Seoul Sista

I couldn't let last night's excursion go un-blogged about. It was the first time I ventured out with a new friend sans children. Now before you start feeling sorry for me, let me just say that the hubby and I have been out with an entire group of people, none of whom have kids and had a great time. We've been out for tacos, drinks, dancing at night clubs, and recently for Bulgarian food (which I highly recommend). Let me also say that I love kids, have only ever met one in my life that I didn't like at all, and hope to have my own soon, but there's something about being out without them and being in a place where there are none around that is truly special; in an odd way, it makes you feel like even more of a grown-up to know that they can't be there.

Anyway, my new buddy and I ventured out last night without the husbands for a little grown-woman time in the city. Initially, we were in search of inexpensive wine and maybe a little dinner. What we found was ridiculously overpriced wine by the bottle at restaurants we admittedly would only go to with our husbands for a really special night out. As we were walking rather quickly away from the expensive spots and over where we knew we could find what we were looking for, we both heard an undeniably familiar noise that neither of us had heard since we arrived A Wolf Whistle! 

Now, historically speaking, those things have gotten certain people into some extremely sticky situations but for whatever reason they are still relatively popular in the states. But after a month of being here and having never heard one from a single, solitary, Korean man, I assumed that I simply did not represent the version of beauty that is appreciated in that way, in this country. Honestly, I was content to go the entire two years here without ever hearing one considering how much it made me cringe when I heard it back home. 

We immediately commented to each other that this was a truly unusual occurrence that neither of us had experienced here and laughed rather heartily about it being from an unassuming, older Korean man. I definitely think it boosted our confidence as much as it caught us off guard. 

We continued on to our destination and found the perfect place for Korean food, wine, and my first taste of soju. I'm glad I found a new friend in my fellow Seoul Sista and glad we could share that experience together if for no other reason than we have a witness to say that it actually happened. 

The Kitchens of Seoul: Part 1

It occurred to me that in a blog with the word "kitchen" in the title, it's probably a good idea to focus on some of the food here. I definitely eat and on a day like today when it's raining so hard that all I want to do is stay inside and make warm, appetizing things that I may or may not actually eat (cooking is really more cathartic for me than anything) I've decided to share a little about what's available to eat when we're out and what I cook at home. I assume that this will be one of many posts about food, so I've dubbed it "Part 1" (fancy huh!).

Let me start by assuring those who are hesitant about travelling to a country like Korea that they truly have all the comforts of home...and then some. If I stepped out my front door right now (which I won't because, again, it's still raining *sigh*) I could walk just a short distance to a McDonald's, a KFC, a Burger King, a couple of Starbucks, and other familiar restaurants with very English names. Many places, like my beloved Holly's Coffee, which serves an excellent mushroom soup and warm scone combo meal, are chains that can be found just about anywhere in the city.

For something a little more interesting than that, there's a Chinese place, a couple of small Turkish restaurants, a Korean BBQ, Italian spots, and one of my new faves, Buddha's Belly which serves very yummy Thai food and has an amazing view of a city that doesn't really have a bad view unless you're in an alley or an underpass where the homeless sleep (like any big city, they have those too). We've gone out for tacos (pork belly, beef, chicken, and fish), pizza and beer, had corn dogs at a ballpark, etc.You don't really have to be too adventurous to eat at any of these places as the menus generally have pictures and English translations of everything in any dish you choose. Best of all, the service is usually fast and courteous.

Bulgolgi is one traditional Korean dish that comes highly recommended pretty much anywhere that serves it. It appears to be very popular with Americans who are just trying Korean food for the first time and is a good introduction to this type of food. It's kind of like trying a California roll first before you tackle more traditional sushi rolls and get totally freaked out that you're eating raw fish. Bugolgi is simply beef that is marinated in a sweet sauce and usually served with onions, green peppers, bean sprouts, and clear noodles, and is usually eaten over rice. With a jar of marinade and the right meat from the grocery store here, I was able to pretty much duplicate it at home and had no complaints from the hubby when I told him we were eating leftovers the following night.

Although I wanted to take formal Korean cooking classes while I was here, I was quickly told that they no longer offered the classes on post and my best bet was to Google Korean dishes and figure it out myself at home. I did just that and found a great YouTube video blog by an adorable Korean woman by the name of Seonkyoung Longest. I recently tried out her recipe for smoked salmon rolls and absolutely loved them. I'll try to make sure to post pictures and descriptions of future attempts.

Last night we had homemade chicken fried rice.

Tonight, I'm cooking at home (duh) and we're having chicken quesadillas!

Earning My Seoul Patch

Happy anniversary to me!! I have officially been in Seoul for one month today and I really feel as though I'm well on my way to earning what I've dubbed, my Seoul Patch. This fictitious achievement that I picture looking like one of my many Girl Scout badges, means a lot to me. One of the goals on my bucket list was to live in a foreign country for a year; and now I am only eleven more months away from reaching my goal.

But living in a different country is more than just about eating, sleeping, and pooping somewhere other than where you're from, it's about absorbing as much of the culture as you can while you have the opportunity to do it. I said from the beginning that I was going to get out and do and experience as much as I can and I'm well on my way to doing just that.

My adventures over the past week or so have taken me on a long walk past some fascinating museums that I fully intend to explore the insides of very soon, to the aquarium at the CoEx mall, and to the most interactive baseball game I've ever seen.

The walk that seemed it would never end began as a simple trial run for the interview that I had the next day. In typical "me" fashion, I got lost (if you didn't know, now you know, I'm completely directionally challenged). I grossly over-complicated some very simple directions and ended up walking around for about four hours--totally safe, great exercise, highly recommend doing it on purpose. I took being totally lost in stride by sight-seeing while I wandered. I accidentally found the agricultural museum, Samsung hospital, and the Seoul Museum of Art, and the Plaza hotel among other random things in the city hall area. They were setting up for something call the Hot Festival in one of the open greens, which I didn't stay around long enough to see to completion. Although I didn't realize it until I got home, I did actually walk by the building I needed to go to the next day.

The CoEx mall is something you just have to see to believe. For my Chicago friends and family who have never been here, imagine a mall and an aquarium inside of McCormick place. This place had everything from the usual stores, restaurants, and a movie theater (appropriately name the MegaBox) to a conference center and yes, the aquarium. I mention the aquarium one because the picture of the open fridge and front loading washer is actually a fish tank and two because I initially didn't really want to go into the aquarium. Due to the steep entrance fee of about $20 per person, I told my husband that we should just skip it. He ignored me, paid the fee, and walked in. I was pleasantly surprised to see some amazing fish, sharks, stingrays, and turtles, as well as other water mammals such as beavers and otters and of course, my favorite, the penguins.

We didn't see daylight until we walked out hours later after having watched Elysium and having eaten dinner at Outback Steakhouse. Needless to say, it was an awesome date with the hubby and a much needed break from the work he was doing and training that I was doing for my new job.

Finally, this past weekend, we went to an exciting baseball game between the Nexen Heroes and the Dosan Bears. I'll admit that the most exciting part of a baseball game for me has always been the beer and hotdogs but clearly, I've never been to a sporting event in Korea! There were cheerleaders, games for the fans, a mascot hurling baseballs into the stands, song, chants, and dances, and of course beer and corndogs on a stick!! I was on full ADD overload the entire game and we had a great time.

So maybe my Seoul Patch won't be just one patch but a series of patches I earn for completing different activities. I'm pretty sure I've earned my entertainment patch and I can't wait to see what's up next.