(photo from cbs.co.kr)

Insam (ginseng roots, Panax ginseng)
(photo from prkorea.com)

Dates (Daechu)
Until recently, I wasn’t in favor of insam cha (ginseng tea), or any dish that has insam (ginseng) such as samgyetang (Korean chicken ginseng rice soup). I assume it was my natural reaction against my mother’s forceful(?) feeding of insam whenever I visit my parents in [......]

Chung Ki Wa (Chung Gi Wa) in Los Angeles, CA

Chungkiwa is a kind of a restaurant where I take non-Korean friends, families, or relatives. It’s not a fancy restaurant as Chosun Galbi, but it is agreeable, it definitely has the taste and look of Korea, service is attentive, and food is very tasty.
Their menu selection [......]

About three years ago, that is sometime in 2005, hongcho (red vinegar), heuckcho (black vinegar) or gamsikcho (persimmon vinegar) got very popular in Korea. Those are various kinds of vinegar drinks that are fermented from fruit or grain and watered down so people can drink it easily.

When I heard about this vinegar boom a few [......]

Naengmyeon (naeng myun, naeng-myun): Naengmyun literally means ‘cold noodle’ in Korean, and it’s a very popular summertime delicacy in Korea. Ironically, this cold dish was a traditional wintertime dish in the northern part of Korea.
The noodle is very thin (like angel hair pasta) made of buckwheat (memil naengmyeon), mung bean (nokdu naengmyeon) or kudzu (chik [......]

If I have to choose one place for naengmyeon in Los Angeles, I will pick Chilbo Myunok without any hesitation. As the restaurant name claims, naeng myun is obviously their main dish. I heard their galbi is pretty good, but I haven’t had it there because neng myun is always the menu that I choose [......]