Jessica's Dinner Party

by jessica yoon

thoughts

Conveyer Belt Sushi

A few years ago, conveyer belt sushi became very popular in Korea.  Instead of ordering, small tapas like plates of sushi are placed on a conveyer belt.  Each person grabs what they want to eat.  At the end of the meal, the plates are tallied and paid for.  These restaurants are common in Seoul located everywhere from business districts to trendy shopping districts.  My family and I had lunch at the one at Shinsegae Department Store.  The sushi isn’t spectacular, but good enough and reasonably priced.  We ate our hearts out and until our shirts were snug.

I’ve never been to a conveyer belt sushi restaurant outside of Korea.  Does anyone have a favorite place or one they frequent?

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Gam Lo Dang, Buddhist Temple Food

I think we can all agree that the day after Thanksgiving is a day of rest, that is in terms of cooking.  So, instead of a recipe I thought I’d post about an interesting restaurant I went to a few days ago.  The restaurant, Gam Lo Dang, 감로당, specializes in sachal, 사찰, food, which is Buddhist temple food.  Buddhist monks are vegetarians and use all natural and sometimes unusual ingredients.  Seasoning is usually done minimally and the flavors are more subtle than strong.  I enjoyed trying traditional Korean dishes from a Buddhist monk’s palette.  It’s interesting to recognize the heart of a dish but taste it with different flavors.

Rice Porridge and Non-Spicy Kimchi naturally died a lotus pink.

Grilled mushrooms, lotus root, and hemp served on a plate of pine needles.

Fried tofu served with a non-spicy red sauce….

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Rustic Mashed Potatoes

I thought and thought about it, but Thanksgiving without mashed potatoes would feel off.  Sort of like going to the movies and getting popcorn but no candy.  I was really irked by the fact that my potatoes never came out silky smooth.  I don’t own a potato masher and until I came to Korea the food processor I had was teeny tiny.  However, I realized that if you put the word “rustic” in front of mashed potatoes it’s absolutely acceptable to have chunks and irregularities in your mash.  People expect it; it’s practically a rule; you have to have lumps.

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Matchstick Sweet and Savory Salad

When it comes to salads, I’m not a very adventurous cook.  I usually just chop some romaine lettuce and any other greens I have lying around in the fridge.  Drop a little extra virgin olive oil, champagne vinegar, and a pinch of salt, and the salad is ready to go.  I have to admit, it’s really boring.  I’m bored making it, I’m bored while eating it, and I get bored thinking about it.  It’s funny though, because when I’m at a restaurant I always forego the standard Caesar salad and go with something interesting and different, but in my own kitchen I don’t even make the effort to shave some parmesan cheese to fake a Caesar salad.

 

 

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