Adventures in Food

This is one of my favorites-so cute! I'm guessing it would be comparable to a corn dog but we haven't tried it yet.

 

I wanted to try some Korean chocolates. I chose this one based on the treble clef. Not sure why it's such a musical candy...

Obviously I chose this candy because it's named 'Crunky.' Now that's just fun to say. Say it...say it now! 

Survey says: Korean chocolate is bland and not sweet. Ick.

I did have a pineapple-flavored hard candy that was quite tasty though. 

We found this at a little mart near us. I'm not sure if this is a ready-to-eat item or what. Probably delicious(?).

Before we came I read that Koreans use metal chopsticks. No one mentioned that they are also flat! They take some getting used to but we're doing pretty good.

A lot of restaurants have these doorbell buttons on the tables to call for the server. Ready to order? Ring the bell. Need a refill? Ring the bell! Another interesting tidbit is that traditionally there is no tipping here, except maybe at a bar.

A few nights ago we went out for Bulgogi (marinated barbecued beef, chicken or pork). It means 'fire meat' because of how it's cooked over an open flame. We have eaten at a place here where where we cooked the meat ourselves at our table but this restaurant prepared the meat at a flame next to us and once it was done put it on a small flame in front of us to keep it warm while we ate. To eat you place a lettuce leaf in your hand, put a piece of meat in it, top it with sauce or a side of your choice and wrap it up like a burrito. I've heard you should eat it in one bite but have seen otherwise.

I chose to have bulgogi with fried rice and ate every last grain of rice. It's simply delicious!

Here's an idea of how to eat bulgogi:

About the size of my palm

Finished product

Step 2-fill 'er up!

Another night we decided to get Korean BBQ and chose a meal that said it served two. I'm sure with the stack of meat we got it could easily serve double that. Plus I did not realize it came with all the sides! Everything was pretty good, but I thought I'd like some of the dishes warmed up instead of served cold (like the kimchi rice cake and some clear noodles). One thing I've found interesting is that they will eat with chopsticks and spoons but when preparing the meat will use tongs and scissors. It feels a little strange to actually cut the meat with a scissors but with a good set of shears it's so fast!

After the BBQ we asked for a box for leftovers and bundled up getting ready to leave. When we were ready to go another girl brought us tea-whoops! I'm not a coffee or tea drinker but was excited to have a warm mug to wrap my hands around. Wrong! It was cold tea...with floating things.

It turns out it's a chilled cinnamon sweet tea with pine nuts. I ended up trying it and it was okay but I think it might be better warm. It just tasted like wet cinnamon. 

There is a variety of restaurants and cuisine around where the hotel was. My two favorites have been a Turkish Kebab restaurant that makes a delicious little pizza and an Italian place called Pasta Vino. Half the fun at Pasta Vino was enjoying the decor. It was a cozy little place that had a rustic look to it. 

We're looking forward to trying more new things here--and figuring out how to make them ourselves!