on the topic of good eats

Okay, so the most frustrating thing about being in Korea (at the moment at least) is that I can't cook here! I prided myself back at home for cooking. And this year I branched out a lot! I started using onions and garlic, I toyed with cooking Indian food (omg ADDICTED and it's totally better at restaurants), I added pork to the brief list of meats I would eat- chicken and ground turkey... so exciting... I freakin love produce sections in food stores. When Martin's opened up in Harrisonburg, it was heaven. I don't know the bottles and sauces here. The most common vegetables are really just edible water bottles. I've also been clued in that I need to weigh and price loose produce before going to the check out, but I don't know where to do that or how, so I'm avoiding anything that isn't prepackaged and priced. Yeah, I'm pathetic. 


I miss tacos. And tikka masala. 


In a moment of stupid lameness last night, I was proud of myself for assembling rice, mini weenies and mixing them together with chili sauce... into something like a sad man's bibimbap. And then John showed up with food that his host mom cooked, and I was totally schooled. Though I also included sliced plum and pickled radish. And  frozen dumplings (만두!) <-- spelling... seriously schooled.

That feeling of accomplishment after cooking an awesome meal is part of what I miss. Here, so many sides are pre-made, you can get away with just doing something to some kind of meat and tossing it in with the pickled this, pickled that, and fermented whatever. I would LOVE  to learn how to make some of the stuff I've had at restaurants, but right now sauces are terribly unknown territory. 

dalkgobi (닭고기)- the deliciousness that exists

the hot mess that I pull off

I also like having control over what goes into my food, though at home that was mainly because the restaurants are unhealthy. Here is the first time in a long time that I haven't been mentally calculating everything that I'm eating, but that's partly because I can't read the nutrition facts and because I really have no idea how healthy or unhealthy the food is. I need more vegetables in my life and less rice. I hate potatoes, but man would I love one. With some butter (margarine actually, I think real butter smells weird).


Add cooking to the list of things I want to accomplish here. I'm addicted to ramen lately. I think it's because it's about 98% salt. I need to stop eating it.


Also, I'm starting to consider looking into buying a guitar. I could use something to work on while I'm in the apartment.