Schoolboy Chew

My most pleasant memories in elementary, middle, and high school all have one thing in common: they occurred during recess/lunch. Want to know why? It's because I loved the food my mother used to pack me everyday for school. Growing up in America, my mother used to pack me all kinds of sandwiches, chips, and fruits. On special occasions such as field trips, my mother would buy me a lunchables so I could share with my buddies. One day, I wondered what my parents' parents packed them for school recesses and lunches. They told me they usually ate rice, spam, and kimchi all mixed up in a metal lunchbox their parents packed for them. My mother then recommended I try this restaurant called "School Food" which wasn't too far away from where we lived in Koreatown. I have fallen in love with the place ever since.

The name of the restaurant is what first intrigued me. I felt like I could travel back to the time when my parents were elementary students. The main dish of the restaurant is the combination Gimbap roll (shown in the picture below). This is the most popular item packed by Korean parents when sending their kids off to school in Korea. Some of my Korean friends even here in America came to school with Gimibap rolls. They're like the Korean version of sushi, but instead of wrapped in raw fish, they are wrapped in dried seaweed. Another popular schoolboy and schoolgirl dish is tteokbokki, which are spicy rice cakes. My parents told me they would run to the tteokbokki stands afterschool to munch on these tasty treats. The nice thing about School Food is that they cater to the American taste buds, as the tteokbokki is served in many different flavors, such as carbonara and cheese so they're not as spicy. I highly recommend this restaurant if you want to try some authentic, traditional Korean school-food.

Tteokbokki (left), Gimbap Combination Roll (right)
Taken with my iPhone

Your Seoul Survivor,
Albert Ko

Korean Supermarket: Saving One Homemaker at a Time

We've all been to our local Ralphs, Vons, or Albertson's at least once in our lives. But I can bet many of you have not been to a Korean supermarket before. THIS NEEDS TO CHANGE. There are about 10 Korean supermarkets just in the Los Angeles area, but there are many more in Glendale, Fullerton, Cerritos, etc. These friendly supermarkets are the only place you can get Korean-imported goods at a very friendly price (mostly due to the intense price competition between the supermarkets). I know all you college students love instant ramen noodles. Well, you can find over 50 choices of instant noodles here! Also, make sure you check out the immense Korean snacks/chips section. These snacks are highly coveted because of the fact that they are much healthier than the salty and fatty American snacks such as Doritos and Twinkies. You can also buy pre-made fresh side dishes for your meals so you don't have to cook as much! Koreans are known for their side dishes such as Kim chi, pickled radish, and seaweed! Here is another fun fact surely to intrigue you: most of these Korean supermarkets are located inside of a huge mall which consist of clothing stores, karaokes, bakeries, and luxury jewelry stores. So once you're done shopping for groceries, you can do some extra shopping for the whole family! Feeling hungry after grocery shopping? Every Korean supermarket contains restaurants or food courts inside of them. Next time you don't know what to cook for dinner or tired of eating the same old pasta dish, I recommend you flirt with the idea of starting a Korean dietand making your way to a Korean supermarket.

Your Seoul Survivor,
Albert Ko

Starbucks, Where Art Thou?

In this day and age, you can find a Starbucks anywhere, especially in a major city. But not in Koreatown; you will be lucky if you find more than two in this region that totals approximately 125,000 people over 2.7 square miles. Why hasn't Starbucks been able to penetrate this extremely dense market? Simply because of the Korean Cafés. If you haven't been to one of these cafés, I highly recommend that you Yelp "Cafes" in "Koreatown." These coffee shops are not your average Starbucks or Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf's, but they provide a full-service social experience. Many youngsters and students use these cafés as their local hangout or study spots because of their hip atmospheres and tasty drinks and desserts. Every corner you turn in Koreatown, you will see either a Tom & Tom's, Caffé Bene, and many others. Although they all pretty much similar in their products and services, I tend to favor "Mr. Coffee" over the others. This coffee shop is located on Western Ave & 6th St. I come here at least once a week with my friends just to chill and catch up on each others' busy and fun-filled lives. All of these café's provide free wi-fi and some even have playing cards and board games for you and your group to compete with. The main reason my friends and I always come to Mr. Coffee is because their Pat Bing Soo is to die for. Pat Bing Soo is basically a Korean-style shaved ice dessert, which is served with ice cream, sweet red beans, mochi, fruits, and fruity pebbles all mixed together for a heavenly dessert dish. If that picture doesn't make you drool, I highly recommend that you visit your local doctor. These desserts come in generous portions, so you can order just one for your whole group! Next time you're in Koreatown with a bunch of friends and need a place to hang out, visit a Korean Café! You won't regret it!

Your Seoul Survivor,

Albert Ko