Post 44.3: Year in Review - 2010

I've been meaning to close out the year for a while now... and seeing that it's no longer the beginning of the year or the end of last year, I better get a move on.

2010 was filled with plenty of ups and downs and lessons learned.  It was not without its fair share of discoveries, adventures and unforgettable experiences.  Whether it was taking my first bite of poutine in Vancouver, taking in the sights and sounds of a grand slam tennis match in New York, or relaxing over a brewski at the end of the day... I cherished it all.  2010 was quite a memorable year.

Discoveries of 2010

My first discovery of the year came with the annual chaos of tax season.  Sitting under a pile of 1040s and 540s at work, I began reminiscing about how simple my childhood had been... when the only numbers I could count to were 1, 2, and maaaybe 3.  Desperate to bring simplicity back, I went downstairs to the convenience store in the lobby to search for a simple box of Treetop apple juice.  While browsing through the various sundries in the store, my heart sunk when I discovered that the only apple juice sold there was organic Treetop apple juice.  My simple, green box of childhood apple juice was no more.  While I had moved on to the sake, soju, beer, and wine, Treetop moved onto organic apples.  

This year was the year that I realized that the times have truly changed.  But it was also the year that I realized that many things had stayed the same.  Like the classic Bob's Big Boy burger.  So even though I had never actually liked the taste of the Bob's Big Boy double decker, I felt relieved when it looked and tasted the way I had remembered as a child.  Changing the Big Boy classic may have caused a protest with enough angst to rival the time when Coca Cola changed its classic formula.  (I swear I typed 'angst' in my sentence before I found and read the history on the website.)  Okay, so Obama really didn't change too much.  I'm cool with that... for now.

This year brought on the discovery of new cuisines and interesting dishes that were a fusion of culinary contributions from two different cultures.  Jjajangmyeon and jjambbong took a while to grow on me, while gamjatang had me at first slurp.

This year I also discovered that lettuce didn't have to be the main ingredient in a salad.  Or the that the star ingredient in a salad could be something other than a vegetable.  And that salad didn't necessarily have to be cold, refreshing, or topped with cheese to be good.  The raw beef salad from Yummy Yummy, the tea leaf salad from Burma Superstar, and the fig and brie salad from Larchmont Grill were all eye-opening experiences.

The year also marked the first time I was challenged to eat ox penis (it's also the last time I will ever do that), the first time I squeezed lime juice into my Mexican-style Chinese wonton soup, and the first time I tried Afghan cuisine.

There's no way I can forget my discoveries during my visit to our friendly neighbor to the north.  The Japadog, an all-American hot dog infused with the rich flavors of traditional Japanese sauces and garnishes, and true Canadian poutine, gloriously golden French fries topped off with cheese curds and then smothered with brown gravy, beckoned me to return to Vancouver in 2011 to have a second taste.  Perhaps on my next trip to Vancouver, I could make a pit stop in Seattle to Lola just to have a bite of those delectable doughnuts that I discovered last summer.  Those doughnuts blew my mind away.

And I discovered that each of these foods... no matter how it was cooked, no matter what culture created it, no matter what taste it sparked on my tongue... was made even better with a tall glass of ice, cold beer.

Cravings of the year

Those that spend a good amount of time with me know that I get sudden, incredible urges to gorge on certain dishes or cuisines.  I started off the year craving Indian food, but as the craving was satisfied, I quickly developed a longing for a cabeza taco from King Taco, a desire for a beef wrap from Happy Kitchen, and any kind of Taiwanese noodle from A&J Restaurant.

My cravings were made evident with my spontaneous text messages throughout the work day to friends who shared the same feeling.  My friends of Korean heritage frequently received texts regarding haemul pajeon, and friends who live and work in the Bay Area suffered from my inundation of text messages (usually in all caps) about my drooling over the tiramisu from Cavalli Caffe in San Francisco.  

But the one craving I didn't mention much was actually something I only took one bite of.  During our trip to Seattle, oolong-milktea and friends waited forever for a delicate Russian pastry called a piroshky... and I sat on the sidewalk of Pike Place Market waiting for them.  One bite from my friend's spice-filled beef and cheese piroshky, and I knew I was a sucker.  Just as Duke wrote on his Yelp review of Piroshky Piroshky... who knew this thing could be so damn good?

Tears.  Anguish.  I want one now.  I admit I messed up... I should have gotten one.  But... perhaps the more I had bitten into that piroshky, the more anguish I would be in right now.  And if that were the case, I wouldn't be surprised if I were frantically checking for flights to Seattle right now.  Sigh.  Piroshky, I should have given you a chance...

Trips in 2010

This year, I made 6 trips out of Southern California.  I visited the Bay Area three times and made one trip each to Seattle, Vancouver, and New York.  Each trip presented a different experience made unique by the people, the food, and the city itself.  The sun shined brightly for me on all three trips to the Bay Area... even when the weatherman said it would rain.  In Seattle, the taxi driver tried to swindle us on the way to Sea-Tac Airport.  In Vancouver, Amanda's car got towed as we were making our way to the airport.  It seemed like something was bound to happen every time I made my way to the airport.

Well, my trip to New York confirmed it.  Already on the way to the airport, Jamie remembered that he had left the tennis match tickets at his apartment.  He went back for them, which caused him to miss the flight.  But thanks to Continental Airlines, the change fee was waived, and CO got him on the first flight out in the morning.

And on the way back to California, Jamie happened to be booked for a flight that had already taken off.  What?! No worries, it was solved by a courteous CO agent who even upgraded Jamie up from economy.  And even if it hadn't worked out, seeing a grand slam tennis tournament live for the first time made any fiasco worth going through.  

None of the trips would have happened without the numerous travel companions, hosts and guides, and service people in the travel industry.  Thanks to you, running through airport terminals, getting questioned by Customs and Immigration, and drinking until the wee hours of the morning made for exciting stories that I will remember forever.  I talked to kind strangers, yelled at sketchy strangers, and shared one of the last free economy class meals with hungry strangers.  None of these experiences would have been the same without you.

I loved traveling to these great cities, and I'm looking forward to even more traveling in the new year.  But you know what? Home is where the heart is.  And Los Angeles, you are what I call home.

The year's favorites from home

Although I've experienced some great eats while traveling outside of LA, food from home simply can't be beat.  The best food from LA comes in all shapes, sizes, and flavors.  One of them is a deep fried sphere of mashed potato stuffed with savory ground beef... just slightly larger than a golf ball but still smaller than a tennis ball.  It is known simply as the Porto's potato ball.

The best food from home can be something from the local bakery that you get on a weekly basis or something from the Japanese sushi bar you have only on occasion.  The spicy tuna, fatty tuna (toro) and sea urchin (uni) from Sushi Gen is some of the best in the Southland.

Just a few blocks over to the north of Sushi Gen is where you can find a classic Philippe French-dipped sandwich.  Place it next to a bowl of chili, with or without beans, and glass of 75 cent lemonade you'll get a glimpse into my childhood.  You may see me here munching on a roast beef dip and using crackers to spoon chili in... it's the same way I learned to eat when I was in elementary school.

But really, what makes a food your favorite is not whether it's a classic but how it makes you feel.  It could be a macaron from Bottega Louie, the beef ribs from Lucille's BBQ, a Spam musubi from King's Hawaiian, the Taiwanese salt and pepper fried oysters from Happy Garden, hand-cut salami from the store, or peeled fruit from your own kitchen.  The list could go on and on.

But perhaps the best food from home is really the food from home.  Mom's beef noodle soup, dad's corned beef and cabbage, grandma's dumplings (hand-made or frozen) bring the kind of comfort that not even LA classics like Philippe can bring.

Along with some of my newly discovered food, these favorites contributed to the memorable year in delicious food.  I can't wait for the food that has yet to be uncovered and the bountiful favorites that will carry over into 2011.  I feel very blessed to have been able to relish in food aplenty and to have made it a hobby when there are tons of people around the world that have trouble just finding a bite.  

 

Cheers to the new year.  Until the next find, let's all get S.O.F.A.T.

Some pictures from this post have been contributed by oolong-milktea.

ML - 20110204

Post 34.1: Korean-Chinese Food, Part 1 (LA: Koreatown)

Just recently Wade introduced me to Appetite for China, a blog whose writer has much of her attention directed towards the many facets of Chinese cuisine.  What fascinates me about her posts is that she doesn't just focus on the eight classic schools of Chinese cuisine (Cantonese, Szechwan, etc.) or just any random Chinese dish or restaurant that she finds.  According to her About page, she highlights some of the hyphenated styles of Chinese cooking such as Portugese-accented Macanese, Peruvian chiffa, and Indian-Chinese.  What sparked me to write a post was her feature on Korean-Chinese cuisine, a type of food that Rose took me to try at Young King in Koreatown.

So what exactly is Korean-Chinese cuisine? Simply put, it's Korean style Chinese food. 

Still hard to grasp? Well, in America we have American style Italian food... I'm sure you've had the BBQ chicken pizza from CPK.  We also have Mexican-Chinese here in Los Angeles... the wonton soup with a splash of lime juice and chili oil from China Cafe at Grand Central Market is slightly bewildering, enormously tasty, and incredibly unforgettable.

 In Japan and Taiwan, there is Japanese-Italian... have you ever had squid ink pasta or teriyaki chicken pizza topped with seaweed and mochi balls?

 

And in Korea, there is Korean-Chinese.

The common explanation is that this Korean style of Chinese food was developed when northern Chinese, most likely from the Shandong region, emigrated to Korea and brought their style of cooking with them.  Over the course of many generations in Korea, what was originally Chinese cuisine became adapted to the tastes of the Korean tongue using local ingredients.

Another difference between Korean-Chinese food and traditional Chinese cuisine is that Korean-Chinese is served with kimchi and the raw onions with black bean paste.  Typically, the rest of the banchan is excluded from the meal.

Most of the Koreans I know agree that the three most well-known (and arguably best tasting) Korean-Chinese dishes are:

(1) Jjajangmyeon (Korean: 짜장면, Chinese: 炸醬麵): noodles smothered with a gelatinous black bean sauce and shredded cucumbers.  Korean jjajangmyeon is similar to the Chinese zhajiangmian in that the foundation of both stem from black bean paste.  However, jjajangmyeon is distinctly different from the zhajiangmian from China or Taiwan in that it uses not only onions but also caramel in the sauce, which zhajiangmian does not.  At first sight, it is clear that Korean jjajangmyeon is creamier; the texture and feel reminds me of shampoo.  Shampoo?! Yes, next time you have jjajangmyeon, see for yourself.  It's like having Pert Plus in black bean fragrance on your noodles sans the bathroom product offensiveness.  (Apologies if I have ruined the noodles for you.)  And it has a much darker color (almost black), and the Chinese version has a brown hue.

(2) Jjambbong (Korean: 짬뽕, Chinese: 炒碼麵): a mix of seafood and noodles in a spicy stew.  Although the spiciness of the dish makes it my favorite Korean-Chinese food, it is also the spiciness and wavering kimchi taste that makes me question how Chinese this dish actually is.  I've asked many of my Korean friends to translate jjambbong for me.  I hoped that the result would sound similar to the Chinese words so that I could correlate the two dishes (like jjajangmyeon and zhajiangmian), but to no avail. Jjambbong is simply a slang Korean word meaning mixed-together, a mess, or hodgepodge.  Even the menu's translation of jjambbong to chaomamian by Lunar Restaurant is nowhere close to anything remotely Chinese that I know.

(3) Tangsuyuk (Korean: 탕수육, Chinese: 糖醋肉) sweet and sour meat, typically pork but can be prepared with beef.  While Chinese sweet and sour pork is typically stir-fried, the Korean version is deep fried with a thicker breading.  Here the sweet and sour sauce is served on the side.  When I bit into the tangsuyuk it oozed with fattiness and reminded me of a softer version of a pork rind.  The excrement of oil was fascinating for my tongue and detrimental to my heart, but thankfully, Chinese food is always served with hot tea.

But unthankfully, it is damn diggity hot in the restaurant.  No joke.  Eating at Young King was no different from eating in old school Chinese restaurants as a kid in the early 90's.  Really.  Old, shaggy, dirty carpet.  Loud, noisy kitchen.  Waitstaff in unkempt white blouses and black restaurant shoes.  You know the rubber-looking black shoes with black shoelaces in the shape of Twinkies that all Chinese restaurant staff wore in the 90's? Yeah, they still wear 'em here.  Oily tabletops.  Oh, and it's hot.  Sweaty hot.  But no one seemed to mind.

Plate after plate of tangsuyuk arrived at every single table.  It was so freshly prepared that I could see the steam billow from the plate of tangsuyuk three tables away.  Damn.  And bowl after bowl of what I can only imagine as jjajangmyeon and jjambbong arrived at every single table.  Including ours.  Four bowls, actually... one order of each noodle, split into individual bowls for the two of us.  Why? Cuz we're fatties.  And because almost every Korean I know has a hard time deciding between jjajangmyeon and jjambbong, as evidenced by jbih's blogspot.

Since many Koreans have learned of the origins of this special cuisine and order it in the Korean-Chinese restaurants they grew up with, this type of Korean-Chinese is regarded as Chinese food.  However, since many Chinese and Chinese-Americans have rarely, if ever, come across this version of Chinese food, they consider it Korean food simply because it's not the kind of Chinese food they grew up with.  Some Korean-Americans designate jjajangmyeon as Chinese (hey, it sounds like zhajiangmian), while the same ones who throw the black bean noodles in the Chinese category may question how Chinese jjambbong is.  Whether it's really Korean or really Chinese whittles down to pure opinion.  One thing is for sure though... Koreans definitely have a special place on their palate for jjajangmyeon.  Ask any Korean you know.  I'd like to meet the one Korean who doesn't like jjajangmyeon.

The only way anyone is going to appreciate the food for what it is... is to simply take the food for what it is.  Don't think about whether the food is actually Chinese or Korean... don't compare jjajangmyeon with zhajiangmian or even think about whether you like one over another.  Don't think.  Just eat.  Bae go pa.

Thanks to Wade for the link.  Funny... he's Chinese and gets mistaken for Korean all the time.  Even in China.  

Until the next meal, let's all get S.O.F.A.T.

ML - 20100915/20100313