tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36405856.post5927164323642359441..comments2024-03-26T03:31:06.199-04:00Comments on Ask a Korean!: The Korean on "An Economist Gets Lunch"T.K. (Ask a Korean!)http://www.blogger.com/profile/07663422474464557214noreply@blogger.comBlogger30125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36405856.post-44193366344712930042014-12-29T15:28:48.988-05:002014-12-29T15:28:48.988-05:00I've come to lose a lot of the confidence I us...I've come to lose a lot of the confidence I used to have in Yelp. Especially after seeing a horrible place i used to work rated highly.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06302838073658936937noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36405856.post-17831740967254076952014-12-29T14:02:36.882-05:002014-12-29T14:02:36.882-05:00All this stuff is why I usually eat my own cooking...All this stuff is why I usually eat my own cooking at home.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06302838073658936937noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36405856.post-37453320476460117142012-07-08T18:54:22.459-04:002012-07-08T18:54:22.459-04:00I think Chinese food in Korea has evolved into its...I think Chinese food in Korea has evolved into its own thing and is no longer Chinese food. The same goes with Japanese food. Italian food in Korea is not a food at all.T.K. (Ask a Korean!)https://www.blogger.com/profile/07663422474464557214noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36405856.post-12819420151832957272012-07-08T18:33:01.324-04:002012-07-08T18:33:01.324-04:00So that's why the 닭갈비 I had in LA wasn't a...So that's why the 닭갈비 I had in LA wasn't anything special, even though my friend told me it was highly-rated on Yelp. Also, I totally agree with you on the overly-sweet Korean food this side of the Pacific; here in Toronto there is a cheap and fairly popular restaurant with some kind of barbeque sauce rib dish called Yummy (it isn't). Their side dishes also tastes like ass, but that's another issue. Speaking of side dishes, the Korean restaurants here always serve the same ones, instead of the random assortment you'd get in Korea. Dunno why that is.Ezrahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10576091174894838044noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36405856.post-50181664993931674502012-04-27T01:35:37.519-04:002012-04-27T01:35:37.519-04:00The Korean, I wonder what your opinion of Chinese ...The Korean, I wonder what your opinion of Chinese food in Korea is? Or Italian food? Or Japanese food for that matter?<br /><br />I have found that just about every foreign cuisine in Korea has been ruined with fists fulls of sugar and a chocolate-milk with cereal attitude towards cuisine. I mean, I love 짜자면 as much as the next guy--but its not Chinese food. I still can't fathom for the life of me why anyone would ruin perfectly good garlic bread with sugar...Ian Smithhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02840668701283536587noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36405856.post-82001153681275016792012-04-24T21:05:51.243-04:002012-04-24T21:05:51.243-04:00And I'll keep reading your food rants all the ...And I'll keep reading your food rants all the more for it. It's quite entertaining.refresh_daemonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14461891308315532959noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36405856.post-63429566776436363312012-04-22T19:51:06.578-04:002012-04-22T19:51:06.578-04:00One thing I noticed about Korean food in NYC and L...One thing I noticed about Korean food in NYC and LA: too much meat! Korean BBQ's aside, meat has traditionally been much more scarce in Korea than the US, so I don't feel that it has the same central place at a meal. I had some awful ox-tail soup in LA that was more meat than broth! The broth itself was watery and unspectacular, and even though there was a ton of meat, it had been boiled at such a high temperature, the connective tissues became hard and tough. It was like eating a bowl full of gristle in hot water. I feel that part of the art of Korean cooking lies in making various dishes savory and flavorful even though meat is used sparingly. <br /><br />Another complaint I have is the practice of eating meat WITHOUT rice. I know that the restaurants want to make extra money off me by filling me up with meat instead of rice, but it just doesn't seem right to have pork or beef, and lots of flavorful side dishes without something a bit bland, like rice, to balance everything out. <br /><br />Lastly, I also have to say that I have never had a good bowl of naengmyeon in the US. I'm not talking about arrowroot naengmyeon with cider in the broth. Real buckwheat noodles, and a clean, savory broth are hard to come by. Even in Seoul, good naengmyeon is a rarity!<br /><br />I'd like to hear more about what TK thinks is the right and wrong ways to prepare and eat Korean food. Also are there any Western foods that TK thinks are well-executed in South Korea? (Fried chicken gets my vote, but pizza here is a war crime!)seoulbrotherno1https://www.blogger.com/profile/11963821273805786524noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36405856.post-36845275119912068282012-04-21T18:05:44.670-04:002012-04-21T18:05:44.670-04:00About 75% of your posts are right on target. Your ...About 75% of your posts are right on target. Your posts on Korean food would be in the other 25%.jammhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13409011673394305585noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36405856.post-54062010605106937072012-04-20T08:08:24.446-04:002012-04-20T08:08:24.446-04:00To rift on Erin's point. Though you may not f...To rift on Erin's point. Though you may not find authentic Korean food by following TC's advice you will find better tasting more interesting Korean food then by not. For instance if you walk down 32nd street NYC and you are an American Foodie you will find a better experience by selecting the venue that is not shiny and filled with happy socializing kids.<br /><br />The objective is not necessarily to find the most original but to find the venue most focused on the food..https://www.blogger.com/profile/14152839807560617272noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36405856.post-91370818580002618732012-04-19T22:34:20.593-04:002012-04-19T22:34:20.593-04:00Yes - I do not prefer American style 순두부 at all. T...Yes - I do not prefer American style 순두부 at all. The only good 순두부 in my book is one that was made hours earlier, eaten only with a bit of soy sauce. My point about American style 순두부 was that at least the changes applied in America were additive, not subtractive.T.K. (Ask a Korean!)https://www.blogger.com/profile/07663422474464557214noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36405856.post-58199631238892473152012-04-19T22:07:45.945-04:002012-04-19T22:07:45.945-04:00I don't really understand how you can be an &q...I don't really understand how you can be an "irrational Korean food purist" while still preferring American-style 순두부.<br />I would think that an irrational food purist would put tradition above taste, but it seems like you're not doing that. It seems like you're just preferring the food that tastes good to you.<br /><br />I understand that your palate might differ from some other Americans or Korean-Americans, but preferring whatever food tastes good to you sounds like exactly the thing that a typical rational food-eating person would do.<br /><br />Am I missing something?Benhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07387120990256348079noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36405856.post-28741395978878808872012-04-19T19:37:04.679-04:002012-04-19T19:37:04.679-04:00Curious, but who gave you the ""Korean f...Curious, but who gave you the ""Korean food Wahhabbist" nick name?... ;)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36405856.post-22657878191571539052012-04-19T18:57:32.863-04:002012-04-19T18:57:32.863-04:00As to 이스트빌리지, I support the chef, not the restaura...As to 이스트빌리지, I support the chef, not the restaurant. He claims that he is doing 한식, but in my opinion he is not. But I do think his efforts to procure fresh and rare Korean ingredients are extremely commendable.T.K. (Ask a Korean!)https://www.blogger.com/profile/07663422474464557214noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36405856.post-20570748254958581082012-04-19T18:40:12.276-04:002012-04-19T18:40:12.276-04:00Your stance is totally reasonable. Therefore I mus...Your stance is totally reasonable. Therefore I must reject it.T.K. (Ask a Korean!)https://www.blogger.com/profile/07663422474464557214noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36405856.post-2059624828383643162012-04-19T18:39:51.860-04:002012-04-19T18:39:51.860-04:00With languages, yes -- not a fan of the way Korean...With languages, yes -- not a fan of the way Koreans mix in English words, for example.T.K. (Ask a Korean!)https://www.blogger.com/profile/07663422474464557214noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36405856.post-7257368453417913772012-04-19T17:40:19.958-04:002012-04-19T17:40:19.958-04:00TK, your food purity is both respectable and cute....TK, your food purity is both respectable and cute. I might not necessarily be willing to call the Korean food I encounter in Los Angeles traditional, but I certainly wouldn't say that it's not Korean either, nor would I say that it isn't good (although that part really depends on the establishment). If the assumption is that well off Koreans know how to look for the "best" Korean food, I'd probably disagree. In fact, the very idea of a "best" food is a bit on the silly side. On the other hand, I do think if you find an ethnic restaurant filled with people of its ethnicity and is constantly popular, you can at least make a decent bet that you're going to be in an ethnic restaurant that caters to the popular taste of that ethnic group, which, for some, might encompass their entire criteria of a good ethnic restaurant and I'm not one to judge that as being incorrect.refresh_daemonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14461891308315532959noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36405856.post-67261831882962495632012-04-19T07:02:16.584-04:002012-04-19T07:02:16.584-04:00Re: TK's Korean food purity: is this a tendenc...Re: TK's Korean food purity: is this a tendency that carries over to other things as well? For example, with languages: certain grammar rules being slowly forgotten, or word meanings altered over time, loanwords from other languages, and so on.<br /><br />Or is it just about food?Katherinehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04687248923547966231noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36405856.post-57280500793142167332012-04-18T19:48:45.317-04:002012-04-18T19:48:45.317-04:00I agree with you, except once you get out of Seoul...I agree with you, except once you get out of Seoul, most of your concerns disappear. Korean food is much better outside of Seoul.adbchttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06137981082332138881noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36405856.post-69804589298161732962012-04-18T16:29:25.774-04:002012-04-18T16:29:25.774-04:00Don't ever eat Korean food in Arizona, TK. Yo...Don't ever eat Korean food in Arizona, TK. Your head will explode in a nuclear rage. <br /><br />Kimchi around here tastes like caramel-covered 배추.bumfromkoreahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06153488376014405461noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36405856.post-19158921069143693752012-04-18T13:15:01.800-04:002012-04-18T13:15:01.800-04:00I'm from a Spanish descended Cuban-American fa...I'm from a Spanish descended Cuban-American family, although I was very much raised in the context anglo US culture. For Cuban and Spanish food, I'd say there's some truth to the idea about it being popular with people from that background. Of course, there's a reason why some people call south florida "North Cuba." <br /><br />Where'd I'd disagree is the idea of well to do Cubans going there is an especially good sign. The fact is that every day Cuban food is not especially expensive to make unless maybe you start getting into seafood (like crab cakes). The "fancier" restaurants charge more, but they do not necessarily have better food. Somewhere that appeals to Cuban Americans ranging from "lower middle class" (by US standards) to well to do families will often actually have better food. Somewhere that appeals to poorer Cubans might not have the best food, but then if you're really poor how often can you actually go out to restaurants? There's a reason why so many Latin American families eat rice and beans all the time in their home countries.<br /><br />Once you start to get further north there definitely start to be more and more adaptions to appeal to people from other backgrounds, but there's often some good stuff there too.<br /><br />Of course, I've never been to Cuba due to the travel restrictions, so maybe I'm as far gone as those Korean-Americans you criticize. But at the same time paella is paella and I don't just know it from restaurants. The adaptions that my family makes tends to either be for cost or health, not as a round about way of having donuts for breakfast.Panchohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14695297748121188470noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36405856.post-74841843115615813382012-04-18T12:07:50.410-04:002012-04-18T12:07:50.410-04:00Sorry, don't wanna name names.Sorry, don't wanna name names.T.K. (Ask a Korean!)https://www.blogger.com/profile/07663422474464557214noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36405856.post-73263993256173162802012-04-18T10:20:35.345-04:002012-04-18T10:20:35.345-04:00As a Korean-born Korean who spent last 10 years in...As a Korean-born Korean who spent last 10 years in the US, I think I agree with TK's ultimate conclusion that it is hard to find Korean restaurants that serve "authentic" Korean food in the US, but disagree to certain aspects of the analysis as to why that is the case.<br /><br />* The cheap "shortcuts" in Korean cooking, e.g., using MSG and putting creamer in oxbone soup, is not original to Korean restaurants in the US. I recall from my younger days in late 80s and early 90s that these practices were well-known to be practiced in Korean restaurants in Korea. I do not know if these practices were all "invented" first in the Korean restaurants in the US and then reverse-imported to Korea, but doubt that is the case - the number of Korean restaurants in the US then would have been much smaller than it is now. At any rate, these cullinary shortcuts are still believed to be practiced in many restaurants in Korea (not all of them cheap, diner-equivalent joints), and those restaurants that do not usually make it a selling point ("we do not use MSG in our food" signs). So these are not unique problems in Korean restaurants in the US. <br /><br />* Another point: this is just my observation, but it seems to me that when one eats food that is not familiar to such person, the base taste (in particular the salty taste and sweetness) of the food is much more emphasized. When I first came over to the US and tried "authentic" American food, every meal tasted too salty and every dessert too sweet. I often find this reaction from people who is visiting the US from Korea as well, and I have this experience again for a short while after I come back to US from a long trip in Korea. On the other hand, I sometimes witnesses my American friends having a similar complaint when they try non-familiar food - ("Asian food is so salty"). The upshot of all this is that, to some degree, you get to appreciate subtle differences in flavor only when you are familiar to the specific type of cuisine by prolonged exposure. Given that Korean restaurants in the US cannot rely on the assumption that its clientele will have an experienced tongue in Korean food, the flavor of the food they serve necessarily becomes take a different turn from Korean food served in Korea. I think this explains why Korean food in the US tastes so sweet - I think US expats in Korea probably have the same complaint to American food served in Korea.<br /><br />* We can discuss what is "authentic" Korean food all day long, but I won't try to get into that. But, after spending 10 years here and getting used to Korean restaurants in the US, I now have a presumption (which may or may not be misplaced) that the Korean food in the US may be safer food that the food in Korea. There have been deluge of foodstuff imported from China, with some high profile horror stories (dumpling made of cardboard box, fake eggs, lead in crabs, etc. etc.), which are used in many Korean restaurants in Korea. Meanwhile, I assume there is (or, supposed to be) a stricter regulation on what gets served in a restaurant in the US. This is of course not relevant as to whether the food is authentic or not, but I feel that belief in safety of the food adds to one's enjoyment of Korean food (or any food for that matter).JYhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03551116574965869653noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36405856.post-76195266035455202082012-04-18T09:13:39.866-04:002012-04-18T09:13:39.866-04:00I am also in the NoVA area and would also like to ...I am also in the NoVA area and would also like to know the one restaurant that's considered good!<br /><br /><br />This reminds me of a trip in Florida I went with my mom. She wanted some Korean food and since I was unfamiliar with the area, I yelp'ed a place that had a rating of 4+ stars. We were extremely disappointed. But thinking back, I think none the yelp'ers were Korean.<br /><br />Food evolving to suit the taste of the locals is pretty much a given though. I can't really complain much because I kinda love jjajjangmyun and it would never have come to be if all food remained purist.envirionhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02678132789679971342noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36405856.post-11938193380846796842012-04-18T04:03:09.680-04:002012-04-18T04:03:09.680-04:00I would hate to see TK stumble upon one of the Kor...I would hate to see TK stumble upon one of the Korean taco trucks popping up in LA & SF!<br /><br />I think Tyler Cowen's point is addressing the tendency of many Americans to assume that because a restaurant is in a strip mall, has modest/outdated/kitschy decor, etc., that the food will be mediocre/bad. Or they're intimidated to eat at a place where they are (temporarily) an ethnic minority, don't comprehend the menu, or maybe be expected to eat with their hands. Instead, they gravitate toward places in certain locations, with a certain atmosphere, where they feel comfortable and know what they're ordering. Following Cowen's advice might not lead to more authentic Korean food in most places (assuming any exists), but I agree with his implied point that restaurants that cater to the mainstream often over-charge for below-average food.<br /><br />Cowan is basically encouraging people to step outside their comfort zone, in terms of where they go & what they order. And I think this will ultimately lead to people discovering new things they like. If his advice leads people to food that's more authentic and costs less (as it likely would for e.g. Indian food in the SF bay area), that's even better.<br /><br />As TK is such a stickler for authentic Korean recipes, I'm wondering if he has a recipe for 잡 채 that he'd be willing to share...or an online recipe source in general? (I'm still looking for a recipe as good as the first time I tried this dish.)<br /><br />(Re: Monica's other comment, as a biologist, I can say that eating a lot of MSG is unhealthy in the way eating a lot of salt + protein is unhealthy. If TK's wife got the runs, that's almost certainly microbial. Maybe a better reason not to go back...)Erinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03523688150712245462noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36405856.post-71618328800270428732012-04-18T02:30:18.713-04:002012-04-18T02:30:18.713-04:0032nd St. is deplorable in so, so many ways.
Your...32nd St. is deplorable in so, so many ways. <br /><br />Your support for 이태원's 이스트빌리지 seems to contradict what you claim here, however. I haven't been there myself but that restaurant seems like the epitome of bastardized Korean cuisine, taking into account the food as well as the geography, clientele and interior decor.<br /><br />I've found that in Korea and Japan, food is *generally* better outside the capital areas, whereas in America and Canada, it is the opposite. Of course, Seoul and Tokyo are home to many of the best restaurants in the respective nations, but when I considers the price range of those places, I cannot truthfully claim any of them to be among my favorite restaurants...adbchttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06137981082332138881noreply@blogger.com