Korea: 설렁탕 Seolleongtang

I've mentioned on the blog before that soup is, perhaps weirdly, one of my all-time favorite foods to eat. It's an endlessly versatile food delivery mechanism that is often warming, filling and soothing while also providing a nourishing boost of vegetables and protein in an easy to digest format. The endless customization and variety available means that every region, every culture, and every cuisine, have their own variations and takes on the staple food. One of Korea's most simple and straightforward seeming of soups is 설렁탕 or seolleongtang, a clean and milky white beef bone broth base that arrives at your table unseasoned. This trend towards under seasoning early on, familiar for those who have seen my post on or sampled Samgyetang, seems peculiar to Korean cooking (or anyone who's sampled my mother-in-law's cuisine). Given that the broth comes to the table in it's purest, nude form, you're given several different options for adding flavoring at your discretion; pungent, funky kimchi (in this case to be cut with scissors at the table), kkaktugi (pickled radish kimchi), and an assortment of other banchan and sauces. In this restaurant, this particular time, I was given pickled onions and a deeply umami seasoned squid side. Seolleongtang, despite its deceptively simple base, is one of those foods that I find myself craving time and time again after thoroughly underestimating it prior to trying it. After all, I grew up on tinned chicken noodle soup, with the soup absolutely saturated in salt, and the soggy noodles barely able to maintain their shapes after being pasteurized for safety, so I expected to be severely underwhelmed in the flavor department... to the contrary! The milky beef broth is unctuous and coats your mouth in rich beefy goodness, a light sheen of grease adding weight to the liquid. Brought to the table boiling hot and steaming, it's especially good at warming your body (and soul) after navigating the bone-chilling cold of Seoul's fierce winters. I wasn't even there for the worst of their winters, but I found myself going for seolleongtang multiple times a week. The bits of beef floating in the soup are absolutely tender, and the warm, slurpable noodles add a hearty boost of carbohydrate for energy and density. 

Warms you right up, regardless of the chill outside!

Korea: 짬뽕 Jjampong

짬뽕, or Jjampong is one of those delicious soul-warming foods you never knew you were missing until you try it and realize in shocked horror that you've been sorely lacking something in your life all this time. Typically served with a bright, fiery red broth based on pork or seafood and loaded with a variety of delicious goodies foraged from the waves, it'll cure what ails you whether it's a hangover or homesickness. There are endless varieties and iterations on the dish, some with a white or light colored broth, some with more or less seafoods, some with oysters and some without. As with most foods, the variations tend to be regional as tastes change from region to region, and these differences are highly esteemed and valued in their communities. The dish itself isn't even of Korean origin, it's one of their Korean-Chinese fusion dishes, much like jjajangmyun or tangsuyuk. The Japanese version is Nagasaki-champon, for those familiar with the dish. I was definitely introduced to Champon first, in Japan, by my friend Yuka, but I never associated the two dishes as being one in the same due to the strong differences between the first versions I tried and those I had later on in the US or Korea. Given that's it's one of their Chinese fusion dishes, you can find it at restaurants that cater to that genre of foodstuffs, and it's often exceptionally affordable to boot. For example, I had this meal in Dongdaemun, only a short walk from the train station, and paid less than $5 US for the heaping bowl of sea-filled goodness. Not only did it warm my tired, hungry, homesick soul, but it didn't break the bank, either! Koreans seem to have a pretty good handle on how to make really good food at reasonable prices, and jjampong is a shining example of this ethos. Delicious, full of vegetables, noodles and plenty of healthy protein- but don't mistake this as a health dish, there's tons of fat and sodium to give it all that flavor, too!

 

You don't have to book a trip to Seoul to enjoy jjampong, there's plenty of restaurants that serve it stateside too! You can even find instant noodle versions if you're really craving for it. I definitely recommend trying it fresh, at least once in your life!

I may have been doing some research for my impending return to Vegas... lol!

Korea: 홍어회 in화정 or Hongoe in Hwajeong

Throughout my entire stay in South Korea, I lived in the small town of Hwajeong, in Goyang prefecture. It's only a short commute outside of Seoul, about 30 minutes by train in to Anguk area which was without a doubt one of my favorite neighborhoods to spend time in. Hwajeong was a charming little suburb to reside in, though, and I thoroughly enjoyed my time living there! Not only was it easy (enough) to commute to and from work on the daily, but there were multiple options for shopping, recreation, and dining throughout the area. While your typical suburb in Las Vegas has at least one convenience store nestled in its midst, there's no real guarantee that you'll be able to get to a grocery store on foot, not in any timely manner anyway..this issue is referred to as "food deserts", where fresh foods are less readily available and residents need to commute to have access to amenities. In Hwajeong I could walk 5 minutes and have my pick from several small groceries, multiple convenience stores (of different brands/names) and countless fast or slow food restaurants. Who says that Americas the greatest country in the world? For sheer capitalistic indulgences and opportunity, South Korea certainly seems to have learned from us and upped the ante.   

Another thing South Korea does well, that we don't really do much here, is fermented fish. Tangent much, eh? In the United States, you might find some form of pickled fish hiding in a dusty, forlorn corner of the grocery store's "ethnic" section, but in Korea, there's a famous fermented fish whose name strikes fear into the hearts (and nostrils) of those familiar with it: Hongoe. This funky beast is the result of fermenting skate, those cute little mini-mantas who have the peculiar habit of urinating through their skin. This, naturally, gives the fermented variety of their flesh a distinctly ammonia-heavy odor that even I, a girl whose sense of smell is laughably non-existent, found challenging. To be fair, hongoe is a challenge even for native Koreans who grew up around the stuff. Typically eaten with super-ripe kimchi and sweet milky rice alcohol in the form of makkgeoli, you can also find hongoe prepackaged at some grocery stores. It's much more affordable to buy the prepackaged variety, and so I decided to give it a go, but I have to admit I wasn't able to eat the whole package on my own. The texture of the fish is unusual, too, with a cartilaginous crunch that's hard to compare to anything that hasn't been rotting in its own urine for an extended period of time. 

Even just looking at these photos is giving me olfactory flashbacks. Oof. Enjoy the photos of the pretty view from here out, to hopefully get some of the funk out! You might also enjoy noticing the little bird, who perched atop the tower here. 

Until next time, thanks for stopping by!

🐟

XOXO,

NAU

Korea: 순대국 Sundaeguk

순대국, or Sundaeguk, is one of those foods that you won't really find on too many high-end Korean restaurant menus, and there's probably some good reasons behind this... Chief among reasons why sundae doesn't make it's way to the top of many luxury menus is the fact that it's essentially a food born of necessity rather than sheer, simple, deliciousness. This is not to say that it's not delicious- sundae is something you'll find on many "must eat Korean food" lists because it absolutely is a delicious food! That being said, there's just something about a food based around congealed pork's blood and rubbery sweet-potato starch noodles as a filler that can be a hard sell for those who view nose-to-tail cuisine, and unusual cuts, as less-than-desirable or palatable. A shame, for those foolish folks, because sundae, and the other necessity foods that arise from "off" cuts (like gobchang or horumon) are generally pretty fabulous. Sundaeguk, or blood sausage soup, is one of those super-delicious, filling, and affordable home-style meals that you can find in small neighborhood restaurants throughout Korea but are less likely to encounter in the states. It's a perfectly practical food- after enjoying a fresh meal of steaming hot, freshly cooked sundae dipped in the seasoned salt mix, you chuck any left overs into a stew to stretch them further for yet another meal. Sundae is a food born of practical need to use up and stretch rare or otherwise expensive ingredients, as is sundaeguk, and as such it doesn't get the limelight. In this way, it's kind of like the bookish girl who gets ignored for the flashier, more in your face types- there's a real treasure to be found there for those who know where to look. Some of the tastiest foods in life fit this profile, though, don't they? Macaroni and cheese is, for all intents and purposes, a largely shapeless blob of waxy orange and white goo, after all, and refried beans (a staple out here in Las Vegas) are literally shapeless smashed brownish grey paste that taste like heaven and look like something you squeezed out into the porcelain bowl after a particularly negligent dietary weekend. 

Suffice to say, sundaeguk is delicious and you should absolutely try it if you find an opportunity! I'd recommend going for a freshly made batch in a restaurant, but the packaged version (like the one I tried here) wasn't terrible. Don't judge a meal by its looks, man, that's all I'm trying to say.

Korea: 우동불볶이 Udon-bul-bokki

Mm, gods bless the carbohydrate, the staple energy source for most human meals and a highly adaptable, multi-purpose foodstuff. Grains have come a long way since the dawn of the agricultural age, and what better exemplar of this than noodles. Not only does wheat flour allow us to make pancakes, cakes, and bread (both leavened and flat), it can be rolled out and sliced into noodles of any variety of shapes and sizes. Sometimes you want the super-thin and slippery angel hair or somen type of noodles, and some days you want the big, fat, slurpable succulence of udon. Don't worry, love, if noodles are your jam, you'll have more than a reasonable amount of options available to get your fix. Korea is a heaven for noodles and carbohydrates, from the tender yet addictively sweet and spicy tteok-bokki (떡볶이 ), to the endless walls and shelves of ramyun (라면) in all it's assorted spices and seasonings, to this: udonbulbokki- or fire udon noodles in the style of tteok-bokki or ramyun-bokki. This is another of those super simple, super affordable meals that came prepackaged from the supermarket.

 I opted to gussy it up with some cheese, as suggested by the package. You don't have to, in the name of keeping it simple, but the noodles have fire (불 "bul") in the name for a reason: they are HOT! And I'm not just talking about spicy noodle bae on the package here, these noodles were definitely on the fiery end of the flavor spectrum. Did you know that the fats in lactose-heavy foods can actually help cool and soothe the burn? That's why you'll so frequently see people with a bowl of ice cream or big glass of milk nearby when doing spicy food challenges! Hence, throwing a slice of melty processed cheese on top of your spicy a$$ noodles helps calm the burn a bit,which makes it a popular seasoning choice for the nearly incomprehensible selection of noodles ready to bring the fire in Korea. The udon was pretty good, though I think it would have been better as part of an overall meal and not as the singular main course. I'd eat it again if I ran into it, but it's not my favorite thing I ate in Seoul...

Keep chasing the fire!

🔥

XOXO,

NAU

Korea: Frozen 불고기피자 bulgogi pizza

Sometimes, especially if you choose to pursue the path of the starving artist (or, ahem, self-fulfilled professional artist) for the majority of your twenties, you may find yourself craving for something filling and cheesy, yet still reasonably priced (or, to be frank, cheap). Grocery stores and cooking at home are generally going to be more generous to your wallet than dining out, though it's hard to really say which is better when it comes to Korea... if you're worried about your health, dining at home may actually be the better option as restaurants are typically quite resistant to making changes to any of their menu selections and cook for flavor, not health, typically. If you're used to the American attitude of "have it your way", where you can customize your burger or coffee to the point of absurdity, you're going to have a hard time. Fact. Korean chefs don't give two shits if you think you can't digest gluten and have a sensitivity- they're going to look at you like the fool you are for having gone to a pizza joint in the first place. Now, look- I know sometimes these things find a way of happening, where the one person in the entire group who happens to be a vegan gets dragged along to the steakhouse for dinner and gets stuck eating a sad baked potato or green salad with oil and vinegar because it's the only thing they could find lacking in animal parts... these things just tend to happen from time to time, especially in the case of "unusual" or "extreme" dietary decisions. But if you find yourself in this sort of position while in South Korea, or even Japan (where people are known to be overly accommodating at times), trust that the chef in the kitchen making your food will give absolutely zero craps about your dietary choices and needs. He's been making the same dish the same way for the last who-knows-how-long, and he's not changing it for anyone, definitely not you (or me). Also, I would really recommend against trying to adhere to a stringent vegan or vegetarian diet in South Korea, anyway, simply due to how prevalent the use of fish broth and other animal-based seasonings is and how rare veganism (or even good old ovo-Lacto vegetarianism) is outside of temples. 

And let's be fair, here. I didn't have to resort to pizza to fill that gaping hole in my insides. I could have gone to the local kongnamul gukbap restaurant and eaten a boiling hot bowl of soybean sprout and rice soup fresh from the kitchen, replete with side dishes and a fresh egg, for less than $5 US. But sometimes, ya girl needs some good old fashioned greasy American-Korean fusion food, and this frozen bulgogi pizza totally fit that bill. It definitely wasn't the best thing I've ever eaten, nor the cheapest, but it served its purpose. 

Until next time~

🍕

XOXO,

NAU

Korea: Galbitang 갈비탕 and Ssamziegil snacks

Undoubtedly, one of the best things about living and working in Seoul is the ready accessibility of delicious, affordable food at any turn. Whether you're in need of a robust, hearty meal with a rainbow of banchan to whet your palate and satisfy your hunger, or simply an easy, light, quick snack to tide you over, you'll never have to go far to find it. The Fun Caricature location I spent a significant portion of my work days at in Seoul's historic arts and crafts district of Insadong, near Anguk station, was especially well-endowed in terms of delicious options- from food carts to sit down breweries, high or low end, it was all there. We could even get food delivered to us right at the location, fresh and steaming hot, should the need or desire arise (it did). Korean food delivery systems are among some of the best in the world, though America is desperately trying to catch up these days with Ubereats and Doordash and whatever other silly-named services have since come out offering to ferry your food directly to you to save you the hassle of going to get it. 

While I frequently opted for the cheap, quick snack from a vendor or the convenience stores, there was no denying the bounty of restaurants available to choose from near the caricature location. At first I was too anxious to go and try to fend for myself in a restaurant where the language is something I sorely struggle to comprehend, but once I started to pick up on reading Hangul (it's really a lot easier than you think it is) and could deduce the items on the menu it was a lot less intimidating. The meal pictured above, a delicious and warming bowl of beef rib soup (aka Galbitang) and ample banchan was reasonably priced, even for being in a nicer restaurant in a tourist-heavy area, and I thoroughly enjoyed it as a change of pace from the usual hard boiled eggs and mysterious sausage-shaped-fish-based-food. My coworkers would sometimes join me on these lunch outings, but this was a solo mission. It was peaceful. If there's a lesson here, my friends, it's to be brave and get out there and try. Believe it or not, most people are actually quite kind at heart, at least in my experience out in the world. 

And who knows, maybe you'll make friends with the sweet lady at the dongppang (poop bread) shop!

Korea: Ewha university district

 Along with being nearly impossible for me to spell correctly, Ewha university district is an excellent destination for anyone looking to soak up some of Seoul's prodigious youth culture. Ewha Women's University happened to be the private educational institution where my good friend Carmen happened to be teaching English at the time of my stay in Korea, so her apartment was in the area, naturally. We had met up in different neighborhoods throughout my stay, but given her familiarity with the area we decided to explore it together on a chilly early-winter evening. The energy of the area is palpable, though, almost immediately after departing the train or bus station. Rich, densely scented plumes of steam billow from multiple street food vendor's carts, a heady mix of odors perfuming the air and young students and residents bustle buy in their quest for cheap sustenance and a safe, quiet place to study. Luckily, Seoul was pretty safe in my experience of it, but that doesn't mean it's an entirely idyllic location free of troubles...

Once your stomach is sufficiently satiated, you have a plethora of options to choose from when it comes to entertainment. Maybe you feel like dipping into a noraebang for Korean-style karaoke, or maybe you want to drop a few thousand won at the flagship Line Friends store and get your photo with the giant teddybear that resides inside. I mean, I didn't get my photo with the bear, because I'm a cynical bastard., but don't let me stop you from living your best life. There are endless shops throughout the area catering to the needs of all the students (and their professors) living near the campus, whether you need some cheap fresh fruit straight from the farmer or some fast fashion to keep up with the endlessly evolving fashion parading through the streets. One thing South Koreans seem quite good at is staying on top of the trends, as you'll quickly notice a very strong color palette present on most train rides through the city, or simply by walking through the crowded alleys of Hongdae and Ewha, where the color du jour will dominate the scene.  

Whether you're looking for a primo-photo opportunity or want to stock up on the latest skincare and fashion trends, Ewha is worth checking out on any visit to Seoul!

Korea: 청국장 Deadbody Soup! (aka Cheonggukjang)

What is the scariest thing you've ever put into your mouth?

(that's what she said)

There's actually a surprisingly large amount of ethics and consideration that can go into food if you put any thought into it. After all, as anyone who's met a vegan can attest, they've invariably put a lot of time and energy into their diet of choice. Personally, I'm not going to be a vegan, not for any extended period of time in the foreseeable future unless it's as a temporary dietary change, key word being temporary. I'm not terribly shy about putting weird and potentially disturbing things in my mouth in the name of trying new foods, and that adventure led me to eating 청국장 or cheonggukjang. This particular breed of soup has a very pronouncedly pungent odor, sometimes dubbed vaguely reminiscent of "wet socks". So strong is the smell that it's lead to the alternative name of "Dead body soup" after an urban legend cropped up about the notorious smelly soup leading to false accusations of murder. If that doesn't hint to the fact this is some seriously stinky shi*t, I don't know what else to tell you guys. It's made with fermented soybeans, which are also eaten in the form of natto, a mucilaginous dish that has its own notoriety for being famously divisive.

I'm sure the fellow denizens dining in the tiny little restaurant I opted to go to for my helping of this stinky soup were probably less than excited about my decision to order it. It's considered a healthy dish, nourishing to help power you through the depths of winter's chill, but the winter chill also meant that the doors to the small establishment were shut. The stinky little sauna was strongest in my immediate vicinity, but there's no escaping the severity of the stench on this one, not in a space this small. I've eaten this dish in the past and gotten a wretched case of indigestion, but this time through it went without issue. The soup itself is rich in umami with a bleu cheese kind of fermented depth, which I find enjoyable but may not be palatable for some. I've never been one to be put off of a food due to its odor, so the famous smell isn't a problem to me. I know that I'm in a rare camp on that count, and I am grateful.   

For what its worth, I thoroughly enjoyed my meal!

Korea: Protests in Anguk

Speaking on a global scale, political scandals seem to be a pretty regular occurrence throughout different societies regardless of culture or country, whether it's the recent allegations against the fiercely anti-drug Philippines' President's son being linked to a massive (as in over $150 million worth) drug bust,  the President of United States and his alleged affair (and hush money bribe) with porn star Stormy Daniels (not to mention all that stuff about Russia), the corruption scandal currently brewing in Argentina... I'm apt to think that this says something profound about human nature, something about power and corruption and all that jazz. We've all heard the cliches, right?  

As an American, scandal in the U.S. seems old hat and almost depressingly routine. Growing up I heard endless rhetoric on the radio about that one president who got his jollies with an intern who performed "oral sex", whatever that meant (because as a kid I was blissfully clueless). I've seen politicians quite literally dance and sing about bombing far-off countries with glee and watched the mandatory mournful spiel given after the planes hit the towers one brisk September morning 17-odd years ago. As serious and meaningful as these moments have been for America, and the world, as the ripples of their fallout continue to settle, there is a degree of ineffectuality that lingers around them. A sense of hopelessness, of powerlessness. I know those who would argue adamantly that what makes America such a great place is our ability to get out there and enact change if we sign up and make ourselves heard, but the great wave of free love seems to have crested in the 70s, and the movement could be said to be failed. The wars have broiled on in their various guises, under various excuses and justifications, ever since. 

"So now....you can go up on a steep hill in Las Vegas and look West, and with the right kind of eyes you can almost see the high-water mark—that place where the wave finally broke and rolled back.”

― Hunter S. Thompson, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas

But scandal, in another country, where the insane allegations and dramatic upheaval will largely be of no impact to my personal existence and I have no power, period? This puts a whole new level of surreal spin on the proceedings... in the end, I can say that I was there, I witnessed it, during the whole shebang. And that's something, I suppose. 

Korea: 갈비탕 Galbitang and snacks at home

What is your favorite comfort food? It might seem like a simple question, and at first blush, it is- most Americans, especially children, will gladly shout out eager cries of pizza or tacos, maybe even cheeseburgers. Don't get me wrong, these are perfectly delicious and fine foods to enjoy, no derision or condescension coming from me on that point- and I'm certainly never one to be opposed to the idea of consuming pizza (or tacos, or cheeseburgers), whether they're bedecked with pineapple or anchovies (or even both, which may be rather shocking, I know). These foods reflect the melting pot of American culture (being Italian, Latin, or German in origin respectively) as well as our love for hearty, meaty (or at least cheesy) goodness. This question grows more convoluted in its response when you venture beyond this country's shores, however. When I'd ask Japanese children their favorite food at Tokyo Disney Sea, the answers were frequently fruits or vegetables- one of my favorite responses to that question, ever, was when a small child at the "Turtle Talk" attraction told Crash that his favorite food was "BROCCOLI" with all the childish glee and enthusiasm their little lungs could muster. When have you ever heard an American kid brag about their fondness for the little forests? Another common, and perhaps unsurprising, response was rice. Being the staple grain for the majority of the Asian countries, and therefore providing the basis for the typical home cooked meal, its ubiquitous presence paired with its clean and simple flavor make it easy to understand why it would gain a sentimental spot in one's heart. Curry rice, after all, is such a well-loved dish in Japan that it was available 365 days a year in the employee cafeteria at Tokyo Disney Sea, for those extra-picky eaters who turned their noses up at the other dishes available. Rice presents an endless potential, like a blank sheet of paper, ready to take any ideas you throw its way. To be totally honest, I had little interest of care for rice prior to moving to and living in Japan for an extended period of time- I saw it as bland and boring. Now? Now you can find me hauling 15+ pound bags of the grain home from the market on a fairly frequent basis. 

That being true, I still can't say that rice is my favorite food in and of itself. It isn't. I enjoy it with much more vigor these days than I did when I was, say, 14 or 15, and I would be remiss to try to live a life without it... but if I were to crown any food my ultimate, supreme, alpha and omega of comfort food, it's going to have to be...

((Drumroll))

SOUP!

I know, how unsexy. What am, an elderly person with no teeth? Sheesh.

Soup, for all it's plain good looks and its predominant spot as an early appetizer or palate warmer on many menus, is a real work horse of the food world.  Whether it's the classic Cambell's condensed tomato soup in a can, made with milk like grandma used to make, or a hot and steaming bowl of pho broth made with a laundry list of ingredients so long it would make you faint. Soup has a universally warming, soothing effect upon consumption that's hard to deny. It's a vessel for endless combinations of meat, grain, and vegetable, and any extensive amount of time spent eating your way through South Korea will only help deepen your appreciation for the broth-based foodstuff. The galbitang pictured here is as unsexy and basic as a Korean soup can come- this batch came in a hermetically sealed pouch, ready to eat, like an MRI for crying out loud. Still comforting, though.  Still comforting. There's a lot of time needed to extract the minerals and flavorful goodness from the meat, bones and scraps that go into making broth, but the time spent rewards you with a depth and richness that is unmatched.