Splitting Headache and Eating Out

I slept in this morning, having woken up in the middle of the night with a splitting headache. Punishment for having a second beer last night???? Despite that, I did walk 2 miles this morning. Joking aside, I think it’s weather related as my sinuses feel pretty clogged today. But I’m glad I got my walk in.

We had a coupon for a free dinner at Seoul Garden which we used last night. Have you ever heard someone say “I love Italian (for example) food so much. I could live on it!” And you think “Yeah, right.” Well, I did live on Korean food when I lived in Hawaii, sushi and field exercises aside. And hub moonlighted for several years as a bouncer at a Korean club in DC, so he’s all about it too.

We both ordered bulgogi, which is like a grilled teriyaki beef dish – really good. The thing I love about Korean restaurants is that your dinner comes “pan chan” – with all these little bowls of different kinds of kim che, veggies, fish cake – usually 5 or 6 bowls of different stuff. Hub doesn’t like the traditional cabbage kim che, so I get it all to myself! I don’t think you’re supposed to wolf down the veggies while waiting for dinner, but we always do.

It was a super healthy dinner and we both really enjoyed the mid-week (almost mid-week) break. Veggies, grilled lean meat, and I did not eat all my rice. I think steamed white rice is the perfect starch. Any place where McDonald's offers steamed rice with breakfast is cool with me.

Typically I would order “chi ghe” – that is Korean for “nuclear stew.” Often I have seen chi ghe served in stone bowls with a lid. These bowls are placed into a river of molten lava, so that when your stew arrives it is literally boiling hot. Like, still doing a rolling boil in the bowl.

The stew itself is red due to all the peppers in it. Red broth, red-crusted ingredients. It usually contains some meat, tofu, kim che, other veggies etc. Some places let you specify how hot you want it. If you need it mild, don’t order it. Mild chi ghe is still nuclear. Also, don’t tick off your waitress before she brings it. She will very likely go to the back, pull out the pot they are cooking for their dinner, and serve you some of that as punishment. It will be so spicy the inside of your mouth will disintegrate, but you will have to eat it all with a smile or lose face after arguing with her when she asserts “White people no eat chi ghe.” Ask me how I know this.

But it was too hot to eat chi ghe, so I had bulgogi. They brought lettuce leaves to make wraps. I have never seen that before. So I don’t know if that’s traditional or not.

I sure do talk about food a lot. No wonder I’m overweight!

I did have a second beer while watching the end of “Rose Red” (pretty good flick, but I wish they had gotten into the characters more). But no munchies to go with it – so not too bad. We needed a night to eat a nice meal together & go home & die on the sofa. Hub worked late & I had errands to run after work, so we were spent. Back to the salt mines tonight – front lawn needs cutting and the kitchen needs to be bombed. Er, cleaned.