Eating Everything in Bangkok

Scorpions and silk worms on Khaosan Rd., Bangkok, Thailand

I landed in Bangkok just before 11pm, stood in que for a few minutes so that I could hire a taxi that would take me 45 minutes to my hostel.  Wide awake, I took in the highway.  It resembled much of the highways and byways in other major cities.  I checked in and took a shower and waited for sleep.  I stared at the louvers and the fancy bricks as I laid in bed.  It reminded of my grandmothers' house in Trinidad.  I pulled the thin covers closer to my chest but then my feet was exposed to the night air.  I tried to close the louvers, but they were broken... oh Bangkok!

Life in Korea: How Do Vegetarians Survive Korea?

Initially, I was a little grossed out when the food, a pile of raw chicken mixed with cabbage and other vegetables was placed on the hot plate right in front of me.  I was eating out, celebrating the birthday of a fellow teacher, Kelly. But since I hadn't had any issue finding something that suited my vegetarian diet in my two years of living in Korea, I wasn't worried.

I inquired about what I could get from the menu at a popular Dakalbi place in Shin Jeju, Chun Ton Myun Tong Dakgalbi. And while the Korean women who were a part of the dinner party were busying themselves trying to find out what, if anything, was available for me to eat, I chatted with my friends.

All this time, the food was cooking at our table and it started to smell really good and every so often, a chef would come over and stir things up a bit.  What was I going to do?

Life in Korea: The Culture Shock

I was a bit disoriented after my 13 hr flight with Korean Air, from Chicago to Seoul, but that's another story.  Absolutely nervous, I barely left my hotel room because one, I hadn't learned the language, and two, I was afraid of getting lost in a city that didn't have street names.  I am just learning to recognize streets by their names, having lived in Korea two years already.  Unless you've had some exposure to Korean culture, you're in for some culture shock.

This is just one of several things I found sometimes nice, sometimes bizarre, but none-the-less, shocking when I moved to Korea in 2012.  So here's a look at ten other experiences my friends and I had during our first few weeks in Korea.

Jeju Island Editions: 6 Best Places to Eat Near City Hall

I love food!!  I realized this when I went vegan for one month during World Vegan's Month last November.  I would find these awesome recipes and make them my own by changing out vegetables or beans or grains to one that suited my appetite and omg!!!  A vegan foodie was born.  However, by mid December, I was back to my regular vegetarian diet.

With Korea being a veggie friendly country, it's easy to think that foods that look vegetarian are, but that's often not the case as most of the sauces used in the cooking process contains anchovy paste.  Fear not!  I've been living on the island for nearly a year already and I've mapped out several food spots that will satisfy whatever craving (within reason) you may have.

Things to Note:

• With the exception of The Loving Hut, each restaurant offers meat-based meals for the meat lovers.
• Be sure to see below for hours and a map on how to get there form Jeju-si City Hall (체주시청).  If you are using a mobile phone, you will need to download the Naver Map App. 

28 Days of Love: Good Eating

Stuffed Peppers w/ Quinoa Medley

Last November, during world vegan’s month, I decided that I would challenge myself to eating vegan foods for one month.  I found that there was vegan foodie living in me and although a vegan diet will take advanced preparation to sustain, its well worth the effort.  It was successful and as much as I thought I could sustain a vegan diet, by mid December, I was back to my regular (vegetarian) diet.

Well, it’s February and due to some online support, I’m attempting 28 Days of Love, a vegan diet challenge for the month of February.  It’s a month to get back on track to wholeness and wellness, starting with finding balance in the bowl.

Here’s something I did tonight with friends who came over for dinner.  With an assortment of your favorite vegetables and whole green peppers of your choosing…it’s actually quite easy to make.