It's more than just a meal

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It begins and ends with tea...and includes the great company of family and friends.
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What goes on during such a meal, I cannot tell you. It is just one of those things you need to experience to understand. The best I can do for now is share with you the food.
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Soon after the first pot of tea is brought out...

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...come the Kimchis and pickled diakon/onion with black bean paste!

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We begin picking at the delicious options having to try everything, then each slowly moving our favorite kinds closer to us. For me this is the cubed diakon radish Kimchi...yum! Mom likes the one made with American cabbage and Dad is all about the julienned diakon and cucumber.

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As we dig in, Mom always grabs the vinegar and pours on the diakon/onion combo, which is then dipped in the delicious bean paste.

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Then comes the soup.

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This has got to be the clearest and most pure broth I have ever seen! It is pretty much an egg drop soup...Korean style.

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Now for the BEST Kimchi Pancakes you've ever had!

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I really am inspired to figure out just how they do these. So deliciously spicy with an unbelievable crusty outside!!!!
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Still munching on the mini Kimchi buffet...

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Ah, now for the main course!

For me it's the noodles with black bean paste!!

I think the proper name is Jajangmyun (or Ja Jang Myun), but know that varies depending on the vegetables and presence of meat.

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Dad's favorite Ohm Rice!

A fried rice type dish in a super thin egg bowl with a dollop of ketchup.

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I love that he still loves this dish. Whenever we go, this is what he will most often get. This is also one of those dishes my mother makes just for him at home (her own version of course).

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But why do I love his love for it? For the fact this was one of the dishes she would serve him early on in their relationship.

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My memory of the story may be a bit off, but here is what I imagine every time he digs into it -

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I try to imagine them back in Korea as a young international pair soo in love. Dad was a Marine stationed in Okinawa and Mom a cosmetologist in Korea. Being the true cliche of love at first sight, my father was smitten when he saw her in a store and soon enough my mother was too. He would take every opportunity to hop the next flight from his base in Japan to visit my Mother in Korea.

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The way Korean women care for their men is amazing (I still have a lot to learn...just ask Hubs). I imagine her cooking this up for him in her tiny apartment on the days he was visiting. They would have dinner, enjoy each other's company and she would wash his socks and hang them to dry (a gesture most likely lost in translation here).

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Almost 29 years later, they are still just as much in love...if not more so. They have built a wonderful life and family together. What I admire the most is that they have always remained best friends, companions, and devoted life-long loves.

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The love in this dish is timeless.
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Mom usually switches things up when she goes. On this particular afternoon she went with Chop Che. We most often reserve this for summertime in our family, but she was craving it.
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It consists of clear Korean noodles, perfectly sliced carrots, onions, scallions and beef (bulgogi).
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We also had one my mother's Korean friends with us this trip. She went for the Bim Bim Bop.
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This is one of those more commonly known Korean dishes and is made up with whatever is handy for veggies, hot pepper/bean paste mixture, and topped with a fried egg.
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The portions are HUGE here.
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This was I had left over...which of course I HAD to bring home with me :O)
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A true sign the meal is over...empty kimchi bowls!
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We end with just one last cup of tea.
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Korean food...it's more than just a meal!