SHOPPING HASSLES: The biggest drawback to food shopping for "locals" (Hawaiians) in Korea is that it's hard to find local-style foods -- besides kimchee and cuttlefish!!! Unfortunately, servicemen only serve a one year tour here in Korea. By the time they get to know the area and know where to find the best food or bargains, they have to go home. If you can share your experiences/knowledge of shopping for local kine foods in your area, the next guy will have an easier time when he goes shopping.

While living in Korea, it's sometimes hard to find Hawaiian-type foods on the local economy...BUT they get 'em heah. You just need to know where to look. A lot of times they have the same Hawaii-kine foods, but they're just called by different names.

You learn quick that "hopang" is a manapua-variety filled with either adzuki beans or vegetables -- but it is not even in the same class as the Hawaii-kine. Still it's a welcome snack on a cold-winter day. Heated in special steamers in front of grocery stores, the "hopang" used to make excellent hand-warmers while waiting for the bus in the cold winter wind. Nowadays they have chemical packets for 500 won that do a better job of hand-warming, but you can't eat those packets as a snack on the bus home.

"Chapchee" is the same as "hekka". However, Koreans tend to use sesame seed oil to give everything a smokey flavor, while Hawaiians prefer a more shoyu taste. "Mandu" (either deep-fried or in soup) is "won ton". You can buy the prepared mandu in packages at the corner store and deep-fry them or boil them as you like. It's a favorite with Koreans in all forms.

Of course, "kimpap" is "roll sushi" (maki sushi) -- though some Koreans add sesame seed oil to give the rice a distinctly different taste. Pickled (vinegar) rice is not normally seen in Korean "kimpap". However, in recent years, "inari sushi" (cone sushi) is becoming popular with young housewives as it is easy to make with premix packets. My wife loves to experiment with the fillings -- ever have American cheese with dill relish and rice in your cone sushi?

You can find most of the common Japanese foods in the Korean markets with similar names -- Takuwan (pickled daikon), pickled scallions (ryonkyo), fishcake, miso, tofu, etc. -- and of course, "kim" (nori seaweed). As life has become more hectic as people eat on the run, they even have cooked rice in the refrigerated section in lunch-size portions. Of course, you can find kimchee. But don't expect to find "kimuchee" (Japanese-style pickled kimchee) which is scorned. They only have the pre-packaged "kimchee" without preservatives.

In recent years, discount stores (such as Haitai, KOAX and Cosco) have added supermarkets to their stores. They stock the most popular vegetables and items at reasonable prices -- and stock stuff in economy sizes like gochu paste (red pepper with soybean paste). I recommend shopping in these places as many of the small markets don't have the selection to choose from. Remember that the concept of a REAL supermarket is only a few years old in Korea.

If you're military, a lot of the Filipino foods are in the base/post commissaries. And don't forget -- the commissary will special order a lot of local stuff for you too. I've seen frozen Tilapia fish (albeit from Taiwan) in the freezer case. Sweetbread (King's Bakery) and portogee sausage (Redondo's) are common sights in every Hawaiian's shopping basket. In addition, your food bill is about one-third of an ordinary Korean. Commissaries can save you a bundle -- and they will stock just about anything you request.

However, though the Commissary is fine for many things, but it doesn't have everything. In fact, a lot of times, the fresh produce there is over-priced...or old. Apples and oranges are a bargain compared to on the Korean market, but Korean fruits and vegetables are best bought downtown. For example, every corner market has tofu, bean sprouts, chinese cabbage, chives, carrots, potatoes, onions -- and seasonings such as "wasabi" (Japanese horse radish). But many items such as eggplants (or other seasonal vegetables) are only found in the larger markets. As for "American" food items, the times are changing. As the Korean tastes have become more westernized, breakfast cereals, bread, sandwich fillings, and other "American" food items are now common on the store shelves.

OPEN MARKETS: But how about fresh vegetables or some of the Chinese specialty foods? They get 'em heah. You just need to know where to look. For fresh stuff, look around for the local "farmer's market." That's where to drop in to look for really fresh vegetables and stuff. In larger cities, they usually have an older "open market" which is an interesting place to walk through on your day off.

In recent years as city space has become more valuable, a lot of these farmer's markets have been relocated to less favorable areas -- such as near train or bus stations. Check out your town for the "farmer's market" nearest to your location as there may be more than one. You may have to get there early in the A.M. to get the freshest vegetables. Some Provinces have set up Provincial Farmer's markets (outside larger cities) that are open only on certain days. You need to check your area for information.

At these markets, you can find everything from Shitake mushrooms to lotus roots...and even "pepeao" (ear fungus) for soups. You have all the ingredients here to make "nishime". However, most of the stuff displayed there is strange-looking to me. You may need an "interpreter" if you're intending to buy some foods. (NOTE: Koreans use a great deal of NATURAL plants and seeds for seasonings or coloring. An example is the favorite "green mochi" is colored AND flavored with a special plant ("sugu") that appears to be related to the "dandelion".)

Take a Korean friend if you're going to bargain and buy. Most Americans are rank-amateurs in bargaining successfully...though saving 100 won is not my idea of a bargain. A word of unsolicited advice in selecting an "interpreter" for your visit. Young people (college age) are generally NOT very good cooks and specialize only in "kimchee chige" (kimchee "slum-gullian" stew) and ramien. Most learn their cooking skills AFTER they get married. If an older "ajema" (married lady) is going there, ask if you can tag along.

Other types of markets are the open fish markets in port cities such as Kunsan, Inchon or Pusan. These are interesting areas but for foreigners it's usually only a sightseeing excursion. The shops are buying wholesale in bulk. The fish markets open early in the A.M. and are closed by mid-morning.

Tonghae Open Fish Market (May 02)

My favorite is the road side stands by farmers selling their excess crop -- great bargains in everything from corn to kimchee cabbage to sweet potatoes to potatoes. However, they are totally unpredictable -- and seasonal. Usually you'll find these stands on the roads leading to the major expressways. You'll also see these stalls in farm areas set up along roads to the mountain park areas in summer. Also check out larger apartment complexes as many farmers sell their produce there out the back of their trucks...very inexpensively.

Street Vendors Downtown Kunsan (Nov 99)

Look around apartment complexes. There usually is some sort of Korean open market in the area where farmers offer their produce very cheaply. Usually the small back street ones only have produce. The farmers will move their produce trucks to different apartment complexes during the day on a set schedule during the day.

RECIPES: Do you have a favorite recipe??? Here's the place to share it!!! A lot of Hawaii people are good cooks and find Korea an exciting place to test their skills on new foods. Come share. We have a few of the simple recipes that can be modified for Korean-living at Recipes. From Korean-style oxtail soup to kimchi to chabchae; from Hawaiian chicken luau to poke; Chinese char siu pork to manapua; from Japanese shabu-shabu to Filipino adobo. Check it out and try your hand at one of these simple recipes.

For Hawaiian-style cooks, in Korea, no mo' "kalo" (taro) , but there is a close relative (similar to "ape") where the roots are used after steaming to remove the oxialic crystals. It is a seasonal Korean dish. However, I wouldn't recommend it unless you know what you're doing. The best thing is to substitute instead of experimenting. For example, there is no taro leaves but there's plenty of spinach which you can substitute. There's no ti leaf to make lau-lau, so substitute tin-foil. The thing about living on the economy in Korea is that you'll have to substitute a bit to make some of these recipes.

COOKING TIPS: If you've got an American style kitchen in your apartment, you probably won't have to improvise much on cooking preparation. However, if you're living on the economy on a tight budget, you'll probably end up in a Korean apartment with a two-burner gas table top stove with a little "oven" for broiling fish. For these folks, any advice is helpful.

Of course, for any barracks cook or small apartment dweller, a microwave is a must as it replaces your oven. However, if living off-base, shop around for for major appliances. The costs of most Western-style home appliances are coming down very quickly in Korea as they start manufacturing them here. For example, a small microwave used to be cheaper in the BX than downtown just a few years ago, but now the price is about equal and most Korean homes now have one. The biggest negative is that a 220v appliance will have to be sold before returning to the States. But when one considers the "service" (after-sales-service of the Korean product), buying downtown is defintely a better deal. From full-size gas stoves to refrigerators consider the pros-and-cons carefully between the U.S. (BX) product and the Korean one.

For example, an inexpensive and invaluable kitchen appliance to have in your Korean kitchen is the little "Fry-Daddy" Deep-Frier. A lot of Korean foods are deep-fried and for most families, the small size is fine. My trouble was convincing the wife to use it because of the electricity cost (much higher than stateside), but once she got used to it, it has never left the kitchen counter. From Hwayangjok (Beef and Vegetables on a skewer) to deep-fried vegetables (tempura-style zucchini or eggplant) to Fried Sweet Potatoes, you'll find it invaluable and in-use year round.

Another handy gadget turned out to be the Black and Decker "Handy Chopper" Mincer/Chopper. Around our house, it replaced the expensive mixer and is in use all the time for mincing garlic for kimchee or chopping walnuts for cakes. With the limited space in most Korean kitchens, this small unit is a blessing.

By the way, bought these items in Hawaii at half the cost of here in Korean BX. Almost forgot...get a SMALL rice cooker...AND a family size one if you're bringing your family. Also the selection of rice cookers are greater in Hawaii and the cost far less. In Korea, the rice cookers are double (or triple) the price of those in Hawaii. The small sizes are hard to find in the BX in Korea. If you're single and living in the barracks, it will become your steamer for mandu, soup/stew maker and rice cooker.

A nice addition if living on the economy is a 220v electric wok bought downtown for about $25-$30. A lot of Korean and Chinese dishes can be made simply and quickly -- even deserts.

RESTAURANTS: If you're in Seoul, you can look up the Seoul Focus to check on popular restaurants in the Seoul area. However, if you're in one of the smaller cities, we foreigners have to rely on word of mouth -- or our Korean friends to show us where the good eating spots are. We are at their mercy in finding good places to eat that will match our westernized tastes. Their are so many different food specialty shops that have their own "special" recipes for different food items that it's mind-boggling. As most are small hole-in-the-wall shops, the good ones are spread by word-of-mouth amongst the Koreans. Remember that what is "mashiso" (delicious) to a Korean may not necessarily be "mashiso" to an American. I've eaten at restaurants that I thought were superb, but my Korean friends thought it was just so-so. On the other hand, the reverse has been true as well. Most of the kalbi (rib) houses are inexpensive and good places to eat...but again quality varies from restaurant to restaurant.

On a budget??? As a general rule, look in your town for the area with the wedding halls. In recent years, most restaurants catering to the wedding crowds have turned to buffet-style ("bupe"). The meals may not be the best tasting in town, but most are "all-you-can-eat" and include many Western-style foods. Thus you can sample the typical Korean fare (different kimchis and popular seasonal dishes)...and still have a filling meal (with the American standards) -- at a reasonable cost. The cost is normally $6-8 dollars per person. Better "bupe" restaurants are always filled with Korean crowds. Koreans are very critical eaters -- if many frequent a restaurant, chances are the food is good -- regardless of how it looks on the outside. If there are few patrons, keep looking.

Another rule while you're cruising around is to keep an eye out for where the Koreans go. Don't be fooled by some expensive-looking restaurants. They may have very inexpensive food. There are a lot of places where Koreans stop off with their friends before going home from work. Usually these places are crowded around 6 o'clock on weekdays, but on the weekends are relatively free of crowds ... with the same weekday prices for food. For example, there is a shabu-shabu restaurant (with a master chef) which serves shabu-shabu followed by another course of green tea noodles. Cost: $12 per person including soju.

For most Americans, try the shops displaying a picture of what they serve outside. Many restaurants specialize in the platter servings -- the food is in a deep dish pan that is placed atop a gas burner at the table to cook the vegetable ingredients in a light broth. The meat slices are cut very thin so they cook quickly in the heated broth. Larger meats such as fish or chicken are steamed prior to serving at the table and the broth is only used for cooking the vegetables and imparting the flavor into the meats. For example, there are steamed chicken with ginseng and potatoes; steamed fish served in a light broth with garnish of peppers, leeks and onions; beef/pork slices smothered in mushrooms (shitake and button) with bean sprouts and leeks; tofu (tobu) with bean sprouts, leeks, and vegetables.

Also try to visit the some college-age coffee shops. In some coffee shops, the ambiance is beyond description...almost like being in a surrealistic world. One of my favorites is a place filled with old artifacts from looms to wooden railroad ties. Some places are more fascinating than the food. There is one restaurant whose noodle dishes are so-so, but whose immense rock collection is so fascinating that it's worth the visit.

After being in Korea for a while, we all have found Korean restaurants we like either because of the friendly service or the excellent food. A lot of them are "hole-in-the wall" places that don't look like much on the outside, but serve great food. There is one Chinese restaurant on a backstreet that I've gone to for years because its "udon" (Japanese-style noodles) is exactly like Hawaii saimin...except for the squid legs. No other restaurant makes it quite the same as this place.

Some places may not be suitable for those with Americanized tastes, but for those Hawaiians used to eating with their fingers and sucking meat off kalua pig bones, try the "pig and potatoes" (kam-ja tang) restaurants. These serve the pig bones (what remains after the choice kalbi ribs are cut off) in a hearty vegetable broth. Leftover from a time when Korea was very poor, these restaurants are very popular family-style restaurants...and late-nite eating spots for drinkers. Many of these places are open 24-hours a day. In recent years, many new restaurants decorated in country motiffs are specializing in country-style dishes -- which are simple and hearty.

For fancy restaurants, one might try Hanjeongshik. The dishes are served in brass dinnerware. It is a traditional folk dinner that includes two kinds of soup, about thirteen side dishes, four or five fresh garden vegetable dishes, and salted fish. As one soon learns in Korea, the side dishes are just as important as the main dishes.

A specialty in the Chollabuk-do area is Mikkuraji sukhoe, or steamed loach fish. It contains a great number of vitamins, including vitamin A for strengthening the respiratory system. It also claims to be excellent for people suffering from geriatric diseases.

What do you think of eating dog meat? In Korea, it is common for patients recuperating from major surgery to be feed "poshintang" soup -- dog meat soup. Also it is a favorite of men for "stamina" (sexual prowess)...and women for overcoming "heat stress" in summer. It is a health food to the Korean. However, foreigners get the picture of their pet being served for dinner. Actually the "poshintang"-dog is specially bred --- much like a cow for its meat. It is normally a large brown-colored dog raised in a cramped shed or kennel and fed high-protein meal to fatten it. It is NOT a pet. It is raised as a food animal. However, this topic becomes more emotional than rational. In August 1999, Jay Leno on the "Tonight Show" did a comic routine of Korean's eating dog meat. This resulted in a fury of responses in the Korean newsgroup. Who wants to be known as a bunch of dog-eaters anyway? As I said before, it's an emotional issue.

Though the tent houses are "illegal" in many areas of the cities, the police turn a blind-eye ... as they like them too. In fact, there are sections near train stations in Seoul where clusters of these "tents" are found. In fact, you can find their Seoul locations "advertised" in Korean online restaurant pages.

There are all kinds of variations...from tents over the back ends of mini-trucks to semi-permanent structures attached to a building. In my town, many Koreans swear by a "tent house" (actually a quasi-shack) in the Waehang (outer port) area. It's run by a family whose old seafood restaurant was displaced by industrial expansion. It does a brisk business year-round because of their delicious seafood dishes. In Naun-dong next to the intersection to Lake Eunpa, there is a mini-truck advertising seafood that's been in the same location for over seven years.

In the summer months, the pojangmachas seems to die off in the city, but springs up in the country. Many places in the country set up elevated stands next to streams for people to come and beat the heat while enjoying specialty dishes...along with copious amounts of soju. You'll also see these makeshift restaurants at all the small beaches and lakes. Actually they are quite pleasant places to stop and relax...though during the peak tourist season the food prices are inflated.

FOOD EXPERIENCES: Korean "fast-foods"??? Yeah...yeah...pizza, fried chicken, or hamburger joints are now on just about ever street corner in Korea. The western taste for fast food has taken over big-time. But Korean "fast-food" can be a little different. Ever have "bugolgi burgers (shredded beef)" or "kimchee burgers"? How about "bulgogi pizza"? Sometimes the names throw you for a loop. Ever have a "rib sand"? It's a roast-beef sandwich...Korean-style.

Though home delivery of pizza is becoming common, the primary home/office delivery is for noodles (udon/naengmyon/chajangmyon), fried rice (pokumpap), and sweet-sour pork (tang-siu). It's delivered by a boy on a motorbike -- who weaves through traffic and drives on sidewalks at breakneck speed. (By the way, NEVER buy the Korean frozen pizza in the freezer case. They are awful tasting.) In the Korean stores, they have a wide variety of "udon", fishcake, tofu, miso soups and other "instant" foods ready for popping into the microwave which has now become a standard in most modern Korean homes. Now even pre-cooked rice is sold.

A new type of "fast food" shop that has just recently sprung up caters to school kids. It has "tok" (rice cake) in pepper sauce (tokbokki) for 500 won and hotdogs/udon-on-a-stick. Usually set up on the street near schools, it is quite popular even with adults looking for a quick snack.

"Mochi" (Japanese rice cakes) are in every corner grocery store, but if you wish to make it from scratch, "Mochiko" (mochi rice flour) is in the Commissary. However, I'm too lazy, especially when there is a specialty "rice cake" shop down the street. It does a brisk business year-round turning out mochi, "ttok" (rice cake), Korean puffed rice-candies, and other specialty rice products. It is busiest around the holidays when people bring their rice to the shop to have it made into specialty items to be used as "Chusok" (Thanksgiving) or "Sol Nal" (Lunar New Year) treats.

Recently "bread shops" (bakery shops) have sprung up everywhere. Quality varies from place to place. Some have terrible oily-tasting goods, while others are excellent. The sandwich bread is standard, but their French bread (baguette) can vary from excellent to "break-with-a-sledgehammer" varieties. These shops are always experimenting with different sandwiches. For example, the bake shop near my house has a potato-salad sandwich fried in a bread crumb batter that I like.

Yi Sung Dung Bakery Downtown Kunsan Nov 99

Besides watermelon (much more expensive than the states) and ice cream, "popinsu" is the favorite of Koreans during the summer. It's the Korean equivalent of "Hawaiian shave ice". They usually put some jelly candies and adzuki beans on the ice and cover it in syrup. Many mothers make this treat at home for their kids in the summer using a small shave ice machine. You'll find the sweet adzuki beans (about $2 a can) and jellies in the market. (Note: Don't buy those terrible Korean store-brands of "popinsu" as they are nothing but ice chunks with a few adzuki beans added.) In addition, near most large apartment complexes, small ice cream shops -- similar to Baskin-Robins -- have sprung up.

A favorite in summer is "naengmyon" (cold noodles). The cold noodles are in two types: black (more expensive) and the white. There are quite a few restaurants that specialize in Naengmyon. In my town of Kunsan, there is one that serves North Korean naengmyon; as well as one of the fast-food variety at Popeye's Naengmyon. In the summer months, restaurants everywhere serve it, but the taste varies from superb to horrific. Not all naengmyon noodles are the same. There's a shop up the street from me that serves a vermilli-variety of naengmyon noodles. They can't deliver it to your house because the noodles stick together if left to set for a while -- you have to eat it in the restaurant. Different restaurants put different fruits in the dish as a sweetener. Pears or Korean apples (saghwa) are the most common.

Ramien is a favorite of Korean kids. Most eat it crunchy style like a dried snack. Some like it boiling hot. My daughter loves it both ways. But there are so many varieties of ramien on the store shelves. Which one to choose??? Some like the hot kimchee ramien...but others hate it. Well, everyone has his own tastes. An easy variant is to get some Korean ramien (hot) and boil it as usual, drop in some store-bought kimchee (NOT the pickled kimchee variety from the states). Once finished boiling, break an egg over the top. Serve and eat...this was taught to me by a college student who couldn't cook. It tastes pretty good.

SEAFOOD: Like seafood??? Koreans love their seafood. Broiled squid tentacles (small) is a favorite snack anytime...but can sure smell up a car with closed windows. Now they are sold in individual packages like candy. Of course, the dried squid/cuttlefish is also very popular. On the streets, stalls toast the dried cuttlefish before it to customers. On every bus trip, you'll smell the cuttlefish scent in the bus. During the holiday season, hawkers stand in the middle of the road selling the dried squid to cars stalled in traffic.

Eels caught from unpolluted fresh water are seasoned with a spiced soybean sauce that is just right for removing the fishy smell. Then the eel is grilled seven or eight times on each side until browned perfectly. It is especially popular during the summer months as food to overcome heat stress. For men, however, it is known as a good "stamina" food -- "stamina" meaning "sexual energy".

Some say that in Korea, the best seafood restaurants are found near the seashore. Ever eat raw fish (sashimi-style) from a fish whose gills were moving and whose eyes were still looking at you? That was a little too fresh for me!!! How about octopus tentacles where the tentacles are still wriggling? Sashimi is great, but like everywhere else the biggest drawback is that it can be very expensive -- up to $30-40 per person.

Living near the seashore, we periodically go to a small fishing boat area where they off-load their catch for sale. You can select a live squid for $10 and have it prepared at a nearby "tent" restaurant for $10. A little expensive, but if you want really fresh raw fish (sashimi), you have to pay the price.

But there are other inexpensive seafood shops specializing in eels, specific types of fish (i.e., sole), or special fish soup preparations. For example, split broiled eels is a very popular tonic during the hot summer months when appetites are waning. The eels are split, covered with a spicy sauce and then broiled. It can be served with either soy sauce or red pepper paste (gochu paste). The preparation of these live eels -- selected from a tank out in front of the restaurant -- is an art in itself.

In my area, there is another cheap alternative to sashimi. In Sochon, about 22km from Kunsan, an open market has live fish for sale. You select the fish and they'll cut it up while you wait. Not for the squeemish as they'll chop the head off a wiggling fish in front of you. That's fresh! Not fancy in presentation but the taste is just as delicious as a fancy restaurant. This open market has everything from live skates (sole) to octopus and crabs. But you have to watch out...one octopus in a tub squirted my pants with ink. However, we prefer to eat raw fish purchased and prepared right at the docks. It somehow tastes better squatting on the ground eating raw fish next to boats bobbing up and down with the smells of the fish market around.

SPECIALTY DISHES: Each area -- or sometimes towns -- are famous for its fruit wines or Korean dishes. For example, Chonju in Chollabukdo is famous for its "Bibimpap" (vegetable with rice). It's a bowl of rice topped with many seasonal vegetables, Chongp'omuk (green pea jelly) and Yuk'hoe (seasoned raw sliced beef), which is then all mixed together with red pepper paste (gochu paste). Served in a heated crock, the rice should be sizzling when brought to your table. Bibimpap is always served with a bowl of bean sprout soup. To be truthful, my American tastes can't tell the difference between good bibimpap in Chonju and one in Suwon. However, I certainly can tell you that a lot of restaurants serve some terrible rice dishes called "bibimpap". Not all restaurants are equal.

Bibimpap

For the seaport of Kunsan in Chollabukdo, raw fish (sashimi) is the specialty dish. Though the cost is relatively expensive (about $20-40 per person), there is never a lack of customers. People from every quarter of the country visit the area simply to enjoy the savory raw fish dishes. The preparation of these dishes are truly an art form. The sashimi dishes are made from fresh flatfish, perch, and sole caught in the West Sea.

Kunsan Sashimi

Some areas -- or sometimes towns -- are famous for its fruit wines. For example, many flavored-wines started to appear on grocer's shelves alongside the traditional soju. One such wine is flavored with the petals of flowers and has a uniquely sweet flavor. Another fruit wine has real gold flakes suspened in the wine (to promote health) and makes an excellent gift at about 5,000 won ($5).

Take a Korean friend along and check out the restaurants. Like seafood shops, there are a lot of specialty shops which serve only certain portions of beef or pork. For example, one shop up the street specializes in beef "tripe" soup. You'd be surprised what Korean delicacies you might find. My problem is that I have not learned the fine distinction between different variations. Koreans have highly developed taste buds that can tell the difference. My hamburger palate has ruined me for being a classy-Korean eater.

Street Vendors at Night Downtown Kunsan Nov 99

However, I have come to enjoy some of the traditional "country" dishes which are both hearty and filling. A "poor man's stew" where pig bones are boiled in a pepper broth can singe your tongue. An American may feel queasy about picking meat from bones, but to a Hawaiian used to shredding kalua pig and picking the left-over meat from the bones afterwards, this is normal fare. To the Koreans this is a favorite dish -- a leftover from the days when Korea was in poverty and meat was scarce and expensive. After the bones are picked clean, the broth is mixed with rice and sesame seed oil and cooked together to make another dish at the table. Very filling and tasty. Because of the popularity with Koreans of all ages, these types of restaurants in larger towns are normally open 24-hours a day. These restaurants are especially popular with late night drinkers who go there after the bars close -- about 3am. Cost about $14 per platter serving (will stuff three easily).

Another favored restaurant of mine serves a country vegetable "stew" (potatoes, leeks, carrots, cabbage, spinach, peppers, etc.) with cured roast-beef slices cooked at the table in a beef broth. It is a simple meal with few side dishes, but it is very tasty and filling. Cost about $7 per person.

In eating out in Korea, I have found that Americans think "vertically" when it comes to food (heaping amounts stacked high), while Koreans tend to think "horizontally" (many dishes spread out over the table). A fancy restaurant will have many dishes spread out over the table in small portions all aethetically arranged on the dish. To a Korean, this presentation is just as much a part of the meal as the food itself. Of course, the fancier the restaurant, the more expensive the meal.

However, I prefer the heaping portions of the simple restaurants. These simple restaurants do not have many dishes usually two types of kimchee - and maybe some water kimchi (turnips in a vinegared water) -- and a plastic water bottle. For example, in Chonju near the bus terminal is a restaurant that serves a chicken "stew" (cooked at the table) that is out of this world. The dish starts off with cabbage, leeks and other vegetables with raw chicken piled high in a wok and boiled in a pepper broth. Your mouth waters as you watch the heap boil down into a chicken "stew"...a fantastic taste.

KALUA PIG IN KOREA?:How about kalua pig in an imu in Korea? I've heard that at the Yongsan Army Garrison in Seoul they've done "three-holers" -- but I also heard that they parceled out the pig pieces to cook in home ovens and then "reassembled" it. Eh...I'm just jealous that they cooked kalua pig...whatever way it was done. My mouth's watering... Anyway, I mostly hear about PORK BUTT roasted in the oven and called "kalua pig". For Hawaiian salt, substitute the Korean kimchee pickling salt -- same thing. Add a dash of "liquid smoke" and pop in the oven...and "voila"...kalua pig.

If you're interested in how others handled imus and huli-huli pig, I have included excerpts from the newsgroup "soc.culture.hawaii" (SCH) as Imu FAQ. If you've ever had a huli-huli pig's nose let go from the spit, while the rest of the pig was not completely cooked, you'll know this stuff takes some skill. If you're going to huli-huli pig, heed their advice. In this FAQ you can see that the biggest problem is finding suitable substitutes for banana leaves, ti leaf, and imu stones. This is the same problem you'll face in Korea -- that is, unless you're on Cheju Island.

Pour yourself a cup of cyber-coffee
and click on the Cook to go to email us.

Email Us

---

Aloha kakou ... Please sign our guestbook and let us know what you think of our site. Mahalo for stopping by...

View My Guestbook
Sign My Guestbook

Return to Top

---

29 October 2002

---

GOT A GOOD RECIPE? COME EMAIL US!!!

OK, cuz. If you've got a recipe to share -- or some comments -- simply email it to us and we'll archive it on the Selected Recipe Page. Send us the recipe...and be sure to include your name or who it's from so we can give them proper credit.

We're not looking for gourmet recipes, but da kine simple recipes for make plate lunch. To email us simply click the EMail icon below.

kalani@kalaniosullivan.com