Food and I have an interesting relationship, it goes up as well as down. I’ve been through some rough times as well as some gourmet times. When I first came to Asia I felt like my tongue was under attack by the new textures that I had never experienced before. I remember one time being given a Daifuku gift that my Hong Kong friend was so excited to give and explained that they’re expensive too. I ate one with the same sort of excitement she had, but to my horror they were full of sweet red beans with sticky rice on the outside. The texture really got to me making it really difficult to eat, she quickly offered a drink which I was desperate for but was also in shock to be handed a Heineken, anyway I downed that can of beer like it was water! I’ve come a long way since then, I actually don’t mind them anymore but I do prefer the ice-cream kind.
My first time to Korea, I had no idea how to speak or what to eat. I was given a huge bag of rice by my school which I knew could last a year. Some teachers introduced me to the small corner shops around my small downtown area, but I couldn’t recognize anything I could eat. So I lived on canned tuna and rice unless I went out for dinner to Burger King or the one coffee shop that a friend bought spaghetti for me which I returned to religiously until I met other foreigners. It was an interesting year as I gave up so many things, TV, radio, chocolate, computers, transportation and food that I recognized. I lost a lot of weight then.
Now that it’s going on almost my eighth year in Asia I’m finally gaining control and planning what I eat. It’s hard but easier that I live in this part of Seoul as I’m surrounded by grocery stores that carry some foreign food, a small fruit and veggie market and really good foreign restaurants as well as one of the best kim-chi jjigae restaurants in Seoul as it’s one of my favourite Korean foods. I’m now making my own lunches for work as I gave up eating the school dinners as sometimes there’s not much I could eat. The menu is not something to brag about even the Korean teachers complain at times.
Planning is a little difficult as I have to coordinate my cravings, needs, what ingredients I can get as well as the nutritional values. I use http://www.sparkpeople.com which is awesome as it helps me to plan as well as to break down the calories, fat, carbs and protein for my day. My taste is changing as these days I seem to crave poached eggs like the one in the picture below. There’s a fantastic restaurant near my home that prepares the egg on top of mushrooms, toast with a side of spinach and hummous; that is absolutely delicious!
If you have any recipes for poached eggs please let me know as I found my new love :)
Here's my list:
This I love, it's batter filled with sweet beans, sold on the street in the winter months. But I can never remember the name cause I never bother to look at the sign as I'm so focussed on eating. They're normally four for a $1!!!
1 comments:
Cool and interesting post, Sharon. :)
Come to Vancouver next summer and we can go to the Richmond Night Market and eat red-bean-paste-filled Waffle Fish... :)
Post a Comment