This year's international Christmas Eve for our family was Korean.
Shortly after Thanksgiving, Wife and I went to a local Korean restaurant and thoroughly enjoyed the food, so much so that we decided they could do it better than we could, so we would get it from them! We talked to a nice lady there who told us to call a few hours before we would like it, and she would have it ready for us. Let me tell you, this made preparation and cleanup much easier.
We did the usual of drinks and apps in the entry hall, with steamed and fried dumplings, and a seafood pancake which may sound strange, but was awesome. We made a couple of cocktails from Jinro, a Korean spirit, and I bought some Korean, rice-based beer, most of which is still in the beer fridge in the garage if that tells you anything.
The main course food included bibimbap, Korean barbecue and bulgogi, all served with rice (bibimbap actually has rice incorporated into it and mixed in a bowl) and sides of kimchi.
As usual, it was a fun evening as we expanded our knowledge of cuisine and culture. Some pictures below, as well as a video I hope you can open.
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| Korean cuisine |
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| Drinks and apps in the entry hall |
11 comments:
Bibimbap is on regular rotation in our house and has been for years along with a jar of kimchi always in our fridge. For the rest though, we stop at Korean restaurants on occasion.
Awesome! Glad you had a Merry Christmas. My family has done a Christmas Eve choir service at a downtown Catholic church for the past 10 years and have always picked up some sort of Asian takeout on the way home. It took us a few rounds to realize we had created a tradition. :)
I have never had a rice-based beer... sounds like you aren't a fan, but I will have to give it a go.
Ed, it was hard for me to describe Korean food as distinctive from other Asian food. I found it had a bit more tanginess, perhaps? I really liked it, and we will definitely visit the Korean restaurant again.
Andrew, our tradition started quite by accident when, about 15-ish years ago, we decided to have Mexican food on Christmas Eve just to mix things up a bit. As for the rice-based beer, not terrible, but wouldn't buy it again.
Looks fun, Bob, and I appreciated the video. We (my son and I) tried a new beer at Thanksgiving that didn't go over well, either. It'll make appearance in an "Instagram Photos" post at my blog before too long.
I love Korean food! Did you serve it Korean style (everyone gets their own rice and soup bowl, but everything else (a half dozen varieties of Kimchi, etc) is on the table and you just reach over with your chopsticks for a bite? I think Korean more bite than most Asian foods.
Kelly, I will look forward to seeing that post. I rarely meet a beer I don't like, and as I told Andrew, it wasn't terrible, but not something I will routinely choose. Some breweries here are starting to make sours, which I am also not too keen on.
Jeff, as to serving Korean style, not exactly, but I know what you are referring to. It's how the Korean restaurant I wrote about served it. With our current cast of characters (5 grandchildren), it is in our best interest to go with what is easiest (like takeout!). And you are right, a bit more of a bite, but in a good way.
That is something that I miss most about living away from the big city...ethnic restaurants. I love Korean food.
Debby, we have a big immigrant population in Nashville, so there are some very good ethnic restaurants. The cool thing is the best ones are off the beaten path, away from the downtown area, and quite reasonably priced. If you take the time to track them down, as we did for the Korean place, you can find some real gems.
Asian cuisines definitely can blend together as many share commonalities between them. I tend to see Korean food as beef/pork heavy to many other Asian cuisines from poorer Asian countries heavier on seafood and chicken. But I've never been to Korea and I imagine they have a very vibrant seafood element as well along some of their shores. Most of my Korean experience has been at Korean BBQ places and a few Korean friends I have met over the years who've invited me to dinner.
Beautiful table - the cloths and all the decorations. Fun. I also enjoyed hearing the southern voices in the background. I know you live in Nashville, but I just never imagined a southern drawl. Isn't that funny? You've convinced me to put "visiting a Korean restaurant" on the list of near future plans.
Haha Becki, yes we're in Nashville, and parts of the family live in Alabama and Georgia. My wife and I grew up in Arkansas and that's where our children were born. So yes, we are in fact southern! (My younger son did live in northern IN for three years, but his southern drawl was already pretty ingrained in him! :-) ) Good to hear from you!
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