Monday, October 17, 2011

Food From Next Door


Here in Japan, we refer to fall as "Shoku-yoku no Aki (食欲の秋)." This roughly translates to "Autum, the season to eat."

I think it comes from the fact that fall is the season of harvest...and maybe also the fact that a lot of people lose their appetite during the hot muggy summer season has something to do with this expression as well. And true to its words, I have really been eating a lot lately!

Yesterday I went to eat Korean food with a friend. Korean food is very popular in Japan and we even have a "Korean Town" neighborhood here in Shinjuku, which is like walking down a street in Seoul.

We had Japchae (first photo), Jjigae (second photo), and Tteokbokki (last photo) which was all really good. Some of the dishes are really hot and spicy, especially their kimchi and other dishes using the chili peppers. But it's very tasty and one of my favorite places to eat out!

Have you tried Korean food? What's your favorite dish?



25 comments:

  1. Oh, yum! That looks so delicious! That first photo looks like I could just stick my fork in there and take a bite. The photos is so sharp and realistic! - I love that y'all call fall the season to eat. And you must be right that it is both because of the harvest and because of the cooler weather! That is definitely the case here in the South as well. - My cousin married a Korean and they served Korean food at the wedding. I am sorry to say that I didn't like ANY of it, but it didn't look like the food that you have here. I love those clear noodles! They are in the egg rolls that we eat at our favorite Thai restaurant. I will have to give Korean food another chance!

    ReplyDelete
  2. It is dinner time now, the aspect of this food is good, but this time I'll keep my spaghetti!

    ReplyDelete
  3. i don't know Corean food but it looks delicious ! :)

    ReplyDelete
  4. I love Korean food. I have two favourite Korean restaurants in Paris. Yet I can NEVER remember the names of the dishes...

    ReplyDelete
  5. I've never tried it, but it looks delicious!

    ReplyDelete
  6. I really want to try those two dishes in your bottom photos.

    I went through a phase when I made my own kimchi because I was craving it and fermented foods are healthy. The recipe is something like this but I did it somewhat differently.

    A Korean acquaintance in Tokyo cooked some Korean dishes for me when I helped his wife (a little) do translations for “CBS Documentary.” I loved the spicy miso paste he gave me to take home. It seldom made it as far as soup because I would use it as a dip for tortilla chips.

    ReplyDelete
  7. First of all, I like this post's title. :) Secondly, I have never had Korean food. And the only Japanese food I've had is sushi (vegetarian of course). I guess I need to get cultured.

    ReplyDelete
  8. I was looking around your links and now I think what I was given a jar of was not doenjang but gochujang. Oops. It doesn’t say anything about it being used as soup. What a dolt I can be. No wonder I preferred it as a “condiment.”

    ReplyDelete
  9. Yummy! My wife is from Korea, and she introduced me to many Korean dishes, but my favorite is their barbeque which is very popular here in Colorado. I love spicy food and will eat food so spicy that she won't go near it!

    To answer your question on my blog, that huge pool is only for looking at. But the casinos do have nice swimming pools for their guests.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Rachel -- The clear noodles are my favorite dish, too! Mainly because it's one of the dishes that doesn't burn my mouth! haha. Hope you'll give Korean food another try ;D

    VP -- I can understand your choice! I couldn't eat it everyday, only once in a while :D

    Babzy -- I hope you'll get to try it one day! It's very tasty as well as good for your body ;-)

    Ciel -- I know what you mean! Thank goodness we have menus with pictures of the dish on them! ;D

    Lois -- It's probably a different spicy from your delicious southern dishes, but it's definitely worth a try! :-D

    Tall Gary -- Homemade kimchi is the best! And yes, it is very healthy! :D

    Becky -- The great thing about korean food is if you have the right ingredients you can make a lot of the dishes at home, too! Maybe you could try making it sometime ;D

    Al -- Thanks for answering my question! And the Korean bbq is very popular here, too! But since I don't eat meat, I tend to stick to these Korean dishes! So funny how you can eat more hot spicy food than your wife! ;D

    ReplyDelete
  11. Yummmmmmmy photos! Itadaki masu!

    Shinkansen wa takai desuka - Tokyo kara Nagoya made?

    ReplyDelete
  12. Hi Kaori
    Your pics remind me of my trip to Korea Town, with my Japanese friend in New York recently. We ate a lot and had a wonderful time - felt like we were in Korea rather than New York.

    Frankly, I am not a big fan of Korean food but I will eat it. I've never had anything that is unforgettable, but then I've never had anything bad either...

    ReplyDelete
  13. You know, I don't think I've ever had Korean food before. We have a vibrant Korea Town in LA, so must put this on the list.

    ReplyDelete
  14. We have a KTown here in the L.A. area too. Btw, I only have one season for eating also: Jan-Dec.

    ReplyDelete
  15. hee hee...
    Mme la Vache gets «Louis'» serving of Kimchee. She loves it. He hates it...

    ReplyDelete
  16. We have a large Asian population in Toronto. My husband and I like to eat Korean often. I love Kimchi and all the spicy stuff. We like to go to one of those hotpot places. I can't remember exactly what they're called. Bimi-bops or something... they're tasty in any case!

    ReplyDelete
  17. Leif -- Hope you'll have a chance to enjoy authentic Korean food soon! :D

    Evelyn -- We have a Korean Town in Shinjuku, too! Very cool how everything is in Korean! ;-D

    Karin -- If you can eat liverwurst, you'll love their bbq! Definitely worth a try :D

    CafeP -- Only Dec & Jan? Doesn't your eating season start from Thanksgiving? ;D

    Louis -- They can be quite a shocking taste! I like the cucumber kimchi myself :-D

    Halcyon -- I know what you're talking about! Bibimpa's (no idea how to spell that!) are one of my favorite dishes, too! :D

    ReplyDelete
  18. Yum! The photos and food are so good. Last time in Japan, my wife's aunt took us to a Korean place (near kamata station). She said it is known as the best in Japan. I don't know about that, but it was very good.

    ReplyDelete
  19. when I was living in Singapore, we did a charity for kenya, and the Korean ladies cooked this thick beef noodles which were very nice.

    ReplyDelete
  20. Pat -- We actually have A LOT of korean restaurants here in Tokyo! I haven't heard of the one in Kamata, but I'm a little ways away from there. Would love to try it though! :D

    Ann -- That sounds delicious! Those Korean women sure do know how to cook ;D

    ReplyDelete
  21. hmmm... not really one of my faves i should say but i love the most basic and that is Kimchi. hehe.
    bulgogi a bit and those thin beef strips that you cook in front of you. yummy. ^0^

    ReplyDelete
  22. Arabesque -- I can understand, Korean food is a bit too spicy for me to eat everyday, too! But I love kimchi with rice and korean salted seaweed! And yes, Bulgogi is good, too ;D

    ReplyDelete
  23. Kaori,
    Your food blogs always make me hungry! Especially seeing your first photo, I can not resist my appetite. I will find a Korean restaurant in Nara and try Japchae. Noodles look so delicious. I love autumn to eat!!

    ReplyDelete
  24. Hehe, I like the title!

    ReplyDelete

Thank you so much! Love it when you comment! xx