France: Day 5 - Korean supper

A Korean meal in France:

I had taken some ingredients for a couple soups, a noodle dish, and some Korean drinks & snacky desserts. I wasn't able to find sealed kimchi, so they weren't able to try that. (And since coming back to Korea again, guys, I have learned to make a very nice stew which I think even Viv would have liked!)

I served the meal "French" style. (True Korean style would have been to serve everything at once and eat out of a communal dish.) The first course was a simple kimbap...rice wrapped into seaweed paper plus a noodle dish. They first got a little lesson on how to use chopsticks, and then they attacked the rice! It was really fun for Kendra and I to watch! Below is Audrey's success at picking rice up out of the bowl.

Carmen's perseverence paid off -

.....I got it, I got it!.....Ooops!.....there it went.....!

.....I'm gonna get you if it's the last thing I do.....!

.....Ahh-HA! Got it!!!!!!

Vivien decided that vinegar made the kimbap taste better. I thought that was interesting as I had never seen it done in Korea before. But when I returned and showed my pictures to a Korean friend, she said that yes, Koreans sometimes do sprinkle vinegar over it, too! Go, Viv!!!Vivien really liked the kimbap because he tried stealing Audrey's right off her chopsticks! (Actually, I think she was showing that she could pick it up, and he was trying to knock it out of her hand!)

The kimbap ended up being the most well-liked course of the whole meal...with the possible exception of the dessert/snacks! It went downhill from there...mostly because of my amateur cooking results. The next course was the black seaweed soup - which actually smelled good, and I think was second runner up, (all things considered.) They were very brave trying everything, but Viv kept making comments that would have Patrick laughing and Audrey & Carmen in stitches. Audrey attempted to translate at first, but it became too much...before the meal was over, he had them laughing so hard they were crying! And, let's just say that some things didn't need translated anyway...Kendra and I were kept thoroughly entertained throughout the meal!!! :D

This was the traditional New Year's Day soup in Korea - a rice cake soup. Viv is holding up a thin rice cake with his chopstick. Of course, this is after he was the first to dig in, took his first bite, and then promptly raced into the kitchen to bring it back out! I hurried back to my seat and took a cautious bite to see what could have been so terrible, but didn't notice any horrible taste...? It wasn't the bad taste, I was told...it was the lack of taste combined with the very chewy/gummy texture. Again ~ oooooops! I found out later that I had completely overcooked it....like, it only needed to cook 15 min, and I'm sure I had mine simmering for about an hour!

Ahhhhh! Now that all the indigestible food had been attempted - (I think most of it found it's way down the garbage chute!) - they could now relax and enjoy the snacks that I couldn't ruin! :)

I think - unfortuanately and unwittingly - that I most likely alienated them from Korean food. I wish I'd at least been able to make a few dishes that are delicious here in Korea. I think even Koreans would have been hard put to eat that stuff I served!!! Sorry, guys! Please don't consider that meal your real "taste of Korea!" You could come visit and never taste such food in the restaurants here! My cooking skills were definitely disadvantaged and at their worst! I take comfort in knowing that Audrey knows I can cook better than that! :) :)