Korean Fare

We had great plans to make it to an authentic Korean restaurant, but it was too hard to squeeze all of our adventures in to just 4 days ( she was here for 6 but Sat and Thurs were travel days so that left us only 4 full days). So instead of going authentic, we went and ate at the Challenger Enlisted Club, a favorite of mine! I usually get the American style food when we eat there, but I had noticed on the menu that they serve Korean Cuisine (mainly for all the Korean Nationals and ROK soldiers that work on the Air Base).

Mom ordered Bi Bim Bap (the girl pronounced the B's with P sounds when she pronounced it for us). I did some research on it and learned the word literally means stirred or mixed rice. It is basically a bowl full of steamed rice, topped with namul (which are sauteed and seasoned vegetables), chicken or beef, and a fried egg on top! It is served with a chili pepper paste (gochujang) on the side that you stir in! I wish I had taken a picture before Mom started eating because the veggies were all in separate little piles on top of the rice, with a fried egg (still kind of runny) on top! I read that it can be served either hot or cold. I think Mom's was somewhere in the middle. The rice and egg were hot, but the veggies were cold. The description I found on the Web said the veggies were sauteed (as I mentioned above) but Mom's veggies were almost raw... Maybe cooked just a little. It was very spicy, which she loved!

I ordered Bulgogi, which is thin slices of marinated steak. It was excellent! It is marinated in a mixtures of soy sauce, sugar, and green onions. Mine was served with sauteed onions, but I read that it can also be served with mushrooms, green peppers, and garlic. The word Bulgogi literally translates "fire meat." It also came with a side of steamed rice and "my choice of country vegetable or kimchi" (umm... country vegetable please, hence the green beans). Also you can see a plate of egg rolls at the top of the picture. Not so much Korean Cuisine, but I had to order them because this restaurant has great egg rolls!

For those of you who do not know, Kimchi is a very popular type of side dish here. John claims they eat if for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. He thinks it would be most likely to be compared to a potato in the States (hashbrowns for breakfast, french fries for lunch, and mashed/baked potatoes for dinner). Basically it is a combination of fermented vegetables and spices (most commonly cabbage). It is known by all of the Americans around here for it's strong odor! I read online that the Koreans often say "Kimchi!" when taking photographs much like we say "Cheese!"

And I have to leave you all with a picture of Caden, waiting patiently and watching us eat our meal! He looks like he's thinking, "Hurry up girls, I'm bored!"