4:31 PM | 23° C Food & Drinks
R-A-M-E-N. Notice there was no “y” in that. No “o” either. Shin may be fine for a hungover morning, but this is the real stuff, the stuff you might find in a cramped little joint in Tokyo. This is Kenzo Ramen.
Kenzo, just off the busiest street in Myeong-dong, serves Japanese-style ramen in big bowls. The place opened in 1999, and has garnered a following judging by the white autographed pages taped up in its little window.
Korea
Chapjae
The semi-transparent noodles in this dish are made from sweet potato, which accounts for their sweetness and stretchability. They’re also sometimes sweetened with sugar. These are the noodles you find served with saucy beef and sesame oil in bulgogi, or mixed with seasonal vegetables in side dishes. The noodles can be served hot or cold.
You’ve probably had students who bragged about how good their ramyeon was. “I boil water and… I put in the noodles… and… and…” Yeah, yeah, we know. You should audition for Top Chef Korea.
But there are a few quick, easy ways to turn basic ramyeon into something tastier and more substantial. Groove got the scoop from a few Seoulites (Curiously, custom ramyeon recipes seem to be he domain of male readers).
Noodles are the ultimate comfort food. They come in all sizes (long, short, thin, thick, flat, round, helix, cubes, cut, etc.) and can be prepared in many ways (boiled, braised, sautéed, fried). Through all the noodle’s diversity, one fact remains unchanged: a well-prepared noodle dish will always fill the stomach with a warm feeling. Like a baby after drinking a bottle of milk, you’ll be happy and better able to relax and enjoy life’s pleasures.
President Lee Myung-bak is the Korean home brewer’s biggest proponent. How, you might ask? Well, by personally lobbying the U.S. Congress for the passage of the U.S.-Korea Free Trade Agreement ratified by the U.S. in mid-October.
The first beer I drank was a 40 oz of Old English purchased by a friend’s older brother from a small deli in Jamaica, Queens. My two friends and I received the large bottles on a street corner near my house, wrapped in brown paper packaging reeking of mystery and rebellion. The anticipation while waiting for the delivery drove us mad, and we greedily darted off into the night with our secret goods.
A man could grow dull drinking beer from Family Mart. Corona, Tsingtao, Carlsberg, Kirin. All in 330 ml cans. The foreign beer selection there is about as interesting as that pack of dduk you got for Chuseok. Most other convenience stores aren’t any different. You’re lucky if you find a tallboy Guinness with that ball inside.
Five years ago you’d have drunk that Guinness happily, maybe even remarked on how five years before that you couldn’t get Guinness in Korea.
But now...
- Dress. Even though you may never wear it again, sporting the traditional Bavarian gear will get you in the mood and looking like Hansel and Gretel before a “weizenbier” touches your lips. For the ladies, frilly dresses with plenty of cleavage called “dirndls” are sure to fulfill any guys’ wildest fantasy, while men don leather pants and suspenders in a cutesy, but manly outfit know as “lederhosen”.
For an almost authentic alpine experience (sans the Alps), visit Chef Meili. As I stepped into the restaurant, I felt transported to one of the chalet restaurants ubiquitous in the Bavarian Alps. The smell, the simple homey styling, the plain square tables, the German spoken by the Chef and customers, the cowbell and the pictures of people in Lederhosen and Dirndls; all took me back to Bavaria.
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Friday, May 18, 2012