bonding over the pretty boys

[kaigou]

This past week, we headed back home for my sister's... shindig... and I mentioned to my step-father about the massively disappointing Korean meal I'd had. Well, this would never do. (Says a man who buys homemade kimchi by the huge bottle-full from his "source" -- the mother of the woman who does my mother's nails, because "it's not the same when it's store-bought".) Friday we all piled into the car and headed off to the best Korean place inside an hour's drive, and my Mom and I shared pork bulgogi while CP and the SF had some kind of noodle-beef-spice dish (didn't catch the name). After we demolished all of the awesome little dishes that came first, of course.

We get home today, and it's blistering hot and the A/C is still broken (but due to be fixed tomorrow, yay). Naturally this means we might as well eat out -- anything for non-104F temps, basically -- and we decide we want more Korean. Ah, new place getting good reviews in our local Asian shopping center (represents of Taiwan, PRC, Korea, and Vietnam), so off we head.

Even more little dishes ahead of time, plus (our eyes being bigger than our stomachs after spending most of the day on various planes) seafood pancakes -- oh so good -- and then a kind of four-bulgogi sampler called SsamBob. Whomever told me on the last post that Korean food is somewhat hot, sometimes (spicy-wise), but always complex, spicy-wise, totally spoke the truth. So spicy, so incredibly yummy.

Except I had this one question... When the proprietor came over to check on us, she'd been so helpful with what-to-get recommendations that I figured, maybe she could answer this question. I explained I'd watched a Korean show with Moon Geum-Young, in which the actress was making kimchi. I saw the sliced cabbages and some other chunks of vegetables, and then this HUGE BAG (like 2lbs worth HUGE) that was nothing but red powder. Was that, uhm, entirely chili powder she was dumping by the double-handfuls into the vegetables?

First, the proprietor said, yes, it was. And then she said, "you know Moon Geum-Young? You watch her television shows?" I said, of course, she's adorable, and I've done my best to see everything she's in. (Excepting Tale of Two Sisters, which I have but haven't watched yet because it may be over my creep limit in re horror, but anyway, I did see Innocent Steps and Painter of the Wind, and most of MSOAN, so, yeah.) But, she wanted to know, was that all I watched? I said, "no, I've also--" right as CP goes, "My Girlfriend is a Gumiho!" and the proprietor just cracked up (while managing to look surprised that CP had also watched the show, and unsurprised he thought Shin Min-ah is gorgeously charming with dimples that kill). ...and then she asked what else I'd watched. I said, "I'm watching Lie to Me, because it's got Kang Ji-hwan," and she put her hand to her heart and looked like she was going to swoon.

Next thing you know, I'm rattling off all the pretty boys: Lee Min-ki (Dalja's Spring), and Lee Jun-ki (Time Between Dog and Wolf), and Lee Min-ho (City Hunter) -- except I hadn't even gotten out what LMH is in right now, just his name, and the proprietor says, "City Hunter? Are you watching City Hunter?"

Me: OF COURSE. It's got a pretty boy in it!

Then I told her what the American-language fandom calls most of these young actors: noona killers (as in, "older sister killers"). She cracked up all over again, and said that fit perfectly. Clearly a woman after my own heart, and we totally bonded over Hong Gil Dong and Chuno and Greatest Love and Civil Servant Grade 7 and so on. Although notably, neither of us were all that about Yon-sama (or whatever his Korean name is, I can never remember) who was in Legend. We'd trade him in for Lee Min-ho any day. Or Kang Ji-hwan. Though clearly we'd have to get in line.

ETA: Almost forgot, the universal symbol for a particular hot leading man (who, incidentally, is actually older than me, so not really a noona killer). She mentioned Greatest Love, and I tried to say the actor's name. Cha Seung-won, I think his name is spelled? She didn't react, so I knew I said it wrong, so instead I ran my fingers over my face to make the "cow" symbol -- the way the guy's beard is trimmed, it looks like the Chinese character for "cow". Immediately she did the same, and knew exactly who I meant. Bwah.

I am totally going back to try the rest of the dishes (and next time, bringing friends, because that's a lot of food for two people, even if we did come home with leftovers). Besides, the proprietor was willing to patiently explain the parts of the usually-slurred-so-fast-on-TV way to say hello: anaunhah-seoh. Hmm. Maybe I should stick to trying to slur it.

Nice to know I'm not the only noona in this town, getting killed twice weekly.

Comments

[nagasvoice]

How wonderful! The food sounds fabulous, and of course now you have to get recommendations on more fabulous things to see!

[kaigou]

Ahahah, I suspect we'll just end up egging each other on, though it would be awfully nice to have someone local to tell me how to say some of what I hear (that otherwise goes by so fast). And of course I need to find a way to lose weight and still work my way through the entire menu...

[dragonhand]

Nothing's better then good food and an unexpected fan moment shared with a complete stranger. <3

[kaigou]

Yeah, we were pretty much completely fangirling. But I think it was also compounded by the fact that she seemed completely caught off-guard by some round-eye walking in and actually knowing not just the shows, but all the actor and actress names. I suspect there are multiple Korean language lessons in my future...

[dragonhand]

Language lessons are never a bad thing, and it's pretty fracking cool to be the round eye that gives people the double takes. You do pretty much rock that way.

[taithe]

My mother makes her own kimchi and it really isn't the same as store-bought. She goes through an entire bag of chili powder too. And one and a half bottles of fish sauce. Mind you, she makes everything in bulk because it's time-consuming but STILL.

God I miss home-cooking. D: It's not the same when you're forced to try making it on your own...

Ahaha that's so awesome you guys bonded over pretty boys. I may end up getting back into k-dramas one day... if only for the eyecandy. *coughs*

[kaigou]

Honestly, nothing is as good as home-made, and making it yourself is only second-best compared to having Mom make it for you. I didn't get fried okra on this trip, b/c my mom's still recovering from back surgery so standing over the stove wasn't really possible. Not that I want her standing over a hot stove with her back in that condition, but man, it was hard to swallow the immediate cry of joy over the temptation of fried okra. *sob*

But restaurant food is at least somewhat close, if you walk in and everyone there looks like they grew up eating the cuisine -- like walking into a Southern-style restaurant and hearing nothing but accents from home. Happened with the place we went in DC and then again today. Except the waitresses at the place in DC either didn't want to explain or weren't sure what a table of clearly Scots-descent (and one part-Asian) were doing there, or just weren't comfortable enough with their English to tell me the names of the dishes, so we just ate and didn't push for names. This time, the proprietor was able to rattle off each of the little dishes, because I had the intention of knowing what to ask for. Except that then we tried all of them, and the asking was revealed to be pointless because the only answer is, "all of it" or alternately, "I can't decide so I guess I'll just have one each, again".

Eheheh, I think pretty boys are universal. Though given her reaction when I mentioned also really liking Won Bin, I'd say he's her favorite. But she hasn't seen Ajusshi! I couldn't believe it, but then, running a restaurant doesn't give you a lot of free time. Any at all, really.

On the other hand, I need to start repeating out loud what I hear while watching dramas. She got that look in her eye that said she'd be testing me, the next time I came in. Must practice: annyeonghaseyo! (Though CP knows how to say "cow" in Korean, thanks to his crush on Shin Min-Ah. Heh. Okay, so pretty girls are probably universal, too.)

[christeos-pir.livejournal.com]

"CP and the SF had some kind of noodle-beef-spice dish (didn't catch the name)"

You must've been distracted by the conversation(s) or pretty well stuck into the bulgogi: we both had the short ribs, aka "Cow" (per Miho).


"anaunhah-seoh"

Hmm... I heard "an-yuan ha-seoh," but she was facing you, not me, so may have missed the nuance.

[christeos-pir.livejournal.com]

BTW, reading the subject line too quickly, first thing in the morning, results in seeing this as "bending over . . . "

Which is a very different kind of show.

[soukup]

Wait. Are you saying that you don't know how to make kimchi? Because it's wicked easy, and so delicious and cheap, and wow, apparently I'm unable to deal with the idea of someone not knowing how to make one of the simplest and yummiest things I've ever had, so here you go:

All you have to do is chop some napa (and/or other stuff; I like to add in carrots and ginger and garlic and scallions and sometimes mustard greens and various radishes) and cover it with a lot of salt water and let it sit for a day or so, until the napa starts getting transparent around the edges. Then drain off the salt water, rinse the vegetables and dress with oil (I like sesame, hot or regular), cracked hot dried pepper flakes/powder, some fish sauce if you like it, apple or rice vinegar and maybe some lemon juice. Mix it all up and stick it in a jar in your fridge to let it mingle for a few days/weeks, and then eat.

[kaigou]

I knew the general basics of it -- the idea of pickling anything that fits into a bottle is a huge part of the cuisine I grew up with, so the basic concepts of pickling/fermenting are pretty straightforward. It was the question of whether that big bag of red powder was "chili powder PLUS a bunch of other stuff" (like buying your italian seasoning already mixed) or if it was, well, ONLY chili powder. Because I mean, I like things spicy (complexity-wise, but pure heat, not so much) but that just seemed like... I mean, just ditch the vegetables and eat the spice directly!

[soukup]

*I should add that the above recipe comes to me from Montreal and California. I've never been to Korea and it's possible that it's prepared differently there; I only know what I do.

[kaigou]

I'm sure there are regional variations, and substitutions as well -- like certain vegetables that are common in one place, aren't, elsewhere, and each newcomer substitutes in a slightly different way. Hell, for that matter, I wouldn't be surprised if a dish made in Seoul could have major flavor differences from a dish made in a rural area, just due to flavors, regional preferences, and what's seasonally available. Either way, it's all good.

[mongrelheart]

*nomnomnom* I <3<3<3 Korean food. Glad you found that yummy new place!

I lived in Korea from age 3 to 5. I have a memory of watching some neighborhood ladies making kimchi with lots of cabbage & large plastic tubs. Then they dug a hole in the yard and buried it in jars. Presumably it was to create the best conditions for fermentation (?)

[kaigou]

Stuff buried in the ground (or inset to a certain depth) are going to have a steadier temperature, because the ground doesn't vary as much as the air. Same reason for pit barbecue -- because you can control the heat a great deal better, and do a slow cook, with the dirt/ground walls acting as both insulation and basic heat regulation.

Yummy places, in my experience, are twice as yummy when the host is gracious. And seeing how this host was kind enough to explain what each little dish was (unlike the other restaurant), that's a major plus in my book. I mean, I'd eat it anyway even without an explanation -- I will, basically, put anything in my mouth at least once (though I have sadly and by painful experience learned to make sure whether that's a green bean or a hot pepper and THEN shove it in my mouth) -- but still. It's just a real kindness to know. Also, it means when I take friends there who aren't quite as adventurous, what I can't remember, I can ask the proprietor to explain, and I already know she'd be willing.

That kind of explaining IME goes a long way towards diffusing the leeriness some otherwise-willing newcomers might feel. I think it has to do with how knowing the names of things makes us feel more in control, or less out-of-control, if that makes sense? Because whenever I've been somewhere that's unfamiliar to friends, and I just give the dish-names and the most basic ingredients, they'll dig right in and try it. If I can't name the dish, then suddenly it's something suspicious.

thing is, I sort of do the same myself, hanging back when I "don't know", but I've learned to give dishes names like, "first dish set on the table," then "second dish set on the table", then "large dish set on the table", and voila, names! and I gleefully take a big bite. Needless to say, this coping mechanism has gotten me into trouble, some troubles -- see also, "peppers are not green beans" -- more painful than others. sob.