Ellen Lindner: Art & Creativity

Korean food is, well, different.  I can’t say I’m a fan, but I didn’t go hungry either.  Andrew was familiar with many of the dishes and was anxious to try them.  So, I did too.

This one, called patbingsu  (pot-bing-sue) really excited him.

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It’s shaved ice with milk and sugar added.  (Like snow ice cream we made as kids.)  And the topping is – are you ready for it – red beans.  Also sweetened.

I smiled bravely.

But, I was still unsure.

It was definitely different.  Not bad, though.  It sorta grew on me.  I ate a few bites and Andrew ate ALL the rest of it!

Here, Andrew has just purchased “poop bread.”  Yes, it’s actually called that.  Because, well,
1) It sort of has that shape, and
2) It has a red bean filling that’s dark brown and also has the “right” look.

Purchased hot out of the fryer, it was not bad.  Not as sweet as American dessert.  Which was typical.

Next, this is a shaped rice cake, covered in honey.  The cake is very dense without a lot of taste, but the cavities held the honey nicely.  We got to pick what sort of honey we wanted, and ate the thing from the stick.

The McDonald’s (where we ate a lot,) had a separate area for coffee and desserts.  This was a raspberry yogurt cake.  Complete with a real plate and fork!  VERY upscale for our expectations of McDonald’s!

Speaking of McDonald’s, it was the only place where we were able to get more salt.  Although they didn’t have salt shakers or salt packets, they’d put some salt from the fry station in a throw away cup for us.

Now, about the napkins.  They were very small and lightweight.  With an absorption quotient something similar to a tissue.

Since we ate an American breakfast each day, I finally realized I could save the extra “American” napkin I received every morning.  I was so delighted with myself when I was able to pull it out at lunch!

This is a dessert plate from an American-style buffet.  We had no idea what the prickly fruit was, but selected it anyway.  I couldn’t figure out how to eat it, though, and tossed it.  Who can tell me what it is and how to eat it?

Did you notice the forks?  We never asked for them, but they were often provided.  So, we ate with chopsticks only a few times.  Of course, Andrew had to seek them out and eat with them whenever possible.

Eating the local food is always an adventure when traveling internationally, and that was DEFINITELY true in Korea!

Ellen Lindner
P.S. I can’t believe I used the word “poop” on my blog!