I dread the cold, and few things are worth venturing out into frigid temperatures. But I would happily do so for fresh, savory, steaming-hot Bukchon Dumplings. Every country as their cold weather food traditions, and Koreans often turn to hot buns and dumplings. This Insadong spot has been around for decades, so come and take part in this part of tradition!
Meet South Korea’s newest trend: eating porn. Don’t worry, it’s safe for work (no porn involved)! And don’t get it confused with food porn, that’s amateur hour. Mokbangs are eating shows like you’ve never seen them before. Anyone at home can set up their webcam and live stream themselves eating ridiculous amounts of food on AfreecaTV.com, and viewers can send virtual money when the show pleases them. It’s similar to adult video chatting sites, although there is no entry fee — viewers pay by donation.
Korea (and many neighboring Asian countries) love pizza but have no reason to stay true to traditional recipes. Few fight to preserve the authenticity of pizza in Korea, so local chefs take the logical step of improving pizza to fit the local taste.
The result? Bizarre, complicated, full-loaded pizzas. For example, this one seems to have a think crust, a layer of cheese (no sauce underneath), potato wedges, shrimp, olives, bacon, ranch, corn, and although we can’t see it I’m going to assume there’s mayonnaise in there. Corn and mayo are Korean pizza mainstays, for some reason.
I’e mentioned a few beverage pairings in previous posts, but I thought it’d be useful to explain the alcohol culture of South Korea. One thing to know is that public drinking is legal and to some degree even appropriate. Many a picnic will feature bottles of the most common beverages.
Arguably the most internationally well-known and beloved aspect of Korean cuisine: Korean BBQ.
It’s not barbecue in a traditional sense; my understanding is that the name was an attempt to make the food familiar and accessible to Western diners. The main common thread is that Korean BBQ is, like American BBQ, cooked on a grill. There’s a social aspect to sitting around aromatic meat as it cooks before your every eyes.
Korean food has been experiencing a boom in trendiness. Kimchi is cool, Korean fried chicken is the bomb, and omg have you tried Korean BBQ? A true food follower will have at least heard of these menu items, thanks in part to Korean governmental promotional campaigns.
Although Korean food has become popular, most people — specifically English speakers — lacked the ability to create Korean cuisine in their own homes. UNTIL MAANGCHI*.
Just about one month past it’s first birthday, Facebook page “What Should I Eat Today? (오늘 뭐 먹지?)” has amassed a following of over 2 million likes. What is this page? It’s officially described as a community center, food consultant, and restaurant — but in plain terms, this Facebook page is a mastery of foodporn. Continue reading
Chicken and beer is a thing. Koreans even have a nickname for it: chi-mek, from chicken and mekjoo (mekjoo means beer). Why this combination, I’m not sure — do the two particularly complement one another? Or is it another excuse for Koreans to drink with their meals? I don’t know where the idea came from, but this year the trend saw a giant boost in popularity from being the main character’s favorite food in hit drama You Who Came From the Stars. Continue reading
Seoulful Food 