The Art of Good Korean Food

I feel like I will always want to go back to Korea, it always my goal. 

I'm excited at the possibility, and working towards that goal. My good friend Cami* came to visit from Korea, asked me what food I missed that they could bring back from Korea for me. I had to think about it. There is so much I really miss. It took me a bit to realized that, there's nothing I could ask Cami bring me back because what I wanted and missed the most wasn't something that she put in a suitcase. 

What I missed the most is getting to spend time with the people I care about and love. I didn’t just miss the AMAZING food (and don’t get me wrong the food is nothing short of amazing!)  These meals are a wonderful experience to bond and discuss life. It's not something I realized in the moment, but looking back. 

A good friend of mine is kind enough to send me images of his meals making me simultaneously jealous and giving me the energy to work towards my goal of getting back to a place that makes me happy... and jealous his pictures make me very jealous. Such a good friend. 

Food is treated so differently in Korea than in the US. I was asked how I managed to lose so much weight in Korea, and the reality is, I didn’t do anything. I just ate a lot of really great food, and walked around. In US the same life style simply isn’t available. In Korea I could grab what I needed, or wanted, on my walk home, from any market shop or little restaurant. That’s not a luxury I have here in the US. 

There was a always a little market on the walk home with fresh fruit and vegetables. 

Getting back to Korea, and the way food is shared, conversation is encouraged, and I’d often heard people say that they don’t like eating alone. However, I am so used to eating alone, that eating with other people is almost uncomfortable at times. It feels strange that I miss that interaction. When Cami came out to visit, she tried really hard to make American meals (specifically food) much like those in Korea, even at restaurants, and it was hard to watch, because our food culture is very singular, (and I didn’t know how to course correct, because she’s very tenacious in the best of ways). We have everything on our plate and, (typically) you do not share. 

 However, in Korea, even for two people, there are usually multiple banchan shared with a main dish. Sometimes the banchan is the best part. It can vary depending on where you are, by region, restaurant, or just by whatever your host wants to make that night. Regardless, it's almost always going to be really good!

 It was so much fun to spend time with Cami again, but I understand that there is definitely a cultural divide when it comes to food, and I dearly miss those days in Korea where we spent our time over a burner with kogi and a beer just discussing what was happening around us. 

...and oh man do I miss sulbing!

*Names have been changed to protect the beautiful