April Update...What's Been Going On...

Hey everyone! It's been a while, hasn't it? Yes, we are still alive and well. Things have been really busy back home! The month of April has almost come and gone, and this month has been smokin' busy for the both of us.

I've been working pretty much full time as a teacher on call here in Vancouver. It's been a lot of fun so far, and the students have been awesome. I think teaching is my calling card--I enjoy the students and they laugh at my silly jokes! ;) Lately I've been working in a Grade 3 class. These students I must say are a great age group to work with. Still so keen and eager to learn!

This month it was also my mom's birthday near the beginning of the month. Happy birthday mom! Check out this mango birthday cake:

Stuffing my face full in Richmond has become a sport it seems. Everywhere you go there is always some restaurant or eatery where you can find a great deal (just watch out for some of the drivers, LOL). The following meal was from Ginger and Garlic on No.3 Road. Beef steak (it tasted like beef at least) and three pork satay skewers, along with Borshe soup and a drink for under $8!

I just started playing volleyball down by Jerico Beach on a team with my brother and some of his friends. Note to the wise: playing in barefeet on wet sand in mid April will result in frozen feet. Here's an awesome Mexican meal I had from Mexi Cali afterwards--a beef redondo, mexifries, and a lime slushy for $6 tax included!

We had time this month to make a run for the border--Washington State that is! We went down to the Seattle Premium Outlets to do some shopping. I frickn love shopping in the USA! Two pairs of shoes, jeans, and multiple shirts later satisfied my shopping needs. Of course, what is a road trip to the USA without a run to Taco Bell? It just tastes better in the US!

Here's a picture from our wait at the Peace Arch on the way back...we had no problems at Customs which was awesome!

So there you have it folks...a tiny update on what's been happening in our lives. Now that you have scoops on us, what going on in your life? I know many of you still follow my blog, which is super cool. Leave me a note in the comments!

Happy April Fools' Day, Hello Kitty!

Hey everyone, you're probably surprised that you're reading a new post on The Daily Kimchi! No, this is not some sort of dirty April Fools' joke--but it's going to be close enough. A lot has been happening lately in our lives, we both are working full time and we recently just purchased our own home! How exciting!

Anyways, just here to wish everyone a happy April Fools' Day. But in particular, a Happy April Fools' day to the following mango dessert I recently devoured from dim sum on the weekend. The following sequence of pictures is dedicated to all those creepy Hello Kitty fanatics out there! Enjoy...

Gee, here I am naked without syrup...

What is this stuff you're dousing me with?

Noo, not of all things, my jugular...ahhh!

haha...if that wasn't good enough for you, please check out the following clip of me at work:

You've been RICK ROLL'D!

To Hell & Back at Hell's Kitchen

This has been the longest period of time between blog posts! Anyways, I haven't had much time (same old story) to post stuff, so when all else fails why not just post about the meals I've eaten?

This time around our brunch took place at Hell's Kitchen--no, not that Hell's Kitchen but the one located in Kitsilano in Vancouver. We went there with my brother and his wife and this place is known for its decent grub. However on this day, I have to say they definitely had an off day...

For starters, the place was extremely understaffed (we had to wait a long time for drinks to come, and sugar packets were hard to find for our coffee). Service was not great and the cleanliness of the restaurant (we sat on the patio) was not the greatest. I've worked as a server before and in restaurants all my life--so I'm well aware of the hardships sometimes faced by servers.

On this day I felt like eating a burger so I went with that choice. Now, I know that Hell is supposed to be flaming hot, but who would've thought they would focus this to their burger patties?! When my burger arrived it looked extremely well done. I'm talking dark, charred grill marks. I love my burgers so I decided to take a bite anyways--bad decision! The entire mouthful of beef was bitter because the underside of the patty was just charred black--ouch!

See those "black strips" extending out from my burger? In the words of Ralph Wiggum, "it tastes like burning"...


Honestly though, just what the hell (no pun intended) are kitchen chefs/cooks thinking when they overcook a burger? "Hmm...it looks really black and will taste bitter...I think I'll just flip it over and try to hide it. That was easy (think of the Staples button)!"

So anyways, I let one of the servers know and they ended up making me a brand new burger with some "surprise" fixins'. After watching everyone else eat their meals (which included cold hashbrowns), I finally got my burger. It was good but nothing special. There is a positive side of this story. Hell's Kitchen did apologize for my burnt burger and took care of it on my bill (who would want to pay for a charred black burger?) which was nice.

The replacement burger 20 minutes later...yes, there is a patty underneath...


So that's my story...talk about going to hell and eating brunch with the devil. To top it off, our server's gang of girlfriends decided to occupy the patio and express their nightclub adventures from the night before out loud (quite entertaining). Ahh, the joys of eating in hell...

Eating Samgyeopsal in Richmond!

I'll admit, I am dedicating a lot less time writing posts for this blog. Honestly, I've been so busy with work and other online endeavors that I have been neglecting this blog. However, I am grateful to all of you guys that still swing by here once in a while to check up on things!

Anyways, earlier last week went went for a Korean meal in Richmond--samgyeopsal and samgyetang to be exact! This has only been the second time we've had Korean since we arrived back in Canada. You can read about our first encounter in Coquitlam here.

Why you ask? Well, I think we both had more than enough of our fair share during our time teaching English in Korea. Plus, it's so darn hard to eat anything else but delicious and cheap Chinese food in Ricemond!

So our restaurant this time around was none other than Kyung Bok Palace (check out my visit to the REAL palace here) located inside Landsdowne Shopping Mall.


On the menu today, some samgyeopsal for me and some samgyetang for Devante. Let's take a look at the pictures, shall we?

This samgyeopsal was sliced very thin, unlike the thick chunks in Korea. I loved the thick slabs...mmm...pork fat...


The ajumma (aka a teenager) flipping my pork belly...they forgot to turn on the fan, which I politely reminded them to do so:


What is this stuff again? OH right...it's called kimchi!


Remember what I said about it being sliced too thin? It's like I had crispy bacon (yes, I know this is too well done, blah blah blah; I like my samgyeopsal crispy and not fatty)!


Overall, the meal definitely was overpriced compared to prices in Korea--by a long shot. This meal would have cost 26,000w in Korea, but it cost us about $45CDN after tax and tip (that's what I miss about eating in Korea--no gratuities!). The side dishes were really good and everything tasted fresh. Too bad their service wasn't up to par. We were 1 out of 3 tables, yet I had to ask for so many things.

Anyways...let's hope our next Korean experience will be a bit better. What should I eat next?

Namdaemun: Then and Now

I've visited Namdaemun in Seoul on countless occasions. It is located in the heart of the city and I have taken lots of pictures of the beautiful monument, which sits at over 600 years old. So to discover that the ancient gate was set ablaze while I was perusing news headlines, I was surprised to say the least!

For those unaware, Namdaemun was set on fire just over a week ago. The entire incident was suspected to have originated from an arsonist, which proved to be true soon afterwards. A 70 year old man, known as "Chae" confessed to lighting Namdaemun on fire with paint thinner and a lighter.

Why the heck did this elderly man set the structure on fire? Well, his beef was about how he was not properly compensated by delevopers in the sale of a plot of land he owned. His cries for help went unnoticed so he took matters into his own hands!

Koreans are a very patriotic bunch, and to see their #1 National Treasure burn to the ground must have been devastating! They are planning to rebuild and restore the gate, but it obviously won't be the same. Let's take a look at some pictures of Namdaemun I've snapped up in the past...

...during the daytime (check out my post on Namdaemun Market)


...a few during the night...(from my trip to City Hall at night)






Pictures of the fire...here it is set ablaze with the wooden structure at the top crumbling to the ground (picture credit to the AP):


...and the aftermath (NY Times)!


Here's a clip of the inferno...


For those still in Korea...what is the general mood about the destruction of this national treasure?