foodie

kimchee soup:

banchan (sides):

gimbop monkey:

late night street cuisine:

monkey gets "fresh" with soju:



food in korea is relatively cheap. no, actually, it's really cheap. one can probably get by on less than $10 a day and that's eating out for every meal. near to theresa's apt there's a variety of tasty options: soups, gim-bop--veggie and rice rolls that look like sushi, but without fish--noodles, cakes, and candy. fruit street vendors sell : clementines, persimmons, and bananas while there are other corner stands that offer spicy seasoned soft rice cakes, fish cakes and tempura-like fried goodies. in korea, it's rare that one eats out a lone--it's actually frowned upon as eating is a very social activity--unless it's at these types of stands, korea's version of fast food.

yesterday, theresa and i went to E mart, a rather huge everything type of store, think greatlands target. whatever you want, this place probably has it: clothes, tioletries, perfume, silverware, telephones, electronic goods, toys, oven mitts, a toolset and groceries. what i've noticed is that fresh produce is quite expensive in korea. booooo! i was completely spoiled this summer with the plentitude of having the tastiest and freshest anacostia farmers market produce at my fingertips. i miss greens, ya'll! i want salad every day, i want to bite into a crisp celery, and dunk strips of red peppers into my favorite garlic hummos from the meditteranean place in takoma park. my body is craving phytonutrients, beta-carotene in its raw form.

gratefully, my body got its dose of greens by means of a home-made salad. mmmm salad! isn't it funny and interesting the things you miss most immediately after leaving home? while at the grocery store, i missed my mom. grocery stores always remind me of my mother. i had spoken with her earlier that day and explained to her the dramatic outwardly differences between american and korean women. (now, of course not allll korean ladies are dressed to the nine's every day, every minute, but, the majority are very very well groomed!) she had very maternally affirmed, "yes, i know, it is very different, hmm? and that's how korean ladies are..." when i asked her if i needed to be like them, to dress so properly all the time, wear makeup everytime i left the house, fix my hair, do my nails, guess what she said? she said no. she said, you are fine as you are. wear what you want to wear, do what you want to do. and then she asked, "well what does theresa wear and do?" when i replied that she's very much in the same vein as me in wearing what's comfortable and natural, she said, "see, do that." ahhh, yes! that's my american influenced korean mother! i don't actually feel very awkward about my dress or outward appearance, but, i do feel self conscious about the language barrier. alright, let's be honest here, mostly, i don't like feeling stupid. i know i'm not stupid stupid, but i do feel sheepish stupid. i've gotta get over that, i want to learn and to do so is to make mistakes and lots of em. so here's to making mistakes and laughing and learning from them!