Make me the bop

Koreans, like many people all over the world, love bop (밥), aka rice.  Rice is so nice because it is cheap, delicious, and filling.  A bowl of rice costs less than $0.90 at a restaurant, and it is usually eaten with every meal.  I always smile when I see kids with dried bop stuck somewhere on their clothes from breakfast or lunch. 

Since rice is such a staple, I decided to start perusing Craigslist for an inexpensive rice cooker.  A lot of families have rice cookers that are just as expensive and state of the art as a top of the line espresso machine.  I opted out for this $20 slightly used guy:

Rah-me-un: Delicious

When I first got out here I asked my students what their favorite food is.  Many said "rahmeun" or "lahmeun".  I thought to myself, "What the hell is lahmeun??"  They were, of course, saying ramen--as in ramen noodles.  Koreans of all ages love this American-college-student-staple.

No wonder Koreans love it so much; the ramen of Korea is considerably better than the 10 cent Chicken or Beef flavor with which you are familiar.  There are many more flavor options.  This ramen with "HOT TASTE" is one of my favorites:

You get more than just the standard flavor packet inside the package.  You stir in an additional packet of veggies.

The best thing that Koreans do to ramen, which I highly recommend trying, is to add an egg to the boiling water while the noodles are cooking.  This really enhances the meal.  I am shocked college students didn't try this earlier considering eggs are the next cheapest food after ramen.

It tasted as bad as it looks.

I think they are silkworms.  Old ladies always fry them in giant pans on the street.  People buy a cup full and eat them with toothpicks.  They smell awful.

Before I came to Korea, I told myself, "I will try everything at least once because it is okay to not like something if you've tried it, but it is not okay to not like something without trying it."  I ate octopus that was still moving and enjoyed it.  I always walk by these silkworms and gag a little, so I had low expectations for them.

The worst part was the texture.  The outside was hard, and when you crunch down on it an explosion of moist, chalky, dirt-tasting goop fills your mouth.

I hated it.  But, hey! Now I can say that I've tried it.

타코벨 먹고 싶어요 → Yo quiero Taco Bell → I want Taco Bell

Korean food is incredible. All of it is so good. If you get tired of Korean food, however, there are several “American” options. There is a 24 hr. Burger King a block away from my apartment. There is a McDonald’s with a seating area that is bigger than any high school cafeteria I’ve ever seen one subway stop away. You can get Pizza Hut. Papa John’s. Dunkin Donuts. Baskin Robbins. Outback Steakhouse. Et cetera. Et cetera.

The one thing that isn’t readily available is Mexican food. There is an On The Border a ways away, but besides that, nothing. Thankfully you can buy tortillas at the Costco here, but that isn’t always enough to satisfy my continual desire for Mexican food.

Good news! Korea’s first Taco Bell opened in Itaewon (the U.S. military district – about 40 min. from me). Taco Bell is hoping to infiltrate the Asian market through Korea because as of now the only Asian countries with T-Bells are India, The Philippines, and South Korea.

Now, I’d much rather have a Chipotle or Qdoba, but Taco Bell is a good stepping-stone. Chris and I made the journey 6 weeks after the joint opened because we heard that the line was a block long for a few weeks. It was a little different from your run of the mill Taco Bell seeing as it was 3 stories tall, but the food was all the same. I left with a Grilled Stuft Burrito, a Burrito Supreme, a hard taco and some diarrhea.