Kind Koreans on Easter

   Danielle and I went for a bike ride last Sunday. It started off with brunch at a hip little cafe we found in Dogok. It was one of those cafes that looks as though they have some authentic eats on their menu. Danielle got a pastrami sandwich... It was a chicken sub. I got a steak sandwich... It was actually a dwaeji-gogi sandwich. It was galbi meat on a bun. Luckily the bread was a really great ciabatta. It was pretty perfect. Oh! and the salad was great. Simple... delicious... fresh... booyah!
   After brunch we looked for a place to fill up Danielle's flat tire. We found a little auto body with one guy working outside. We could hear his high powered compressed air gun from around the block. Perfect! He was more than happy to fill both of our tires for free. I offered him some cash but he just smiled and bowed. I love that kinda shit! People helping people... Awesome.
   The day went on and, after getting lost and going to E-Mart, we finally got back to our neighborhood for some GS beers. I've said it once and I'll say it again- I love that you can drink outdoors in Korea. We finished a few drinks and were in the middle of a conversation when a group of middle school students walked by us with baskets of colored eggs. After passing us they all elected one girl to go back and give the foreigners Easter eggs. "Happy Easter day!" They all chimed in. They gave us our gifts and scurried off to spread more holiday cheer.
   We actually hadn't even realized that it was Easter Sunday until all this had happened. What a cool thing! People here in Korea are so trusting. Where I'm from you would never approach anyone drinking outside of a convenient store with any kind of gift. Well, I guess if you consider giving pocket change to the town wino then maybe you would.
   This country always amazes me with their blind sense of trust. I've never witnessed more random acts of kindness until I came to South Korea... I also never had gotten plowed down by elderly women on the subway until I came here. But, hey, lets focus on the good for now.

Korean Pancakes for Breakfast

  
   It looks like a scab. I know... But it's delicious. The photo does no justice. Anyhow, I've been making pancakes for breakfast lately, but I'm not talking about the kind with maple syrup and butter. You won't find this craziness on an Ihop menu.
   A Korean pancake, or Pajeon, usually consists of kimchi or seafood. I always go for the kimchi if I'm ordering one in a restaurant. I, pretty much, never cook Korean food at home, but now... That's all changed. I'm cookin' up hotcakes like...umm, hotcakes. They're so damn good and so easy to make. There's only three ingredients.
   You gotta go out and get yourself some Korean pancake mix and kimchi. I buy big bags of the mix at my local grocery store, and a small bag of kimchi from the local GS25 on the day I'm cooking. I buy the small bag as to not stink up my tiny fridge with kimchi stench. It gets nasty if you let kimchi sit. Yuk!
   I like to toss my kimchi in a small mixing bowl and use kitchen scissors to cut it up right in in the bowl. Next, add a bit of mix, then add water. Mix it all together until it's the thickness of a milkshake... God, a kimchi milkshake would be disgusting (Sorry Korea)... Next, toss it in a buttered pan and cook it into one big pancake on a low flame. I like to let mine get crispy but there's no wrong way to do it. The crunch just adds another element to the experience. That's it though. slide it out of the pan, grab some chopsticks and enjoy. It makes a great breakfast or snack. It also goes great with Korean rice wine, Makgeolli. Maybe you shouldn't be drinking Makgeolli with breakfast.
   Give it a shot. It's good. You'll love it.

Russian Food in Korea

 
   Goddamn, Russian food is great! A bunch of us just went out last night for Russian food in Dongdaemun. Dongdaemun is a part of Seoul that has a pretty large eastern European population. It's the perfect place to go for Russian munchies. Again... Goddamn! It's soooooo GOOD!
   I got "borscht". It was duh-lish! It's basically beet soup with spices and sour cream. It turns out to be pinkish when you mix the sour cream around. The flavor is salty and kind of sweet. It's not as earthy tasting as a straight up beet. Actually I don't like beets for that reason. That dirty flavor just kills me but this soup is actually a bit sweet. Salty and sweet- you can't beat that... Maybe pun intended.
   I also got cabbage rolls. They were awesome too. I don't know what spices they use in these babies but they were one of the best foods I've had in a long time. They were cooked perfectly. The cabbage on the outside wasn't tough at all. They were stuffed with ground beef and spices. All GOOD!
   Along with our food, we enjoyed some Russain beer and vodka. I guess it wouldn't be a true Russian experience without vodka. Fun fact- Russian beer is numbered. The higher the number- the darker the brew. Also, the higher the number- the higher the alcohol! The highest number is nine. Guess which one I got??? Oh yeah!
   Get out to Dongdaemun (if you're in Korea) and treat yourself to a hearty meal in a Russian restaurant. I'd tell you the name of our spot but I can't read Russian. My food was great and everyone I was with was raving about their food as well. We left the place stuffed and half drunk...maybe whole drunk. You should do the same. Have Fun.