How healthy is instant coffee? Brew. Java. Cup of Joe. Whatever you prefer to call your café noir, it may be the healthiest way to start your day. Coffee has been linked to preventing cavities, healthier moods and relieving headaches. A cup of coffee also significantly reduces the risk of Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease and diabetes.  But how healthy is  instant  coffee, the most beloved beverage of Korea? Instant coffee is drink revered by Koreans, and tolerated, and at times, loathed by (most) ex-pats. Even if instant coffee is not your cup of tea, it continues to be the closest to a drinkable ambassador of Korea (in company with the spirited Soju, of course).   Instant coffee, and more specifically coffee mix packets - a blended triumvirate of coffee powder, cream and sugar- are one of the most consumed drinks in Korea. According to Nielson findings, an average Korean guzzle 300 cups of instant coffee a year. Instant coffee is relatively ...

Crescent Moon Rice Cakes: Songpyeon With Chuseok coming up, I thought you should know a bit about the classic food. This article was published 1 year ago on this site and it has been reprinted with permission. Here's another great column from Lindsey Huster. With Chuseok less than a week away, preparations have long been in the works for this food-lovers holiday. Already coworkers are bringing home pears, SPAM and other boxed goods. The timely, uxorial duties have also fallen upon Korean women to (once again) exhaustively prepare large quantities of food. Although the holiday is known for its traditional japchae, bulgogi and fruit, Songpyeon remains the ultimate attribute of this holiday season. Songpyeon, or crescent moon rice cake, consists of rice flour dough, which is stuffed with an endless possibility of fillings. Although the rice cake itself is a half-moon shaped, the filling is always molded into a full moon shape. At one time, people believed that their wishes wo...

Another Black Day, April 14th is here and I wanted to share with you with a great column written by Lindsey Huster. First of all, I would like to say thank you to Lindsey for continuing to write these great columns for Seoul Eats. By-the-way, Lindsey, you can find your column in print this month in Groove Magazine. Well here is her story about how we should abstain from Couple's Holidays.  Also, Seoul Eats is always looking for contributors. If you would like to submit a restaurant review, photographs, or thoughts on food- just send me an e-mail at  seouleats (at) gmail (dot) com Another 14-fête has adjourned, and the streets of Seoul are smeared with post-celebrants of another twosome day. Pink and claret hearts hang flaccid, while neglected stuffed bears continue to grow damp in the puddles of rain (and perhaps the bleeding hearts of the solo Seouls of Korea). Although the 14 is hardly auspicious - considered one of the unluckiest numbers by many cultures (4 being close...

Sadly, this is Lindsey's last column for Seoul Eats. I'm sad to see her go, because her articles have always been full of insight and thought. Lindsey, I wish you the best of luck on all of your endeavors.  Sincerely, Dan Rice Battered, Deep-fried Hotdog Written by Lindsey Huster The word meal came up as a vocabulary word a few weeks ago. When explaining this word to my students, I talked about the meals you eat throughout the day. For example, you eat consume different foods for breakfast, than you do at lunch, and at dinner. The idea of eating "different foods," however, did not register with most of my students. Many of them looked bewildered and confused. Some even laughed. I was told that no, this is not the case with some of my students. When I asked my students what they had for breakfast, most of them said rice. And for lunch? Rice. And dinner? Rice again. (Of course, many of the meals also included kimchi). In a number of Korean homes, there ...

Ox Blood Hangover Stew (Haejangguk) Most people drink, and some people drink too much. In South Korea, with the social pressure to drink with coworkers, there is even more cases of drinking (and over drinking). The result? A hangover. For those not familiar with the ailment, the feeling is akin to a hammer is being continually slammed against your head. Others consider it an overwhelming feeling of fatigue and grogginess that you can't seem to shake. However it resonates, it feels neither good nor invigorating. Regardless of the after-effects, most people continue to booze week after week (even day after day), knowing full-well how they will feel come the next morning. Thankfully, there are a few remedies out there. In South Korea, the answer is (해장국) haejangguk, or the infamous "Hangover Soup." I stumbled upon my first batch (in a similar condition described above) one Sunday afternoon. The word haejangguk actually means "to detoxify," and rightly so. With...

Sanchae Salad from Nwijo I ventured to Seoraksan National Park this weekend to feast my eyes on the highly anticipated foliage. Although clearly in the advent stages of the season, the showcase of the color spectrum was worthwhile. Alongside the accustomed greenery, vivid ambers, oranges and chocolate browns began to emerge throughout the scenery. Besides the mountains, I also saw plenty of color in my food pickings. Seoraksan is a mountainous area that houses a famous sanchae bibimbop, a tasty spin of the mixed rice treat. Sanchae bibimbop in many ways is the twin of dolsot bibimbop. Both dishes features rice, fried egg and heavy dollops of red pepper paste. The difference between these two dishes, however, is quite notable. Sanchae bibimbop is known for its large servings of leafy and root vegetables that are found in Korea's own mountainous landscape. The overall taste is much fresher than that of some bibimbop varieties, and sanchae may even be (gasp) tastier.

Persimmons by Lindsey Huster October in Korea. This season is known for its foliage- a glowing exterior that resonates just as warmly as cherry blossom season. Colors like cinnamon, crimson, and golden rod adorn trees. An unmistakable orange hue, however, also comes into fruition this season. Ah yes, the color of a persimmon. I cannot conjure a better produce-personification of Korea- or for that matter, South East Asia. I can even recall my first persimmon encounter in Korea. It was  fall, my first weeks in Korea (which also happened to be my first few weeks without a proper sandwich). As I cut thick slices of what I believed to be tomato, I uncovered rather the delicately sweet, but also tart treat. As a fruit, it does appear to be a kissing cousin of the tomato. Although a bit oversized and with a pointed bottom, some persimmons carry the familiar red hue and skin consistency of a tomato. Others tend to be more orange and smaller shaped.  Both grow, however, o...

Made in China Written by Lindsey Huster Here's another insightful column by our own Lindsey Huster. This column discusses how even the youth of Korea have a distrust of Chinese food products.  Thank you Lindsey for your contribution and I think its definitely something we should keep in mind when we shop and eat. Dan Made in China: a three-word phrase that doubles as a quip in some Korean classrooms. When something breaks in my classroom- be it a pencil, pen, or book bag- a common reply from my students is that it's, "Made in China." Usually, an eruption of laughter follows as the flawed quality of the product is readily displayed by the hapless student/consumer. Even at a young age, some Korean students have developed a keen awareness regarding a familiar controversy surrounding Chinese exports. Although it remains laughable for some, for many Koreans, it leaves uncertainty and suspicion about many products.

Warung Indonesia in Ansan Written by Lindsey Huster Although South Korea may feel (at times) a bit homogenous, the food culture is showing signs that may uproot this notion. According to a recent article, the number of international restaurants operated by foreign owners has risen by more than 10 times in the last 10 years. Send your gaze down a popular alley of Seoul, and perhaps will you see what I mean. Alongside kimbap and galbi restaurants lay a sundry array of foreigner restaurants and shops. Around the Jung-gu area, one can stumble into "Mongolian town" and "Russian street." Venture even more southwest, and you are sure to enter Itaewon, an infamous foreigner district that caters to most gourmands palates. Itaewon, stands out as a hub that serves an assortment of African food, including Nigerian, Ghana and Ethiopian. Venture even more south near Gangnam, and you will stumble into a French district that offers pastries that rattle even the most dev...

What is Making Korean Children Fat? Health classes are moving a few Korean students in a healthier direction this summer. For an hour a week, students participate (voluntarily) in a workout or dance session. According to a recent article in the JoongAng Daily, students of all levels are participating in such a program to fight childhood obesity. Even though an hour a week hardly suffices as exercise, it's progress. In 2007, the Ministry of Education and Human Resources Development reported that one out of every 10 Korean students was obese. Not only did this figure increase with age, boys also showed higher rates of obesity than girls.  Currently,  obese students are increasing at a 1 percent rate annually. Although Korean food is relatively healthy, a number of Korean students remain overweight.  With such a strong emphasis on studying, many students are shuttled to after-school classes. Rarely is there time for dinner until late at night. To curb hunger pangs, stud...

The Elusive Mulberry While visiting a friend in Suncheon this weekend, I crossed paths with the elusive Korean mulberry. Thinking back to previous mulberry experiences (really lack thereof), I can only recall singing about such fruits rather than eating them. "Here we go 'round the mulberry bush," remained a staple of daycare sing-alongs, and until recently, I didn't even know what a mulberry looked like. Upon a first glance, the mulberry (오디 in Korean) vaguely resembles a raspberry. Upon further inspection, however, the mulberry is longer in shape and darker in appearance. The taste, too, is less sweet than that of most fruit. Unfortunately, this taste has been erroneously labeled "bland"- what a misconception. My first taste of mulberries remind me of my first bites of dark chocolate, or sips of coffee, all of which seem wonderfully strange at first, but gradually became an acquired and sought after taste. Thankfully, mulberries will be in seas...

Venture outdoors, and in moments, you will feel the heat. Such heat and humidity create conditions fit for damp clothes, sticky bodies, and worst of all, parched mouths. Such heat demands extra nourishment. For me, nourishment tends to come in a bowl or cone, and is likely dipped in chocolate. Koreans, however, try to “beat the heat with heat” with spices rather than sweets. Boyangshik are special foods prepared and eaten during the hottest 30-day period in the lunar calendar called sambok. This time period is also referred to as 복날, bok nal, which means the “dog days of summer.”  According to the lunar calendar, Sambok is marked by three days: chobok (beginning), jungbok (middle), and malbok (last).  This year, chobok was on July 20, junbok on July 30 and malbok was recently on August 9.  Sambok is rooted in Korea's agriculture. At one time, majority of Koreans were farmers, so families worked together to grow and harvest food. When it got too hot to work, Koreans wo...

By Lindsey Huster Monastery cuisine conjures images of the most meager and bland food on Earth: rice porridge, sparse vegetables and no fruit (reminiscent of Oliver Twist). For my summer vacation, I traveled to Mihwangsa Temple, hoping to prove such notions were false. Mihwangsa is located in the Jeolla province. The monastery is nestled on Dalmasan (Dharma Mountain), a ridge that stretches for 10 kilometers towards the sea. The three-day-four-night experience shook up a few misconceptions of monasteries, especially when it came to Korean food. A basic precept of all Buddhism is non-harm to sentient beings. This of course applies to food. Monks maintain a strict diet of vegetarian food, although it is more accurate to say vegan since rarely any animals products are used. My first meal at the monastery was bibimbap, which included a small amount of gochujang paste, two handfuls of rice, and plenty of mountain vegetables, but without the usual fried egg. The same could...

In Korea, it’s not just what you say that gets attention. It’s also what you eat (and then say in between chews).  Most languages become linguistically altered by important culture features. And Korea is no exception. Such Korean alterations, however, have appeared with a focus towards food. A common greeting among Koreans translates to, “Have you eaten rice?” Such phrases show the importance of providing food for others during times when it was not readily available. Until the last half century, Korea did not enjoy the luxury of food stability. According to author Su  Yon Pak, ongoing conflicts against neighboring countries, Japanese colonialism, and the Korean War created a substantial burden for Koreans that affected food supply.  Even now, North Korea still suffers from hunger problems.  Life and food thus become fused  together. According to linguist John Newman, the verb for eating (mok), is also many times interchanged with the verb for living (sal)...

Going organic isn't easy, but it's steadily growing in Korea. So far, the Korean government has certified over 32,000 Korean farmers as organic and environmentally friendly. Not only is the green movement growing, but its gaining more publicity and approval. This month, the Korea Organic Farming Association (KOFA) hosted its 9th Annual Seoul International Organic and Natural Products Show. Additionally, the government has been known to make public service announcements, which tell consumers to eat organic. Such actions have propelled Korea into a well-being movement the last decade. More and more Koreans exercise, especially in the form of hiking and yoga. Additionally, Koreans are trying to eat healthier, which for many mean eating organic. Outside of this trend, the most prominent reason Koreans- and other residents of Korea- should eat organic has to do with large amount of pesticides used in produce. According to the Korean Organic Farmers Association, Sout...

 A female subway user sits across from me, wearing a cheerful t-shirt that pictures a sun. The happy, yellow orb states in a playful font “I am so hungover I wish I was dead.” This does not phase me. In a previous column, I have discussed the drinking culture of Korea. A large portion of Korean activities, especially work-related, focus around the consumption of alcohol well beyond the point of intoxication. Another not-so-surprising detail is a new study recently released that claims Koreans are drinking more. According to an article in the Korea Herald, the National Tax Services released a study that show Koreans have consumed an increasing amount of alcohol over the past ten years. In particular, beer, wine, whisky have increased the most. The biggest increases have been seen in the consumption of wine and whisky. The amount of wine consumption last year reached nearly 46 million liters, more than six times 1999’s figure of 6.4 million liters. Makgeolli, too, has gaine...

Here's another great post from our own Lindsey Huster. If you would like to contribute to Seoul Eats, please send me an e-mail here.  Dan I visited Daegu this weekend, and found myself in uncharted food territory. Every Korean dish was there, but somehow different- still side dishes and meals, yet slightly altered. Bibimbop was no longer rice and vegetables; now there was boribap , a hybrid of barley and rice, mixed with vegetables (a few unfamiliar ones), sans the fried egg.   Also my familiar mandu pickings were replaced with Napjak mandu. This flattened dumpling looks more like a pot sticker and is filled with Korean leek, carrot, cabbage and green onion; rather than the kimchi and pork.   Although it's easy to believe that living in Seoul results in the ultimate exposure to Korean cuisine, untested foods exist just over those mountains, rivers and seas.   The answers Korea diverse cuisine lies in its geography. Since Korea stretches most...

by Lindsey Huster   Tis the season of produce. At every street corner, alleyway, and subway exit, mini-food markets have cropped up overnight (or sometimes just at night). These corners, tables, trucks, and sometimes just blankets, readily displaying ripe produce fit for the picking. While a number of fruits and vegetables seemed to have sprung up recently, most of this produce has only now come into season.   One of the best was to support Korea is to support these local stands and markets. While it may be more convenient to shop at a grocery store, buying your produce through these markets benefits buyers and growers alike.   Fruits and vegetables are the most nutritious for eaters at their seasonal peaks. Although it's possible to buy fruits and vegetables out of season at many grocery stories, they are not nearly as tasty. More importantly, however, fruits and vegetables are the most nutritious when they are in season. Out-of-season produce also tends to be more...

Seoul wants to clean up its streets, and has decided to start with gum chewers. According to an article in the Korea Herald, the city revised ordinances to impose and levy fines of 30,000 to 50,000 won for anyone caught spitting chewing gum on the streets. Under the city's previous ordinance, throwing cigarette butts and litter were punishable with a fine. The "full-fledged crackdown" will begin in September said officials, in time for the Group of Twenty (G-20) meeting scheduled in November. "With citizens' voluntary cooperation with this, we could make a cleaner city," said a city official to the Korea Herald. While it's commendable to spur change, especially in favor of a cleaner environment, these changes should happen without the motivation of a major financial summit. The potential for Seoul to become a cleaner city should occur within the desire of the government and the public. While gum spitting remains focus of this campaign toward...

Food waste habits are hard to break, especially in Korea Growing up in the United States, I know food waste. I am, unfortunately, one of many Americans who throws out on average a pound of day of food. According to the U.N. World Food Programme, the total surplus of U.S. food could satisfy "every empty stomach" in Africa. Although the United Kingdom and Japan also have been ranked as some of the worst food wasters (throwing away 30 to 40 percent of their food each year), South Korea is unfortunately not exempt from this global trend. In Korean restaurants, where a multitude of side dishes accompany most meals, it's not too far-fetched to imagine that there is a nod towards acceptable food waste. According to Stuart Tristram's recent book, Waste: Uncovering the Global Food Scandal, wasting food in South Korea is a sign of hospitality and an example of affluence. Eventually, these kind of eating habits began to get noticed. After the Korean government released a re...