Daniel Gray with Anthony Bourdain in Seoul Wow. One of the highlights of my life as a foodie was to meet Mr. Anthony Bourdain when he came to Seoul. When he finally came to Seoul with his team, I was excited and I hoped that maybe I would be asked to be on the show, but I didn't know what would come of it. Joe McPherson of Zenkimchi was working as the fixer on the production so I thought they already had their foodie for the show. I was lucky to meet up with the lovely Nari , who is a producer with Zero Point Zero Productions and director Marc. We met up for noodles and we talked about the show and I gave suggestions for guests on the show. I then recommended some of friends for the show and some other food experts that I knew. The production seemed to be quite big and they were looking for people that had real insights into Korea. I recommended my friend, DJ Shine from the rap group Drunken Tiger. I am really looking to see how his interview goes. What was interest...

Last week the Agency for Traditional Market Administration sponsored a market tour and a Crescent Moon Rice Cake Cooking Class with O'ngo Food Communications for Filipino Mothers and children currently married to Korean spouses in Korea. I mentioned it before on this post on the cooking class,  but I didn't post the pictures of the market tour. For the tour, all the kids were dressed in hanboks (Korean traditional clothes)- even the babies. They looked very cute and colorful as they walked through the market. If you haven't been to Kwangjang Market yet, I highly recommend it. The shopkeepers are all very friendly, the food is delicious, the prices are cheap, and there is just a wonderful energy about the place. It's the place to see the real Korea. Dan Here I explain Rich Soybean Paste and Red Pepper Paste (Gochujang) I think she's posing^^ Everyone loves the Bindaetteok Here is the motherload of Banchan (Side Dishes) See.. Squid is not that ba...

지난 20일 강남구 삼성동의 한 쿠킹 스튜디오에서 W호텔의 키아란 히키(가운데) 총주방장 등 외국인들이 닭볶음탕을 만들고 있다. 맛을 보던 간호사 지니 리(왼쪽에서 두 번째)는“한식이 쉽고 간단해서 놀랐다”고 말했다. / 이진한 기자 magnum91@chosun.com The Chosun Ilbo is Korea's largest and most popular newspaper and reporter, Shin Jeong-seon 신정선, did a story on the tour. She mentioned many of the participants and the president of O'ngo Food Communications, Jia Choi. Overall, I think the first tour was a success and we are preparing for the next one on March 13th. I will be posting information about it soon.  Here's a video of the class filmed by the photographer, Lee Jin-han (이진한). And here is the story in Korean. Thank you for all those that participated! 韓食 참 쉽네요" 국내 거주 외국인 16명 즐거운 '한식 투어' 재래시장 둘러보고 닭볶음탕 등 직접 요리… "상세한 설명 큰 도움앞으로 직접 해먹어야죠" 지난 20일 오전 10시 지하철 3호선 대치역 3번 출구에 금발의 부부가 나타났다. 잠시 후 등장한 중년 남성은 가죽 재킷 아래에 흰 요리복을 입었다. 뒤이어 뿔테 안경을 낀 여성이 영어로 인사를 건네며 합류했다. 10시30분이 되자 일행은 16명으로 늘었다. 이들은 모두 한국에 거주하는 외국인들. 한국에 살면서도 제대로 몰랐던 한식에 대한 궁금증을 풀어줄...

Back in December, I was invited by KBS TV to participate in a Buddhist Temple Cuisine Cooking Class. I learned how to prepare dishes using locally grown produce. The special ingredient was lotus root which has medicinal qualities and adds a floral accent to the dishes. You can see it tonight (Sunday, February 14th) at 8pm on KBS1 TV. Happy Eating! Dan Here is the front to Kilsangsa Temple The meditation area. The head monk. His English was impeccable and his message was profound. Here are some of the participants. Chefs in action. Guljeolpan: Buckwheat crepes with vegetables. Kimchi and Tofu. Lotus Broth Dasik: Pressed Pine Pollen Delicacies. Lotus Tea

Zenkimchi, Fatman Seoul, and Seoul Eats in Korean Times. By Ines Min Contributing Writer In the past five years, a new Internet phenomenon has begun to boil in Seoul: the foreigner food blogging culture. United by a common desire to explore the international and domestic cuisines found in South Korea, expat foodies now have an outlet for their passion through a community of English-language blogs ― something that was unheard of before 2004. The ``grandfather of food blogs" was FatMan Seoul, according to Joe McPherson of ZenKimchi.com. It was Seoul's first food blog in English, started by a mystery man whose identity was never discovered. Though shut down in early 2005 with the author's departure from the country, its legacy lives on through inspired bloggers ― one of which still carries on the name, with no affiliation. After the Web site closed, McPherson noticed that there was a lack of Korean food blogs written in English, and began his own. He converted his personal ...