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Korean fusion has resulted in some unique and surprisingly tasty culinary innovations, most recently the kimchi taco craze that’s taken the US by storm. Fried chicken, originally imported from the states, has taken over a life of its own the Korean restaurant scene. For fried chicken lovers, Korea is a prime place to visit.

Fried chicken joints have blossomed into fully operating places with sky-rocketing popularity. They can be predominantly found in areas with lots of students and bustling nightlife. Even better, in most cities in Korea, it’s available for delivery, making it that much easier to have it anywhere, anytime.

Korean fried chicken has a distinct taste, light yet full of great flavor and satisfying crunch. The batter used is less dense than its southern style cousin, and the chicken is double-fried, resulting in a crunchy yet grease-free piece of fried chicken. It’s typically glazed with a delectable soy-garlic or peppery BBQ sauce.

Luckily enough for the rest of us, Korean fried chicken has made its way to the U.S. in a big way. There are fried chicken joints galore in major cities like New York and L.A., such as crazy popular BonChon Chicken, and Kyochon. Better yet, these places are often open until late-night, and fried chicken and beer are a match made in heaven.

We’re lucky enough to have Lauren Wood, a budding food blogger and avid traveler, write for us this week. This entry has been long in the making–two years ago, she was traveling in Korea, and happened to meet our executive producer, Charlie Pinsky. Upon striking up a conversation, he invited her to write a guest blog entry… here it is! Lauren talks about her time eating in Seoul, from street food made fresh, to a 20-course temple meal. 

Many dream of traveling the world, and I am one of those lucky people who gets to do just that. I was born in Scotland and have lived in Canada most of my 17 years, and as a result, I’ve seen quite a few Canadian Provinces and European countries. In May of 2010, I was lucky enough to accompany my mom on a two week trip to the Republic of Korea, which is truly a country of marvels.

A few months before that trip I had been contemplating my career options and I knew I could only be happy if I pursued my passion: great food. I had started a blog about my quest to become a chef. The opportunity to travel to Korea and discover an ancient cuisine little known in the West was the first in a series of fortunate events. Serendipity, some would say. In fact, meeting the team filming Kimchi Chronicles was completely random, but also felt as if it was meant to be.

When it came to Korean history, culture and cuisine, I was an eager neophyte. Before leaving for our trip, my Mom and I had to do some in-depth research; our European travel staple – the Rick Steves series of travel guides – didn’t have a Korea version, nor is Korea such a popular destination that guidebooks are abound. We got some good tips from Frommer’s Korea about places to eat and things to see, enough to fuel our sense of adventure and our appetites!

I decided on total food immersion, so with my Lonely Planet phrasebook in hand, I jumped right in and ordered bibimbap on our Korean Air flight from Toronto to Seoul. Airplane food rarely sets the culinary bar but the explosion of new flavors was heaven to my taste buds; I knew I was going to have a great time eating my way through Korea.

Our first stop in Seoul was lunch at Tosokchon, a restaurant famous for it’s chicken soup, called samgyetang. Served in a stone bowl, a whole spring chicken sits in savory broth. The chicken is stuffed with rice, ginseng, chestnuts, dates and sprinkled with spring onions, pumpkin, sesame and sunflower seeds, and the meal is accompanied by a glass of ginseng wine (which my Mom said was delicious) and an array of kimchi. With its reputation, the line to get into the restaurant continued far down the street, but the wait wasn’t too long.

We were the only Westerners there and we were brought through a series of courtyards to an elevated room with communal tables where we left our shoes at the door and sat on a small cushion on the floor. Accompaniments are served family style; the other patrons at the table took great pleasure in welcoming us and showing us how to put together our meal. Language is never a barrier when good food and smiles are abundant.

One of the highlights of our trip was our experience at Sanchon, a restaurant known for its temple cuisine, essentially food that the monks eat. Upon the arrival of the first course, you think, ‘wow, this meal has 20 courses… they must be light and easy to digest.’ On the contrary, the porridge in the first course simply whets the appetite for the second course of rice, soup, and tons of vegetables, which are not your average peas and carrots, but rather, all manner of shoots and roots such as burdock and dandelion and others that I cannot name. Most were novel, many were delicious and others just tasted strange.

Accompanying all of this were sauces and condiments like watery kimchi and other exotic flavors. Everything was well balanced in terms of taste–salty, spicy, bitter and even sweet. For dessert, we indulged in more street food after walking off the heavy dinner, this time in the form of Dragon’s Beard candy made with honey and nuts.

**Stay tuned for Part II, where Lauren takes on Busan!

Lauren Wood is a budding food blogger who has always had a love affair with food. From her first olive at the age of 9 months, to kindergarten lunches of leftover stuffed squid, her food education began at an early age. She credits her family of great home cooks and food lovers as a major influence. Travel is one of her major hobbies, and she loves tasting local cuisines and experiencing rich and distinct culture through food. Her other passion is writing, and her blog is a chronicle of her food discoveries, in search of the best education, ingredients, experiences, and mentors. She hopes to one day become a chef.

After Seoul, we boarded a high speed train for Busan, a three-hour cross country trip away. I saw the seemingly endless suburbs of Seoul with high rises lined up like dominos three, four, six deep give way to mountains, rice terraces and gardens. Despite living in a high-tech society, Koreans have a real connection to their food; this is evident not just in the flavors but the freshness and diversity of their produce.

On the boardwalk of Haeundae Beach, there is a raw fish street on one end and a street market village on the other, each selling the freshest catch. That day, after perusing many stalls, I was lured in by a woman in a tiny stall in the Street Market Village with eight fish tanks holding her wares, full of fresh crab, mussels, sea slugs, eels, fish of several varieties and octopus. I selected an octopus, and she promptly cut off the tentacles and served it to me. If you’re squeamish, I certainly don’t suggest this as a meal… the tentacles were still moving on the plate and in my mouth. The whole octopus is served along with mussels and salad and the bragging rights are enough to make the $20 a great deal.

I still hadn’t had enough, and so it was off to the Jagalchi Fish Market, South Korea’s largest seafood market. With the freshest fish around, most of it still moving, the market is a place of wonder. Exiting the Jagalchi subway, the smell of the fruits of the ocean is unmistakable. The narrow streets are crowded with people, cars, tour buses and many small stalls displaying and selling all kinds of fish and seafood. Each stall is only about the width of a beach umbrella, and these provide some shade in the water.  Food stalls line the streets but the indoor market area has devoted much of its second story to restaurants where they will cook fresh catch, even what you buy yourself downstairs.

I recommend eating at Seo Joung Wan, where the food is excellent and good value. For about $40 for two people, you get your fill of hwae (raw fish), typical side dishes and a spicy pot of soup made from the leftovers of the fish used for the earlier “sashimi” course. Traditional korean side dishes such as kimchi are served first, followed by sea slugs, sea squirts and prawns coupled with sushi. It is very filling and wonderful, and huge servings make this all the better. Next, the most tender and tasty grilled fish arrived. It was divine and was followed by a spicy soup made out of the bones of the fish we had just eaten. A cup of hot sweet coffee and a few photos with our host ended the meal, followed by a very long walk around the surrounding area, which is near the site of the Busan Film Festival held annually. An easy subway ride home on the clean and bilingual transport system was interrupted by a quick stop at Shinsegae, the world’s largest department store with an entire entire floor devoted to food. It made for a wonderful last day in Busan.

Each day in South Korea was a notable food experience, from discovering mangosteen, a delectable fruit, trying noodle-like jellyfish salad, to discovering how to properly eat traditional Korean BBQ. Then there was the best grilled mackerel I have ever had at a traditional Korean House in Gamjibang, and very spicy dumplings in Seoul on a little back street. When dessert were served at the close of a meal, it often consisted of pieces of fresh fruit, the perfect complement to an endless series of delicious meals. The foods we sampled were all fantastic and prepared to perfection, and the prices were very reasonable and with a bit of effort and cultural awareness, the language was never a serious barrier. I predict Korean food will be the next big food trend in North America. It is healthy, tastes great and has enough exotic flair and complexity to ensure a lifelong journey of discovery.

**See Part I for a refresher!

Lauren Wood is a budding food blogger who has always had a love affair with food. From her first olive at the age of 9 months, to kindergarten lunches of leftover stuffed squid, her food education began at an early age. She credits her family of great home cooks and food lovers as a major influence. Travel is one of her major hobbies, and she loves tasting local cuisines and experiencing rich and distinct culture through food. Her other passion is writing, and her blog is a chronicle of her food discoveries, in search of the best education, ingredients, experiences, and mentors. She hopes to one day become a chef.

The production team consists of the people who helped make Kimchi Chronicles truly happen, and Don Barto Sr., the man in charge of sound production, was an integral part of the group. He runs a company called Soundriven Pictures with his son, Don Barto Jr., and is responsible for making the music and dialogue in the show work seamlessly. He’s been interested in music all his life, and jumpstarted his career as a composer before including sound engineering. Having previously worked on Spain – On the Road Again, he came to Kimchi Chronicles ready with an impressive arsenal of skill and experience.

How does working on a food program like Kimchi Chronicles differ from your other experiences in the industry?

There are different levels of food television.  What viewers may not realize is that at our level, the food is almost like another character in the production.  Everybody might be ready to roll, but if the food isn’t ready or if it isn’t right, the production isn’t ready.  And on the other hand, when the food is ready, everybody and everything else has got to be ready or the food “dies” and the whole preparation process needs to start again…sometimes from scratch.  The rules of the sound department: “Be there, be ready, be quiet.”

What is one of your best memories from working on Kimchi Chronicles and traveling in Korea?

I had been to Korea 20 years earlier on another production.  On the Kimchi Chronicles shoot, we traveled many of the same roads and even stayed at a hotel I had been to two decades earlier.  It was interesting to note the changes, and the many wonderful things that hadn’t changed at all.  One thing that had changed the most was me–I was now 20 years older, and I couldn’t help but notice the different and wonderful way I was treated by younger Korean people…with great respect and always with a genuine interest in what I was saying or thinking about something, about anything.  Not at all like in American society, where youth is everything.

What was the absolute best meal that you ate while in Korea?

Each meal was better than the one before, starting with samgyeopsal and  grilled kimchi filled ssams, to BBQ chicken,  kimchi jjigae, fried mung bean pancakes at the market, shellfish jeongol….but I have two ultimate favorite meals, both in Sokcho. The number one meal was a cold soup with buckwheat noodles at a little roadside restaurant, and the other was an outdoor BBQ pulled together by our producer Eric Rhee and our Korean crew members one night in a vacant parking lot near our hotel. We ate grilled pork bellies, squid, clams, and of course kimchi and lots of beer, makgeolli, and soju.

How would you describe Korean food for those new to the cuisine?

To a typical American eater, Korean food is full of unusual ingredients used in very unusual ways, with noticeably more vegetables, and meat and fish used more sparingly than in a typical western meal. The flavors that come to the table are very bold and complex, often the result of fermentation…and sometimes what seems to be a lot of wonderful salt and garlic and other aromatics.  If something is red, it is red hot! Much of what I normally eat here in the states has 1 or 2 or 3 flavor sensations.  Korean food can easily offer up to twice as many.  I now eat mostly Korean influenced American food–Korean techniques and flavorings applied to the local ingredients that are fresh and abundant here at home.

What was your role in Kimchi Chronicles production? What kinds of responsibilities were involved?

On location, my job was to record all of the sound, mostly with hidden body mics placed on the people appearing in each scene.  Hiding a mic quickly and so that it sounds good is a lot like picking someone’s pocket, only maybe in reverse.  Picking pockets and hiding mics are both “Dark Arts” and are both very interdisciplinary. It’s equal parts science, luck, psychology and misdirection.

In post production back at home, I worked a lot with music for the series, testing out many many cuts of existing Korean music against rough-cut video sequences and getting feedback from the rest of the production team, as to what people liked and didn’t like. Then armed with a selection of music we all agreed was right for the series, I would fit the various pieces of music into the scenes as they were edited.  The final step, for me, was to then blend the music, dialogue, and sound effects together to make each scene and each episode come alive and seem more real.

The biggest challenge?  Kimchi Chronicles is very much a real life show, and in reality, people tend to talk all at the same time, especially when they are happy and comfortable and having a good time.  My job often times was to weed through the many overlapping and competing voices and lead the listening audience through what was going on so it all didn’t just sound like a free-for-all.

Marja and Lee Young-Hee reminisce over old photos

While in Seoul, Marja paid a visit to the boutique of renowned designer Lee Young Hee. In the fashion industry, Lee’s name is synonymous with hanbok, traditional Korean dress clothes. Her designs have graced the pages of Vogue and her collections are always eagerly anticipated. She’s one of the major names responsible for introducing hanbok to the western world, and incorporating newer, modern elements. Her resume’s chock full of impressive accomplishments from being one of the first designers to establish a hanbok boutique in Paris, participating in the establishment of a Korea gallery at the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History, and even starting her own museum in New York, the Lee Young Hee Korea Museum.

Lee believes that hanbok is an integral part of Korean heritage and culture. Hanbok was worn in Korea for more than 5,000 years, and when walking around Korea, it’s still common to see the elderly wearing it. It’s also worn at special occasions, such as national holidays, a child’s first birthday, and weddings. Hanbok is characterized by its simple lines, harmonized colors, and volume. For women, it consists of a wrap-around skirt (chima)  and a jacket resembling a bolero (jeogori).  Men wear a short jacket and pants that are loose and tied at the ankles (baji), and often a longer overcoat (po). Traditionally the hanbok‘s color and material designated social rank, with the upperclasses wearing finer materials and brighter colors. Thankfully, now everyone can wear patterns and brights!

Years ago, Marja modeled in one of Lee Young Hee’s fashion shows, and upon their reunion, they reminisced about past memories and even shared some pictures. Marja tried on one beautiful hanbok after another–from the most traditional, to more contemporary takes on the garment. She was very impressed by the assortment of luxurious fabrics and rainbow of colors used in Lee’s carefully constructed minimalist designs. Lee’s ability to meld Korea’s past and present truly keeps Korea’s heritage alive.

Watch Marja’s visit to Lee Young Hee’s atelier on Episode 8 – The Seoul Food Chronicles.

There’s something about dumplings that gets us every time. The crispy skin, the sizzling heat, the delectable fillings…we can’t pick just one reason alone. Korean dumplings, called mandu, have a distinctive and addictive taste all their own. With thinner skin than that of Chinese dumplings and Japanese gyoza, and a variety of ways to eat them, they’re a versatile and essential part of the Korean food repertoire.

Historically, they’re thought to have been brought over by the Mongols in the 14th century, proving that mandu have quite the long and storied history. Today, mandu are a common street food, peddled by the carts lining the streets of Korea and sold blisteringly hot and delicious. But they’re also a key ingredient in a variety of more upscale dishes gracing the tables of families at holidays and other special celebrations. They make an appearance steamed in soups, such as tteok guk, a rice cake soup traditionally eaten on New Years Day, and mandu guk, a simple soup of beef broth starring mandu, of course.

Any self respecting Korean restaurant will have mandu on the menu, but there’s no replacement for a home-made version. Filling is painstakingly made, usually with ingredients such as beef, tofu, kimchi, scallions, and generous amounts of spices like garlic and ginger. The filling is placed inside the dumpling wrapper, which is then folded over and pleated. It’s fairly straightforward, but not many are willing to toil and embark on marathon dumpling making sessions, so luckily, there are other options. Frozen mandu are easily accessible at Korean groceries like Hmart, and nowadays, even American ones. Equal parts delicious, easy, and nostalgic, they’re a food we turn to time and again.

Check out Episode 10, The Noodle and Dumpling Chronicles, to get your mandu fix!

Daniel Gray of Seoul Eats originally came to Korea simply because he needed a change of scenery, and now he’s running one of the most popular food blogs in Seoul, and even a food communications company too.  Gray’s a true foodie; he makes his living eating food, writing about it, and teaching others about it, so we were very excited to have him on Kimchi Chronicles. He appears in Episode 12, the Pork Chronicles, where he, Marja and Heather did a taste test of three of  Seoul’s finest pork restaurants.

When it comes to eating in Korea, why exactly  is a good rule of thumb to go where the taxi drivers eat ?

Taxi drivers don’t mess around. They want real Korean food and they want it done right. Dealing with traffic and nagging customers all day can really work up an appetite and nothing is as satisfying as Korean food. They want food that is hot like spicy fish soup or filling like spicy porkbelly stirfry with rice. Also, at these restaurants there is no judgment. Most drivers come by themselves, so eating by yourself here is ok- whereas other places might make you feel out of place (Koreans rarely eat alone). Finally, taxi drivers are the most mobile of people in Korea. If a restaurant isn’t good, they can easily go somewhere else.

Jean-Georges and Marja aside, who would you have at your ideal dinner table?

Ruth Reichl, because she inspired me to pursue food writing and to build a culinary tourism company.  Her chapter in Garlic and Sapphires about how Korean food could be renamed in order to attract foodies directly influenced my work on the Korean food dictionary for the Korea Agro-Fisheries Trade Corporation. Besides Ruth, I would love to invite Neil Patrick Harris because I grew up watching him on TV and I have since learned that he is a foodie. I would also love to have Thomas Keller at the table as well for I have spent years marveling over his books. Finally, I would invite Monk Dae-Ahn. She is one of my good friends and I would love to introduce her to the other guests. I think they would be interested in her fresh take on Buddhist temple cuisine.

You ate at three of Seoul’s best pork restaurants , Songgane Gamjatang, Heukdonga, and Dongmakjip with Marja and Heather. Which one takes the cake?

Songgane Gamjatang is my favorite because I love gamjatang– especially on a cold day. This spicy potato in pork broth stew is a dish that intensifies in flavor the longer you sit with friends. Korean potatoes sponge up the pork broth and become savory mashed potatoes.The dish is fun to eat as you pick out the meat from the pork bones and it pairs well with cups of soju.

Kimchi Chronicles is all about sharing Korean food with the world. What should people absolutely know about Korean food?

Korean food is exciting and it is food that should to be shared with friends. It is flavorful and fun to eat. There is so much that you can learn about people from the food they eat. The Korean table showcases the characteristics of the nation. It is a country that is generous, diverse, passionate, and social. Go out and eat Korean food with your friends and you’ll see what I mean.

What are your top 5 restaurants in Seoul?

Koreans love banana milk, a phenomenon little known outside of the peninsula. K-pop sensation Girls Generation drink it, kids drink it, adults drink it, and of course, Marja is also a fan. Her favorite drink while filming Kimchi Chronicles was this kid-friendly and delicious beverage. It’s so popular that there’s even a Facebook group dedicated to it, where people enthusiastically confess their love for the sunshine yellow milk. Traditionally, its drunk right after hitting the sauna, a popular Korean past time.

It’s undoubtedly delicious, but as avid banana milk consumers, we thought we should dig a little deeper and learn more about Korea’s most nostalgic drink. It’s distinctive shape is actually based off of a Korean traditional jar called a hangari, a large earthenware container used to store food. When banana milk was first being produced, it was a time when Koreans were beginning to leave their farms to find work in the city. The drink’s shape was meant to conjure up thoughts of home, and the countryside. The banana flavor was chosen because at the time, bananas were an incredibly exotic and appealing fruit.

Who knew that banana milk had such a long and storied history? Koreans love their healthy drinks, and banana milk’s no exception. Banana milk sells more than $100 million a year, and it’s the top selling product in convenience stores. So why are we not gifted with this banana goodness in our local grocery stores? Nesquik’s banana milk doesn’t quite do it justice, and we wish that there were a suitable American version of this liquid treat. Luckily, Hmart‘s got us covered, so here’s to stocking up asap!

Joe McPherson is the founder of ZenKimchi, one of Korea’s premier food blogs. ZenKimchi covers the ins and outs of Korea’s gastronomic scene, from restaurant reviews, recipes, recaps of food adventures, and even a handy tip or two for expats. One of Seoul’s biggest foodies, we were thrilled to interview him for our new series.

ZenKimchi’s one of the most popular food blogs in Korea. What drew you to pursue a career in food blogging?

It was an outlet and an efficient way to tell my friends and family back home all the cool things I was eating. When I first came to Korea, there were no running Korean food blogs. But I loved reading food blogs. So I decided to make a Korean food blog so that I’d have something to read. We’re now the longest running Korean food blog, and the hobby has become a bit of a business. But anyway, I have always loved food, especially exploring new (to me) cuisines. Culinarily, Korea was unexplored territory to the average westerner, so I used my blog as a journal for my explorations.

Top 5 restaurants in Seoul?

Restaurants are coming and going all the time. My favorites in the metro area are Jung Sik Dang, Star Chef, San Maul (in Anyang), Mapo Jeong Daepo and OK2. Jung Sik Dang has been on the forefront of “New Korean” cuisine, using modern techniques to make Korean dishes that are whimsical and full of flavor. Star Chef is a late night bistro that is popular with locals and expats. You gotta try “The Amazing Fish.” San Maul is a dirt road country restaurant that serves boribap and the best smoked chicken you’ve ever tasted. Tastes like bacon. Mapo Jeong Daepo is where I take visitors who are only in town a short while and want to really experience Korean BBQ. It’s a no-frills blue collar joint with a concrete floor and crowded tables that serves some of the best pork grilled over charcoal. For added fun, they pour an egg mixture into the wells that normally collect the rendered pork fat. The last one, OK2, or O Kitchen 2, is another modernized Korean and international restaurant that also gets playful with the menu, with Jeju horse carpaccio, gorgonzola ice cream and a sashimi platter that is like a mad scientist’s experiment.

You’re originally from the US. What inspired you to move to Korea?

I stumbled into studying Korean history during my last year in college. I fell in love with the history and wanted to visit one day. I got caught up on the wrong end of the dot-com bust in the early 2000s, and a friend who was teaching in Korea suggested I take a break and teach there for a year. When that year was up, I realized I didn’t want to go back. There was so much to explore, and I was having a great time.

If you were to cook Marja and Jean-Georges a meal, what would be on the table?

First off, I would be scared as heck to cook for them. I ate at one of his restaurants when I was in New York last year, so I’m a bit intimidated. When my family visited Korea for our wedding a few years ago, we made a feast of our favorite dishes on their final night here. It included a rich galbi jjim, japchae, homemade kimchi, and some Korean fried chicken from our favorite pub. It’s not fancy, but it’s my new comfort food these days. Then we hit the pubs and noraebang. We’d do that for Marja and Jean-Georges if that ever came to be.

Kimchi Chronicles is about making Korean food accessible for everybody. What sort of advice would you give people new to Korean cooking?

It’s not as exotic and complicated as you may think. Once you get some basics down you can play with it and make your own flavors. Many dishes, like bibimbap, fried rice, and kimchi jjigae, are excuses to clean out your refrigerator. Just throw in what you want. In a Korean household, they usually don’t make all those banchan (side dishes) at once. They usually make one or two in a large quantity and use it all during the week. Our refrigerator is stuffed mostly with containers of banchan, so getting a meal together is about as difficult at pulling everything out of the fridge. Another advantage to cooking Korean at home is that many dishes don’t take that much time to make. My wife, who is Korean, is baffled when I make a western dish that is braised or stewed for hours. When she’s in the kitchen, she makes her basic anchovy stock, which takes no time at all, chops veggies, tosses them together, and she’s done.

On Thursday, September 1, from 6:30-8:30 pm, Kimchi Chronicles is holding a book signing and cocktail reception in New York along with KACF. Marja will be signing cookbooks, and taking photos with fans. Come for an evening full of cocktails and Kimchi Chronicles fun.