Top 10 Tasty Adventures in 2013

As the year 2013 comes to a close, it’s the perfect time to reflect on all of its happenings.  And for Who Eats Better? it’s a mouthwatering time to graze over the most delicious, most terrifying, and most interesting topics of 2013.  Here are my Top 10 Tasty Adventures in 2013: remember the episodes previously aired on Who Eats Better? and enjoy several new experiences and photos never before posted!

10. HollyFood

I have always been a huge movie buff; this year I got really into baking.  Combine the two pleasures and you will find many treats inspired by Hollywood. 

Clockwise from top left: The Game of Thrones birthday cake, Spiderman and Iron Man cupcakes, The Walking Dead pastry "intestines" and "brain" cupcakes, and the Jurassic Park logo of candy.

9. A Comic-Cook-Book

One of my very first posts inspired by my favorite food blogger, Adam Roberts of Amateur Gourmet.  View the full graphic novella here.

8. Monday Night Dinner

It’s hard to believe I’ve never written a specific post about Monday Night Dinner (MND) before because it was a significant tradition that spanned over more than two years of my time in Boulder, CO.   Almost every Monday night in my Boulder history, the MND crew took turns hosting each other for new recipes or old favorites, but most importantly, developing some of the most memorable episodes and significant friendships of my life.

7. Bill Clinton’s Mexican Platter

While visiting my grandparents in Tucson, AZ with my youngest brother Drew, we paid a visit to a famous Mexican restaurant featured on one of my favorite shows, Man vs. Food.  Mi Nidito has had its fair share of celebrities, but the reason for our trip was Bill Clinton.  He visited in 1989.  Being a huge fan of Mexican food, he couldn’t choose just one delicious menu item, so he ordered one of everything: bean tostado, beef taco, chile relleno, chicken enchilada, and beef tamale.  That doesn’t count the unlimited supply of chips and salsa.  Since that day, the restaurant has been serving Bill’s personal platter, and in June, 2013, Drew and I conquered it all.

6. Boulder Brewery Bouncing

One day: nine breweries.  Go!  Read the full story here.

5. Hawaii

This past spring I visited my best friend from college, Rachel, and her family while they were living in Hawaii.  It was an amazing trip!  Read about my most "onolicious" foods here. 

4. Vegan Challenge

My 30-day vegan challenge was one of the most stimulating parts of this blog’s year.  It inspired a lot of creative writing, and the series are some of the most liked and commented on posts of WEB?.  The post, "Vegan Challenge: The Dreaded Dinner Party" wins the award for Most Liked Post in 2013!

3. Korean Sannakji

“As long as you chew, it won’t get stuck.”  Watch the full video of me trying live octopus here.

2. Korean Fish Market

How often do you get to meet the animal before it ends up on your plate?  In the coastal city of Sokcho, Korea, I visited a fish market and actually chose an oblivious swimming fish to be immediately prepared and served sashimi style.  I said a sacrificial prayer as the fresh meat melted in my mouth.  It was an alarming and delectable experience.

1. The Inception of Who Eats Better?

It seems ages ago now, but it was only this year that WEB? was born on March 8^th.  Maintaining a blog has proved challenging, but satisfying to the mind, and of course, the stomach!  My inaugural post “When do we eat?” wins the award for Most Viewed Post in 2013.  Auld lang syne, 2013, and cheers to 2014!  Happy New Year!

In case you missed the links above, check out some of the best from 2013:

"Boulder Brewery Bouncing" - one day, nine breweries
"Braaains! And Cupcakes" - The Walking Dead themed post
"Dinner: It's Only Mostly Dead" - trying live octopus
"Simply Aloha" - a delicious Hawaiian getaway
"Must Go Faster!" - Jurassic Park candied logo
"Vegan Challenge: Cold Tofurky" - the first of the series
"Vegan Challenge: The Dreaded Dinner Party" - Most Liked in 2013
"When do we eat?" - Most Viewed in 2013

Christmas in Korea, Featuring Germany and Belgium

With this being my first Christmas away from home, and in a country so far away, I've been feeling a surplus of Christmas spirit with very little outlet.  So I decided to bring an American Christmas to Korea.  I wanted to gift my Korean co-workers and friends with something "über" traditional to my home country.  I had no idea how ironic my use of the German word "über" would be...

My first thought: candy canes!  What is more iconic to the jolly holiday than those adorable peppermint sticks.  My goal was to find them aplenty and adorn them with googly eyes and pipe cleaners to resemble our red-nosed friend, Rudolph.  Don't you remember making these as a kid?  Or receiving one every year from your kin?  

In Korea, candy canes are a rare commodity, even around Christmastime.  It was at this time that I learned exactly what Christmas means in Korea, according to a few local friends.

Christmas is a fairly new holiday to the country and pretty much everything they've adopted as Christmas culture comes from the USA.  Christmas cards are in English, American holiday classics are their song choices, and even the Korean translation of "Merry Christmas" is pronounced "Mae-ree-kuh-ri-se-mes-eh."  Did you hear it?  

Even more interesting, I learned there are three main collectives that celebrate Christmas in Korea.  There are Christians who celebrate Christmas by attending a church service on Christmas day.  There are parents who have young children with the blissful belief in Santa Claus.  And then there are unmarried couples, who this holiday seems to favor the most.  On Christmas day, Korea more resembles an American Valentine's Day.  Couples go out for dinner and give each other doe eyes as they exchange chocolate and cute presents.  (Side note: in Korea, gifting a significant other shoes before marriage is believed to cause a quick end to the relationship.)

Let's return to the candy canes: my hunt was short lived.  I found them at a bakery for $2 a cane and, let's be honest, they're not that good.  It was back to the drawing board.  

After a much appreciated care package from the USA, I quickly remembered the three C's of Christmas: cookies, candy, and cocktails!  However, let's keep it clean and say hot chocolate.  And what is more American than melting marshmallows in your hot cocoa?  Like the candy canes, I was sending myself on a wild goose chase, but this time I prevailed!  These might be the most American 'mallows I've ever seen.  

These cookies, on the other hand, are less American, but the gingerbread men and other Christmas impressions still did the trick.  

Now, do you remember my choice of wording with an "über" traditional gift and my insinuation to its irony?  Here's where that comes in.  I had two C's left on my wish list: hot cocoa and candy.  I went to a large "everything" store in Seoul called E-mart.  Wal-mart's cousin?  Most likely.  First I found this classy "hot choco" imported from Belgium.  

Then I snagged these jolly guys who I can only guess traveled from Germany.  

The best way to tie the whole ensemble together: a seasonal mug.  

As I delivered these to the various desks and offices, I labeled them as a "traditional American Christmas gift."  Little did they know (or maybe they totally knew) that only 20% of the gift could actually claim American citizenship.  But hey, it's the thought that counts.  

Merry Christmas!

Bibimbap for the King...and Michael Jackson

Food has always been an extremely important piece of Korean culture.  For the kings of the Joseon dynasty beginning in the 1300's, food was as precious as gold.  The royal dishes, called "sura", were made by the most skillful cooks using only the best seasonal ingredients selected from every available source in the country.  Kings usually dined on three square meals a day, each with 9-12 side dishes!  Here is a replica of how a typical table appeared at mealtime in the palace.  It's good to be the king, eh?

Replicas of a king's table during the Joseon dynasty; he even got dessert!

I was fortunate enough to attend a cooking class in the beautiful Gyeongbokgung Palace.  On the menu was "goldongban" more commonly known as "bibimbap", which means "mixed rice."  There are many variations of this dish, but we concentrated on the more traditional one (and randomly enough, Michael Jackson's favorite according to the class's head chef), involving minced beef and shiitake mushrooms.  Here are some pictures of our personal "suragan", meaning "royal kitchen."

Clockwise from top left: the instructional station with a closeup view of the action on the TV; our group cooking station; the lovely recipe; Korean women frying up fish fillets.

Behold the magical foods!

The most interesting thing about Korean dishes is the significance of all its components.  Koreans have a strong belief in the holistic power of food.  Good food is the best medicine.   Ancient Koreans actually believed that certain food had healing powers and could cure even the worst diseases.  While not as extreme today, there are many foods that hold a distinct purpose.  Some of our ingredients in the cooking class including shiitake mushrooms, bean sprouts, and Chinese bell flowers held the secrets to warding off cancer, relieving a hangover, and soothing a sore throat, respectively.  

My universally balanced bibimbap.

Another integral part of any Korean dish is the color.  The importance of colors spawns from the belief that a person's body is only healthy when its yin and yang are in balance with the five elements that make up the universe.  Not only visually appealing, the food's colors are these five elements' representation: red, green, black, white and yellow.  You can see in the bibimbap that we made in the class, each color is made prominent by the cucumbers (green), fern brackens (black), Chinese bell flowers (white), fried fish fillets (yellow), and red pepper paste (red).  

Professionally-made bibimbap

In most traditional bibimbap, the color yellow is represented with a raw egg.  Cooked and served in a scorching iron bowl, the hot rice cooks the egg as you mix all the ingredients together.  The presentation is almost too beautiful to eat! 

The cooking class was a great success.  Not only did I eat some delicious food, but I learned the care and love that goes into making Korean food.  Several Korean women were frying the fish fillets as we entered and the fern brackens had been soaking in salt water for days.  There are very specific techniques in cooking and preparing each ingredient, and they made sure we were doing it just so.  It was quite a delicious learning experience!  

Here I am with my group at our cooking station.

Dinner: It's Only Mostly Dead

Last weekend I went out with my co-workers for a seafood dinner unlike any I've had before.  The restaurant was situated right on the beach in the city of Incheon.  The ocean provided a beautiful reminder of where the food on our plates had come from, some of it seeming all too recently.

I think the main attraction of the night was the squirming "sannakji" - live octopus.  Technically it isn't alive because they remove the brain, but its active body provides some unsettling entertainment: dinner and a show!  Similar to a chicken continuing to run around despite its recent decapitation, it's only "mostly dead." The sannakji's most infamous serving style is the full-size tentacles being wrapped, or more rather suction-cupped, around a chopstick.  An even more jaw-dropping presentation: the little guy in its entirety flailing all eight tentacles in your (still hungry?) face.  Thankfully the sannakji served at my table was cut into pieces, but it was still quite a shocking site.

You think they're active on the plate? They put up a fight all the way down.  I've heard stories of sannakji fatalities because the little buggers can cling onto your throat upon swallowing and block your airway.  There was no way I was trying this sannakji....without proof of my survival!  My co-teacher commandeered the camera and offered me her blessing, just before warning me, "Make sure to chew well so it doesn't stick."

An Apple That Says, "I'm Sorry"

October 24th here in Korea is national Apple Day. The Korean word for apple is "sah-gwa" which is also the word used for "sorry." The tradition of Apple Day is to bestow an apple upon someone deserving of your apology. Whether you need to admit guilt to a friend, confess a lie to a loved one, or beg pardon from your boss, it's an adorable request for forgiveness that's sure to be accepted.

On this day, I bequeath unto "Who Eats Better?" my sah-gwa as an apology for my neglect these past five months and pledge to make a better effort at keeping this blog alive. But what good is one apple to an allergic writer, her mouth-less website, and its remote readers? So, for the first time in "Who Eats Better?" history, this post and its contents were written, photographed , and published using only the following products:

How about them Apples? 

Simply Aloha

Contrary to popular belief, “aloha” doesn’t translate to “hello” and “goodbye.”  It simply means “love.”  That is how I could best describe America’s 50^th state: simply love.  The Hawaiian people share their own unique culture and language that makes it completely distinct from the rest of the country.  I felt totally at ease and content during my 10-day visit; no wonder it’s a top vacation destination.  Besides spending every day relaxing on a beach and catching up with my wonderful college friend, Rachel, and her family, one of the best parts of my trip was the food!  The day my plane landed on the island of Oahu was the day I had just completed my 30-day vegan challenge.  I was ready to indulge, and that is exactly what I did.  Here are my picks, in no particular order, of my 11 favorite Hawaiian eats.

1. “When In Hawaii…”

Hank’s Haute Dogs doesn’t look like much on the outside, but this little diner is quite a star on Waikiki Beach.  Featured on one of my favorite shows, Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives, this hot dog stand boasts a unique menu starring the American staple.  Some twists on the basic wiener include a sausage made from wild boar, a “Fat Boy” wrapped in bacon and deep fried, and a “Lobster Sausage” as seen on the DDD episode.  Their most unique dogs are only served on certain days of the week, such as the famous lobster dog served on Fridays and Saturdays only.  Since we visited in the middle of the week I decided to follow the popular Roman idiom and ordered “The Hawaiian”: a Portuguese sausage smothered with a sweet mango mustard and pineapple relish.  Accompanied by French fries and a coke, it was a pretty swell meal.

2.  Alex vs. Hukilau Burger

Another notorious dive featured on 50 First Dates and visited by Adam Richman of Man vs. Food, Hukilau Café is not for the faint of heart.  Its appearance mimics a basement cafeteria and there were more flies inside than people, but I was there to complete a mission: the legendary Hukilau Burger.  The already significant patty of beef is topped with thinly sliced teriyaki steak, cheese, lettuce, tomato, grilled onion, and a fried egg.  Merely a quick bite for Adam, it looked like Everest to me.  Buzzing flies and all, I conquered the greasy beast with pride (and perhaps a clogged artery or two).

3. Waiki-cocktails

With it being the most popular beach in the city, I couldn’t complete my trip to Honolulu without a visit to Waikiki.  Rachel and I went to the popular resort restaurant by the name of Duke’s.  It felt like a cliché Hawaiian honeymoon and it was fantastic.  An enormous endless salad bar (three trips, thank you) was the appetizer.  My main dish was the seasonal fish, a white fish called monchong, grilled with a cilantro miso glaze and topped with a mango salsa.  No Hawaiian meal would be complete without a fruity tropical drink.  Rachel had Duke’s special Mai Tai, and I went with the icy blended “Lava Flow”.  They were the perfect complement to sunset on the notorious beach.

4.  Leonard, M.B. (Master Baker)

If you ever find yourself on Oahu, please, for the love of baked goods, find Leonard’s Malasadas!  They are pastries sent from above.  If I could meet the creator Leonard, I would shake his hand with one hand while eating a malasada with the other.  The original bakery is in Honolulu, but there are several “Malasadamobiles” around the city frying the Portuguese donuts.  Instead of a hole in the middle, these treats come filled with various custards, or left empty like the original, and then are rolled in sugar.  We ate them fresh and hot out of the fryer and I think my feet floated two inches off the ground the whole time. 

5. Aoki Dokey!

Aoki’s Shave Ice is a landmark on the North Shore of Oahu.  It’s been family owned and operated for more than 25 years.  Hawaiian shaved ice is nothing new on the mainland, but have you ever had it served with ice cream and sweet azuki beans?  I regretfully declined the traditional beans, but vanilla ice cream and syrup-flavored shaved ice is delicious!  I felt like a happy kid eating the rainbow snack out of the trunk of the car in the parking lot displaying warning signs of falling coconuts and broken windshields.  Don’t worry, we parked in a safe zone. 

6.  Breakfast on the Big Island

Hungry and driving along the coast of the Big Island, we impulsively stopped at a small café, which turned out to have an incredible breakfast.  I ordered a fresh papaya, halved and filled with more fruit, creamy yogurt and sprinkled with toasted coconut.  It was served with thick homemade toasted bread and a poached egg, at my request.  Rachel had scrumptious breakfast sandwich on the same thick bread.  Although a little foggy, we had quite the view during our meal, although my favorite part about the restaurant was that the employees put out jelly tins for hungry geckos.  It was quite entertaining to watch them scurry and slurp. 

7.  “I’ve Got a Lovely Bunch of Coconuts”

After completing our near-six-mile roundtrip hike to the Papakolea Green Sand Beach, we were met with an El Salvadorian man selling coconuts he had harvested hours earlier.  Upon placing my order he promptly wacked off the top with an intimidating machete, poked in a straw, and handed it over.  He waited patiently while I sucked down all the juice and with another quick machete strike, he split the coconut to reveal the ripe meat.  It was actually much bitterer than the juice and the slimy texture kept me from finishing, but I hope it’s not the last time I drink fresh coconut milk. 

8.  The Southernmost Cocoa Puff

Being on the south coast of the Big Island, the majority of nearby businesses’ claim to fame is “The Southernmost….in the USA.”  The marketing scheme worked on us.  We stopped at Punalu’u’ Bake Shop, “The Southernmost Bakery in the USA.”  Since I’d already eaten my share of malasadas, I went with another Hawaiian favorite: the cocoa puff.  A delicate pastry packed with milk chocolate pudding and dusted with powdered sugar…it was the southernmost delicious dessert in the USA I’ve ever eaten.

9.  Aloha Beer!

Since I work at a brewery, I thought it was only responsible to visit the Kona Brewing Co. and sample some Hawaiian beer.  I chewed on crispy wild mushroom pizza while sipping on assorted ales. 

10.  Bubba Gump Would Be Proud

North Shore is famous for its shrimp trucks.  As Bubba said in Forrest Gump, “shrimp is the fruit of the sea.”  In a parking lot where the shrimp trucks park bumper to bumper, “there’s shrimp kabobs, shrimp gumbo, shrimp barbecue, shrimp sandwiches…”  I went with the shrimp creole from Dat Cajun Guy’s truck.  It’s safe to say that it is the best shrimp I’ve ever had.  The Cajun gravy was unlike any other, but the shrimp itself was so fresh and plump.  “I do know what love is, Jenny” and it’s that shrimp!

11.  Onolicious Luau

For my last night in Hawaii, Rachel and I attended a traditional luau.  Although extremely touristy, they still cooked the pork true to customary form: in an imu.  (Pronounced “emu” they had me thinking they shoved the pig in a giant Australian bird, but it is in fact an underground oven.)  We watched the ceremonial exhuming of the smoked pig and then loaded our plates at the buffet with all the typical fare: kalua pork, macaroni salad, and poi (mashed taro root).  We watched luau dancers and pyrotechnic performances as we finished off our sweet Mai Tais.  As the locals say, it was “onolicious!”

Before catching my flight, I gave one final Kona brewed toast to a Hawaiian sunset.  Aloha, Hawaii!

Boulder Brewery Bouncing

Since living in Boulder, Colorado, it should come as no surprise that I've developed a sincere relationship with craft beer.  I'm not sure if I've quite reached "hop head" status, but it's safe to say I'm now a devoted fan of the IPA.  My dad has never been prouder!

My younger brother is also in the midst of cultivating a beer passion and this Memorial Day, we spent the better part of his visit in a serious beer daze.  Each day was spent experimenting with a different local six pack from one of the surrounding areas of Boulder.  The brews within the city limits?  Don't worry, we're getting to that. 

Our plan: to visit all of Boulder's favorite craft breweries in one day.  Reality: it took two days, only because we were having too much fun, and savoring excellent flavors, to pass through quickly!  Take a look at our photographic adventure:

Vegan Challenge: I'm only human!

Although the challenge wasn’t impossible and was pretty fun, I had my ups and downs.  As with any challenging obstacle, the thought of cheating crosses your mind at least once, even if it’s, “I will not cheat!” we’re still thinking about the prospect.  We’re only human!  So I will use this post to admit my biggest weaknesses throughout my 30-day trial.  Before I continue I would just like to point out a few of my extreme strengths:

1. My boss brought cupcakes to work one day and I didn’t even lick the frosting. 

2. Every time my staff meal came with sour cream on top, I always scooped it off, even if it meant wasting a little of the food it was touching.

3. I stayed in one night when all my friends were together having chicken wings (and I love chicken wings...and my friends, of course).

4. I was not a sneaky cheater; it was always done in the presence of others and I made them well aware of what was happening, usually with a long monologue and rhetorical statements and questions like, "Does it really matter if I have one bite?"

Ok, so on to the bamboozlement!  I split my cheating into two categories: Shameless and Shameful.  "Shameless" doesn't mean I'm exactly proud of these cheats, it was still cheating, but that I can back them up with really good reasons for my actions.  "Shameful", however, I have no good reasons, I just gave in.

Alex's Shameless, No-Regrets Cheats

Taste of Pearl – I paid $60 to sample 17 local restaurants and by god, I was going to get my money’s worth!

Chicken (just a bite) – I had just learned that my dear old, sweet dog was being put down in a matter of hours (she was very sick and it was for the best).  I did it for Rudy.  She would have wanted it that way. 

Guinness – Did you know they use fish bladders in the brewing process?  Me neither.

Alex's Shameful, But Still No-Regrets, Cheats

Nacho Cheese from Taco Bell – it was a Mad Cow Craving no substitute could satisfy.

Black Bean Burger (made with eggs) – I knew the ingredients and I got it anyway out of spite (this was about two weeks in).

Movie Theater Popcorn – the bag was passed, my hand commandeered my brain, I didn’t even realize until later when I was washing the greasy butter off my fingers what I had done.

 

Guinness – after my shameless first beer when I learned about the fish bladders, I had a shameful second one...

 Marshmallows – remember my Jurassic Park candy logo?  Do you know how long that took?  Anyone would have caved! 

Overall, I would say I very much enjoyed the vegan challenge.  For only 30 days, I think the most difficult part was grocery shopping and knowing what substitutes and their brands to buy.  I had plenty of help and support with recipes, eating out, and dinner parties.  The challenge was fun and it’s inspired me to incorporate more veganism into my daily life.  Meat and dairy will become less prominent in my diet, but won’t be totally eliminated.  Let’s face it: I love my cheeseburgers....and pizza....and nachos….I just love to eat everything!