Seoulful Urbanist's Selective Lens

During this long Seollal holiday, my wife and I took a trip to Gunsan. We searched for must-visit restaurants using online reviews and carefully chose the places to go. We referred to YouTube videos, blog reviews, and the NAVER Map app, as well as ratings from our car's built-in navigation system (the HYUNDAI-KIA navigation system offers a curated restaurant map, which is truly useful). Not all the places were to my liking, and some felt like just ordinary restaurants. I'd like to share my experience from this trip. 이번 긴 설 연휴 동안 아내와 나는 군산으로 여행을 갔다. 온라인 리뷰를 참고해서 꼭 가봐야 할 맛집들을 찾아보고, 어디에 갈지 신중하게 골랐다. 유튜브 영상, 블로그 리뷰, 네이버 지도 앱, 그리고 차에 내장된 내비게이션 시스템의 평점도 참고했다(현대-기아 내비게이션 시스템에는 엄선된 맛집 지도가 있어서 꽤 유용하다). 모든 곳이 마음에 들었던 건 아니고, 그냥 평범한 식당처럼 느껴지는 곳도 있었다. 이번 여행에서의 경험을 나눠보려고 한다. 유정식당 [Yujeongsikdang, ju.dʑʌŋ.ɕik̚.t͈aŋ] ★★★★☆ This restaurant isn’t technically located in Gunsan but in Seocheon, a nearby region. If you’re driving to Gunsan, you might pass through Seocheon in Chungnam. Its signature...

최근에 바빠서 집에서 요리를 하지 않고 외식을 자주 하였는데, 마지막으로 싱크대를 쓴 후 잘 치우지 않아서 그런지 싱크대 배수구에서 냄새가 나는 것이었다. 아마도 내가 예민해서 더 거슬렸던 것일 수도 있는데, 하여튼 집에 있던 과탄산소다와 칫솔으로 말끔히 정리를 하였다. 후각적으로도 시각적으로도 불쾌해서 하기 싫은 일이지만 일단 하고 나면 개운하긴 하다. 싱크대 거름망은 sink strainer라고 한다. When someone asks me if I enjoy cooking, I usually say yes. But the truth is, I don’t like dishwashing. Handling food leftovers, emptying the sink strainer, and throwing away food waste are all quite bothersome. Cooking at home doesn’t end when the meal is over—there are always follow-up tasks to take care of. In that sense, I might not fully enjoy cooking. 요리하기 좋아하냐고 물어보면 보통 그렇다고 대답한다. 하지만 사실 설거지는 좋아하지 않는다. 음식물 찌꺼기를 처리하거나, 싱크대 거름망을 비우고, 음식물 쓰레기를 버리는 일은 다 귀찮다. 집에서 요리하는 건 단순히 식사를 끝낸다고 끝나는 게 아니다. 항상 마무리해야 할 일이 남아 있다. 그런 점에서 보면, 요리를 그렇게 좋아하지 않을 수도 있다. Even though I dislike these chores, I understand the importance of maintaining a clean sink. The sink strainer should ideally be emptied as soon as it fills with debris. Sometimes, though, even when the strainer is e...

As any whiskey lover knows, Taiwan’s Kavalan whiskey has a special reputation for its bold flavors and unique distillation process. During a trip to Taiwan, I couldn’t resist stopping by a Kavalan bar in Taipei 101, that famous landmark towering over the city. I was ready to taste and experience all it had to offer, sampling different grades of Kavalan with each glass. While the flavors got a bit blurry (as did my memory of them after a few rounds!), the experience was unforgettable, and I brought home a few bottles as souvenirs. But here’s the twist: back home, sipping Kavalan on its own felt, well, a bit intense. Without the lively bar atmosphere, each sip packed more of a punch than I’d remembered. So, like many travel mementos that find a cozy corner in the kitchen, my Kavalan sat unopened for quite a while. That all changed recently when I picked up some canned highballs—ready-to-drink, perfectly convenient, but admittedly a little on the light side in terms of whiskey flavor. Ins...

 In the past, beer was my drink of choice. Recently, however, I've found myself indulging more in wine rather than beer. Several factors may have influenced this shift, such as emotional changes, aging, and shifts in societal preferences. About four years ago, I began finding solace in sipping wines. It was a time when I felt overwhelmed by the everyday grind, so I decided to take a spontaneous solo trip to a hotel. I sought to overcome burnout and recharge.  One night, feeling a bit adventurous, I grabbed a half bottle of wine from a nearby store and savored it while looking down the urban night view from my hotel room. That experience proved to be a soothing remedy for my burnout. Even after I returned home, I found myself craving that feeling of relaxation. Subsequently, whenever I needed a mental getaway but lacked the time, I turned to wine. Just a few glasses served as a reminder of my rejuvenating vacation. While I still appreciate beers, they are mostly for quenching m...

I was a meat-lover. Not a day went by without having a meat dish. Skipping meat dishes does not feel like the right way to wrap up the day. Mostly when I was a regular gym-goer, I chose meat dishes for dinner to increase my protein intake. Sometimes I suffered indigestion and bloating, but I never questioned my diet. I thought that the problem was overeating, not my diet. As I grew older, a meat-based diet gave me more trouble than happiness. I often felt tired and drowsy after a meal. I couldn't go to bed early or have a good night sleep because of bloating. At worst, I didn't feel good the next morning, like I had a hangover. Nevertheless, I never stopped enjoying fulfilling meat dishes. It was silly to eat meat, regret, and repeat. The other day, I came across a documentary about the plant-based diets. It covered elite athletes who maintain plant-based diets to improve their chance of winning. According to the film, blood circulation is hindered after eating meat. Our muscle...

I am sensitive to caffeine, which is why I cannot enjoy coffee in peace. Whenever I have a coffee afternoon, I cannot fall asleep at night easily. Once, I had two cups of coffee in one day by mistake, then, my heart suddenly began to flutter, and I felt faint. Nevertheless, I can't give up coffee entirely. Instead, I made a compromise. I allow myself one cup of coffee in the morning. This way, there is plenty of time for the caffeine to work its way through my body before bedtime. It has not been long since I was able to appreciate coffee. I used to prefer sweet coffee, such as caffè mocha, macchiato, and ice-blended coffee. I had a soft spot for the mixture of sweetness with syrups, caramel, whipped cream, and chocolate. To me, coffee beans were just one of the supporting players in that sweet harmony. Now I am falling in love with black coffee and caffè Americano. Someone donated a decent espresso machine to my workplace. Thanks to the machine, I can get an espresso or Americano ...

As far as I recall, it was several years ago when I first saw a few places in Seoul releasing mint chocolate ice cream. Some of the products were called mint chocolate chip ice cream, and those flavors had chocolate chunks in them. I can't clearly recall whether the franchise ice cream stores, convenience stores or local dessert shops started carrying them first. Anyway, back then, it was not a conventional flavor of ice cream. (In fact, some may say it still isn't a mainstream flavor.) I witnessed some people trying the new flavor, but it seemed to me that they were only buying it out of curiosity. I never thought they would be starting a trend. I thought mint chocolate ice cream would be something that would soon vanish, and it would be remembered as an interesting flavor that was available for a short time. However, some time later, many other retailers began to jump on the bandwagon and produce their own mint chocolate flavors. The once unconventional flavor seemed to be ga...

The other day I opened two packages of instant jajang noodles (Zha Wang) and used one serving of noodles and two sets of seasoning packets to make restaurant quality jajangmyeon. ( Here's the recipe ) Therefore, one serving of instant noodles were left. Today, I searched online for ideas to make the best use of the leftover instant noodles. I realized that I could turn instant noodles into makeshift pasta, so I made pasta gratin with it. The recipe required an oven but I didn't have one. As a result, the dish's cheese crust lacked crispiness but was still a mouthwatering and tasty dish. You should try it! 며칠전 중국집 자장면을 만들려고 짜왕 두 봉지를 뜯고서 면 1인분과 소스 2인분을 써버렸습니다. ( 레시피는 여기에 ) 그래서 면 1인분이 남았지요. 오늘 그 면을 활용할 아이디어를 얻기 위해 인터넷 검색을 해봤습니다. 인스턴트 면을 파스타 면 대용으로 사용할 수 있다는 사실을 깨닫고 파스타 그라탕을 만들었습니다. 오븐을 사용하는 레시피였지만 저는 오븐을 가지고 있지 않습니다. 그래서 표면의 치즈를 바삭하게 만들지는 못했지만 그래도 군침도는 맛있는 요리였습니다. 한 번 시도해보세요! Here's the simple recipe for gratin with instant noodles. 라면사리로 간단히 만들 수 있는 그라탕을 소개합니다. ...

Jajangmyeon (also jjajangmyeon, 짜장면, Korean noodles in a black bean sauce) was originally introduced in Korea by Chinese merchants but its flavor has evolved over time to suit Koreans' taste buds. In the 1970s and 80s, people used to enjoy it when celebrating special occasions, such as school entrance or graduation ceremonies. Now it is a common and easily affordable dish, but still it appeals to many Koreans regardless of age. 짜장면은 본래 중국 상인들을 통해 한국에 전해진 음식이지만 시간이 가면서 한국인들의 입맛에 맞게 변했습니다. 짜장면은 1970-80년대에 입학식이나 졸업식처럼 특별한 날에 먹는 음식이었습니다. 지금은 적당한 가격에 쉽게 사먹을 수 있는 음식이지만, 여전히 남녀노소 상관없이 많은 한국인들에게 사랑받고 있습니다. This dish also appears in Korean popular culture. In Korea, April 14th is a special day called "black day" when single people get together with their single friends and have these Korean black bean sauce noodles. Jajangmyeon even appeared in the Oscar-winning film "Parasite." In the film, jjapaguri (짜파구리, translated as "Ram-don (Ramen + Udon)" in the E...

Home cooking is never easy. Having a decent home meal with fresh ingredients requires frequent grocery shopping, preparation, and cooking. All of these need your time and energy, and for most people, these are in short supply . Eating out can be an alternative option for families and couples who can afford it. It's possible to dine at a restaurant alone, but restaurant owners don't exactly make single eaters feel welcome. Korean food culture is changing, but it's customary for diners to share a large bowl of a main dish along with a few common side dishes. For that reason, eating out with a group of people is still common. Restaurant owners discourage solo dining because offering one serving of a main dish and its accompanying sides is not cost-effective. For solo diners , the menu choices they offer are limited. 집에서 만든 요리로 식사를 하는 것은 절대 쉬운 일이 아닙니다. 신선한 재료로 만든 그럴듯한 가정식으로 식사를 하려면 장보기도 자주 해야 하고, 재료 손질을 하고, 조리를 해야 합니다. 모두 시간과 에너지가 쓰이는 일인데, 많은 사람들이 그럴 여유를 누리지 못합니다. 형편이 되는...

The other day, I dropped off my car at an auto repair shop early in the morning. They said it would take about an hour so, I entered a nearby Starbucks store to kill time. I casually ordered a latte. After taking a sip of coffee , I felt hungry. Perhaps I didn't eat enough for breakfast. I went to the counter and bought a scone. As you may know, scones from Starbucks in Korea are not that special. Nevertheless, a Starbucks scone and coffee made a perfect pair . A bite of dry and crispy scone met a sip of coffee and turned into a rich-flavored and properly sweet dessert in my mouth. I guess that's the moment when I fell in love with scones. 며칠 전에, 이른 아침부터 차를 정비소에 맡겼다. 한 시간 정도 걸린다고 하기에 시간을 때우러 근처 스타벅스에 들어가 아무 생각없이 라떼를 한 잔 시켰다. 커피를 한 모금 마시니 배가 고파졌다. 아침식사를 부실하게 했나보다. 카운터에 가서 스콘을 추가로 시켰다. 다들 알겠지만 스타벅스에서 파는 스콘은 그닥 고급진 제품은 아니다. 그럼에도 불구하고 스타벅스 스콘과 커피는 환상의 조합이었다. 바삭한 스콘 한입과 커피 한모금이 만나 풍미있고 적절히 단맛이 나는 디저트가 되는 것이었다. 아마도 이 때 스콘에 빠져버린 것 같다. From that day on, I've start...