Journalist, Author & Syndicated Columnist
In the late 1990s and early aughts, I interviewed Gavin Rossdale of the British grunge rock band Bush many times. But it wasn’t until our chat this year that I learned something new. He loves Korean cuisine. Not as in, “Oh, I love Korean barbeque.” Rather, he enjoys Korean food so much that he cooks it at home for his family. And when he does hire a chef to help out for larger get-togethers, it’s always his preferred Korean chef.
True story: When I was in college, we didn’t have access to The Internets like all you young whipper snappers today. So, instead of drooling over all the photos of food on Pinterest and Instagram, I used to look at recipe books and imagine that I could be eating that instead of the dorm food my parents had paid for.
The concept? A group of telegenic Korean celebrities run a snack bar in Bacalar, Mexico, for one week (haha!). In its own way, it had all the elements of a fun K-drama minus any love triangles. Was there a 2nd male lead? Of course! As well as a 3rd and a 4th and so on. It shifted every few minutes, depending on who’s on screen — Park Seo-joon of “Itaewon Class,” “Parasite” actor Choi Woo-shik, BTS vocalist V, and the dimpled head of Jinny’s Kitchen, Lee Seo-jin (“Behind Every Star”).
During this pandemic when most of us can’t travel and are stuck at home, we can live vicariously through the delicious adventures of Rain and Noh Hong-chul in “The Hungry and the Hairy.”
You know those chili oils at Chinese restaurants that come with your meals? I am a huge fan of spicing up my food with those. Though none of the jarred oils are as delicious as the homemade ones, some of them as still pretty darned tasty. I’m talking about you, Momofuku.
I never paid that much attention to McDonald’s previous celebrity collaborations (Travis Scott, J. Balvin). But when the hamburger chain announced that its latest celeb partnership would be with BTS, it made me happy. I know it’s easy to trash talk fast food. And while fast food usually is something we reserve for road trips, I will buy it on occasion for my son as a treat, just as my parents did for me.
Ever make ramen in a rice cooker? It’s something young children can do themselves. And it’s perfect for students living in dorms.
Celebrities are like all of us. When we’re hungry, we can’t function. But Korean celebs are extra when it comes to eating — it seems like they’re starring in their own mukbangs.
For the first time in my life, I paid a premium to have kimchi delivered to me by mail. Here’re some of my favorite finds.
Once best known as MC Mystic in his group Bass is Base, Roger Mooking is recognized by foodies worldwide for his work on television (“Man Fire Food,” “Heat Seekers,” “Everyday Exotic”) and cookbooks. Born in Trinidad and raised in Canada, Mooking is based out of Toronto. The chef and restaurateur says that one of the small pleasures of life is finding ice cream and gelato spots wherever he travels. “I would eat ice cream every single day and after every single meal if I could get away with it, says Mooking, whose latest album is “Eat Your Words.”
“I am always deeply influenced when I go to Korea. It is an endless source of inspiration for me. I have ties there, so it is special. But I also approach it as an outsider and learn new techniques and cooking traditions. I always look forward to going back again and again.” — Chef Edward Lee, star of “Culinary Genius” and “Fermented.”
My mother doesn’t like overly sweet desserts. So, for her birthday, I made this delicious Matcha (Green Tea) cake. It tastes like the ones I used to buy from the Japanese bakeries. Honestly? I may even like my version a little better.
When I was young, I went through a phase where I hated Korean food. My mother would make fresh, home-cooked meals from scratch. And instead of realizing what a treat that was, I would ask why we couldn’t just eat TV dinners like all my friends. But these days, there’s no cuisine I enjoy more than Korean. And if someone else is willing to cook it for me, all the better! So when my family and I traveled to South Korea this fall, eating well was a top priority.
My favorite breakfasts are Korean – with rice, soup, banchan and kimchi. It’s something that many Westerners think about and say, “Ewww! Not for breakfast!” But if you haven’t tried it, you don’t know what you’re missing out on.
Iron Chef Cat Cora says she would advise people to travel to Greece: “I would tell them to visit Athens first and go to the many historical sites — Acropolis and Acropolis Museum, Olympic Stadium and the many other incredible sites spread throughout the city.”
One of the things I really love about the onset of Fall is making dinners in the oven. Tonight’s meal was simple, rustic and delicious. Served this with some rice. For dessert, we had strawberries. So good!
I don’t really know what a tomato tarte is. I’ve never eaten one before, and I’ve never made one, either. But the other night, I had nothing ready for dinner. We had been planning on going out to eat. But then my husband had to stay at work longer than anticipated; I was sick (literally — thank you, allergies!) and tired of eating leftovers; and I had a small child who was (rightfully) complaining that he was hungry.
Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Yes, I know this. But, I am not a breakfast fan. I don’t usually like to eat in the morning. I’d much rather drink a cup of coffee or tea (or even a glass of water) and call it good.
This has been our go-to dinner as of late. And so much of it is from our garden. We had a delicious caprese salad with our homegrown tomatoes (nothing like them!) and basil, fresh mozzarella and my balsamic vinegarette drizzled on top. The kid and I made pizza dough in our bread machine, and it tastes so much better than the dough we used to buy from Trader Joe’s.
