Royal Cuisine Experience in Korea House, Seoul

I quite often visit the Korea National Tourism website and a few weeks back there was an announcement that I found interesting enough. Korea House had planned for a Royal Cuisine experience. They would conduct a “try your hands” session where you could perhaps learn a bit about the “Royal” dishes. I called Korea House, and thankfully somebody answered in English. I made a reservation with the understanding, which was confirmed on the call, that there would be English guides too.

On a perfect Sunday, I got ready early and took a bus from my place to Korea House located very near Myongdong. Incidentally, Korea House traditionally holds dinner cum concert shows for tourists foreign or Korean. So I landed up at the scheduled time and was trying to look for other faces who perhaps had come for the same experience.

I saw a gal and a guy (later I learnt that they were from English Teachers from Canada, now in Bucheon) who had already figured out the final destination!!! I introduced myself and latched onto them and when we reached the reception they gave us two very helpful pieces of information:

a) No English Guide or Translations
b) The two dishes were Octopus Kimchi and a Porridge

To be honest with you, I thought of walking out but the Devil in my mind imposed that I stay back!! Anyway, there was a motley crowd of about 30 people. Most of them Koreans, One Indian, Canadians and some from the US were the pupils ready to go. There was a camera with me, but how I would click and cook was a different proposition.

Though it was in Korean, we could overall make out what was expected. We were divided into teams and we went about our job of cutting, washing, mixing, stirring, and boiling as per directions perfectly. I am not sure whether you would be interested to know the recipes and therefore I will not repeat them here. But I can tell you, that they were not bad at all. We were however expecting something more elaborate and in that sense it was a let down. But we there to make the most out of it.

For my Indian friends, you could do without the Octopus and still the Kimchi would turn out fine. If of course you wanted to know about kimchi, try it in one of those Chinese restaurants back home. Though you would get an apology served, but I guess you would get the general idea.

I did manage to take some photographs of the circus going on inside the kitchen. At the end of the day, it was more fun than anything else and I enjoyed myself to the hilt. Oh, I forgot to mention. I am sure the Kings ate much better than we cooked in terms of quality, quantity and variety!!!!

At the end of the program, a lot of us tried the royal costumes for effect and posed for the shots. I did manage to click some. Coming to think it was an interesting two hours that I would remember. Sphere: Related Content

Casino Royale in Seoul

Casino Royale:

Trust us to keep looking for interesting events in Seoul. One of them was the opening of the 7Luck Casino in Seoul. It’s a bit far off from where I stay, located in the Coex Complex (Samseong Station). Disregarding the nonchalant views of most of our other friends, myself and my friend Anup and family thought of spending a Saturday at Coex. This was coupled with the fact that they also wanted to see the Waxworks Exhibition that was on in the same place.

We landed up in Coex as scheduled and then finally located the Casino, which actually has a separate entrance towards the West Side of Coex. Unlike the US of A, this Casino allows only foreigners and no Korean citizens are allowed.

While we entered the complex the escalator takes you to the Casino on the second floor. Maybe because it’s new, or maybe not too many foreigners in Seoul, most of the tables were empty. There was blackjack, poker, roulette, et al. You also had the card game machines and the slot machines. I thought that the place was lit up more than necessary. A slightly darker ambience with focused light on tables would perhaps suit the place better. Most of the betting in the table games started from 10 Dollars or so while we saw minimum 100 Dollar bet tables too.

While you have the casino on the second floor, the ground floor can keep you occupied with free Pool, Darts. Massage Chairs, Internet, Room Putting and a reasonable snack shop. There’s a video game system too. There’s no entrance fee or cover charge. I guess the pit bosses and dealers are anyway waiting upstairs to lighten your pocket.

So on a holiday for amateurs like you and me, maybe it’s a great idea to fix a maximum loss budget and then try and win some money. Some of you perhaps may like read up some Black Jack strategies (the only game where you have some odds of winning over the dealer) and try to bet on some good deals. Best of 7 Luck!!!! Sphere: Related Content

India for a Korean : An Inconsequential Chat

A simple conversation:

Korean: Where are you from?
Me: India
Korean: Indo?
Me: Yes
Korean: Gandhi?
Me: Yes
Korean: Indira Gandhi? Your President?
Me: No. She was the Prime Minister, once upon a time. Our President now is Dr. Abdul Kalam and our Prime Minister is Dr. Manmohan Singh.
Korean: You speak good english.
Me: "SMILE"
Korean: So, you can speak Indian?
Me: Umm..uhhh...I speak Hindi and Bengali
Korean: Meaning?
Me: You see I am from West Bengal that is towards the east of India and my mother tongue is Bengali. I also know Hindi because it’s our National Language.
Korean: So your friend, he speaks Hindi? Bengali?
Me: No he speaks Tamil. He is not a Bengali. He can’t speak Hindi.
Korean: You are confusing me.
Me: We have many languages in India, depends upon where you are from.
Korean: Oh I see, but Hindi is your common language.
Me: Yes, but we talk in English with him.
Korean: I give up!! Lets have a drink!!
Me: Lets!!
Korean: So what language do you speak at home?
Me: Bengali
Korean: So English is at work and Bengali at home. When do you speak Hindi?
Me: With friends!!
Korean: Sorry?
Me: I mean with friends who are from the Northern, Central and Western Part of India.
Korean: So in those parts of India, they speak Hindi.
Me: No. I mean Yes and No.
Korean: What do you mean?
Me: I mean there are languages other than Hindi, for example Gujrati in Gujarat, Marathi in Maharashtra, Punjabi in Punjab.
Korean: They are different provinces?
Me: Yes, we call them states.
Korean: But in English State would also mean country..
Me: That’s right, they almost are.
Korean: What are you trying to say?
Me: Never mind, I am just joking.
Korean: So all your prov...er...states and your language name is similar.
Me: NO!
Korean: Oh!!!!!
Me: Uttar Pradesh and Bihar in the North use Hindi. In the South we have Kerala using Malayalam. There are other examples
Korean: OIC! So each province....ohhhh...states have different governments?
Me: Yes, true.
Korean: So what is the official language?
Me: Each to their own.
Korean: Now I understood. So they communicate to each other in Hindi.
Me: NO, not always.
Korean: Are you trying to confuse me?
Me: No. While they use their own language, when communicating with others they also translate them to Hindi.
Tamil Friend: NO!!!
Korean: What?
Me: Some do and some don’t.
Korean: I had enough of this.
Me: Oh sorry. We must have bored you to death. It’s rather confusing. Oh by the way. Why do you guys have English Headings in Posters and Books but all other content in Korean?
Korean: HUH??? Sphere: Related Content

Residence Reasoning : Seoul

Residence in Seoul:

What should be the criteria for selecting an area to stay? The most common answer would be the workplace. That’s because everyday morning you would not like to commute too much and would like to reach office without too much trouble.

I have a different take on the subject and I am not sure whether you would agree. I would like to stay near my friends and more in a foreign land. For example, my workplace is Incheon but I stay in Seoul. My daily commute time is about 2 hours to and fro. I somehow do not seem to mind this. I am rather more comfortable that on a holiday and weekends I am much nearer to my friends. In a foreign land it’s the non-work hours that you think about ways and means to fill up and I am sure that cannot be done alone. Not always. After an action packed holiday I would not like to travel a whole lot of time to reach home. Therefore I stay in Mapo, just above the Subway Station and for me it’s extremely convenient to reach anywhere I feel like in a reasonable amount of time.

Some others look for transportation convenience; schools perhaps, nearby markets and what have you. In Seoul the first and the third points are irrelevant because of their good spread. School is not a factor with me, so that is out.

There are a few others who stay in Inch eon but weekends they stay with other colleagues/friends. But I have an issue. I like to go back home at night, no matter where I am. So now would u agree to my point of view? Sphere: Related Content

Indian Restaurants in Seoul

Indian Restaurants in Seoul :

Do I have a catering degree? Is my sense of taste like an average person or is it something terribly unique? There could be more questions on me qualifying for writing about Indian food in Seoul. But then I guess this is my space and who cares after all. So here goes my piece. To set the base right let me explain that I understand a fair amount of cooking and I have had my decent share of eating out.

One of the first Indian restaurants I visited was Ganga (I hear its owned by a Bengali – I am one too – for Non Indians: I will explain this concept later). Ganga is located in the basement of Seoul Finance Centre, a perfect up-market area, where you find a plethora of upscale restaurants. As soon as you enter a Korean Hostess would greet you and assign you the relevant table depending on the number of people. It’s a dark brown atmosphere, if you know what I mean. The chairs, the tables and the décor are dominated by that color. When you look up, you see those big pipes intertwined and carrying water or gas or what have you. You immediately know that this is the basement of a large multistoried building. Those pipes by the way are painted and now form part of the décor. Then comes the menu. The prices are exorbitant to say the least and therefore let me concentrate on the food. We ordered Barbecued Prawn, which was marinated with a tangy Indian Masala (spice mix). That was pretty good and I enjoyed each time my teeth bit into the soft meat. Then came the Nan (Indian Bread) which was soaked with so much of butter that you could perhaps take some of the latter some home for next day’s morning breakfast. The Black Dal (Boiled Black Lentil with Indian seasonings) was disastrous and perhaps they had no cream in the kitchen. We had ordered for two Curry Dishes: One a Paneer Makhani (Cottage Cheese in a Tomato Butter Sauce spiced up with Ginger and Fenugreek) and the other a Chicken something. which I do not remember. How do u make two dishes identical? This art would be easily explained to you by the hundreds of chefs working in the hundreds of Indian restaurants all over the world. It’s quite a simple process. Prepare basic gravy consisting of tomato, onions, coriander powder, cumin powder and some Indian spices and keep. Keep your vegetables, or Cottage Cheese or Meat boiled and ready. No matter which dish you order they would just mix them up and serve. No wonder they all taste the same. So Ganga? 4 out of 10!!!

Taj in Myong-dong, the fashion district of Seoul. That was my first visit to an Indian restaurant in Seoul. Under duress I have been there a couple of more times. My humble suggestion to you? Stay away!!! They have this same problem of similar tasting dishes. Additionally, they make them sweet. After all Kashmri Rogan Josh cannot be sweet. They also manage the colours well. All dishes look the same!! I guess they are an ISO 9000 restaurant. Stick to the process!!!! 3.5 on 10!!

Chakra in Itaewon and Hannam Dong and some other places. The South Indian Dishes here are not bad but if you opt for the buffet make sure you are in time. If you were late all the gravy would be diluted with water. That’s there idea of filling up the containers....ahem...coffers. 4.5 out of 10 but purely because of the South Indian spread. “Dal” I have talked about earlier and it’s a nice and cosy joint. Finally, this is a restaurant, which would earn a little respect in whatever they churn out notwithstanding some blemishes. 6 out of 10.

Other than this there are quite a few of them and I will talk about them as I encounter each one. By the way, I always wonder about the Indian Samosa being treated as a starter in Indian dinners. Where are the Tikkas and Kebabs? They are there, but the samosas seem to be a hit. But who said that the world isn’t quirky. So where do I get good Indian food in Seoul. The Indian homemakers (colleagues wives) are there and thank god for them. And there are some colleagues too who can give those restaurateurs a run for there money. I rather visit them for a good Indian meal than waste time buying an expensive untrue Indian dish. And of course I have my own kitchen, for producing good items and if they are bad I can always blame it on myself.

A commentary on "Chakraa" is available here : http://seouldays.blogspot.com/2006/03/friday-evening-at-chakraa-itaewon.html

I visited "DAL", why don't you? : http://seouldays.blogspot.com/2006/02/lazy-sunday-talk-sunday-has-arrived.html Sphere: Related Content

A lazy Sunday in Mapo, Seoul

Lazy Sunday Talk
Sunday has arrived with its bag full of woes as talked about in my earlier piece. But I am trying to keep my calm and looking at ways to make sure that it’s not so bad. Sunday is also a day for chores for me and I cleaned up my pad properly and also cooked. I cooked some Sambar (lentil and vegetables South Indian style) and some cauliflower/potato Indian style. And I have kept the chicken to be done in the evening. Bikram’s (a colleague of mine) long distance friend shared this recipe with me over the telephone.

Next I started searching for a movie to watch on the net and taking a decision on that is a tough one what with all the crappy movies going around. I zeroed on to "Water" a Deepa Mehta film and that’s what I will watch later in the evening. The other urge was to get out of home and go and watch the escapist "Firewall"(Harrison Ford) but then I decided against. Keep that for another day.

If you didn’t know, I can see the Han river (partially) from my pad and somehow it always has a calming effect on me. I like flowing water and that gives me some sort of direction. Mind you also like the sea, because the waves have their own influence on me. I had gone to the riverside a few weeks back when it had snowed and temperature was hovering at -13 degrees Celsius. The river was actually a sheet of still ice while the water flowed beneath the transparent ice. It was a visual I will not forget and I cursed myself for not getting along my camera. Looks like it would be a good idea to invest in a small digital so that it can stay with me all the time.

While I write and perhaps this happens to some, all sorts of events or ideas float around and attack my mind cells and I sometimes wonder as to which one I should pick up for another paragraph of senseless words. I envy the writers on how they maintain their sequence and threads while they weave their stories.

I have been working here for some months now and I do notice how Koreans behave or act. One of them is about the "short run". Sometimes you would find Korean women - mostly middle aged to the young trying to reach a short distance in a hurry. They would run but perhaps when I explain the "running" you would appreciate my point. The "run" would basically mean dragging the feet so that each leg covers roughly one foot of distance and before you complete one step the other leg has started. So a total two steps would cover approximately one and a half feet of distance while projecting that you are in a hurry. If you were walking normally you would reach the same distance in exactly the same period of time.

Last week I had been to an Indian restaurant named Dal. It’s in an area called Anguk situated in the ground floor of Art Sonje Centre. Some people confuse the same with Sejong Art Centre in Kwanghamun. I had heard about this joint earlier but this was my first visit, not that I frequent Indian restaurants - but that’s another story. I was of course eagerly awaiting to try out the "DAL" dishes and when the first appetizer came by way of a Salted Lassi (diluted whipped yoghurt with sugar or salt along with a selection of indian herbs and spices), which then you sip with a straw or perhaps drink it up. There was some papad (mashed lentil crusty pancake - fried or roasted). We had some Nan (Indian bread made of fermented flour) with Lamb Masala (meat in a spicy curry) and Prawn Masala. There was a cauliflower/potato Indian combo and Spinach with Cottage Cheese (Palak Paneer). The Palak Paneer spices were typically same as when you make a "Kadai" (a type of Indian recipe with defined ingredients and administration) item. However considering the other places I have been to in Seoul, this was definitely shades better and I would with my rather tough standards would rate it as 6 on 10. I shall cover Indian restaurants in Seoul in a later piece and there perhaps I will explain my stance though I am no Inderjit Kalra (Food Expert) or for that matter Vir Sanghvi (Editor, Hindustan Times and Food Critic). Sphere: Related Content

Saturday Rubbish

Saturday Diary:
Saturday is a good day for me. . For one, its my "birth" day, but leavng that aside, the reasoning is simple enough, atleast for me. Its the hope, the possibilities, the feeling that whatever you do, there's Sunday waiting quietly for any fallback plan. That works for me. The feeling that Monday is still one day away.

Saturday is wide open. for anything you want to do. But then when you come to Sunday, thats another story. The fear of Monday lurking around the corner is killing. You want to hold on to time, but it starts slipping away so fast. Sunday evening arrives in no time and you wonder as to - did the weekend start at all!!!!

The Hindus ofcourse treat Saturday with circumspect. Some fast, non vegeteraians turn vegetarians, some must visit temples that day, some just pray hard. I pray too...to extend Saturday so that Sunday never arrives!! And is'nt a waste of time to spend time writing rubbish on a Saturday. Lets leave that for Sunday. Adieu!! Sphere: Related Content

Mindless Banter Again

I have stayed in Tokyo for a while and a find a lot of differences between Koreans and the Japanese. To begin with I feel Koreans are more open to speaking English than the Japs. The youngsters here are not shy at all in trying to speak English though I find the middle aged a bit reserved. Interesting to note is that most of the people here can easily read and write english, but its the spoken form which becomes an issue.

On differences, I feel that the Koreans are capable of eating spicier(hot) food than the Japs.Also the former definitley eat more vegetables than their esrtwhile counterparts. The Japanese specialities vis-a-vis Koreans are a seperate story. I will cover that some other time,since now I am bored with this topic which I have started.

I sometimes wonder why there are so many English Teachers from the US of A rather than UK or other countries out here in Korea. Personally somehow I prefer the Britsh accent and thats the reason I like watching BBC rather than CNN. I always wanted to know the reason for the Americans to roll their Rs and add nasal twangs here and there. And then ofcourse we have our fellow Indians who perhaps stay in a foreign country(does not matter-it could be Bangladesh for all I care) and will return back with a pseudo-American accent!! Ofcouirse these days you have the split personalities working in the thousands of call centres in India.

Somehow cooking is an area of interest so pardon me if related banter happens frequently in my pieces. Since the mouse is in your hands you could always shift your focus elsewhere. I was talking about cooking and yesterday I finally ate the Pork Vindaloo cooked last Sunday. It was fantastic and was really proud to churn out this dish. The pity is that I could share it wth no one, There is still some left in my refrigerator, but my Indian friends do not eat Pork, God bless them. Devil is on my side as per them.

Today I saw an item in the newspaper where Animal activists have questioned the Government of India's decision to cull the thousands of chicken in an inhuman manner. My english is poor, but that statement provokes me to think regarding humane killings. What possibly could be a humane way of killing. Gas Chambers? We need to have a dialogue with the chickens as to what do they feel?

Coming to think about killings i remember a quotation by somebody. When you kill a person, you are a murderer. When you kill a lot of people, you are a conqueror. Finally, when you kill enmass in the name of religion, you are acting on behalf of GOD!! What a cruel guy/gal he/she must be, our GOD!!!
That takes me to another point. Why does'nt God just annihilate these guys who carry out violence in the name of God. The humans are taking God for a big ride!!!!! Sphere: Related Content

Mindless Banter

I came here last May and since then slowly and steadily the city has been growing on me. I find a lot of similarities between India and Korea in terms of the shopping markets, the town plans, people behavior in public, etc etc. Well, people may disagree, but thats their point of view.Let me talk about whats not same. The pride in one's own country, its culture and language. Making systems, procedures and following them. The way they keep their surroundings clean even while staying in a godforsaken alley. And the penchant to enjoy life and nature. The list is long, but I intend to stop here.

I stay in Mapo which is actually in downtown Seoul and my place is just above the station. Its a grand view from my pad and perhaps any new tourist in town could come to my place and I could show them the Han River, The Seoul TV Tower and the 63 Building. Thats a LOT...and on a full moon night....its fantastic.

I have been trying out the different types of Korean Food and I love the Samgyepsal. Soft slices of Pork meat barbecued on charcoal fire and eaten with a variety of leaves and accompaniments. I make that at home too but in a slightly different home grown method.

This month we are having this Film Festival in Seoul, but I got to know pretty late in the day. Veerzara, Raincoat and Page 3 were what I could manage to see. Missed out on Pinjar, though. A few of my Korean colleagues have evinced interest and that’s a good sign. I have been planning to watch some Korean movies myself and I now need to implement my plan.

The latest fad here in Korea is to develop un-chartered areas into tourism spots by creating Television Serial Outdoor shooting sets. The serial goes live, the place gets famous, commerce increases, and tourists come in – all in all a great idea. I am sure we benchmark such stuff in India too. In India a lot of tourist spots are like doing a pilgrimage. Bad transportation, lousy accommodation and reservations systems, pathetic marketing, seem to be the order of the day. We are happy with the Taj Mahal, Red Fort, Kodaikanal and the beaches of Goa. Lets privatize Ministry of Tourism, and I ‘ll take over Marketing. Who would look after Operations?

Today I had Beef Curry for lunch and a colleague of mine, Andy treated me and Yes, I eat beef and for that matter I eat most of the stuff. I need some guts for cockroaches perhaps as in China, but I have advanced to silk worms all right!! I am deviating and so I will backtrack. I was talking about the curry bit and found that perhaps we Indians can give a long lecture to most guys outside of India on the variety of curries that could be produced by differentiating the apices, their proportions and the administration. In Korea, a lot of people think that a “Curry”: is a cure for Alzheimer’s disease. That’s a new one for you? Nothing could be more untrue. I can perhaps tell you on how some curries can ensure that your liver and kidneys start malfunctioning if you are habituated with them.Well, that’s it for now and we’ll catch up again. Sphere: Related Content