Robyn and I continue our culinary adventures in Seoul.  My wife Robyn is a bit of a culinary expert in our house and is always trying to expand our palates.  So she was delighted at the opportunity to try out some new Korean dishes.

This week we had the opportunity of tasting pork bulgogi and tofu jjigae at a restaurant near the Embassy with a few staff members including two Korean interns.  As always, the food was delicious and it was fun to eat.  Of course, the meat was tasty, but the homemade tofu was even better, and I am a fan of the way the different flavors and textures are successfully interwoven in such a flavorful way.  I particularly liked adding the spicy sauce to the biji (bean-curd dregs).  I had never had that before.  I am impressed that nothing is wasted and even this side product from making the tofu is excellent.  I was impressed that this healthy lunch, including many banchan (side dishes) and side salads, was so reasonably priced also. 


The two interns we chatted with had very interesting backgrounds and were well travelled, having lived and studied abroad.   They are indicative of the well qualified and talented Korean citizens we have working at the Embassy who represent an important part of our team and help to strengthen the bilateral ties between our two countries.  Our intern program definitely attracts some of the best and brightest globally minded youth from the large pool of English speaking, intelligent students in Seoul.  We could not be successful here without all of these individuals contributing to our strong partnership. 

So here we are trying out healthy and spicy (which I love) Korean food.  Bon appétit everyone!