Korean Food At Its Best

One of the nicest things in my job thus far is getting to know some of my colleagues, and also learn more about the many cultures they hail from.  We have some lovely New Zealand families in our compound that we join to wait for the morning bus, along with a couple from Columbia and England and their cute 2-year-old, and the new hire from Fiji, who lives near the women from Korea and Portugal.  I hit it off with a fun Korean woman at orientation and she has been promising to organize a night of Korean food for some time, and was able to pull us together last weekend for an unforgettable meal of Korean delights. 

Meats ready for the Grill

I’ve long been a fan of Korean food, particularly Chap Chae and bulgogi, and my friend Pearl picked a beautiful refined restaurant with a great view of the main lake of Suzhou in which to enjoy Korean food in all its richness . Perhaps the most delicious food of the evening was those small little dishes that come at the beginning of each meal and touch every taste bud.  There is something for everyone, and the obligatory kim chee, touted as perhaps the healthiest food one can eat (pickled cabbage with lots and lots of red chili paste) is always included. 

I like most of the other dishes, and S. always dives into the kim chee. 

I discovered a new friend with the delicately flavored sesame leaf which was used to make a wrap with beef and pickled cabbage.  I couldn’t get enough, and perhaps ate more than I should have, but I was feeling it, what can I say!  The flavors were spot on, the dishes so well seasoned and meticulously prepared, I felt it was my duty to give it my full attention.
 The company was equally delightful, with my fellow 4^th grade teacher from Australia and his Indonesia wife to my left, a light-hearted fun loving Canadian woman to my right, and a fun Australian couple across from me.  It’s been interesting to see how these IB families operate, how they move their kids and belongings from place to place with grace and through it all remain open and friendly.  It’s sometimes odd to be in the distinct minority as an America, but probably very healthy.  I admit I sometimes enjoy a laugh with an American about something only we would find funny, but it’s been very enriching to have new friends from new places with new ways of thinking and doing things.  The ones from English speaking countries have some very hard-to-comprehend accents, but that also provides some good laughs as well.

Beef ready for the sesame leaf and pickled cabbage