Blog entries from FudeDude

Another Update--Tuesday Night Happy Hour in Itaewon, Korea!

FudeDude — Sun, 22 Aug 2010 15:00:00 +0100

Let me paint a picture for you:

It's Tuesday night. The time is Korea Happy Hour time. You're young; your stomach is gnawing at your throat; your wallet is so thin you can see through it; you're beautiful. (Ok, 3 out of 4).

I know the feeling. So let's cut to the chase: the best way to satiate that roaring appettite without having to dig through your Teachers' Lounge couch cushions for cash is wait until TuesdRead More...

What's with the Krazy Pizza in Korea?

FudeDude — Mon, 02 Aug 2010 08:51:09 +0100

You've seen the Korean-language, poster-sized ads on the swinging glass doors of Mr. Pizza, Pizza Hut & even Domino's Pizza in Seoul: Thick slices of sweet potato, drizzled with honey mustard sauce, surrounded by heaping amounts of corn, grilled chicken doused with a white-garlic ranch sauce, jalapenos and cherry tomatoes, all criss-crossed with a version of balsamic vinaigrette and all piled high on a thick crust stuffed with mozzarella or surrounded by a heavenly golden-ringRead More...

There's No Such Thing as "Korea's Best Burger"

FudeDude — Sat, 24 Jul 2010 15:00:00 +0100

Yeah, if you haven't figured me out by now, you should know I can't stand food writers that "Play for Pay." My philosophy has always been, you get a bite, if the place sucks then you either don't write about it or you warn others about your experience. More often than not, you can find a decent thing or two about any place (tablecloth was clean, hot dude/chick working behind the counter, good beer selection, whatever).

Still, when times are tight, Read More...

Eating like an American...in Korea

FudeDude — Sun, 18 Jul 2010 15:00:00 +0100

Most people contemplating moving to Korea from any non-Korean country have two major misconceptions: (1) that they'll need to speak Korean to survive and enjoy their time in country and (2) that there is a dearth of local cuisine suitable for the finicky Western palate and the expandable Western stomach. Response: undeniably and irrefutably FALSE!

I'm not much of an expert on the first point, but I do urge everyone to learn a few cRead More...

Taco Bell Korea Sneak Video: Itaewon Start Date Revealed

FudeDude — Wed, 16 Jun 2010 04:05:41 +0100

As most of you know, I do my damnest to investigate the latest on Korean cuisine, cooking and foreign food culture to help you get what you want, when you want it, sans hassle as a native English speaker with a native Western palate.

So when my unforgiving and unmerciful editor came to me with an assignment to get the inside scoop on the new Taco Bell Korea, I proffered my best cultivated, withering sneer. "Taco Bell? C'mon, goddamnit," I respRead More...

How to Order Food off a Korean Menu -- Guk! (국)

FudeDude — Sat, 08 May 2010 01:22:03 +0100

Let's see--where were we? Ah, yes, the world of Korean food and with it, the world of Soups & Stews. Part III of this series will tell you how to order guk (국) off a menu in Korea or while at a Korean restaurant anywhere else? Unlike its counterparts in the jjigae (찌개) and some tang (탕) categories, guk tends to be the most like soup. The former two phylum are frequently thicker and heavier, and more similar to stew.

MoRead More...

How to Order Food off a Korean Menu -- Soups & Stews Pt.I

FudeDude — Fri, 26 Mar 2010 15:00:00 +0100

In my last post, I spoke of Korean barbecue meats-- the Expat's food/dish most commonly associated with Korean culture. In this post as well as the next two posts, I will focus on the most frequently enjoyed dishes in the Korean culinary scene; the pride and joy of Korean cooking and grubbing down: soups and stews.

Photo: Boodae-jjigae akRead More...

Taco Bell Update -- Its Good & Its Bad

FudeDude — Sat, 13 Mar 2010 02:47:54 +0100

Gosh darn it those dirty birdies!

The update from Taco Bell is a bit misleading: they now say, according to their official Facebook page, that they'll be raring to go with doors flung open "this Summer." What the hell does that mean? Don't they know there are some sick, troubled and desperate individuals/groups without base passes who are dying to get some TB?!

I Read More...

Taco Bell Rears its Pretty Shredded Cheese Head in Itaewon

FudeDude — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 02:14:41 +0100

You ready to 번 밖에서 생각해라, aka "Think Outside the Bun?!"

The past 6 months have been rife with rumor and speculation on the future of the Taco Bell franchise here in Korea. Not really Mexican, not really "American" and definitely not really healthy, 20 years ago, Taco Bell came, saw and bailed. That's all changed now, what with the huge influx of our wonderful Korea Expats! A market exists, and "where there is demand there must also be supply" (I believe Karl Read More...

The Jurassic Donkasu (돈까스) Challenge!!

FudeDude — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 15:00:00 +0100

Ironically, my two favorite all-time photos of food are actually of people, not cuisine:

Eric "Badlands" Booker took 7.5 hours to barely finish the Denny's Beer Barrel 'Olde 96' Burger
Fink beats "The Stomach" in Camp NorthRead More...

Ordering Food From a Korean Menu -- Grilled & BBQ'd Meats

FudeDude — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 11:25:51 +0100

Its the one you've been waiting for--identifying, evaluating, ordering and wolfing down Korean barbecue!

Let's get something straight before I begin: Korean BBQ isn't food.

Its an experience.

The difference between Korean barbecue and the field is the difference between getting the DVD or watching it on 3D IMAX. I don't care what your alternative meal is. If its not accompanied by the smokey scent of sizzlinRead More...

Ordering Food From a Korean Menu -- Noodle Dishes

FudeDude — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 15:00:00 +0100

Buckwheat, egg, soba, wheat, and wheat flakes--get your chopsticks and spoons ready--its noodle time, baby!

Noodle Dishes -- The Basics

면
myeon
Basic term for noodles in Korean. If it ends in 면/myeon, its gotta be a noodle.

Noodle Dishes -- The Tempting ("Myeons," Kalguksu, Sujaebi)

쫄면
jjeol myeon
Egg noodles usually topped with half an egg, some very spicy Korean red pepper sauce and a vaRead More...

Ordering Food From a Korean Menu -- Rice Dishes

FudeDude — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 15:22:42 +0100

The Basics

When you are dreaming of a big bowl of Korean rice, use the following navigation tool when scouring through a menu: if its got a "bap" ("밥"/rice) on the end of it...you're in action.

Rice Dishes -- The Basics

Hangul
English Phonetics
Description

밥 (공기 밥)
bap (konggibap)
Bap is white rice and that's all you need to know. Konggibap is a bowl of white rice and, again: that's all you need Read More...

Ordering Food From a Korean Menu -- Intro

FudeDude — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 15:00:00 +0100

Is there anything worse than fiending for Korean food and being stuck in a restaurant without the pleasing comfort of an English menu? Your stomach growls, your mouth waters, your eyes glaze over...and you sit there, impatient, grunting and gesturing at the meals of other diners in the hopes that the house will somehow figure out that you want a big plate of that "marinated beef stuff" whisked from the kitchen and gingerly placed onto the table in front of your quivering fingers.

Ordering Food From a Korean Menu -- TOC

FudeDude — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 15:00:00 +0100

Introduction

Rice Dishes

Noodle Dishes

Roasted, Grilled & BBQ'd Meats

Soups & Stews

Snack Food

Ordering Foreign Food

Other