Allie's Got Seoul: Frood

Korea has provided me with no shortage of blogging fodder. Rather, selecting which particular memories become immortalized has been more of the challenge. But today I owe a post to the beautiful unity of friends and food.

Our apartment is an ideal setup for dinner parties. Unlike some of my coworkers, my kitchen is not also my bedroom. Also, most of my Korean friends live with their parents, as is typical before marriage in many non-American cultures. Sometimes I’m co-chef, sometimes I’m a spectator of Korean cuisine, sometimes it’s potluck-style, sometimes I provide it all. Friends know that they can invite themselves over for a dinner party…there will always be wine.

Mexican doesn't strike me as the most challenging cuisines to cook, but though the city tries, Mexican is usually a little lacking. What is a guac-loving expat to do? Hopefully have friends who throw Mexican fajita parties and watch the hilariously awful movies like Machete. Sometimes you just need to stick your face into a 12-avocado bowl of guacamole.

I’m still a Seoul Vegan Potluck regular. Some months I invite friends along, but I’m not too shy or self-conscious to pop in solo...it's literally a cest pool of interesting people. My logic goes that anyone willing to check out the vegan potluck is probably someone I can find common ground with. And these days I can hardly walk through the Noksapyeong/Itaewon area without seeing people I know. That’s how a city of 25 million comes to feel a bit smaller.

I’m incredibly lucky to have found the SPACE community after a mere three weeks in Seoul. I’ve practiced yoga, attended workshops, participated in language exchange, met some of my closest friends, and dined healthily and deliciously. Such a wholesome and loving community where positive vibes abound.

One of my favorite events at SPACE is Mama’s Table. People gather for a healthy (usually vegan and gluten-free) home-cooked meal prepared by someone in the community. Creamy Swiss chard buckwheat crepes. Been there. Tamales and strawberry atole. Done that. I even sous-chefed for a meal of Moroccan lentil stew with chickpea poppers and fresh bread to get a little practice behind the scenes. Bekah and I are in the planning process of co-hosting a Mama’s Table meal in the near future!

SPACE has also offered a few healthy eating and cooking workshops. I’m always interested in learning about food, particularly in the most healthful of ways. At Nutrition Mission I buffed up my superfood knowledge and became introduced to the magical world of iHerb, an online health store that ships to Korea. At another workshop I gained insight into the macrobiotic cooking and eating philosophy. Gotta balance the yin and yang in my food! A few take-aways of a macrobiotic diet: eat whole, eat local, eat seasonal, eat organic. And chew 50-100 times!

The monthly Marche festival is another event where I can usually be found. It has a farmer's market type feel but with less focus on the produce and more on prepared foods, teas, jams, pickles and the like. My usual haul includes an incredible macrobiotic veggie burger, treats from a favorite vegan baker, and the best apples in Korea. Fuji, of course, that’s all you’ll find in Korea. This month I went a little manic and got fermented bread, ginger and chestnut jams, red mojo marinade, fresh cream cheese, and an herb planter that is going to make a great candle holder! Spent every last Won…and then some...

Confession: I’m an Alien’s Day Out groupie. This blog has had a big hand in shaping my experience in Korea. Not only has it been a useful tool as a vegetarian, but having access to this information inadvertently motivated me switch to a (mostly) vegan diet while living in Korea. Mipa often reviews vegan-friendly restaurants throughout the city which have served as my main dining out guide. Prior to veganhood I trusted her picks because vegan-friendly restaurants tend to have an atmosphere I enjoy. Entire outings with other groupies have been planned around her reviews. Last month I finally made it to the vegan mecca of Seoul, a buffet frequented by vegan and non-vegans alike. And hey, I even left comfortably full…kind of…

Oh and Mipa knows her vegan baking. Her goodies are available in select stores and cafés around the city. And via delivery through her online bakeshop! (Korea always delivers…even McDonalds…)

With friends come birthday celebrations! Often these are late night affairs but some of the most memorable were celebrating in the light of day. Sunset birthday hikes with mageolli, tangerines and a choco-pie "cake" at the top. Birthday bike rides fueled by half-baked brownies and refueled by adorable Korean parents supplying a picnic lunch (as is customary for parents to provide on birthdays.)

I've taken upon myself the duty of introducing my chingus to certain foods I consider essential. Guacamole, hummus, bagels, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, banana bread, jello shots. I can't imagine life growing up without (most) of these things.

As someone who appreciates creative food and suave restaurant ambiance, I’ve wound up at quite a few great spots around the city. One of the only places I’ve encountered in Seoul that requires a reservation (even on a Wednesday!) is a polished Mexican restaurant by the name of Vatos Tacos. Everything was fabulous but the kimchi fries and mageollitas impressed me most. The Flying Pan Blue is another treasure, serving one of the most creative brunches I’ve had…and not just in Seoul. When a menu requires me to deliberate for fifteen minutes, I’m probably in a good place, physically and emotionally. The caramelized fig pancakes nearly had me, but I settled for Avocado Eggs Benedict on a thick slice of toast, piled with smoked salmon, fresh spinach, basil pesto, and pine nuts…lalalala...

I’ve ratcheted up my Korean studying lately. This is thanks to my best chingu to whom I teach Spanish in exchange for Korean lessons. Not only is it exciting to string together a basic sentence in Korean, it has been awesome to brush up on my Spanish along the way. I look forward to Tuesday dinners at a new restaurant (alternating Korean and international cuisines) and an adorable café…so much so that we’ve become a little lazier when it comes to the actual studying part! Until he met me he had no idea how satisfying a vegetarian diet could be. And coming from the son of a Korean barbeque restaurant owner in a meat-loving culture, there is no sweeter music to my ears.

Most recently I finally joined a CSA. The website is exclusively in Korean and it took a couple Korean friends to help navigate through registration. Every month I will receive a box full of organic goodness: veggies, farm eggs, tofu, kimchi and other Korean goods. I’m also elated to support a female agricultural community. No, E-mart, I do not care to pay your inflated prices.

If you've never tried frood, I highly recommend it. It's a delicacy.