Category Archives: Cooking

Korean Ramen Party, part two

Continuing my “research” into Korean ramyeon, here’s part two: 스낵면 (seunaek myeon) by Oddugi (오뚜기): Taste – 3 Spiciness – 2 Presentation – 4 Packaging – 2 Special notes: As the name suggests, this was intended more as a quick … Continue reading

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Korean Ramen Party, part one

As readers know, I have been studying Korean intensively in recent weeks, and I used TTMIK quite a bit. The Korean lessons they provide are entirely free, but if people want to support their work they offer a nice Korean-products … Continue reading

Posted in Cooking, Korean | Tagged | 8 Comments

Family Restaurants in Japan

Most people when they think of “Japanese food”, they think of sushi, seaweed and such, but another side of Japanese cuisine is often ignored, unless you live there (or visit often like me): Family Restaurants. Family Restaurants, or famiresu (ファミレス), … Continue reading

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Vegetarianism in Korea: Past and Present

Recently I read this interesting article from the Yonhap News Agency about the growing popularity of vegetarianism in Korea, but based on traditional dietary habits, not modern ones. In the past, I’ve talked about traditional diets in Japan, which also … Continue reading

Posted in Buddhism, Cooking, Health, Korea | Tagged | 6 Comments

Seaweed: Japanese and Korean style!

Unlike 20 years ago, it’s much easier to find seaweed food products in the West. I know, because when I was a teenager, sushi was new and hip and strange (remember the lunch scene from The Breakfast Club?), but now … Continue reading

Posted in Cooking, Health, Japan, Korea | 5 Comments

Coffee and Tea: My Adventures and Woes

This post is dedicated to reader “Kendall” who inquired about this recently. Coffee has been my life for years. I am sure I have spent thousands of dollars in the last 10 years drinking nice coffee from the many excellent … Continue reading

Posted in Cooking, Dune, Health, Japan, Korea | Tagged , | 6 Comments

Ishigakijima Chinese Oil comes to our home…and my stomach

My wife came home Monday after staying in Japan a little longer due to her best-friend’s wedding, but among the many things she brought back was this! This is the famous Ishigakijima hot Chinese oil that was a huge craze … Continue reading

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Getting Used to American Portions Again

So now that I have been back in the US for a couple days, I already have to re-adjust to American portion sizes again. There’s a joke in Japanese about amerika saizu meaning “American size” and now that I realize … Continue reading

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Shin Okubo: Adventures in Tokyo’s “Korea Town”

Tokyo is a huge city, and with a lot of character. Each district has its own “feel” to it, and one district that’s increasingly popular for the locals is Shin Ōkubo (新大久保): Tokyo’s huge Korean district. Ethnic Koreans in Japan … Continue reading

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In Praise of Kimchi

One of the first things that comes to mind when talking about Korean cuisine in kimchi (김치), which is pickled vegetables. By far the most well-known variety is cabbage kimchi or baechu kimchi (배추김치), which is Napa cabbage soaked in … Continue reading

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