This article was originally published by Seoul Magazine in the August 2010 issue. It is being reprinted here with permission. Please read my monthly columns in Seoul Magazine. The magazine can be found in many establishments around the city and at their bookstore in Samcheongdong . You can also read their online magazine at http://www.seoulselection.com/index.php/home/ Black Chicken Samgyetang at Kuryeo Samgyetang Seoul, Korea    The idea of eating black foods seems like a paradox. Maybe it’s because we have all learned that burnt steaks, chicken, and grilled cheese don’t taste very good. Or maybe it’s because we all see ourselves as beings of white light and black foods might muddy that image. Whatever the reason, the concept of “black foods” is not instantly associated with deliciousness.     An enigma in the food world is Black Chicken or called O-golgye in Korea. This rare bread of chicken has black flesh and black bones. This rare strain of chic...

On Thursday, I helped organize an event for the chef's association in Korea , LTB. At the event the chefs learned how to make makgeolli from scratch and then made their own batches of makgeolli. The event was a big success and the Chosun Ilbo, Korea's largest newspaper, did a story on the event. Now before the event, I had an opportunity eat at the venue, Congdu Restaurant (Located in the Seoul National History Museum). The concept of the restaurant is healthy, new, and almost everything is made from beans. Green Menu Soybean milk Soup We started out with a soy bean milk soup (kongguksu) flavored with green herb (mugwort) with angel hairlike threads of crunchy turnip noodles with a citrus dressed salad. This dish was very refreshing and refined. Then we had a pumpkin soup with a hint of soybean and garnished with roasted walnut and a chestnut. This dish was very subtle. The main course was very Korean as well. We had the green menu (25,000 per person) and the opti...