The New York Times Style Magazine published an article on Sept. 28, 2009 about a Korean restaurant in Berlin, Germany, called Yam Yam, run by proprietor, Sumi Ha. The article talks about the history of the restaurant but the paragraphs that caught my attention the most were Ms. Ha’s comments about her culinary philosophy. Yam…
Wine wanes for Chuseok gifts – The Chosun Ilbo (English Edition)
This years Chuseok baskets are more likely to overflow with sake rather than wine. Photo courtesy of Arnaldo Bassini. Chuseok is one of the busiest retail seasons of the year with friends and family sending one another impressive gift baskets to mark the end of the harvest season. This year the trend is moving away…
A lot to be thankful for at Chusok- INSIDE JoongAng Daily
The Osan, Gyeonggi warehouse of retailer Lotte Mart is stuffed with holiday gifts ready to be shipped out to ensure arrival by the Chusok holiday. Photo courtesy of YONHAP. Chusok is a major Korean holiday which lasts for three days. The holiday is celebrated on the 15th day of the 8th month of the Korean…
The Korea Herald : Festival to showcase Korean temple food
The Korea Herald reports that the Bongnyeongsa in Suwon is hosting the 2009 Korean Temple Food Festival from Oct. 8-10. Most of the Korea Herald article highlights some of the more popular Korean temple foods, which are exclusively vegetarian. The part of the article that struck me the most was this comment. Ven. Sun-jae said…
Korean food comes to Costco
Korean food is becoming trendy in North America. Whether it’s Debbie Lee, from last season’s The Next Food Network Star, or Guy Fieri’s strange version of kimchi — it features honey, tamari and apple cider vinegar — if you put the word Korean in front of your dish or call your cabbage pickle-type salad “kimchi,”…
Compact magnetic spice rack for your fridge
My collection of GneissSpice jars, attached via the magnetic lids to my refrigerator door. Many Korean kitchens are really small, especially in Seoul. Kitchen storage space is very precious. I found a shop on Etsy.com that offers a decorative yet functional solution to that dilemma. GneissSpice is based in Brooklyn, N.Y., and specializes in kitchen…
Confucius Day: Sept. 29
Confucius was born in China on Oct. 18, 551 B.C. He was a younger contemporary of the prophet Jeremiah (circa 628-528 B.C.) and Siddhārtha Gautama Buddha (circa 563 B.C.to 483 B.C.). Confucius’ philosophies molded Korean culture for over a millennium. This influence reached its zenith during the Chosun dynasty (A.D. 1392-1910), where it had an…
Korean pears in the U.S.: An expensive taste of Korea
As many of you who watch my cooking videos and have have started to read this blog know, I love Korean pears. You also probably know of my antipathy for the American-grown versions as well. Even the Asian pears at grocery stores such as Trader Joe’s and most of the farmers’ markets don’t have nearly…
‘Noodles hot in North Korea’ – Radio Free Asia
Chusok is coming to Korea soon and it’s the time of year when Koreans give one another gift baskets of fruits, beef and other high-quality (read expensive items) to celebrate one of the most popular holidays of the Korean calendar. Imagine my surprise when I read this in a Sept. 22 Radio Free Asia article:…
Sept. 26 is National Pancake Day
Pancakes are one of those bread-like recipes you can find in nearly every cultural tradition. American and European style pancakes are usually on the sweet side, with abundant use of sugar, syrup, cheese, etc. The batter also usually includes either regular milk or buttermilk. They are usually served with either jam, jelly, or a sugar…