A bit of randomness and a foody dream come true!

As I've meandered throughout my day I've been taking pics of stuff that just makes me say, "only in Korea". So here is a bit of randomness... than the real purpose of this blog...

Fizzy candy                                              Pine Bud Drink = Pine Sol soda

         Air Wash  AKA air freshener

What I spent the afternoon doing... cleaning out the incredibly disgusting window sills of our 3 windows. I quickly discovered I needed to use airway protection as a precautionary measure because I wasn't sure what I was messing with, literally it scared me. THANK-YOU Karen, the Asthma Network, and Allergy and Asthma Care of W. MI for stocking me with supplies!!!  Here is some evidence:

                                          Me-N-my N-95 ready for battle

 

This was the least dirty of the three.

Terrifying to say the least, this is the window directly next to your bed. EEEK!

                                                      CLEAN-NESS!!!!

For dinner we decided to try these delicious looking "ribs" from a semi-permanent street vendor. We walked past him for 2 nights debating if it was going to be good or not, if it would be too spicy or funky and than the words of a famous chef came to mind... "if it looks good try it" the words of Andrew Zimmern host of Bizzare Foods. Just after that thought my veins flooded with courage and it suddenly occured to me that this is what Anthony Bourdain, this is where he find the good stuff. So we did it. We sheepishly approached the cart and within seconds were overwhelmed with the smell of spit roasted pork... the man excited offered us a sample and from that bite on I'll never look back....

I kid you not, that was THE most delicious pork I've EVER had in my life!!!! I found it!!! I found THAT pork that Anthony always talks about, that mouth-watering, tender, succulent, tasty, fatty, crispy flavor trapping crust, rotisserie roasted in its own juices.... food heaven, I found it. Here in a small city in Korea in a street vendors cart a mere 75 feet from my very abode.

For just 10,000W (about $8.30) we got a chunk of succulent pork, probably about a solid pound of meat, sliced to perfection, chopsticks, packets of mustard and hot mustard, and a package of homemade Kimchee. Upon the request of my lovey I also made up a package of Pao de Quiejo (Brasilian cheese bread) and sauteed some fresh veggies to round out the meal. To say the least we happily stuffed ourselves to the brim than caught up on a few episodes of The Office, 30 Rock, and Parks and Rec. A perfect evening to say the least.

I have to admit also that since I've returned I realized just how much I missed good Korean food... including Kimchee! To take a piece of that pork layered with a piece of Kimchee, sheer perfection! The sweetness richness of the pork with the semi-crunchy, red-hot spicy, garlickiness (a foody word not found in Websters) of the Kimchee is just an incredible match. So Ben thought I took this whole pork thing a little too far but what he doesn't know is that I've been on the hunt for THAT pork, the kind that just pushes the boundaries of  amazing food  that you only find in random odd places. It was a personal sense of accomplishment and satisfaction, however superficial it sounds, it was a personal goal accomplished in such an unexpected way.

Sadly, I was so excited to inhale the pork perfection I failed to take any pictures... But trust me we'll soon have it again and I will count to 10 and slow myself down long enough to take a few pics to share.

Tomorrow is Buddha's birthday and we're headed to Gangneung and the beach, stay tuned for more pics and adventures!