Seoul Food

As a kid, the main goal in life is to fit in with your peers. As an American born daughter of immigrant parents, my lunch box didn't always match the peanut butter sandwiches my friends brought to school. Whenever I found my favorite Korean meal, Kim Bap (basicially, cooked Korean style sushi), my friend would go "Ewwww" and I would be embarrassed. I would go home and look in dismay at the Korean food my Mom prepared for dinner and ask, "Why we can't have spaghetti?". It wasn't until I moved out of the house when I started appreciating my heritage and it's food. Luckily living in Los Angeles, home to the largest Koreatown, I can have Korean food whenever I want to.

One of my favorite dishes is Kimchi Soon Tofu, a bubbling spicy soup served in a hot cast iron pot. I get my fix at BCD Tofu house there are more than 10 different varieties of soup and you can order it mild, medium or spicy. When the soup arrives at your table it is boiling hot and you should immediately crack a raw egg into the pot, allowing the heat of the soup to cook the egg. Make sure you let the soup cool down before eating it. On numerous occasions I've burned my mouth because I can't wait to eat.

 

My favorite location is on Western Avenue because as they greet your table the waiters bring you an 'amuse bouche' of nutrionless iceberg lettuce in a light refreshing salad dressing (which I think is made of rice vinegar and sugar)

 

After taking your order, you get a small deep fried fish which melts in your mouth. Some people find it awkward looking at the head of an animal you are eating, but after eating the flaky fillet, they get hooked. 

The rice is a production in itself. It arrives in hot stone pots where it browns and cooks before the waiters scoop it up in bowls.