I absolutely freakin’ love Korean food. Now, it may be the Korean pride in me talking but I think non-Koreans here can agree that for those who have tried it, the food is pretty fantastic. Whether it be the kimchi, the garlic-infused ingredients in nearly every dish, the charcoal BBQ pit (and those all you can eat restaurants), the bibimbap, the chilled naengmyun, and plethora of other choices, Korean food is hella dope.
That’s why it excites me greatly that there is a site dedicated solely to showcasing the vast diversity of Korean food. From the creators of I AM KOREAN AMERICAN comes the Korean Food Gallery, a site that will satisfy the Korean food lovers out there. Their goal is to promote and raise awareness about the richness and unlimited possibilities of Korean cuisine and as such, a starting point for finding recipes, stories, and memories of Korean food.
Here’s how it works: a blogger submits an image, a clever caption, and a direct link to the post that talks about the image on his/her website. The Korean Food Gallery will curate submissions by selecting ones that meet their standards (quality of photography, the writing, the blog, etc.) and post new submissions on their site periodically throughout the week. You can submit your own picture and post HERE!
So with that being said, I want to talk about my favorite Korean food (if not THE favorite food, being tied with Cinnabon) of all time: jajangmyeon!
While jajangmyeon is Chinese in origin, Koreans have adapted the noodle dish to make it their own and though I have never tried the original Chinese version, the Korean pride in me believes that my countrymen’s version is x1000 better. If anybody in LA can tell me where I can get the OG dish, please let me know in the comments below. For those who don’t know what I’m talking about, jajangmyeon is made up of noodles, a black soy bean sauce with a lot of onions and minced pork/seafood. It tastes AMAZING.
My fondest memories of this delicious dish was back in sophomore year of high school where for 28 days straight, I ate jajangmyeon for lunch AND dinner, much to the dismay of my parents and relatives. I can proudly say that I grew an inch taller so it can be argued that jajangmyeon is also incredibly healthy for you (though in reality, it’s really not). It is the one food that I rarely bother to chew properly and instead inhale through and make my stomach do most of the hard work in digesting.
[Top Photo Courtesy of su-lin]
