Monday, July 13, 2009

Rice Cakes Between Wonju and Seoul

Last weekend we drove to Gyeongju, a beautiful tourist spot, for a triathlon. It rained...a lot. We decided to take a new route home and found ourselves in horrible traffic. Eric saved time by driving on the shoulder and flashing his emergency lights. (The Korean "I'm Sorry" signal.)
As usual, merchants emerged selling rice cakes:
These rice cakes resemble the Quaker plain rice cakes, only larger and more rice-like. We opted for food at the next rest area. We both ate Western fast food. I had the chicken sandwich:

Of course, it had a "food story."

It contained mustard, cabbage, and a relish-mayonnaise sauce. Normally I would have avoided the condiments. It's funny how I've become less picky now that I can't communicate special requests.
For dessert we shared our delimanjoos, the custard-filled corn cakes:
As we neared the Banpo bridge, we saw that the lower deck was COMPLETELY flooded:
Normally this bridge has an upper AND lower deck. Also, the bike path was completely submerged! Worst flood we've seen here in four years. I'm glad we were out of town for the weekend.




14 comments:

Anonymous said...

You're going to Kansas? I'm going to miss your blogs about living in Korea :(

xtinehlee said...

Love your blog. I'm sorry that I only just started reading it and you're moving on from Korea and this blog! But hope you have a good journey, wherever you go.

Anonymous said...

Hey there!! I just found your blog and loove everything it's about. I love food, love eating well and as healthy as i can without compromising taste, and I just..cannot live without asian food. hahah In fact, Korean food is probably one of my favorites apart from good old Chinese seafood from home!

I'd love to keep reading more!! :) Glad I found your blog!!

Elisa said...

Lovee your Korean Food blog...I just moved here from California to teach English and am having a hard time adjusting to city life. I'm living in Haebandchon/Itaewon...and was wondering if you had some tips on where to go for a jog, what gyms are good around, and where to generally meet like-minded people (and avoid the party till 5am crowd!).

Thanks so much for the amazing and inspiring blog and I hope to hear back from you!

Oscar Devonian said...

If only there were rice cake sellers for people stranded in traffic here.

Deb said...

Those rice cakes looks to die for!

THanks for commenting on my post today- I tried to look up the cals per g of protein and all my resources but one said 4. The last one said 3.2. It was such an interesting comment that I wanted to research it before hitting publish on the final draft. If you have any resources that I could see, I'd be grateful! Thanks and you are very right about the 'calorie free' sprays and the <.5g of fat issue. I felt like I was already overloading some people, but perhaps I will do a part two and include those really really good points that you bring up. (Sorry for leaving this message here, but I couldn't find an email that was working for you- the one on your profile didn't work)

Thanks again!

tastingkorea said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
tastingkorea said...

To say that you "wouldn't touch 90% of it" is a bit narrow minded and insensitive. I understand that everyone has a preference, but it's also important to be culturally sensitive and understanding. However you may feel about Korean food, it's important to remember that it is an aspect of Korean culture and that is something that one needs to respect whatever one's opinion about the cuisine.

MandyKat said...

I disagree with your comment. I honestly wouldn't touch 90% of it, like I wrote. I loved learning about different Korean foods, from the components to the preparation to the different venders. I went to lots of different restaurants and ate with Korean friends. I had plenty of opportunity, but I'm just not adventurous enough to try new foods. I can't tolerate spices, and I only eat certain meats....has NOTHING to do with a cultural bias. Just my own picky taste buds! : )

tastingkorea said...

Well, perhaps you should have phrased it differently. To say that you "wouldn't touch 90% of it" makes it seem as though Korean food is disgusting, which is a pretty blunt and offensive way of putting things, like you wouldn't touch it with a ten foot pole. I don't think you can really say anything about "90% of Korean food" as I sincerely doubt that you have been exposed to that much of it based on what you have written. Anyhow, a little cultural sensitivity and respect wouldn't hurt.

MandyKat said...

Thank you for your comments two years after the conclusion of this blog!

Juliesse Marie said...

I saw the custard-filled corn breads. I was just surprised to see that it's same as the one here in Manila. I thought the branch here is so artificial and commercialized. I'm happy to be wrong. It makes me feel like I've really eaten them in Korea.

Kstylick said...

The custard filled bread is so sweet and delicious. It's one Korean food that I love best.

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