I recently rediscovered a book I wrote in second grade about sisters who won a trip to Korea. Clearly, going to Korea has been on my mind for some time. We had a lot of fun on a virtual trip to Seoul this weekend.
The Food
Our first recipe we tried was for chicken bimbimbap, and it was so good. The dish has a rice base and the recipe calls for it to be topped with marinated chicken, shitake mushrooms, carrots, spinach, and a sunny side up egg. There were so many different textures and flavors in the dish that all came together so well. The chicken marinade was sweet and tangy and the meat really absorbed all of the flavor.
I found an article titled, How to have Korean BBQ at Home with Trader Joe’s Products, and I was certainly intrigued. It was Memorial Day Weekend after all, so a barbeque-style meal seemed appropriate. We made the potato salad recipe from the article, and it turned out very well. It called for more vegetables than other potato salads I’ve had, which I liked. The cucumbers and carrots gave it a nice crunch. We also used a grill pan to make Trader Joe’s Korean-style beef ribs and finished the meal off with a salad using Trader Joe’s carrot miso dressing. The whole meal was delicious, and I highly recommend.
We also made bulgogi beef using Trader Joe’s shaved beef. It was delicious in every form we used to serve it in. We served it with rice, with potato salad, in a green salad, and in sliders. The sweet and tangy marinage was delicious, and I definitely want to make it again.
The Entertainment
I discovered Hospital Playlist, a K-Drama that follows five best friends who got close after meeting at med school orientation. It definitely has Grey’s Anatomy vibes, and I am officially hooked. It is a Netflix original and has 12 episodes. I only made it through four this weekend, but I definitely plan on finishing the season.
I’ve been meaning to watch the Academy Award winning, Minari for a long time, and this seemed like the perfect weekend to finally watch it. It follows a Korean-American family who move to a farm in Arkansas. Alan Kim, who plays the family’s seven year old son, was the highlight of the movie.
We also watched Always and Forever, the third installment in the To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before trilogy on Netflix. The series is about Lara Jean, a teen obsessed with rom coms who ends up in her own love story when her sister sends out several love letters that Lara Jean meant to keep private. Always and Forever begins with Lara Jean finally making it to Seoul and finding a lock that their late mother left on Seoul Tower.
Of course, we also had to listen to some K Pop. We put on BTS’ newest album while doing laundry and cleaning the apartment. The music certainly made the chores a lot more fun. Please let me know what other K Pop groups I should be listening to.
I also started reading Made in Korea by Sarah Suk, which follows two Korean American teens with rival K-Beauty businesses at their high school. I also started reading K Pop Confidential by Stephan Lee, the story of Candace Park, who goes to Seoul to fulfill her dream to become a K Pop idol.
Bubbling up with Helena 