Learning More Korean Culture

Cathianne's Journal:

Learning the Practice of the Younger Koreans

07 March 2011

What's on the menu?

--- Cafeteria Food for Lunch

--- Bu-dae Chi-gae (부대찌개) for Dinner

1030h

I arrive in the laboratory. I start reading on the project over and over until I am about to give up. The Partial Differential Equations are no longer sinking in. Notes on the internet, not so helpful. T_T

1130h

GJ oppa arrives. A few minutes later, he invites me to eat lunch at the cafeteria with the rest of the lab people.

1250h

Walking back to the lab. Oppa asks me if I can manage going to Seoul by myself tomorrow. "I WILL TRY!" =))

In the lab, I'm still stuck with the same paper!

"(GJ) Oppa, can you help me with this?" He comes over and reads through it, searches for the citation and after several minutes, he gets the cited paper! Huwow! How the hell did he do that? But when I searched for the other citations, the papers are not available anymore! T___T" I cannot bother oppa anymore he's busy too. So I just studied the cited paper and it helped a lot at least even if I still find the derivation really hard.

~1500h

MJ oppa arrives. I get to eat an orange from him. Most likely, it's GMO because it's seedles. But what the heck, I'm longing for fruits! =))

1755h

Early dinner!

Wow! We get to eat dinner so early for the first time! Professor was right about the guys fluctuating dinner time. We go to a restaurant just right outside the campus. I get to eat such a "MASSIEDA" meal!

Let's dig in on the bowl of Bu-dae Chi-gae!!! So far, this has also become one of my FAVORITES in KOREA!!!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

MASSIEDA means DELICIOUS

On BU-DAE CHI-GAE

Ref: http://www.hansik.org/en/myRecipe/myRecipeView.do?fboardId=288

1 1/2 cups meat in small chunks (Spam, hot dogs, ham, small meatballs, or a combination) 
1 1/2 cups sliced vegetables (combination of any: mushrooms, bean sprouts, chrysanthemum leaves) 
1/2 an onion, sliced 
3 Tbsp kochujang (Korean hot pepper paste) 
1 package ramen noodles (just noodles, not spice packets) 
Kimchi (optional) 
Sliced rice cakes (optional) 
Canned baked beans (optional topping) 
Sliced American cheese (optional topping)

* Introduction
Budae Chigae is one of many favorite dishes for Koreans worldwide.  Budae which translates into army in Korean and chigae meaning stew, this dish is known to have originated from the Korean War.  During the war, Koreans have salvaged any means of food from the American soldiers in which there were an abundance of hot dog, sausages, and spam along with other staples.

Much like Kimchi Chigae, this soup-based dish contains kimchi, tofu, scallions, onions, kochujang, and much more.  Also, to add texture and volume to the soup, it can contain vermicelli as well as ramyun noodles.  It is consumed along with a bowl of rice to compliment its spiciness and its abundance in meat such as spam, sausages and pork.


* Recipe
1. Put all ingredients into a large pot.
2. Cover with enough water to just cover ingredients.
3. Bring to a rapid boil.
4. Reduce to simmer for 20 minutes.
5. Enjoy with white rice.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

More foods to taste! ~_~ 

Tomorrow, SEOUL SOLO TRAVELER ADVENTURE WILL BEGIN...c",)