’s Photography Tips and Tricks By DAVID POGUE It's a crazy time of year to be finishing a book. But in between present wrapping and tree trimming, that's exactly what I'm doing. It's a book on digital photography, which, as you probably know, is among my favorite hobbies. As I write, I keep coming across these important tips and saying to myself, "Man, this is what people REALLY need to know. I should pull them out into a special list at the back of the book called, 'The Best Photography Tricks of All Time,' so people can't miss it." So that's exactly what I'm doing. Thought I'd send you the list as it stands today, so ...

By Daniel Gray In the last year and a half Korean food has gotten a lot of American media attention. The brash glutton, Anthony Bourdain from the travel channel was the pioneer who brought his show, "No Reservations" to tackle Korean food. Then following his trail a year later was Matt Gross, the Frugal Traveler, from the New York Times. A month ago Travel Channel's Andrew Zimmern of Bizarre foods was here and next month, PBS’s show “Gourmet's Diary of a Foodie” will be here. So what seems to be the attraction? I think it's a snowball effect of many different factors. First of all, there is a growing Korean population in the United States and with that comes an increase in the number of Korean restaurants and grocery stores. American taste buds are changing, so many seek out the spicy and sour. Also, the profile of Korea has been raised in the last decade as it has become a leader in technology and commerce. And since New York City has embraced Korean food and lab...

A quest into the gustatory heart of Seoul by Matt Gross The travel article that Matt Gross wrote on Seoul is now in the International Herald Tribune. You can check out the article here. Dan

Wow, the NYT's story finally got out! I've been saving pictures of the various restaurants and places that Matt, Zen Kimchi , a couple of other bloggers ( ex-pat Jane ) and I went. Here are the pics^^ Dan Here we are at Gaon. Notice the multitude of dishes. Like I've said: the dishwasher is the worst job in Korea. Gaon has awesome jokbal kimchi stew. It's like spicy cream of tomato soup. All the plates at Gaon are designed in house. Spicy Vegetable Salad from Gaon. I am being attacked by Sang Nakchi (live octopus). I call this a Sea Callus. You bite and sea water gets pumped out and then you just keep chewing. It's not my favorite. Live octopus. Seafood Soup. This squid was huge! I'm talking 5 to 6 feet easy. Some sort of shrimp. Eye can see you. Sea Mollusks. Yummmm. Figs The Korean Market at night. Marinated Crab. Very cool people from the market. Stingray Sure they are selling mushrooms^^. Tornado Potatoes. Ginko Nuts Tentacles. Steak in an icecream cone (too...

Written by Matt Gross SOMETIME after midnight on a Sunday, the streets of the Myeongdong neighborhood in Seoul were quiet and cold. The young shoppers who flit from Adidas to Tommy Hilfiger to Club Monaco had gone home to study for December exams, and restaurant workers were setting barrels full of leftovers onto the curb to be picked up by early-morning garbage trucks. The city was going to sleep. But over near the subway station, in a little orange tent, or pojangmacha, a good night’s rest was on no one’s mind, least of all mine. Inside, a semipermanent kitchen was working overtime, cranking out hearty, salty, spicy dishes to warm the air and fill the bellies of the drinkers around plastic tables. Behind me sat a pair of university students practicing Mandarin; to my left were hip-hop hipsters in knee-length Nike parkas discussing, partly in English, how to pick up girls in Tokyo ; before me, a man in late middle age regaled a group of 20-somethings with stories and jokes. On ever...