Koreatown Night Market, Success!

KTOWN NIGHT MARKET INSTAGRAM

Wow, what a night! Koreatown finally received some well-deserved attention through their epic event, "Koreatown Night Market." Modeling other events such as the "626 Night Market" and the "Obon Festival," the K-Town Night Market was definitely an unforgettable event as thousands of people from all over California traveled into my neighborhood. This was the first year that Koreatown held such an event, and it was long overdue. There's actually another annual Korean festival called "Jangtuh," but I feel like that event is more catered towards the Korean community exclusively. This new Night Market was created to generate more awareness for Koreatown and to show just how diverse our culture really is to people of all races and ethnic backgrounds. Although I did notice that it was more targeted towards the younger crowd, which ranged from high school students to people in their mid-30's. There were over 100 food vendors which included, but was not limited to, Seoul Sausage, Takoyaki, Mister Potato, and many more! I also got to see one of my favorite artists, Dumbfoundead. If you don't know who he is, do check out his YouTube channel. He is a Korean-American rapper who specializes in witty freestyles and lyrics. And did I mention that this event was free?! The only downside that I would mention about this event was that the venue was a bit on the small side. Hopefully next year's KTOWN Night Market will be held at a bigger venue. It was difficult to maneuver my way through the crowd without bumping into someone else's shoulders or stepping on their shoes. I guess the great people who put this event together weren't expecting the huge amount of people. I'm happy to say that this event will be happening on an yearly basis, seeing how successful the first ever KTOWN Night Market was. So if you didn't have a chance to go this time around, there's always next year!

Your Seoul Survivor,
Albert Ko

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

Korean BBQ gets the W!

One cannot turn the corner in Koreatown without bumping into a Korean BBQ joint. It's inevitable. One cannot escape it. So naturally, he or she would be tempted in some way, shape, or form to venture into one of these meat heavens, right? This is what happened to a boy named Albert Ko. The flood gates had opened. If any of you have not been to a Korean BBQ restaurant, please do us both a favor and keep reading. If you have been already, I encourage you to also keep reading because it's more than likely that you didn't receive the full-service experience that I have been exposed to. Let's begin class:

1. For the purpose of this blog, I will be using the specific restaurant called "Kogi-King." This restaurant is my all-time favorite.
   
2. If I were to pick out a common denominator for all Korean restaurants, I would have to pick the side dishes. Every Korean restaurant you visit will provide you with a variety of side dishes comprised of everything from Kimchi to headless bean sprouts. Don't be scared, keep an open mind, and try each one. Kogi-King's special side dish is their signature spicy rice cakes.
   
3. Make sure to ask for the steamed egg casserole and the soybean paste stew. Nothing more need be said. 
   
   
   
   
   
4. Here comes the meat. You get to "do-it-yourself" and sharpen your cooking skills! You get to choose from over 20 choices of meat laid out in a simple menu. Order your meat and use their terrific tongs to cook the meat on your own personal grill. After it's cooked to perfection, cut the meat to your own liking and wrap it up in rice paper. Add a couple veggies and you might as well sing, "Hold on, We're Going Home."
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
5. "Where's the rice," you might ask. No need to fear, DoShiRak is here! Ask for this and your waiter will bring you a tin box filled with rice, kimchi, eggs, and spam. He or she will personally shake that box like they would shake maracas, and bon appetit!
   
                                           
   
6. By now, you should either be going on your fourth hour or second stomach there. To settle down your digestive system, Koreans use a bowl of hot water and rice, which aids in digestion.
   
   
      
                                               

I hope your next Korean BBQ experience will be as memorable as mine. Follow my directions and, "You're welcome."

Your Seoul Survivor,

Albert Ko