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Actually, You Did and Ajumma, Me? and Lunch
01/13/09
Actually, You Did and Ajumma, Me? and Lunch
Whine. "My Korean is terrible!"
"My English is terrible," Good Man countered.
"You got an American girlfriend with your English."
He grinned, "You got a Korean boyfriend!"
"Not by speaking Korean, I didn't!"
"Actually, you did." Wicked grin.
Good Man and I have been saving spaghetti jars for dry goods. (Why buy a storage jar when we buy spaghetti in jars?) I decided to pour most of the 쌀가루 (rice power) into a jar.
"But how will we know this is ssalgaru? We should label it," I said.
"Well, it's not crack," replied Good Man.
I burst out laughing. Indeed, it's not.
I made 짜장면 (jjajangmyeon) tonight. Fourth or fifth try, and I finally figured out what I was doing wrong. When we use red pepper paste (고추장) or soybean paste (된장), we make a sauce out of it. I was just throwing the 짜장 on the noodles. Duh...no wonder there was enough salt to kill a horse, last time(s).
"This isn't as good as Korean jjajangmyeon," I said.
"Well, you're not a chef."
I stared at Good Man. "You need to come up with a different answer. I'll ask again." I paused. "This isn't as good as Korean jjajangmyeon."
He tried again, "No, this is better!"
Good Man.
So tonight Diana called me an "Ajumma in Training (not in the bad way. in the cute korean cooking way ;-))."
When I was getting ready to cook the noodles, I checked the serving size. One hundred grams. I eyeballed the noodles, grabbed a handful, and weighed it. Four hundred grams. Exactly what I wanted.
Maybe Diana is right.
After dinner, I started peeling some clementines for lunch. I stuck one in front of Good Man and he tasted it. He exclaimed, "This is 귤!" He craned his neck around to stare at the wooden box of clementines. "I think, maybe, I will eat all of those tomorrow."
"Oh, man, I'd better hide them in my car."
"I will visit you at school, then."
Tomorrow's lunch is disgustingly cute. Good Man's lunch even features a cherry tomato Gonzo nosed, carrot haired, clementined eye creature.
Good Man's Lunch
Jjajangmyeon, Carrots, Clementines, and Korean Yams
The Bottom Tier of My Lunch,
With A Banana and Hard-Boiled Egg for Breakfast
5 comments
I jest not.
But perhaps I need more sleep.
That's some hardcore Korean stuff!! ^o^
I've been reading your posts for a bit even though this is the first time I comment... I found your blog while googling "how to tie a hanbok." I needed some insight into how to tie a proper hanbok knot before going to visit my in-laws (and doing big bow ceremony, in a hanbok of course) for the holidays!
Anyhow, I'm Cuban and married to a Korean and find your experiences in Korea very interesting... Some of the insights you've made regarding Korean culture have helped me understand my in-laws a bit better, so I thank you!
As far as Korean cooking is concerned, I wanted to suggest checking out http://www.maangchi.com/
It's amazing what a difference sauteing the black bean paste does to the flavor! Also, her recipe for kimchi jigae is great and approved per my husband.
So once again, thanks for taking time to document your experiences in Korea! Congratulations on your upcoming wedding and I wish you & Good Man all the best!
P.S. My kids love their bento boxes I got them from the Korean market. I can't imagine my husband sitting in his office and eating his lunch out of a cute hello kitty bento box otherwise I would send him to work with one also.
I steam them (for about 20-30 minutes, sliced into hunks), but I think you can bake them.
I like them plain or with a little butter. I eat the skin. Good Man eats them plain, no skin. They taste different than American sweet potatoes or American yams, but I can't really describe how, because I don't eat (American) yams or sweet potatoes a lot.
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