Ok, I will admit it. I was a bad boy last week so my lovely wife was a little upset with me. So on Sunday, I had to make it up to her. While she slept, I cleaned the house (even though I still think it would be easier to hire a maid); I went shopping (in the rain...the sacrifices you make for love) and then I made homemade rice rolls or Korean kimbap.  I have to admit, they turned out pretty darn well. Here is the set up. Spicy Pork Rice Rolls Set up (Kimbap) Now the pork, I got some moksal (meat from around the neck) and then I chopped it up really fine and then cooked it with some oil, red chili paste, plum extract (maesil), garlic powder and a bit of sugar. Just make sure to stir or the sauce will stick to the pan and burn. I simply julienned the cucumbers (take out the seeds) and carrots. For the rice, I took it out, and added some lemon vinegar (my new favorite vinegar in Korea. I also bought some kimbap seaweed, sesame leaves (gaennip) and some yellow turnip. ...

Our next cooking class  on February 19th is Japchae and Spicy Pork (Jaeyok Bokkeum). If you love these two dishes and would love to learn how to make them, then this is your chance. It's a great way to  learn Korean  cuisine and meet other foodies. You'll learn Korean favorites such as Daktoritang, Bibimbap, Japchae, and Sundubu throughout the 2 month course. You'll get a deep understanding of the culture and the techniques of Korean cuisine from our award winning chefs. First, you'll see a demonstration from the chef, then you'll have a chance to make your own, and then you'll get to eat what you made. February 19th: Japchae and Spicy Pork March 5th: Kimchi and Bulgogi March 12th: Daktoritang and Vegetable Side Dishes March 19th: Dolsot Bibimbap and Bean Sprout Soup The classes will be offered in English at 11am. You can sign up for 1 or all of the classes. There are 3 classes a month  and classes cost 55,000 a person per session, but if you sign up fo...

Potato and Pork Bone Stew My friend Steve Hatherly from TBS eFM radio has been telling me about this amazing potato and pork bone place for over a year and so we finally decided to go check it out. The place is amazing and it's ALL, about the soup. They must cook the pork bones 24/7 because the broth is so thick and luscious that its what I perceive molten gold would taste like (I mean if we could drink it). It's soooo good, that I have dreams about the broth. The secret is to eat the potatoes last and you have to mash them into the broth and pork bits to make the best mashed potatoes ever. Yummmm...Check out the video. Dan The place is called Seobu Gamja-guk (서부감자국) 서울시 은평구 녹번동 181 02 356-4555 It's up by Yeonsinnae all the way up on the Orange line. Here's a map: View Larger Map

Across from Club Mool (Korea's most famous nightclub for older men and women), you'll find Dongin Dong. They serve Daegu (Southeastern part of Korea) style food that is spicy, filling, and flavorful. Since Daegu is my hometown, I felt right at home.  You can find it if you go out Sinsa Station exit 6. and make a right just before the Beans Bin Coffee. You'll have to wait (we waited 25 minutes) for a table, because it is quite popular. While we were outside waiting, the hostess gave us a plate of oyster jeon. These are oysters that are dipped in egg and sauteed in oil. The oysters are like what you would find in a Cajun Po'boy. Dang, are they good. Here is some eggplant banchan. Here are the famous pork pancakes with a pitcher of makgeolli (Korea's Rice Alcohol). The pork pancakes are about the size of a baby's head. Now we get to the spicy galbijjim. Galbijjim is a beef dish that is slowly cooked in sauce until the meat falls off the bone. Usually it's ...

Swine Flu is scary stuff and it seems to get getting worse and worse in America and Mexico. There haven't been any reported cases in Korea- thank gosh and I don't think it'll be much of a problem. Korea uses mainly domestic pigs, so I think they are isolated from the infected masses. Now I'm sure that the visa requirements (i.e. for E-2 teaching visas) for foreigner pigs are so tough that they wouldn't even bother coming to Korea. Plus I heard they feed the Korean pigs Kimchi. Kimchi is the cure all for everything. Apparently that's what kept the Avian Flu away, so I don't think the swine flu has any chance. Oh, and a final note. What's scary about this epidemic is that this flu can be transmitted from pigs to human, so I wouldn't recommend kissing any pigs like in the picture above. Plus, cook your meat to around 70 degrees celcius (140 F). This will kill the virus. Dan