Just Enough Korean Blog

I found a contest sponsored by ExperienceKorea.org where you can win up to 5,000,000 won. That’s 5 million won!

It seems all you have to do is create a video which shows how to make any type of Korean food. You can create a “unique, special Korean food recipe” or a recipe that is “simple to follow, easy to get ingredients of, and of course, taste good”. Upload that video to youtube and you’re all set!

Submit your videos between March 1st and March 31st.

You’ll have some stiff competition if you enter since you’ll be up against the fine folks here at JustEnoughKorean.com but give it a shot!

Check out the contest here:
http://www.experiencekorea.org/summary_01.asp?nation=en

Around midnight one April’s eve, Jermil and I found ourselves combing the streets of Geojedo for some eats. Many establishments had already closed, but we found a small Hof. (You might be asking yourself, what is a Hof? It’s a Korean-style bar or pub, and there are thousands of them in Korea.)

We couldn’t read the menu, but upon entering the hof, I spied a delicious stir-fry platter being served. It was everything I wanted: veggies, protein and a side of rice. Sold! Below I recount some of the dialogue that follows the hot stone stir-fry plate being delivered to our table:

Candice: (examining the stir-fry up-close) Um. That meat doesn’t look familiar.
Jermil: (looking confused) Yeah…what is that? You know what, I’m up for anything, I’ll try it.
Candice: (looking skeptical, but slightly relieved) Yes, good, you try it first.

Jermil takes a bite of “meat” and the look of nervousness turns to a look of disgust as a loud CRUNCH sound comes from his mouth.

Candice: Are you ok?? Are all of your teeth still in tact?!?
Jermil: That is not meat. That is organ.

Hmmm could it really be? We left the plate relatively untouched and ordered another item on the menu, which to our delight, turned out to be sweet and sour pork (tang soo yook). I returned to Seoul and told my students about my experience.

Candice: (desperately) What did we eat?!
Students: (buzzing, laughing) Ohhh Candice, some Koreans don’t even like that!!
Candice: (turning green) What was it?!?
Students: Chicken intestines!!!

Perhaps you have an appreciation for this culinary delicacy, but Jermil and I didn’t much care for 닭똥집. If there’s one Hof tip we can provide you with, it would be to avoid ordering 닭똥집!!!

How to get to Lotte World
Jermil and I love skating in the winter, and Seoul Travel and Culture magazine mentioned Lotte World Amusement Park houses, in addition to all of the typical thrill rides, a skating rink as well. Although it’s a bit of a trek to Jamsil from where I live (the North Western part of Seoul), we hopped on the Seoul Subway Line 2 and braved the 40 minute subway ride.

Buy the “Special Pass”!
Lotte World was worth the journey, we ended up not skating at all, but instead, we purchased the “Special Pass” and got some sort of foreigner discount that ended up costing each of us about 31 000 won.

Lotte World Amusement Park was an idyllic getaway from humdrum Seoul living. The music, the smells, and the happiness in the air had Jermil and I smiling the whole time we were there. We rode roller coasters, dropped from the sky on the “Gyro Drop”, and got a little wet on the log flume ride. We were just steps away from performers in sporadic parades that happened throughout the day (see the parade pictures below), and we watched several shows that included acrobatics, dance, and live music.

Is Lotte World really like Disneyland??
Lotte World cannot really be compared to Disneyland in terms of size and impressiveness, but it really was lovely, and we had a great day. Both of us remarked that we had forgotten we were even in Korea. We were also really surprised that the park was open in the winter, but a large portion is indoors, so that worked out for us, since it was -12 degrees celcius the day we were there.

We’ve heard Everland is also a fun amusement park, but we haven’t been yet, have you? Let us know what you thought of it in the comments!

Enjoy our pictures from the parade at Lotte World Amusement Park.

Jermil has really wanted to go “ice skating” (just “skating” to we Canadians) this winter, and coincidentally in the December issue of “Seoul Travel and Culture” magazine, they suggested some venues for skating. We decided to check out what Gwanghwamun Plaza in Seoul had to offer.

Getting to Gwanghwamun Plaza and other information:

· Take the Seoul Subway Line 5 to the Gwanghwamun stop, and leave the station from Exit 2 or 3
· Hours: Mon – Fri, 10 am – 10pm and Sat –Sun, 10am – 11pm
· Open from December 12, 2009 to February 15, 2010
· Admission costs 1, 000 won and that includes admission AND skate rental! What a deal!

The skates were slightly dated, and I suspect the ice hadn’t seen a zamboni all day, but we had a good time nonetheless! Live at the scene, we present to you an on-ice video (and pictures below)…check it out!

Ever since we travelled to Beijing in June 2009, Jermil and I have been on a quest to find some flavourful Chinese food in Korea. Walking around in Sinchon, Seoul today, we stumbled upon a sign for Well Chai-New Style Chinese Restaurant. The menu had food titles written in English, and the interior of the restaurant was modern and inviting, so we thought we would sample the cuisine.

How to get to Well-Chai:
Take the Seoul subway Line 2 to Sinchon station, and leave the station from Exit 3. Walk straight and at the first major intersection, turn right. Walk for a few minutes and on the left side of the road you’ll see a big yellow sign that says “Nolita”, the elevator for Well-Chai is in that entrance way.

Why you should try the Chinese food at Well-Chai
Both Jermil and I ordered from the lunch menu that was reasonably priced (8 000 – 10 000 won per dish). We got the “pork garlic pork” and “barbecue beef”and both of us were delighted with our meals. Here’s why we recommend Well-Chai:
• The quality of both the pork and beef was very good.
• We were impressed with the delicious sauces in which the pork and beef were prepared.
• We loved the plentiful stir-fried vegetables that were part of our lunch platters.
• Our meals came with a generous portion of authentic Chinese fried rice.

We also ordered a separate appetizer of crab dumplings (crab rangoons) that were served with a tangy dipping sauce, and they were amazing! Good Chinese food is not easy to come by in Korea, but we really enjoyed Well-Chai, and the food reminded us of some of the flavours were sampled in Beijing!

We need your help!

Of course, since we were in a Chinese restaurant in Korea, we were served several kimchi side dishes, including, what we think was the spicy Korean version of egg drop soup. Jermil really enjoyed it, and our waitress told us the name of it, but we can’t remember it! If anyone has had this spicy soup, and knows the name of it, let us know in the comments!