There is nothing more American than the Hamburger. Of course, the hamburger didn’t originate in the US, but that’s where it gained its fame. These days, hamburgers have become popular in Seoul and most Western style restaurants have them on the menu. Now, that doesn’t mean they all do the burger justice. For the last couple of months, I have been scouring the city in order to find the best. My first criterion was that they had to be beef burgers. Some pork and seasonings were ok, but they had to be primarily beef. No vegetable chicken, shrimp, or pork burgers allowed. The burger had to be served on a bun- no lettuce wrappers or rice buns. I tried to stick to the standard burgers or cheeseburgers without modifications to condiments or toppings. Sides such as French fries or pickles were considered, but were not the focus of my research. Service and price were also factors in choosing the best burgers. One last thing, I like nice buns, I cannot lie. This was a deal breaker for many of th...

Spider Bento Originally uploaded by Los Dragónnes Here is a spooky Bento box from Los Dragonnes on Flickr.

From Slashfoods.com If you follow baseball, you may have heard that the World Series starts tonight. If you live in Philadelphia (as I do) or Tampa Bay, it is probably all you're hearing. As is tradition, the political figures from those cities have placed their food bets. Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter has promised to pony up Philadelphia cheesesteaks, Tastykakes, Philly soft pretzels and Mac and Cheese from Delilah's Southern Café (Oprah's favorite). If the Rays win. In return, the mayors from St. Petersburg, Clearwater and Tampa, FL have offered a Florida Beach Picnic that will include coconut shrimp, stone crab claws and Cuban sandwiches. I think this is a great idea. Food should be used for a celebration. What I find really interesting is the contrast of what these two areas think of as regional favorites. If Philadelphians lived in a warmer climate they would be eating healthier. In the food realm I think Florida is the clear winner. Grey's Papaya is famous for...

Check out this photo of a pumpkin decorated to look like a hamburger, submitted by Sherry Balogh. Woah. It's awesome and gross and artistic and...woah at the same time. Thanks Robyn Lee and Serious Eats!

Go Phillies! Oh, my god, I can't believe it! The Phillies, the team that I grew up Love/hating is going to the world series. I grew up in Delaware and these guys sucked for so many years, but I still had the hat and gear. Oh, and I got tons of autographs from car dealerships because my Dad thought it was the All-American thing to do. I do miss Mike Schmidt. He was my hero growing up and he was the only one on the team that could actually play. The next iteration of champions came during the Lenny Dykstra, John Kruk era- or what I would like to call the "Beer Belly Era." This was when my sister Jill was in love with the Phillies (guys, she is beautiful, but she likes Truck Drivers and Wrestler Type Guys((Love you, sis)). Anyway, Go Phillies! Win it all! Put Philadelphia on the map! Thanks Oven Love for the great pic!

I found this video on Cuteoverload.com A film about a girl revisiting her memories of her childhood spent with her mother. Hand drawn animation set to piano music by Chopin. A film by Hyun-min Lee.

Here are some more specifics on what photos that I'm looking for. The accepted photos should be 6 megapixels or higher, but samples can be sent to me at a lower megapixel count (hopefully, under 1 mp). We are looking for some specific scenes. Here are some topics: Cheonggyecheon Namsangol Hanok Village Temple stay Bongeunsa temple change of the guard ceremony Bukchon inside of live music clubs and bars in Hongdae folk games biking along Han River the main hall of Gyeongbokgung Palace the garosugil in Apgujeongdong or Sinsadong Salesman holding up a big fish at a big fish market like the Norangjin Fish Market Spa photos Shopping (oversize stores and tailors in Itaewon) Jongmyo (the shrine and the ceremony taking place there) http://japanese.visitseoul. net/visit2008jp/travel/ gallery.do?method=photo_list& type=&code=&page=13 This link has some photos you can look at for style the final two photos are under consideration for the cover. If you have one ...

Thanksgiving for Americans will be on November 27th this year and there are several options for you to get your turkey fix. 1. DIY: Do It Yourself If you want to cook your own turkey then there are several options for you. Costco has 7.7 kilo turkeys for sale for W80,000. I’m sure you can get the rest of the fixings there too. If you lack a membership card then I recommend going to www.ezshopkorea.com. They will deliver to your home. The Hannam Mart and Haddon House also have turkeys and fixings for sale around this time. They have a range of sizes of turkeys. Hannam Mart 702-3313. Haddon House 794-0511. 2. Go Out To Eat. Most international hotels and western restaurants in the Itaewon area will have turkey dinners available. Some are buffet style while others are sit down, coursed meals. The best is Toque near Hangangin Station. Chef Meili’s in Itaewon also has a nice spread and you can’t go wrong with the Grand InterContinental Hotel in Samsung-dong. Prices range from 40-60,000 per p...

here are some photos from dear chocolate. The Kirsch Torte was the bomb! The King Crab Ravioli was awesome too.

dear chocolate Every Christmas my mother would utter the same clichéd mom line, “Don’t fill up on sweets and ruin your appetite.” Of course I would eat myself sick on my grandmother’s fudge and spend the rest of the day in a sugar shock. And this was a good thing because the ham was always dry and covered in gelatinous ooze; the mash potatoes were the consistency of Elmer’s Glue, and the vegetables so over steamed a single fork touch would cause it to crumble. At “dear chocolate” in Apgujeong I recommend you ruin your appetite. The posh interior is like a beautiful wood carved bento box-the perfect container for artisan chocolates and eclectic cuisine. The space is truly impressive. Every aspect of this upscale space has been meticulously thought out. Subtle stone panels are set on warm white walls. and the mix of light and dark woods all evoke a sense of Zen and transport you from the maddening rush of the city. I feel the most sophisticated, amorous, and exotic ingredient is the coc...