I was looking at my photos of Korea and noticed a lot of them were food pictures. That actually makes sense since I was always looking forward to meal time apart from all the sights, and so I've decided to whet your appetite with these culinary delights.
Soju is a distilled alcoholic beverage that Koreans consume neat. I have tried several times to get accustomed to its flavor but all those times I have failed. I just find it too strong. Luckily, there are several ways to make soju easier to take. One is 'somaek' - a combination of soju and beer. The concoction I prefer is flavored soju because the addition of a fruit slushy waters down the strong alchoholic flavor.
Me, Mark, and Reg having Kiwi soju. Love the crunchy Kiwi seeds! :)
Bibimbap is rice topped with meat,vegetables, and egg, and comes with a spicy sauce to round everything off. Mix everything and this makes for a delicious meal anyday. This one is a red rice bibimbap which I had at Busan.
As with most Korean dishes this stew is spicy especially since the main ingredient is kimchi or fermented cabbage/lettuce. I just love 'Kimchi jigae' because of the flavorful soup and the soft, silky tofu that almost melts in your mouth. It tastes even lovelier topped on steaming rice. It's the perfect comfort food for a rainy day.
Since it was summer when I was in Korea I needed to cool off with this delectable 'bingsu'. It's shaved ice with an assortment of toppings and in this case we had red bean and green tea ice cream. The combination was not too sweet and it tasted quite earthy.
Korean fried chicken. I know what you're thinking. I must sound ridiculous mentioning fried chicken in this list but this is no ordinary fried chicken. This is usually bar food but I'll be happy to have this with a plate of rice for dinner or even on its own as a snack. It's hot,slightly sweet, fried to a crisp, and spicy. Need I say more?
'Bulgogi' is marinated beef that's tender, flavorful, and succulent. It's grilled on your table and comes with a soup that's light and sweet. The meat is thin and so it doesn't leave you with a heavy feeling after eating.
Since kimchi is something Korea has a lot of, they have thought of countless ways to utilize this dish. Lo and behold one of those ways, the Kimchi pancake. Best eaten hot, the batter keeps the outer part crisp and the inside soft and juicy. The one I had at Busan had a unique special ingredient- cheese. It made the center gooey and rich. Yummy!
It didn't take long for us to notice the people in Jeju island carrying bottles which looked like oversized Yakult and our curiosity led us to the convenience store's refrigerator. We discovered the drink was banana milk, and it was beside other flavors such as strawberry and chocolate. This sweet treat certainly brings out the kid in you.
Though I'm not a fan of 'makgeolli' or Korean rice wine, I have decided to put it on the list because of the adorable way they served it to us. The beverage was in an old-fashioned tin kettle that had its matching cups.
I still have tons of food photos from Korea but I'll end this list for now, or else I'll just keep going. The best piece of advice I can give you when it comes to travel and food- get your hands on everything that looks interesting (or weird) to you. Bon appetit!
