Hanguk cuisine, Pinoy palate

by hallyuholicmom

(Disclaimer: These article is solely based from my experience. I mean no harm to the restaurants I've mentioned.)

It's an acquired taste. Korean food is.

gamjatang

I had my first Korean meal in 2004 when my coworkers and I were treated by a visiting Korean national women's organization. It was (I think) an authentic restaurant somewhere in Quezon City. I remember eating soup (uhm...was it Gamjatang or Galbitang?) plus more than ten types of side dishes or banchan. At that time, I didn't find the cuisine fascinating so I only ate the banchans- egg rolls, dried anchovies, ginseng, and radish. The meal was so-so. Or so I thought...

Me enjoying samgyupsal with shiso wrap...

A few years (and hundreds of Korean dramas) later, here I am, always craving for Korean food. Thanks (but no thanks?) to globalization, my country has opened up to almost all foreign business franchises (and investments) that restaurants and fastfoods have mushroomed every where. 

And...ahhh... don't forget about the foreign exchange students (mostly Koreans) invasion! :) I know a few tens of Korean restaurants and fast-food outlets- and that's within my district alone. 





I usually dine at Korean restaurants just near our place so these selections were very limited. Here are some of the Korean restaurants I've tried:

Bulgogi Garden

They serve a variety of banchan and their vegetables are fresh. Their Yangnyum Sogalbi is really nomnom but a bit pricey (compared to other restos) for that little serving (the minimum order is 2 servings). But don't worry, they refill their banchans. If you want to try their kimchi at home, they sell it at about P200 per kilogram. 

Yangnyum Sogalbi

And yeah, I love their doenjang jjigae. Last time we ate there, we requested a soup and they gave it to us for FREE!

Yummy doenjang jjigae

Cost for 2: about P1,000- P1,500

Don Day

Although Bulgogi Garden dishes are more delicious than Don Day... but Don Day is my favorite korean restaurant (so far). For one, it's cheap but delicious for a buffet restaurant (you're P500 can never go wrong with their offering). Secondly, the restaurant is just around the corner. Which means, I don't get worried getting home late.

What I love about Don Day is there fresh and good quality meat. Ahh...samgyupsal and chadolbaegi!

samgyupsal

chadolbaegi

BURP!

Cost: about P500 per person

Yoogane

I've heard that Yoogane is a famous restaurant franchise in Korea that's why we tried it. I love their bulgogi and bibimbap! But their samgyupsal is very dry- because (I think) we ordered only a serving of samgyupsal so it was served cooked already. We also tried their kimchi jjigae...uhm... it's delicious...but I think Bulgogi Garden's is better. :) The good thing is they give you free Yakult after the meal! (pampaalis umay)

Kimchi jjigae

Bulgogi

Cost: about P500 per person

Kogi Bulgogi

We, hallyuholicnoonas, once craved for jjajangmyun. And this one chingoo recommended Kogi. Unfortunately, there jjajangmyun is not what we've imagined. It was kinda dry. We also had galbitang or beef soup. It was okay. I don't know if we have to spice it up ourselves or something coz it tastes bland (for me) so we just spices it up to suit our taste.

this is what we imagined our jjajangmyun would be...

Kogi's galbitang

hallyuholicnoonas at Kogi

Cost for 2-3: about P1,000

Hanuri

While strolling along Tomas Morato, my nampyeon and I saw this newly opened Hanuri. And voila, the Korean-food-loving us tried it. We ordered their specialty called Hanuri bulgogi- it's a bulgogi stew ala shabu-shabu. It's delish and the serving is generous too. So my nampyeon got excited and ordered another serving of samgyupsal. But meh...we were served a few pieces of meat only. We were not also given a refill of banchan. 

Though the dishes are delicious, Hanuri's menu is very limited.

this is what a Hanuri bulgogi looks like

We also tried their bibimbap. Hmmm...the serving is not too generous but it's nomnom! 

Hanuri's bibimbap

Cost for 2: about P1,000- P1,300

Simple Home-cooked Korean meals

I love to eat. I also love to cook. 

Since my mother could not cook anything, except steamed rice, my siblings and I didn't have much choice but to cook for ourselves. So we grew up experimenting on our dishes. A habit we're still practicing until now. :) 

Here are some of my home-cooked korean dishes for my family:

Ramyeon...you just have to add hot water.

Or boiling water...and some vegetables maybe?

Nah...just kidding....

This is it pansit! 
Jap Chae or Korea's vermicelli noodles made from sweet potato starch.

Jap Chae

My own recipe of bulgogi...
(these are not made from  Hanu or Korean beef but of local beef)

for this recipe, I used sweet bean paste (or the substitute hoisin sauce) and dark soy sauce

in here I used light soy sauce with kelp extract and no sweet bean paste

and chicken bulgogi...for this recipe, I used rice flour and bean paste (mixed with McCormick bulgogi chicken marinade, teehee!) as batter

For breakfast, anyone can cook these veggie medley + fried fish.

I also once tried doenjjang jjigae. My chingoos said it tastes good but my Father said otherwise :(

frozen doenjang or bean paste I bought from a Korean supermarket

My nampyeon loves my bokumbap (kimchi fried rice) and kimchi jjigae...

unfortunately I don't have photos (taken from linglieats.com)
hmmm...nomnom bokumbap 

My kimchijeon (or kimchi pancake) is also a winner (or so I say haha!)
Kimchijeon is so simple to cook, you just need: the pancake mixture of cornstarch and rice flour, 1 egg, seasonings and chili-bean paste + leeks or spring onions + kimchi + sesame oil

kimchijeon from www.koreanbapsang.com

Of course you can't call a meal Korean-like if there's no banchan. These are the simplest banchan I usually made for my family. 

I love egg rolls!

plain egg rolls

veggie-stuffed egg rolls

Pickled radish- for this recipe I used tumeric, red sugar, garlic, salt and rice vinegar. Chilies is a must but I didn't put any coz my little girl can't eat spicy food. 

rice vinegar and "a must" in Korean dishes- sesame oil

Bean sprout salad (you just have to mix it with chili paste)

and of course, the national food of Korea- say KIMCHI :)

home-made kimchis always tastes better than manufactured ones (photo from zenkimchi.com)

but if you're the only one who eats kimchi in your family, it's practical to buy small servings of kimchi like this

These are some of the Korean food and restaurants I've tried and there are still many that I want to taste and dine to! What's your favorite Korean food?

Ahhh... I suddenly got hungry while writing this. So annyeong for now and LET'S EAT!

(this is a reference tvn's  식샤를 합시다 or Shiksyareul Habshida kekeke)

credits:
http://s3.amazonaws.com/foodspotting-ec2/reviews/2427917/thumb_600.jpg?1348047374
http://media.maangchi.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/05/gamjatang1.jpg
https://fbcdn-sphotos-c-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-frc3/t1.0-9/1609912_520222114766013_1035428784_n.jpg
http://s3-media2.ak.yelpcdn.com/bphoto/CEkqddpWl2r253KLkCIcDg/l.jpg
https://z-n.ak.fbcdn.net/sphotos-d.ak/hphotos-ak-prn2/t1.0-9/1452341_633063566714353_1823454018_n.jpg
https://z-n.ak.fbcdn.net/sphotos-a.ak/hphotos-ak-frc1/t1.0-9/1426607_633063556714354_112217326 3_n.jpg
http://www.clickthecity.com/img2/articles/CTC-3872-image7.jpg
http:// /wp-content/uploads/2006/11/kimchi2.jpg
http://linglieats.com/wp-content/uploads/IMG_1224.jpg
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO1sDJp06UaWmxsK2g9uuMyKAZibjuHU0ALbxcOPq-GBulwUzSksM8_AOKWkM8vIi3qn6v3dnoB_CkFqF1tP1HaGMrAs8CmyQgzVZMBhjoYVN9WW_JfTCxqrHxCh-g1v9pWayaOo92wjo/s1600/kimchijeon.jpg

Yes, It's all about the journey...

(my two cents on Kdrama and Hallyu addiction)

by Joowandah Kim

Hi, hello, annyeong! 

I really don't know how to start this... uhm...just exactly like how I don't remember why I became so immersed into the world of Korean dramas. I guess, just like any other Korean drama addicts, it all started with the phenomenal Meteor Garden. The next thing I know was big TV stations (in the Philippines) has started importing Taiwanese dramas. Unfortunately, none of them got it big like MG. Oh well, that was until they discovered Korean dramas...


At first it didn't interest me at all. Back then, I was too young to remember or to young to even bother on what's happening on our local entertainment. But Full House came. It was just about the time for my hormones to kick in. I can't clearly remember how I became so addicted ( It was a decade ago) but one thing's for sure, I love Justin (Lee Young-jae)  and Jessie (Han Ji-eun) to pieces. I even do countdowns to the next to be aired episodes, (to my dismay) only to see them in 20 to 25 minutes airtime (Yep, I counted it.) I was like "I waited for hours and that's all you can give me?!"  Argh, the world is truly unfair!

My addiction didn't stop there, I have learned that patience is truly a virtue. Full house become a hit and with that, I've got to know some other Korean dramas, through local TV, of course. I know most of you will be like, "What?! But we have internet connection a decade ago!" Sadly, I'm not one of those who have easy access to the net. Still, I've managed to become one of the loyal fans by just relying on what's being aired on TV. I didn't even have a penny to buy those pricey CDs or DVDs.  

As years pass by (and by watching  more and more dramas), I became totally drowned to the world of Hallyu. I am not only addicted to kdramas, but also to the culture it portrays. From the food that they are eating, to the clothes that they are wearing.

...And most importantly, the Korean namjas. Do I even have to mention those gorgeous and six-packed abs these Korean actors have? Do I?

When internet in my country became popular (when most of the people have access to it) -  that's when my addiction raised up to the whole new level. I started to join forums, watch fanmade MV's, download OSTs and the best of all-- stream kdramas.  This is the no-turning-back moment for me.


My family and my friends can't understand me, they watch Kdramas too but not enough to be addicted like me. I guess Kdramas cannot influence them as easy as what Kdramas did to me.

So just like any other Asian parents, they prohibited me of using the internet. And I was thinking, prohibiting me for these "petty" habits that I have? I only do drama marathons (arg, why can't they understand it?).

So just like any other teenagers who was warned not to do the things they "want" to do the most,  I rebelled. And by rebellion, I did exactly what they didn't want me to do (errr...secretly?). I marathoned my korean dramas on their sleeping hours, I put the volume on mute since I just can read the subtitles. And then what happened? I ended up not going to school for the next few days. I pretended to be sick- with all kinds of sickness I could think of. And by not going to school means, not being able to do my homework, pass quizzes and exam, and worst of all- I failed some of my subjects. That's perfectly normal for a fangirl, right? But, nah...don't do that youngsters.

Now I'm on my early twenties. And fully employed at that. teehee...

Excuse me, what?

Yes, I made it through college, I am a "normal" human being after all. I did learn from my mistakes...of not skipping work anymore because of drama (instead, watching dramas at work, works!) Learning from my mistakes doesn't exactly mean ending my drama addiction, I just learn how to manage my time and do some negotiations with my parents just so I could still watch my beloved dramas legally.  Heehee.

 

One would guess that I've been watching kdramas for a decade now means I must've gotten tired of it. But you're wrong. I am fully aware of their flaws, of how many times they use the same plot and cliches, but watching a good drama is like falling in love again. That feeling that you know that you will get hurt but you can't help but love again. Oh well, that's the whole essence of falling in love, right? By experiencing and learning from it. Sugarcoating aside, that is kdrama for me.

To quote from my all time favorite kdrama, My Name is Kim Sam Soon:

Hee Jin: She might be all sparkly now, but with time, she’ll be just like all the rest. However bright she may shine now, as time passes, it will be like she’s a nothing, just like the way we are now. Jin-Heon-ah, even knowing this will you still go (from me to her)?


Jin Heon: People, even knowing that they will die, still try to live. 

Of biases and swag check

a kdrama fan beginner’s guide to kpop

by hallyuholicmom

KPOP is a TRAP. 

Yes, you heard me right. I was trapped.

In my world that is populated by “normal” people, my hallyu lifestyle is so alien that even a Cheon-Song-Yi-loving-a-Do-Min-Joon-like person, cannot, in their wildest dreams comprehend. (oh snap, I forgot my husband and daughter were very supportive of my “craziness”!) So, the only place for me to rally my hallyu lifestyle would only be the worldwideweb. 

I learned the ABCs of kdramaland and kpop through different sites and forums. Dramabeans became my school, while twitter and mydramalist my playground.

A long time ago, I was ONLY a kdrama fan. And now a kpop kyaa girl too- thanks to the Korean wave (Hanryu or  Hallyu), I now embraced anything South Korean. If you’re new to kpop fangirling, well, I’ll give you a couple of months or if you’re diligent enough, a few weeks to familiarize this whole new world that is KPOP. Uhm… this was solely based from my experience. Honestly, I find it harder to be a part of the kpop community than of kdramaland. For one, most of the kpopers (or kpop fans) were youngsters and I’m almost crossing over the United Nation’s definition of “youth.”

There are few things a kdrama-fan-turned-kpop-fan, like me, should know about kpop fangirling. Here’s a few…


Annyeong, Oppars and Unnirs!

There are dozens and dozens of idols and idol groups in KPOP. I bet, even if you have all the time in the world, you wouldn't get to know them all. For the basic, try to find one in one of the giants- SM, YG and JYP (or FNC and Cube). As for me, I got to know kpop because of the drama OSTs and these idols-turned- actors. I stalked them and then voila!

This ahjumma is more into k-hiphop. And who else in kpop is more hiphop than YG! So there, (insert bias teehee), I belong to the YG family. I started with 2NE1 because of Dara but fell in love with Bigbang. But there are other big names in the idol world, some of which were Super Junior, Shinee, JYJ, CN Blue, DBSK, Girls Generation, BAP, FT Island, 2PM, Beast, EXO, Winner, T-ARA, MBLAQ, BTOB, Miss A, After School and a hundred others.

Of fandoms and multifandoms…what?!

A kpoper is not a kpoper if one does not belong to a FANDOM- may it be official or unofficial one. Every kpop artist or groups has a fandom (even trainers, trainees and managers have fandom, if you’re familiar with Who is Next Team B or YG trainer’s Hwangssabu or 2NE1’s manager Jjangmae ). Officially, a fandom is an organized group of people supporting a certain group/artist. But unofficially, if one is saying she belongs to a fandom can also mean that she is only referring to herself as a fan thus belonging to this group of people who loves this certain group or artist. 

As for me, I am not officially enlisted as VIP (Bigbang’s fandom) or Blackjack (2NE1’s fandom) but I consider myself as one. I just prefer it that way because I am too busy with my life right that I don’t have much time to do extra activities (outside home with wifely and motherly obligations + working my @$$ off more than 40 hours a week), so SNS will do just for now.

Multifandom or belonging to different fandoms is also quite normal in the kpop community. You can like as many artists as you want- for there’s a whole bunch of them, I tell you! But most kpopers, even though belonging to many fandoms, has their ultimate bias/es (which in layman’s term, the most favourite amongst the favourites). I can say I belong to the multifandom variety coz I have few favourite kpop groups i.e. 2NE1, CNBlue, BTOB and my ultimate favourite Bigbang!

Here are some list of kpop fandoms:

1. Bigbang’s VIP (aka Very Important Person) – derived from their second single La La La, referring to Bigbang as V.I.P.

2. 2NE1’s BLACKJACK – derived from a card game. Blackjack is also known as 21. And 21 is the highest number a player can achieve while playing a blackjack.

Amongst the fandoms, 2NE1 is one of the few groups that has individual fandoms:

Lee Chae-rin (CL) (leader) -- CLassifieds
Park Bom -- BOMbshells
Sandara Park (Dara) -- DARAlings
Gong Min-ji (Minzy) (maknae) -- MINJas

3. Dong Bang Shin Ki’s (DBSK/TVXQ/Tohoshinki) CASSIOPEIA – the star constellation is made up of five stars and so as DBSK. A fandom member usually calls herself a Cassie.

4. 2PM’s HOTTEST – because 2PM is the hottest time of the day.

5. Super Junior’s ELF – it stands for everlasting friends.

6. So Nyeo Shi Dae’s (SNSD/SoShi/Girl’s Generation) S♥NE – pronounced as “so one” which means that SNSD and their fans are one. Each member also has its own fandoms but I’m not writing it here because that would be a lot (they are a 9-member group, ya know).

7. CNBlue’s BOICE – it is the combination of BLUE + voice.

BIAS a.k.a. the (al)most overused word in kpoptionary

Oh well, Oppa (or Kawaii for Jpop fans) is actually the most overused word. But you will certainly encounter this word in most forums or media channels.

Here’s the definition from urban dictionary:

In Kpop, the member of an idol group that is your favorite. A person may have one ultimate bias, and many other biases from other idol groups, or only have one ultimate bias. This term is derived from "having a bias towards a particular person."

G-Dragon is my ultimate bias, but Key is my SHINee bias.

I’m happy with this definition because my ultimate bias G Dragon is given as example. Teehee!

Michi Go! Get your cray on, get your fandom wars on!

Fandom war is so common in kpop. It is when a certain fandom argues with another fandom over whose better or even who’s the best. To be honest, it is the my-oppa-is-better-than-your-oppa thingy that I hate the most in kpop. Can’t anyone just be happy and content with their oppars’ and unnirs’ divine talent?

But don’t be disgruntled already; as much as there were fandom wars, there are also fandom alliances (I only label it as such). You know, fandoms being friends with other fandoms. This may or may not be a product of fans having multifandom.

The ship has sailed: some of kpop key terms

Ship—means endorsing a romantic relationship for your bias/es. The “shipping” trend in kpop today has evolved. Commonly, one may ship her bias with artists of opposite sex but now anyone can ship their idols with anybody (even amongst their same sex group members). For example, I ship G Dragon with fellow member TOP- so my ship is called GTOP. Or I ship G Dragon with Sandara Park- that makes my ship Daragon and I am called an Appler.

Fanfic—originally fanfictions are stories written by fans of a particular movie or drama. But in kpop, their “couple” or “ships” were the subjects of these fanfics. The most popular fanfiction I know is Fifty Shades of Grey. It was developed from a Twilight fanfiction series titled Master of the Universe. And in kpop, Daragon or Nyongdal fanfics are popular.

OTP— means ONE TRUE PAIRING. It is used in kpop as one’s favourite pairing in the fandom.

Stan—stands for STALKER + FAN. But in kpop, it is loosely used (I don’t mean negatively) as a “die hard” fan of a certain idol group or an entertainment company were one’s idols belong to. It may sound negative, but for a kpop fan, being a “stan” means showing their loyalty to the idols they adore.

Sasaeng—sasaeng is kpop’s version of “stan” in the west. 

As urban dictionary put it:

Sasaeng is a bitch that live in this beautiful earth only for ruined biases' life. They stalk, they made our bias' life suffered. They should not live in this world. Universe must be agree.

"Sasaeng fans shouldnt have the word fans, we should just see them as sasaengs." -Heechul

credits: thanks to the owners of these pictures!

http://blog.ningin.com/2011/09/20/12-most-recognizable-male-faces-of-kpop-groups/
http://www.fanpop.com/clubs/kpop/images/31792709/title/which-one-fanart
http://hiannyeong.files.wordpress.com/2012/06/cassiopeiadbsk_byuttchan.jpg
http://25.media.tumblr.com/af53d0ce7848fce6b773df5c23c6e503/tumblr_mo97eyQ1fV1rfnvu1o1_500.png
http://25.media.tumblr.com/50cf240f0f9f1c13775b2be876a0ced8/tumblr_mtssmuzF2x1sjdphro1_500.png
http://imgdf-a.akamaihd.net/st/news/images/dramafever_fandom_hug.jpg
http://sd.keepcalm-o-matic.co.uk/i/keep-calm-and-love-daragon.png
http://i954.photobucket.com/albums/ae28/porplatakrom/107332377_.jpg
http://24.media.tumblr.com/b0765802ba2ac11292a11cc4178a6192/tumblr_mtwpyittwO1sadjjeo1_500.png
http://a.wattpad.com/cover/3504716-256-k312549.jpg
http://seoulbeats.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/20120807_seoulbeats_fans_cover-e1344345095720.jpeg