I'm at the point of my life where a bowl of rice with kimchi is a super satisfying meal.

I wish I could eat some jeon rn.

I started watching this new Korean drama a few days ago, and ooh wee, I've been completely absorbed in its fantasy world since. Apparently, it's like the hottest show in Korea right now.

Titled The Penthouse: War In Life and streaming here, it's 21 episodes long and SO frickin' good. Thankfully, the finale just came out this past Tuesday so I was able to watch it through without dying to know what happens after the end of each episode's cliffhanger.

In addition to its over-the-top and absolutely bonkers storyline, I really loved all of the talented actors it featured. And like any good Korean drama that's a time capsule in showcasing the latest pop culture, it did a great job in capturing the newest fashions, home decor, what cell phones people are using, and trends in general, to show someone like me on the other side of the world what's currently popular in the country. Overall, the show felt fresh, super modern, and was just excellently done. It’s been a while since I watched a Korean drama this good. I especially liked how the writing kept the story going at a pace that gripped my attention from the first minute. All of the non-stop plot twists made me wish I had been in the writer's room, because it's like, how do you even come up with something so twisted and genius?! And for 21 episodes straight! The plot was like a hybrid between a thriller and a soap opera, with plenty of funny moments where I had the time of my life laughing out loud so hard from its absurdity.

The story basically revolves around a few families who live in Seoul's most exclusive and super fancy (fictional) apartment building. Power, wealth, greed, bullying, murder, nepotism—it's all there. And of course, don't forget about the theme of revenge, which is pretty much the foundation to any good Korean drama. There's also the common Cinderella aspect where someone with no money is trying to move up in the world, along with a glimpse into shady undertakings of the ultra-rich in order to hold onto what they have. I'm normally more into rom-com Korean dramas that don't involve people getting killed, but this show definitely made it interesting and impossible to turn off.

Honestly, discovering The Penthouse this week was the best distraction from everything that's been in the news. I just finished the last episode right now and I'm already wanting more.

Dear friends,

I wrote about how The Karaoke Bars of NYC’s Koreatown Helped Me Find My Voice.

Check it out!

Dear friends,

I write about how Insamju Is a Korean Ginseng Liquor Often Overlooked by Younger Generations.

Check it out!

A good Korean ballad takes me to places where nothing else can.

It's been almost three weeks since I began staying home. I pretty much have rarely ventured out of my place except to get takeout on my block or groceries nearby. I've been able to get on with what I have access to in my area and with delivery, but I really needed to restock on Korean ramen today, along with some other Asian stuff. So my roommate and I decided to actually get some air and walk to the nearest H Mart in the Upper West Side. It was about 35 blocks each way, and we stayed 6 feet apart from each other and anyone else we came across on the sidewalk. When we got to the supermarket, we stood in the line to get in with everyone spaced out 6 feet. Every time a customer exited the doors, the person at the front of the line went in. And when inside, things were fine. I like how the aisles weren't crowded, and I could just get my stuff and leave. I'm not sure when I'll go anywhere that far from my place again, but it was great to go for a nice long walk today. The weather was gray with a slight drizzle at times and I loved every moment of it.

Here are some pics from today's Sunday stroll.

Oh donkatsu and tteokbokki,
where you can you be?
Your friend jjajang is waiting,
I'll show you, come see.

I have tteokbokki fever.

"Shin never became a novelist, but he named his first successful business, a company that marketed chewing gum, Lotte after Charlotte, the female character in Wolfgang von Goethe’s novel 'The Sorrows of Young Werther.' Mr. Shin was especially proud of the name Lotte, calling it 'the best choice in my life.'"

From the January 19, 2020 NYT Article: ‘Chewing Gum Tycoon’ of Lotte Group, Shin Kyuk-ho, Dies at 98. By Choe Sang-Hun.

"According to the American market research firm Datassential, Korean ingredients like kimchi, which is traditionally buried underground and left to ferment for months, now appear on 5.5 percent of menus in the United States, a jump of 59 percent in the past five years — particularly noteworthy since Americans of Korean descent constitute less than two-thirds of a percent of the total population."

From the May 14, 2019, New York Times article "How Sourness Has Come to Dominate Our Dining Habits, and Our Discourse." By Ligaya Mishan.

"엄마, 아빠, 사랑해!"

Said by Sandra Oh in her Golden Globes acceptance speech for the 2019 best Actress in a Drama TV Series award.

Hearing this expressed by a winner at a major American award show is something I've fantasized about my entire life... wow, what a moment.

Congratulations to Sandra Oh on your win. Keep doing your thing and making us proud.

Dear friends,

Please check out my latest food story that I wrote for Eater: A Chef’s Quest to Bring North Korean Cold Noodles to America

Thanks.

Eating salad with a fork = Salad
Eating salad with chopsticks = Banchan

Dear friends,

Please check out my latest story for VICE's food channel, MUNCHIES: This Chef's Korean Ramen Is a Dish Best Served Cold.

Thanks.

Korean food just really hits the spot for me.

Sometimes, a simple meal of rice with banchan can be the most satisfying thing ever. And there are many days when I will gladly eat that over anything else.

While New York's Koreatown is filled with lots of great options to eat, my favorite go-to restaurant for authentic Korean food is The Kunjip. No matter what I order, their food is always well made and just tastes really good. I also appreciate that their menu is sensibly priced, especially considering the quality of food that you get. I've always thought their lunch specials are a superb deal too, with the majority of options hovering around $10. Since my office is not too far from 32nd Street, I love being able to pick up stuff from there to-go on a regular basis.

The Kunjip is open 24 hours and has always been popular for its food amongst both hungry families and drunken partiers during late-night hours. For me personally though, it wasn't until they moved this year to a new and larger space across the street onto the other side of 32nd when I became a true regular. This bigger location is two floors and is usually always busy like it was at the original one. But the experience is a lot less claustrophobic, which makes a huge difference to me. 

However, some things still haven't changed though. In general, The Kunjip has never been the type of restaurant where you go and have a leisurely dinner with friends for hours. If you are looking to catch up with long lost buddies over Korean food, this is not the place for you. Instead, it's a place where you're given menus while waiting to be seated so you already know what you're ordering before you sit down. It's a place where you might have some beer and soju to enhance the food but not where you're going to get shitfaced. It's a place where you get your food quickly, and can have your check dropped at your table before you've even asked.  It's a place where you gather your coats and belongings to leave after you've finished eating instead of lingering about. Basically, the main point of The Kunjip is their good food. 

With all that being said, the dining room's speedy pace does not at all equate to bad service. I actually think it's the complete opposite because whatever your need or request is, the staff will always provide it an efficient yet professional manner. And all the workers are friendly with good energy. I mean sure, they will try and get you out the door if you're done, but will never rush you while you're actually eating. That's just the way the restaurant runs.

One thing I've always thought The Kunjip would be particularly nice for is a date or dinner obligation you really want to be over as quickly as possible. So the next time you have to go eat with someone you'd prefer to spend minimum time with, look no further.

Below are a couple of pictures from my dinner there earlier tonight at the peak of dinner service on a Saturday.

"자기 신발 끝내주는대
자기 돈 좀 많나봐
자기 스타일 진짜 멋있다
백만장자 소년들의 모임."

From the song BBC by Jay-Z.

it's past 5:30am here in bangkok and i can't fall asleep. i wonder if my insomnia will ever be cured, or perhaps it's something i'm eternally stuck with and should just plan my life accordingly? but, actually---i enjoy the daytime and sunlight too much to just give them up. maybe it's because i haven't had any sort of set daily routine or schedule in my life for more than a week since i was laid off from my last office job two years ago? but that doesn't make sense because i had this issue way long before that. i would definitely say it's linked to my anxiety. or i don't know, i guess i could ponder until the sun comes up (literally), but the only thing that's for certain is the fact that i'm unable to fall asleep right now. as for an update on how things are currently going in my life, all is well. things could always be better, but they could also be worse so i prefer not to compare or think about how different circumstances would be in some fictitious, parallel world. i control what i can with positive thoughts and sensible decisions and the rest is out of my hands. i recently started to thoroughly think about the adage, "everything loses its novelty." this is something that usually pops into my head often because on many occasions, i find myself getting bored with something really fast. this relates to almost every facet of my life and there isn't an aspect that's unaffected by it. then recently, i started to metaphorically think about the adage in terms of reading a book. sometimes i'll read a book and experience it in whatever way i did. i often like to re-read books that i've liked, and when doing so, of course my latter experience is never the same as the original. i realized that things don't have to lose their novelty, because you never know what's waiting on the next page so if i feel inclined to, i can just turn the pages faster. or i can change my attitude and keep in mind that how i'm feeling or what i'm going through really has an impact on what insight i gain from reading a single page, and be aware that in the moment, things might seem like the novelty's gone, but in reality i'm just feeling like shit and looking at the situation negatively.

i don't know. i think my brain is just running on fumes at the moment and i don't know how to eloquently express what i'm trying to say. i'll just end this entry with a photo i took of a spread in last month's gq korea. however, i have no idea what "a hardboiled boy" means. okay, let's see: 1-eggs. 2-they're hardboiled in water. 3-a boy. 4-yeah, i'm definitely lost and have no idea what it means. 5-oh okay, maybe it's like a boy is hardboiled and while the shell remains the same, his spirit hardens and tastes delicious with a little bit of salt & pepper. 6-or from my experience, the shells of hardboiled eggs always crack a little in the process. 7-nevermind, i still have no idea.

sometimes, i really miss korea.

i'm currently staying at a friend's place and he has the kbsworld channel. most of the programming has english subtitles so i understand everything perfectly. man, watching these korean dramas just make me yearn to say, "여기 소주한아더요! (another bottle of soju please)."

i was eating yummy street food with earlier in the streets of bangkok, and i ran into the thai version of 2NE1's dara.