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The Korean Culinary Wave Hits NYC?
2009-09-23 02:48:00
From The New York Times Julia Moskin at The New York Times writes about the Korean government’s efforts to promote Korean cuisine abroad, particularly about an event where the first lady made pajeon for Korean War veterans.  Honestly, with all the silly stuff that’s been going around, a simple pajeon with veterans should hit the right note. But with pajeon… where’s the makgeoli? If you like this site why not buy us a beer. Related posts:Korean Food’s 2009 Trends I’m going to use this post as a bookmark for...Crazy Korean Cooking Been enjoying this new series. It’s low budget and silly,... Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.
More About: Hits , Culinary , Wave

The Closest I’ll Get to Bourdain and Ripert
2009-09-18 05:43:00
Joe DiStefano asked me for some info on Korea’s live octopus a while back for Edible Queens.  No, it’s not an erotic bakery in San Francisco.  It’s a new magazine covering the food scene in the borough of Queens, NY.  He just sent a link to the article, and I was pleasantly surprised to be quoted in the cover article about Eric Ripert and Anthony Bourdain cavorting through the Asian wonderlands that reside there.  Bourdain and I are quoted in the same article.  How fanboy cool is that? FEASTING ON FLUSHING If you like this site why not buy us a beer. Related posts:Dinner Social with Eric Ripert This is a pretty cool idea if one could pull...“Pork, Kimchi, Oysters. It’s the F@$%ing Magic Combination!” (Image from Roboppy’s Flickr Stream) The latest episode of... Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

New Affiliate: KoreanClass101
2009-09-17 05:29:00
We’d like to welcome the newest ZenKimchi partner, KoreanClass101.  I personally have been a fan of this site for a while, and they have grown a lot.  I know others who have tried this along with the other online Korean lessons out there, and even though they paid for subscriptions, they said it was well worth it. Go ahead and and get a free 7 day trial. If you like this site why not buy us a beer. No related posts. Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.
More About: Affiliate

Three Sheet to South Korea
2009-09-14 03:15:00
I’m out of touch with much of what’s on TV in the U.S. these days.  That’s mostly a blessing.  But too bad I missed out on this show, Three Sheet s.  The host, Zane Lamprey, goes around the world to explore people’s drinking cultures.  Think Thirsty Traveler but with more wastedness. It turns out that Zane went to South Korea .  I can’t find any clips of the show that I can put on the site, but you can watch the whole episode here. And it looks like some folks have caught on to some Korean drinking traditions after watching the show. Click here to view the embedded video. Click here to view the embedded video. If you like this site why not buy us a beer. Related posts:Bizarre Foods Video Central This is the post where I’ll land videos that I...Bizarre Foods with Andrew Zimmern: South Korea We’re reaching the end of the hype week for...Bizarre Foods: Korea — Videos Posted Just a little update. The advertising for the Bizarre Food...

It’s a Different Tony
2009-09-13 17:35:00
I’ve been a bit melancholy this week.  I feel like I’ve watched an old friend change.  It’s not bad.  It’s different, like when we hit landmark life stages.  The Tony Bourdain I saw tonight on No Reservations was distinctly wise, regretful and resigned.  At one point, he said he even felt ennui. I know Tony has a lot more shows left in him.  Yet I think we saw a major turn in the journey.  It’s come full circle.  Technically, Tony’s journey started with that childhood oyster in France and that first trip to Tokyo when he worked at Les Halles.  But for me, Tony’s real journey started in the opening lines of his first series, A Cook’s Tour: As a cook, tastes and smells are my memories.  Now I’m in search of new ones.  So I’m leaving New York City and hope to have a few epiphanies around the world.  And I’m willing to go to some lengths to do that.  I am looking for extremes of emotion and experience.  I&rs...

“He Might Be a Unicorn� (Top Chef, s06, e04)
2009-09-12 19:27:00
Each season of Top Chef has the episode to weed out the chefs without the French culinary training.  This was as Frenchy as French could French.  It was Maurice Chevalier sitting on a wheel of brie drinking Côtes du Rhône reading Victor Hugo with Pepé le Pew on the television. This is one of those areas ... Related posts:Catch Eli on Top Chef Tonight! For those of you with access to the show,...Thoughts on Top Chef (Season 6, Ep. 1-3) I’m keeping up with Top Chef through iTunes, and it’s...ZenKimchi Two Degrees from Top Chef I hope all of you are keeping up with Top... Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

Ggaenip Pesto — The Video
2009-09-08 15:58:00
Click here to view the embedded video. If you haven’t checked out Koreanfornian Cooking yet, you should.    The host Tamar used to teach here in Korea, Chuncheon to be precise.  She’s just posted her version of Ggaenip Pesto 깨닙 페스토.  Particularly liked that she credited ZenKimchi for posting it a while back.  I should also give more credit where it’s due, for I got the original idea from Evil Jungle Prince, a great food blog that has since disappeared. If you like this site why not buy us a beer. Related posts:Bizarre Foods Video Central This is the post where I’ll land videos that I...“24, 24, 24″ – The Video Here’s a video that gives you some scope about the...CKC: Rice Cake Dumpling Soup 떡만ë‘�êµ­ (Ddeok ManduGuk) They’ve done it again!  And remember, cheap egg frying pans... Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

The Best Fish and Chips in Korea? 2-for-1 Tonight!
2009-09-08 05:12:00
Irish Chef Ciaran Hickey of the W Seoul claims that the Wolfhound’s fish and chips are the best he’s had in Korea .  I’d say that’s a pretty powerful endorsement. TONIGHT (Tuesday) The Wolfhound has their 2-for-1 fish and chips special.  They also have what I believe are the best burgers in town at the best price.  Check out more info about the Wolfhound itself, including location, at ZenKimchi Dining. If you like this site why not buy us a beer. Related posts:Grilled Fish at Gumteo 굼터 PLUS Fish Translations You find this chain of restaurants everywhere in Korea. ...It’s Friday. Where will you eat? Here are the latest five reviews on ZenKimchi Dining....Catch Eli on Top Chef Tonight ! For those of you with access to the show,... Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.
More About: Chips

Thoughts on Top Chef (Season 6, Ep. 1-3)
2009-09-05 05:02:00
I’m keeping up with Top Chef through iTunes, and it’s been way past time to throw in some armchair commentary–just to add to the gaggle of food bloggers already doing so.  Do I need to say that there will be spoilers in this?  Just stop reading if you haven’t seen the first three episodes of season six yet. Episode 1: Sin City Vice The first episode wasn’t as high pressure as season five’s opening round in New York, where someone was sent home almost right off the plane, before entering the kitchen.  Instead, being Las Vegas, it was high stakes.  They’ve introduced large cash prizes on top of the usual immunity for winning the quick fire round at the beginning of the show.  I’m a fan of the quick fire challenge because I always speculate on what I would do if in that situation.  They’ve been getting more difficult each season, but the caliber of chefs has been increasing also. There are always those clues in the first five...
More About: Thoughts , Season , Top Chef

Joe in Newsweek Korea PLUS L.A. BBQ Festival
2009-09-03 03:44:00
An essay I wrote on the Korea n government’s ham-handedness in promoting Korean cuisine overseas has been published in this week’s Newsweek Korea.  It’s in Korean, but I am making the original English version available for download here.  It’s mostly about how the government and some private entities aren’t even bothering to ask foreigners what they like.  They’re forcing what they themselves like onto the market, like expensive royal court cuisine and ddeokbokki/”topoki” (see “Agriculture Ministry is Officially NUTS“). With impeccable timing to prove my point, reader Edward brings to my attention a post by Food Comma that L.A. has just finished a Korean BBQ festival and contest.  I’ve been making the rounds to any Korean who would bother to listen to me that Korea, with all its festivals, really needs a BBQ festival.  Can you believe they don’t have any?  They have a giant festival for rice cakes but not o...
More About: Festival

Korea Enters the Luxurious Burger Wars
2008-06-04 03:21:00
My friend Chris Wright sent me this.  W Seoul Walkerhill has come up with the 180,000 won W “X” burger.  It’s Australian Wagyu beef with some big ass lobes of foie gras, black truffles and lobster tail served on a brioche bun. This whole luxury burger thing started a while back with Daniel Boulud’s DB Burger ...
More About: Korea , Wars , Luxurious

SK Government Plans to Label Beef
2008-05-29 02:37:00
Yonhap News Agency reports that more stringent measures are in the works, where on June 18th, the South Korean government will require restaurants and caterers to label where each cut of beef comes from prominently enough so that consumers can choose for themselves.  In the case where something like a stew is made from beef ...
More About: Government , Beef , Plans , Label

Annalog Tries Space Kimchi
2008-05-27 05:11:00
Valuable research from Annalog.  Her cousin got a set of Korean space food. Mmm… freeze-dried kimchi! Check out the video!
More About: Space , Kimchi

New Korean Rising Star in NYC?
2008-05-26 12:00:00
New York Magazine has an article featuring the new restaurant Persimmon, headed by Momofuku alum Youngsun Lee.  The relaxed restaurant has a prix fixe menu ($30-$60 range) that revolves around one ingredient, emphasizing traditional Korean food. Kimchi Jjigae is trendy.  Whoda thunk? There’s also a Chowhound topic about it.
More About: Restaurant , Star

Lotteria?s Avocado, Shrimp and Cheese Burger
2008-05-23 05:21:00
Okay, I tried it. I saw the ad for it on Mongdori, and I had to see this for myself. Are avocados finally going to become popular in Korea? Well, I stopped by Lotteria last night. Honestly, looking at some of the new stuff on their menu, they seem to be getting better. ...
More About: Cheese , Shrimp , Burger , Junk

New Lotteria Creation: Avocado, Shrimp and Cheese Burger
2008-05-22 09:26:00
Mongdori has a video of the commercial for this latest monster to emerge from the Lotteria labs.  I’m going to see if I can track one down tonight and give a report.
More About: Cheese , Shrimp , Burger , Creation , Junk

Special SeoulPodcast: A Talk with Stephanie White, Mother of Michael White
2008-05-21 05:08:00
In a special edition of the SeoulPodcast, we talk to Stephanie White , the mother of Michael White, who died recently under suspicious circumstances at a sauna near Daegu. [Seoulpodcast - Special: A Mother 's Worst Nightmare -- The Tale of Michael White]
More About: News , Talk

SeoulPodcast: Tales from the Dark Side
2008-05-17 05:45:00
[Click here for the episode] This week we have one of those evil recruiters, Rowan Hall, from ESL-Planet Recruiting.  He actually has a lot of background info on the current trends in the Korean ESL industry and personal experiences and advice on how to navigate the new E-2 visa regulations.
More About: Dark , Tales , The Dark , Side , The Dark Side

Finally, Some Sanity in Sogogi-gate
2008-05-17 04:51:00
The Korean media is finally coming around to agreeing with me.  Because, you know, they always turn to me for their talking points. My point throughout this whole “scandal” has not been that American beef is totally safe.  It has been that it is not much different than Korean beef and is possibly safer.  In America, ...
More About: News , Gate , Finally

Epicurious the Epicaterer
2008-05-15 02:55:00
I’ve just been informed by Dan at SeoulEats that he will help cater an art gallery event. Here’s the message I received from him: There are a whole lot of exciting food events this weekend. Tomorrow at 6:30pm there will be a art gallery event at Gasan Gallery in Bundang for artist Lee Jung Tae. ...
More About: Event , Epicurious

The Miele Guide — Coming October 2008
2008-05-14 18:36:00
I was asked a few months ago to be one of the “84 of Asia’s most influential and respected restaurant critics” to participate in the preliminary submissions and judging to the new Miele Guide .  It’s basically the Michelin or Zagat Guide for Asia.  I’d say it’s a welcome publication in this culinarily exciting yet confusing corner of the world. As for my participation, anyone who knows me knows that I don’t go to many of the fine restaurants in Seoul.  I don’t have the time, I don’t want to spend the money, and frankly, I’ve been disappointed with most of the pretension in upscale or trendy cuisine here.  I don’t want to pay 30,000 won for something I could easily make at home.  So I submitted some of my basic favorites–and only places I had been to.  No Gorilla in the Kitchen.  No The Gaon.  Nothing with a lot of pretension unless it actually tasted good. Now here’s where you come in.  From May 15th t...
More About: October , 2008

SeoulPodcast: Amanda Takes Off?
2008-05-13 06:06:00
The latest SeoulPodcast features Amanda from Amanda Takes Off, one of the more entertaining and well-respected bloggers in Korea Blogland. We talk a lot about what to do when employers screw you, the multiple food scares and the new Seoul mascot.

Wanna Big Screw?
2008-05-13 05:17:00
The witty and gorgeous lao-ocean-girl found this one.  If you can’t read the hangeul, is says, “Screw .” Lao-ocean-girl claims, “Big screws are refreshing.” Okay, guys, wipe the drool from the keyboard.
More About: Junk

Makguksu Makeover
2008-05-12 07:49:00
This article first appeared in my column in The Korea Herald. Click here for the PDF version (1.43 MB). Over in the small town of Yeoju in the southeastern corner of Gyeonggi province is a noodle shop that has been getting attention for taking a humble dish and doing something special with it. Makguksu, or ?rough ...
More About: Restaurant , Makeover

Alas, More Sogogi-gate? with Cartoon
2008-05-11 19:20:00
It’s getting weirder, folks.  So, let’s summarize this cartoon.  This cow is infected with mad cow via the three major Korean newspapers labeled on it.  I guess the newspapers who created the mad cow hysteria are considered crazy now that they’re backtracking and trying to clarify the rumors they had spread before.  Oh, whatever, here’s ...
More About: News , Gate , Cartoon

New Site: My Epikorean
2008-05-08 15:30:00
I’ve just been informed of a new Korean food site, called My Epikorean, that looks great and has innovative California-style Asian fusion dishes, mostly Korean inspired.  Come on, who could go wrong with a Bulgogi Buffalo Burger? The site design is clean and easily navigable, and the pictures are gorgeous.  And of course, the recipes sound ...
More About: Site , Out There , New Site

Video of Elyse Sewell Enjoying Seoul Cuisine
2008-05-08 04:05:00
And not just any cuisine.  We get the live octopus at the end of a video that highlights some of the quirkiness of everyday life in Seoul from one of the biggest celebrity ex-pats living here.
More About: Video , Cuisine

More Sogogi-gate Weirdness
2008-05-08 03:28:00
Matt from Gusts of Popular Feeling posts this hypothetical this conversation on the bus between two Koreans: Hey, you know that girl I told you about in my class, the one who was crying after she saw her test scores? Yeah. Well after school my friends saw her eat a burger at Burger King. So? Guess what happened? What? They found her ...
More About: News , Gate

Streetside Korean Catchin? on in DC
2008-05-07 04:22:00
Erin Zimmer at Serious Eats praises a Korean streetside vendor (L Street Vending) in Washington, DC, for its consistency (in terms of regularly showing up and having good flavor).

Sogogi-gate
2008-05-05 17:09:00
And now, my friends, is when, like many things in Korea, events become surreal. The U.S. beef weird-coaster is riding the chain to the top, about to be launched.  The U.S. Department of Agriculture has executed an emergency Sunday press conference to calm down the panic in Korea over the media’s scare tactics in generating fear ...
More About: News , Gate