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.

Brigade Spring Ball - Hyatt Hotel

Last night we attended a military function:My vegetarian dish was a mixture of mushrooms, pastry, and vegetables: Initially I received the beef plate, which my SO quickly grabbed and scraped on his plate. Actually, he managed to eat double the portions for every course. He even drank two water glasses at a time!

My last military function for quite some time!

Ladies Night - Mexican Potluck

Not Korean food, but food nonetheless. I hosted my first ever ladies' night on Saturday:Everyone prepared foods from scratch. My friend concocted a "Mexican salad dressing" with cheese, lime, and peppers. We used fresh lime and homemade simple syrup for our strong margaritas.

Here we are before our dinner. We're all leaving within the next four months, and this dinner was a "good-bye" for some.

My dinner plate: chicken enchiladas, salad, refried beans, Spanish rice. I made the refried beans myself using good old bagged beans. It makes a BIG difference.

After dinner we played a get-to-know-you game. The winner won this 'regifted' item. Some of you may recognize it as my husband's Lunar New Year gift! Note the missing bottle.

We finished our meal with fresh cut fruit and this low-fat flan. Delicious!

Pancakes and Pizza

My friend Angella and I have started cooking together. She brings ingredients to prepare a Korean food, and I prepare something American. Last night we made pizza and Korean pancakes. I made the whole wheat crust in advance. Here we are chopping food for our recipes: Angella purchased a ready-made Korean pancake mix, pre-peeled onions, zuchini, and leaves:

You can make the Korean pancake with any vegetable or seafood. Here is the mix:

Angella created her own pizza for the first time. I showed her how to flatten the dough and add the accoutrements. We always eat BBQ chicken and pineapple pizza, but sometimes I throw old leftovers on the top.

Angella taught me how to fry and flip the Korean pancake. We did not have the right ladle, spatula, or frying pan in our American kitchen. She managed fine, though. We made a simple dipping sauce of sesame oil and low-sodium soy sauce. Since we only had two pairs of chopsticks, I used a fork with mine. It felt really strange; Korean pancakes are meant to be eaten with chopsticks. Angella taught Eric how to cut the pancake with the chopstick. I used the pizza cutter on mine.

Here are the final products:

Now I feel confident enough to make the pancakes myelf, probably from scratch. I don't know if Angella will attempt the pizza. Good mozzarella cheese and pizza sauce are difficult finds here. Next time we're going to bake sweets!

Holiday Ball and Time for Pee Pee

Our final holiday party of the season was a military holiday ball. The military band played jazzy music, and I won a free manicure. The invitation said "business-formal," but women still wore dramatic ball gowns. I, on the other hand, followed the rules of business-formal, other than the open-toed shoes. Fortunately I had a hand-me-down red dress from my mom, since I'm not one for shopping:The food was standard holiday fare: The stuffing and sweet potatoes were delicious! No Korean food on hand other than kimchi'i. As tradition dictates, we had plenty of toasts:

And also a brigade cake:

Tonight we leave for our trip to Phuket and Ko Phi Phi. Though unrelated, I will post about Thailand's exotic fruits. I'm already craving a certain fruit with white flesh and small, black seeds. I ate it every day during our Koh Samui trip last year. I might post about main dishes, too, if I can handle the spices!

Baker's Annual Cookie Party

Yesterday afternoon we went to the Baker's for a cookie party. I made brownies from scratch for the first time. I always add a 'secret ingredient' when I cook to add excitement. This time I put a mashed banana in the batter. The brownies were so moist and flavorful! I received several compliments. (Even though I accidentally left foil on the bottom of the brownie squares.)
By the way, brownies are very easy to make from scratch. I will never use a box mix again!
Back to the party. Platters of cookies, ranging from coconut-chocolate chip bars to biscotti lined the tables.

Chocolate biscotti on the lower left, flavorful Spearmint mints in the center, walnut tea balls at the top, a store-bought cream puffs at right.

Pecan tart and my mug of mulled wine.

English toffee bars, oatmeal raisin cookies, a soft flan-style dessert, frosted pumpkin cookies, and, to my delight, sliced fuyu persimmon!


Hearty chocolate-peanut butter-oat cookies, snickerdoodles, and the pumpkin cookies.

I'm glad the party was during the afternoon this year. It gave my body enough time for digestion! Next year I would like to find a healthy holiday cookie book. I really do prefer to make and eat healthy treats, even during the holidays. I figured a mashed banana would provide a small quantity of fiber and potassium this year.
Thank you to the Bakers for a great afternoon!

Happy Thanksgiving from Tokyo!

Happy (Belated) Thanksgiving! We spent ours in Tokyo with friends. Yes, another American meal with nothing to report.

Sandwich Islands

I'm leaving for a 1-week vacation in Hawaii. If I see any Korean food, I'll take pictures and post. Otherwise, I might not be posting until next weekend. Feel free to leave comments in the meantime!

The Anchor Bar Would Not Approve

Eric and I had a few laughs over this sign after his birthday dinner. I hope this "diner" goes out of business soon. It really does a disservice to all the incredible diners in New Jersey and New York. First off, diner food would never be described as savory. Greasy, perhaps, but never savory. Next, as a Buffalo native, I had to laugh at the "wild buffalo wings." Apparently the Korean owners are unaware that "buffalo" refers to a location and not a type of meat! Do buffalo even have wings?
And, finally, a diner is a great place for a cup of coffee but not beer!
We generally avoid American restaurants. Servings are smaller, yet pricier and taste Korean. For Eric's birthday, though, we ate at Sortino's, his favorite restaurant. The food is excellent, but the cost is outrageous. For example, my polenta, the size of two card decks, cost $20! Come on, it's simply corn, water, oil, cheese, and a few spices! Eric usually needs to order to entrees to fill himself.
Yes, I must admit that I like American portion sizes. I love taking home leftovers and getting my money's worth. I understand that portion size doesn't need to be so large, but then again, shouldn't the price go down too?

Lotte Supermarket Imports & Beverages

Campbell's Soup for a whopping $2.00 a can.
I wonder how many households serve pure maple syrup at $13-$14 per jar.
You'd think these basic nuts were a delicacy at these prices!
Plenty of choices for coffee and milk!
Probiotic drinks - you choose the bacteria and the flavor!

Does Anyone Buy These?

Anyone care to spend $12.60 on an Amy's organic frozen pizza? And I thought $3.69 at the Commissary was expensive!