Seoul: Kongnamul gukbap

Gukbap, or soup with rice, is a staple budget-friendly food in the Korean diet. Typically a vegetable-heavy soup with roughly a bowl-full of rice added in for carbs, it's a cheap and filling dish to power you through a night or day. Whether you've been out drinking all evening and need something substantial to soak up the booze in your belly, or you just need a good nutritious meal to get you through the day, gukbap is generally going to be a good, affordable idea. This particular bowl cost me something around $5 US, and came with ample rice, soybean sprouts, banchan, and an egg for additional protein. It was a delicious meal and the restaurant was open 24 hours, so it was always available for the denizens of Hwajeong who needed a good, healthy, meal for whatever reasons. It comes to the table boiling hot in its stone bowl, and the egg is up to you to add at your leisure, so you control how done your yolk is. I like my eggs more on the runny side, so I added mine later in the procedure, but you do as you like because it's your meal when you're there, baby, so enjoy it! I've since recreated this dish stateside for myself and it's wholesome, satisfying, and oh-so-homey in a nostalgic way... even though I'm not Korean in any way that I'm aware of, Kongnamul gukbap is such a delicious and low-budget dish that I will always be grateful for being exposed to how delicious it really is. It doesn't take much to make a delicious and nutritious bowl of soup. This will forever remain one of my favorite simple meals from Korea because of it's pure simplicity and deliciousness! 

Seoul: Hongdae Taco Bell

There's something about visiting a familiar fast food chain abroad only to discover a multitude of micro-differences that can lead one to feel a bit like they've stumbled into uncanny valley. While burger joints like McDonald's and Burger King have done well in Japan and Korea, proliferating like the American bases and ex-pats who so desperately love their existence, tacos have been a harder sell. There's a litany of different factors that play into that fact- for one, geographic proximity to any country where tortillas and frijoles constitute a key component of the diet. Any cursory glance at a map and you'll quickly recognize that while our world is growing ever more connected by the day, there's still some bridges to be built and Latin America and Asia are quite distant from one another. It's not that tacos are wholely nonexistent- you can absolutely find tacos in Tokyo and Seoul, but they're likely going to be rare and a bit expensive. When I was in Japan, there were no Taco Bells in the Tokyo area that I knew of (and I searched)... that may have changed in the intervening 4 or so years since then, though. Seoul, however, has several Taco Bell locations. I'm sure a socio-cultural study on the minute differences that lend Koreans towards being more accepting of Taco Bell's menu than Japan was would be absolutely fascinating- my best guess is that maybe the popularity of eating meats wrapped in vegetables via ssam makes tacos a little more easy to introduce, but that could be wrong. 

Whatever the reasons, Taco Bell exists in the Hongdae area of Seoul, and since I spent a lot of time in that area running errands and just exploring, so it was inevitable that I'd eventually find my way in. Taco Bell was one of those guilty pleasures I found myself missing while in Japan, and after being in Seoul for several months it was a comforting nostalgia. Taco Bell has one of the most consistent menus and presentations worldwide, which I've read is due to how meticulous their measurements are in preparing their items. Of course, being a foreign menu it was tailored to suit Korean tastes with items like the Kimchi Quesadilla or fiesta fries (which we're only now starting to see pop up in select Taco Bell stores in the US), but there were still some old faithful items on the menu, too. I got a volcano burrito and cheesy potatoes because they're familiar carby/cheesy comfort, but I definitely recommend trying to local menu. Every food chain will have their's and it's a lot of fun to try items you can't find back home!  

Obviously, this isn't a gourmet meal by any stretch. It's not even what I'd consider an especially decent meal in Korea, given that you can get a much more balanced (as in, contains real recognizable vegetables) meal for half the price... but if you're feeling a little homesick and need some cheap(ish) taco goodness to remind you of home, it'll do.  It filled my belly for the time being and I was recharged for the evening ahead... which is good, because I had to pop out to Hongdae for some medical test results. Luckily, all the results were good! Woo! Diabetes and heart disease run in my maternal family so I try to take semi-decent care of myself. I could definitely be better about it, though. Speaking of, I should grab a glass of water. 💦I also learned that my blood type is A-, which I guess means it's pretty rare. Something like 6% of the world's population shares my blood type, and it's especially rare in Asia...so it's a very good thing I didn't need any blood transfusions while there! 

Vegas: Krazy Buffet

Antho and I are people who love to eat, but don't necessarily want to spend our entire income dining out. As someone who's traveled a wee bit and lived abroad for a time, I'd like to imagine I've expanded my palate and refined my tastes, but let's be real here. As much as I enjoy a delicately handcrafted noodle in a light savory broth atop a majestic Japanese mountain, or still squirming shrimp fresh from their aquatic homes devoured in Seoul's famous Noryangjin market, sometimes a girl just wants some good ol' greasy Americanized Chinese goodness. American Chinese food is certainly it's own distinct branch of the culinary tree, fusing the appetites and preferences of Americans (mm, cheesy sugary starchy deep-fried goodness) with what might have started as a Chinese dish. Believe it or not, there's actually some real mystery behind the origins of some of the most ubiquitous dishes we've come to know and love across Chinese restaurant menus throughout the US. 

When you're done contemplating the historical trajectory of a dish and the possible connections or revelations it may unfurl like some kind of InterNational Treasure odyssey, sometimes it's best to just eat it and enjoy it for what it is. Krazy buffet is a good place to do that. It's cheap, like really affordable, especially at lunchtime. The parking lot is often packed with people eager to get their fill. There's a dedicated sushi section where the chefs slice and roll away. Steaming hot fish, buns, shumai, and skewers crowd in next to slices of pizza, noodles, and glistening vegetables and meats for the limelight. The food is pretty good (not outstanding) and being a buffet you can pick and choose to your heart's content. We've seen people carrying multiple plates loaded to maximum capacity with crab legs, and while we definitely and absolutely judged them poorly for getting 8+ pounds of crab in one swoop, you're free to do what you want. This is America, and if you want to eat ALL the crab you can... at least, unless management stops you, which they might, because crikey there, mate. 

And while the food isn't necessarily outstanding, it's consistent. It's not the best sushi I've ever had, but it's passably satisfactory when served alongside big crispy salt and pepper shrimp, bao, and other goodies. Sometimes the staff can get behind on bussing and cleaning, but they're pretty good at staying on top of the buffet and ensuring the trays are full with fresh food so I'd consider that a win overall. I don't mind a couple straw wrappers here or there if the food is being prioritized and handled. 

The location is a bit out of the way for us, but we do find ourselves out in that neck of the woods every so often. Given our propensity towards forgetting to eat until we start to grow hangry, having a place like this where we can consistently fill up on a variety of foods (thus negating the arguments of where to go) cheaply is great. We'll be back. 

💙💚💕

3.5 stars

Does what it sets out to do effectively and satisfactorily. Not exactly winning any awards for gourmet food, but it's consistent and cheap!

Thanks for stopping by.

💗💖

XOXO,

NAU

Las Vegas: Early 2018 Springs Preserve visit

It had been a while since we last popped over to the Springs Preserve for a visit, so we decided to make the trek over recently. It's still a little chilly out, for Vegas standards, but the garden was looking pretty lively with all the sunshine and warmer temps that have been occurring recently. We ended up only spending an hour or two on this visit as we found ourselves growing hungry towards the end, and looking at exhibits we had already spent some time with previously. I'd hoped that we might catch some more activity in their animal exhibits during this visit, but everybody was pretty sleepy so there wasn't much going on. It happens, though! The butterfly exhibit should be re-opening soon, so we're excited about that, and there's all sorts of new exhibits going on now! During this visit they were  still doing the training for the most recent virtual reality experience, so we personally weren't able to experience it but the employees looked like they were having a good time of it. We'll definitely be back to check it out now that it's open to the public! 

There's always so many new exhibits and shows coming through the preserve, and they're always re-decorating for the latest holiday. It's a lot of fun going for a visit when we get the chance and it's really quite affordable after investing in their annual pass. We didn't have to pay anything for this visit!  It's always a great opportunity for photography too as the grounds are quite photogenic, and there's always new flowers coming in to bloom with the changing weather. I'm quite grateful that +Antho Jay  got us the annual passes last year for my birthday, and we've gotten quite good use out of them in my estimation of things. I always look forward to our visits and revel in the opportunity to improve upon my photography skills and understanding of my camera by practicing with all the gorgeous blooms. We've always enjoyed our visits to the Springs Preserve and the employees have always been courteous, even when the girl at the ticketing booth shouted at us to make sure we were paying customer upon entry this time. Poor girl was only doing her job, after all, and was an absolute doll once she knew we weren't trying to sneak in or anything. I can get that. I've got nothing bad to say about the Springs Preserve! 

Vegas: the Springs Preserve Sustainability Gallery

Have I made it clear yet how much I love the Springs Preserve? Whether we're talking about their seasonally-limited but wonderful butterfly exhibit, their live animal exhibits, the Nevada State Museum, seeing where the city and our water came/comes from in Boomtown & Waterworks, hiking the trails along the expansive grounds, wandering the gardens in summer or late fall, getting spooky during the Haunted Harvest event for Halloween, or scoping out one of their limited exhibits like the Space Exhibit in the OriGen museum last September we always have a blast when we visit the Preserve! Antho and I are both members and have been since shortly after our very first visit. It's been well worth it- even though the cost of admission is quite reasonable, we've gone so many times that the memberships have more than paid for themselves. 

During this visit it was a cool, crisp December day and the Springs had gotten themselves gussied up for the winter Holidays. There were very few other visitors on this day, probably because it was pretty chilly out. We found our way to the Sustainability gallery, which we had walked by several times but never ventured into- a shame because we had a lot of fun! It was a wonderful surprise and we enjoyed exploring the exhibits. Upon exiting the Sustainability Gallery we found our way to the actual food gardens where we were pleased to find tomatillos, peppers and broccoli all going strong- though the broccoli was covered in aphids. Creepy little buggers...we didn't realize they were even bugs until we got closer and inspected the broccoli, at which point we were both a bit skeeved out. Antho went in for more photos trying to capture a good close-up of the little crawlies, though! I kept a safe distance and looked at the other plants while he did that... it's not that I'm terrible with bugs, if need be I can catch a spider, I would just rather not interact with them unless I really have to. I've handled tarantulas and various roaches in museums and biology classes, things of that nature, but I'm good with that being the end of it. Luckily there were plenty of other plants to enjoy! 

Yuck!

More photos below!