Bossam belly

October 6, 2015

Koreans are famously carnivorous people. We downright LOVE our meat, and we hardly discriminate between our protein sources. But let's face it, we live for all things pork, right down to their fatty feet. I, personally, could not imagine life without bacon, pulled pork, or some good ol' blood sausage (soon dae). Sure, it's not for everyone, but look at my recent feast below, courtesy of Mr. Bossam in Koreatown, and just TRY to tell me it doesn't look gooooood. While not typical Korean BBQ, this style is just another satisfying fix for the carnivorous appetite. "Bossam" refers to style of pork belly served and all its glorious accompaniments. The meat is served on cast iron pans and kept warm over open flames. Once you are stuffed silly and left staring at the piggy remnants taunting your defeat on that fiery plate, the servers take it all away only to come back moments later with a full platter of heavenly kimchi fried rice mixed with the pork bits, and topped with a perfectly sunny and runny egg. The heavens will part and the angels will sing until all piggies fly home to our bellies.

Balancing things out with some veggies...potato pancake style

Pad See Ew...do YOU?

September 15, 2015

For the devoted pad see ew fan community there may always be on ongoing debate on which is THE best. I know a couple friends and myself have had this discussion quite recently. However, let it be known, right here, right now, and once and for all, that there is NO debate. There is only one pad see ew that has indisputably, unequivocally, undeniably earned my official title of "Crack Noodles," and it is the pad see ew from Sapp Coffee Shop in Thai Town. Let it be known that I've been a devotee since even before Mr. Bourdain stopped by and instantly put this textbook "hole-in-the-wall" on the map (so to speak). They are masters of the Boat Noodles, and they are inventors of Jade Noodles (another personal fave of mine). But this post is dedicated to their absolute perfection of our occidental-ian perception of a "Thai food staple" - the beloved pad see ew. My photos below may not do it justice, but just admire the immaculate caramelization of each noodle, hugged by a generous blanket of egg, and accompanied by perfectly sauteed Chinese broccoli (you know, cause every brown dish needs something green...for color and shiz). You're welcome.

Care package...Gangnam style!

January 27, 2013

My mom is a doll...an infinitely adorable doll. She, like many other Asian moms, thinks constantly about my foodie needs. We'll have a discussion about whether I'm able to find the "essentials" (e.g. KIMCHI, rice, ramen, etc) out here and I'll insist I can make do with the single international market in town. In reality I obviously can't find anything remotely close to the homemade good stuff, but I just try to deter her from attempting to ship kimchi across the country to me to spare any non-Korean postal worker who handles the pungent package. But like I said, my mom is a doll, and I am so grateful that she cannot help herself from looking out for my needs. She went ahead and sent me a care package that says it all: my mommy loves me, not the monopolistic U.S. Postal Service! Well, I'm sure that thought never crosses her mind, but she did complain about their prices! My mom was originally just forwarding me some mail and decided to turn it into a full-on, Gangnam-worthy, care package complete with a jar of homemade kimchi, some ramen, and a giant container of crispy rice. I know only my fellow Asians, and perhaps only Koreans, will understand the depth of love here, but for me, this is yet another reason why moms will NEVER go out of style.

The crown jewel, packaged to perfection!