Please, no more!

Food, that is.  I don't think I've eaten this much in ages, other than a few depression inspired junk food binges.  My friend's son asked me what my favorite Korean food is.  In fact, all my friends keep asking me what I want to eat.  I don't know - I'm open to trying it all!  Well, as long as it's cooked and doesn't have tentacles or used to slither.

Other than the kimchi, which is not only too hot for me, cabbage doesn't go down well and most kimchi here is made with a shrimp brine.  I'm allergic to shellfish so I just pass on the kimchi.  I had a fish ball in sauce on one of the tours and it nearly came back up, so I think it may have had shellfish mixed in or was cooked in the shrimp based liquids they often use.

What I remember best about my previous trip here was 삼겹살, or pork BBQ, cooked on a super hot grill in the middle of your table.  The slightly better restaurants use a quality pork steak, and the neighborhood food spots use a very thick Korean bacon that is out of this world.  All meals are served with side dishes that you can eat separately or with your meat, soup, or whatever your main dish is.  Every restaurant has their own side dishes, and serve a small bowl of clear soup near the end of the meal.  Koreans are very big on pickled veggies, especially cucumbers and radish.  I hate radishes,  but they use the huge white variety and put it in so many things, and I love it.

My next favorite may be chimtak.  I haven't found it in Hangul yet so my English spelling may be a bit off.  It's chicken and veggies in a huge bowl of savory soy sauce gravy kind of liquid - but 100 times better than it sounds.  Melt in your mouth goodness.

Then there is patbingsu, which is shaved ice with condensed milk topped with sweet red been puree.  Tastes MUCH better than even I thought it would, and I like weird textures and foods.  Can't wait to find a recipe for home.

I've also discovered the joys of the Korean pastry shop next to the hotel.  It has a French name, but the pastries aren't as sweet as home, and more of a flaky pastry than a typical fried donut.  In fact, most of the sweets here aren't as sweet, so they aren't upsetting my stomach or system.  Today's new food was a type of 'bubble tea'; matcha red bean smoothie with jelly.  The jelly is actually little balls of a gelatinous, tapioca type substance.  They come in every flavor and style imaginable.

Rice cakes here are not what we think of in the U.S.  The typical rice cake at home tastes like, well, like styrofoam.  Rice cakes here come in every size, shape, color, and filling.  Many are soft with a texture like raw bread dough, but with flavor.  Some are crunchy and similar to the styrofoam from home, but again - with flavor.  Apparently I'm an odd Westerner because I like rice cakes, like the texture, and love patbingsu, complete with red bean topping.

The chicken ginseng soup was tasty, and I don't normally like boiled chicken or anything ginseng flavored, but this was good.  Fresh ingredients make a huge difference.  I had a beef rib soup one night at a slightly westernized place across the street.  I also had bulgogi in a hot pot, which is tender beef slices in a flavorful soup with veggies.  I actually had it in 2 different places that were both excellent.

I do have to admit that the one thing I've stuck to from home is Starbucks.  There's one on the way to the office, as well as all over the city, and nothing compares to the caramel frappuccino from home.  With it I can prepare for the day and be epicuriously adventurous!

I can certainly understand why many Westerners don't do well with the food in Korea, especially if they don't like textures they aren't used to.  While I don't do well with any food that is still alive, slithers, or has tentacles, I can handle most everything else.  

Koreans also share their food with each other, reaching across their table mates to grab something, taking bits of side dishes or soup from any bowl on the table.  Table manners like this would have gotten me slapped at home, but here it's perfectly acceptable.  Everyone shares, no one goes hungry, and you can have all the refills of the side dishes that you want.  I wouldn't want to be the dishwasher at a restaurant that serves 10 side dishes in separate bowls, with 2-3 sets per table!

So if you come to Korea, don't be afraid to try the food, you will be pleasantly surprised!  I'm definitely going to miss it when I get home.