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: Mom's touch chicken

When it comes to food, there's a lot of staunchly held opinions that are based primarily on a lot of pomp and objective beliefs and interpretations about the way things ought to be... and, well, that's life- much like politics, or religion, when someone has their view they're pretty much stuck on it whether you can present any or all the evidence to the contrary. Often times, these are harmless points of disagreement with little severity to their implications... though, there are those hotly contested points of vehement argument, like the presence of pineapple on pizza, whether ketchup actually belongs on hot dogs or is an abomination, or more philosophically whether a hot dog is actually a sort of sandwich. Well, friends, I'm here to hit you with a certainty that may ruffle some feathers but is, without any shade of doubt or degree of dithering, a statement of true fact and not simply a matter of one girl's opinion. Want to know what that universal, inarguable truth of life, the universe, and everything is? Grab onto your buttcheeks and hang on tight, kiddos, because here it is:

Korean fried chicken is infinitely superior to American fried chicken

(whether originating somewhere near Kentucky or not).

Leave it to South Korea, no less. South Korea, of all places, might at first glance seem an unlikely place for fried chicken to reach the pinnacle of perfection, but upon further consideration, it makes perfect sense. After the Korean war came to a tentative ceasefire in 1953 and American troops were already enmeshed in the country, their desire for a classic comfort food would lead to some experimentation and the introduction of the food to the locals. South Korea as a whole built itself up from pandemic starvation level poverty after the decimation of warfare and became a technological and economic wonder through sheer perseverance and innovation in the time since. Is there any doubt they'd find a way to improve on something already so crispy and delicious?

Mom's Touch is a Korean chain serving up their signature New Orleans style crispy fried chicken hot and fresh throughout South Korea. I was blessed to have one within a very short walk of where I was staying, and were I not trying to be conscientious of my health and weight may have frequented there more than is remotely reasonable. Each order is made fresh after you put it in, so the chicken is exceptionally juicy and exceedingly delicious, every single time. And by god, is it addictive! You can get powdered seasonings, much like the seasoning on potato chips that similarly gets stuck to the pads of your fingers as you voraciously gnaw your way through crispy chicken carcasses, but you can also opt for a sauce or naked goodness.  

And trust me, once you try it, you won't argue the superior form of bird, whether you like it powdered, drenched or dry. You might find yourself fiending for a little taste of Mom's Touch, too...

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! 

Japan: Ginza Lunch 2012-06-18

After a few hours walking around Monzen Nakacho I had worked up a bit of an appetite. 

I hopped a train over to Ginza and quickly opted to try the Hot Tandori Chicken sandwich from Lotteria with an iced coffee and salad cup. The chicken had a nice spicy sauce on it that wasn't overpoweringly hot. The coffee was a lovely pick me up, but after my meal I happened upon a small pub that specialised in Belgian and craft brews from around the world so I popped in for an afternoon sip.