The Food Issue

Ok, so if you know me well you'll know that I like food--good food. The problem is that I like almost anything I eat. Pair this with the fact that I'll try almost anything once, and it gets pretty easy to sate myself in a foreign country. With that in mind, it's about time I comment some more the strange and not-so-strange things I've been eating over here.

In a nutshell, I love the food. One of my favorites is the kimchi jjigae--a sort of spicy kimchi soup, and if there's one thing Koreans do well, I'd say it's the soups--that and the 1,001 different rice concoctions they have (I for one say they put George Washing Carver and his peanuts to shame). Some of these soups, though, are delicious. The spicy seafood stew is fantastic--with whole octopus (sorry, not live yet, though I can't wait to take the little guys alive) and all sorts of random squid parts with a medley of clams. I've actually acquired quite a taste for our cephalopod companions, and I really hope I get placed somewhere near the coast so I can appease my taste buds. Also, on the spicy note: they constantly warn me about their spicy foods. They always have a nice little zing, but for me at least the spice level is just right. It's not like "hot" plates at an Indian restaurant where your eyes water and legs start to go numb, I'd say the spiciness really adds to the dish.

On the seafood note, whole fish is rather common. Back home you order trout, you get a nice fillet. Here you get a chunk...generally cooked, with bone in and all. It's all pretty tasty as long as you like fish and want to work to eat your meal. I also had quail eggs for lunch today--pretty tasty actually. I kept wondering whether they had some quail farms some place, they must though since I can't imagine some poor Korean running through the woods stealing 10 quail eggs for my meal. I've already commented on the concept of side dishes at the big meals, and that might be the best part of all this. Oh yea, and KIMBAP--I'd add more emphasis if I could. Kimbap, literally "seaweedrice" is the Korean form of sushi, any sort of meat/vegetable/spice combination rolled up in some tasty salt-infused seaweed. If you've ever been to a sushi restaurant with me before, you know where my loyalty lies, and the Korean counterpart is top notch. Best of all though, its cheap: A five dollar roll back home is only a dollar or two here, it's always rolled right on the spot, and of course it comes with kimchi and soup gratis. Combine that with the fact that there's no sales tax and tipping is akin to a personal insult, and you have the cheapest quality sushi known to man. One of my goals on the year is to try, and remember, as many Korean dishes as possible, so without questions I'll be reporting back on these experiences throughout the year.