Given that Korea is a peninsula surrounded by the life-teeming waters of the ocean, seafood plays a crucial component in the cuisine. There are countless delicious dishes utilizing this bountiful booty in endless ways, from still squirming sannakji (small octopus) to bubbling cauldrons of seafood stew called maeuntang, to quick dishes like this octopus stirfry. It's a dish I ate several times during my stay in Korea and have since recreated for Antho, who quite enjoyed it too. There are a lot of awesome recipes for it out there on the vast expanses of the internet, but it's always nice to go out and try it in a restaurant! On this evening, Yonie and I went out for a meal together and enjoyed this delicious dish in a restaurant I had walked by hundreds of times without realizing. Even in the suburb of Hwajeong practically every building is multiple stories tall with various shops and restaurants occupying the many rooms within... walk down a hallway and you may find yourself surprised to pass a budaejigae (Army base stew) restaurant, a nail salon, a fashion shop and noodle house before exiting to the other side. There are simply so many options available, it's really astounding. Personally, I love it. There's absolutely no way I could have tried every single restaurant in the time I was there, even if I ate out every single night of the week. Another mind-boggling thing is how affordable it all is... because of the steep competition there, costs of dining out in restaurants is often less than $10 per person! It can go up depending on the cuisine and the location, of course, as again there's no shortage of options for high-end dining, too, but for a budget diner and aspiring gourmand, South Korea is a wonderland. There's something for everyone, too! Whether you like spicy food or prefer to keep things on the mild side, can't get enough noodles and carbs or are devoutly carnivorous... Even vegans can find some tasty things to eat, though I have to admit that's one particular culinary leaning that doesn't have much traction there just yet. There are temples and places that do serve strictly vegan food but you may have to seek them out specifically, as even seemingly innocuous "safe" things like vegetable banchan will frequently have fish broth or sauce as a base or flavoring component. I'm decidedly omnivorous to the point of eating live shrimp and squirming octopus, so this isn't an issue for me, and I'm in love with the abundance of different dishes that proliferate the Korean dining table. To each their own, though! Make it your own.
More photos below!
This guy looks fly even while taking a quick power nap. Like a boss!
Salad with a black sesame dressing. I love sesame dressing with a fiery passion and will get quite grumpy if someone uses up my supply. Consider yourselves forewarned.
Until next time!
🐙
XOXO,
NAU
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