In this video we talk about different perceptions of food depending whether we are coming from a western or Korean mindset and we try a new Korean product called ‘CleaningTime’. We test whether it can eliminate bad breath from Mac and Cheese and dried squid.
Category: Food (Page 3 of 22)
Korean food and recipes
Luckily there is no such thing as vegemite kimchi…
Both Korea and Australia have a strong tasting food that is part of their national pride. Hopefully our baby will enjoy both. While I like kimchi, Hugh has given up on pretending that he likes vegemite.
Most comments on comics are on Facebook or Instagram these days, so head over there to see the conversation.
Nepalese Spicy Noodle Challenge!
All sorts of spicy food challenges have been popular in Korea in recent years. Seriously, why do people do this to themselves? Well, here is a new one.
Thukpa is a noodle soup originally from Tibet and the Northern part of Nepal. The Nepalese version is spicier as it has chili powder and masala in it. The restaurant ‘Yeti’ in Seoul is somewhere that Hugh hangs out a lot and this is kind of a secret menu item but now they have decided to make it a challenge. For those brave enough to try it. No exaggerated reactions here, it really is that spicy!
This was right after Hugh had done his big transformation so he ate this after only eating vegetables, chicken breast and sweet potatoes for a few weeks. I’m surprised he didn’t burn a hole in his stomach. Poor Joel has already ruined his stomach from the challenges Josh and Ollie from the Korean Englishman channel have made him do. Alex was the one that did the best on this challenge. Even Gambhir, the owner, bailed before Alex did!
We are curious to see if anyone can win this challenge as it’s not only a lot to eat, but it’s just so spicy. Everyone attempts the Korean spicy noodles challenge but this is a whole other level. Let us know if you try it!
Others in this video:
Even while Hugh was on his strict diet we tried to still go out on dates. This was filmed during the last month of his diet. We headed to The Beastro in Hongdae for their amazing lunch menu. Sometimes on cheat days Hugh would go all out and eat anything he wanted, but this was the last month of his transformation so it was extra strict. He still managed to be healthy on his cheat day.
Unfortunately right after uploading this video we found out The Beastro will be closing down in Hongdae. Their Instagram said to keep an eye out for future projects but at this point we don’t know if they will open something similar somewhere else. There is only one week left to eat this delicious food!
Hongdae has been changing for years and unfortunately not for the better. Lots of big businesses moved in and we heard they are tourist zoning it. So all the charm and individuality is rapidly disappearing. That’s why Hapjeong and Mangwon areas are becoming more popular and where great restaurants are popping up.
Watching me eat – personal mukbang?
Hugh is on quite a strict diet at the moment so I’ve been very conscious of not eating in front of him. In Australia, if I’m on a diet I don’t want to see other people eat nice food. However, he wants me to always eat in front of him! Not only him, but Yoojin his trainer who is also on this diet wants to watch me. They make me sit down on the sofa and they sit on the floor and watch every single mouthful. It’s a bit unnerving. They want me to make noise and tell them how delicious it is. Hugh also watches so many food programs at the moment. For me I couldn’t handle it if I was on a diet like that, but for him there is something satisfying about seeing others eat delicious food. It helps him with his diet somehow.
We’ve talked about why Koreans love mukbangs in this video. There are some historical and cultural reasons why mukbangs are so popular online and why Korean food programs are filmed in a certain way. I still feel bad eating in front of Hugh, especially when I’m eating something like creamy pasta and he only had chicken breast and vegetables, but he insists it’s okay. I didn’t finish all my pasta last night and he found the bowl and came into my office and demanded I finish it. I would have thrown up if I had one more bite unfortunately so I refused. I saw him eyeing the half of a scone that I left after breakfast this morning too. Silently and sometimes not so silently, judging me. He wants to see me eating so much food right now so he can feel the satisfaction somehow.
At least this diet is only for 1 month and then it’s back to the normal healthy, but not extreme diet. It’s just for getting his special profile photos done in celebration of his weight loss and transformation.
No kimchi?!
We revisit a comic from several years ago. This was when we were still living in Australia and I forgot to put kimchi on the table. As we mentioned in the video, Hugh obsesses about kimchi a lot more when he is not in Korea. He doesn’t eat it every day in Korea but in Australia has this desire to always eat it. It might seem like just a stereotype but it’s very important to Koreans!
Many older Koreans don’t consider a meal to be a real meal without rice and kimchi. So if they eat out and eat some type of foreign food they will still come home and eat some rice and kimchi. This type of ingrained thinking is possibly why it’s taken so long for foreign food to become popular in Korea, because there is a very strong cultural thinking of what a meal should be. Although many younger Koreans embrace all kinds of food, they have trouble convincing their parents to try new stuff and when older Koreans go on trips to another country they will try and take Korean food with them, rather than trying anything new.
In Australia it was easy to buy kimchi in Sydney and when we were in my home town I would make it for Hugh. These days we usually have too much kimchi as Hugh’s mother will send us kimchi. We still eat out a lot so we eating it several times a week even if we don’t have any at home. I’ve tried so many types of kimchi I know which ones I like and how fermented I prefer kimchi to be.
Making kimchi can be a lot of work and usually needs to be done over 2 days. If you are making kimchi for the first time I recommend reading a variety of recipes online several times so you understand all the steps. Also be aware that it will give off a strong smell in your fridge!
Exploring Korean markets and delicious street food!
We have shown Mangwon markets before in videos but we haven’t really been able to do it justice. This time we had Yoojin filming and Joel also got some good shots for us. I always find Korean open markets to be really fascinating and it’s a great way to see local culture. The street food places at the markets usually have somewhere to sit down inside which is more comfortable than standing and eating at the cart street food like in other places. I really like the tteokbokki there!
Local markets are a great place to do grocery shopping as the prices are a lot cheaper than the bigger stores. We generally buy our fruit and vegetables at the markets and only buy foreign items like cheese and butter at HomePlus or Emart. If you go to the markets in the evening the prices often drop even more.
Another reason to go to the markets is of course the food. There is great street food at the markets but also other small restaurants with great food and cheap prices. Since they are operating out of a small area and people can just take and eat as they walk, they can keep the prices down. Korean people eat out A LOT and these types of places allow people to do it regularly and cheaply.
If you are visiting Korea make sure you check out some markets as there are many around. Korean tourism often tries to push people to Gangnam or other modernized areas of Seoul but if you want a more authentic experience go to where the local people are shopping and socializing.
Mangwon markets also merges into the World Cup markets so it’s technically two markets in one. The Mangwon area is also an up and coming area with many small, quirky business and great food moving in. Once you are finished at the markets you can check out some of the great cafes in the area. Also the Han river is not too far away which is another important aspect of people’s lives in Seoul.
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