Hong Yongjae  The story goes that there was once a well-known and respected doctor that had everything going for him in life. He had a loving family, he had a successful practice, and many friends. Everything seemed to be going well, maybe too well. Like, Job that was struck down by God in order to test his faith, the same was for this doctor. This doctor, ironically, was diagnosed late with a deadly form of cancer, so advanced that not even modern medicine could cure him. Not knowing what to do, he looked to the small, simple soybean. He saw how food could be a medicine and so he focused on how natural food could nourish his body and cure him. Through a diet of naturally fermented food made from soybean- especially cheonggukjang, he was able to magically reverse the tide of cancer and return to health. In tribute to the bean that saved his life, he decided to open up Hong Yeong Jae Cheonggukjang: a Korean restaurant that focuses on natural, curative food that emp...

Cheonggukjang for Breakfast I am at O'mori Kimchi Chiggae and I am having cheonggukjang for breakfast. The beans in the soup are a bit pungent like natto. It tastes like navy bean soup that has some bleu cheese melted in. With all the side dishes it is the breakfast of champions.

Stinky Tofu Stew Breakfast yesterday was Cheonggukjeong Stew. I know I said that it is skinky, but that is how Koreans describe it themselves. The beans that are used in the stew are only fermented for a short time so it don't have a lot of time to mature. As the beans mature, they lose that strong scent and become more of a paste. Cheonggukjeong is made with beans that are still quite ripe- think of them as a fruit that is super ripe yet almost on the verge of spoiling. The beans are whole and the soup is rich and thick. The entire meal is like a bowl of navy bean stew with ham- just a little spicier. You should give it a try. Dan

Corn, Sweet Potato, and Edamane at Bulgogi Brothers Restaurant in Seoul Bulgogi Brothers is a franchise Korean restaurant. It seems almost like a westerner decided to make a Korean restaurant "foreigner friendly." It's not awful, it's fine and I think it would work overseas. I could see Bulgogi Brothers do for Korean food what P.F. Chang did for Chinese-franchise it. There is just one problem: they are in Korea. The food is alright, but not totally authentic and it seems a bit overpriced for what you get. The banchan (side-dishes) lack freshness and punch. The styling is quite nice though and I would take some of my "not-so-adventurous" guests there. The bulgogi is pretty good though, but not as good as Sariwon or Woo Lae Oak. Also, on top of that, the prices are marked up 20% from regular Korean food prices. A Cheongukjang (a rich, fermented soybean stew) was 8,000 won and I believe the bibimbap was as well. The problem was not with the prices, but t...