Soup and sandwiches reconsidered

I’ve always liked soup quite a bit.

But right now I’m eating soup probably more meals than I’m not eating soup.

One of the first things I learned about food from the grocery store in South Korea is that Ramen here is way better than the ramen cups we got back in America.  They were okay but even the regular like package of six ramens for like 3,000 won are really pretty good.  I’ve been getting one from E-Mart that is bright red and spicy enough to light your mouth on fire.

But it doesn’t end  there, soups have become one of my favorite things to order out on a budget.  I got sick of gim bap pretty quickly.  There’s just something about it that doesn’t really make me feel like a good meal.  But then I was introduced to some of the soups that the gim bap place near my building has.

Kimchi chigae I’ve talked a little bit about but it’s a fantastic soup provided you have a nice supply of water ready to go with your soup.  It’s also the best cure for sinus congestion I’ve ever seen as it just clears me up better than most nasal mists.  It’s seemingly always served in a small black bowl, like seen above ,and it’s usually still boiling when it’s served .

Another thing I’ve found that I’m really enjoying is Mondu ramen (phonetically anyways)   It’s a dumpling soup with ramen and it’s served in a semi-spicy watery broth.

Shabu-shabu was probably the healthiest thing I’ve had since I’ve arrived.  They put a pot of broth on to heat up at your table on a fire and then they provide you with a tray of vegetables ranging from lettuce, to sprouts to pumpkin to mix into your soup with some very small cuts of lean beef.   It’s really an all you can manage vegetable bonanza and the broth is quite delicious.

The other thing I’ve had quite a bit is stuff from Paris Baguette.  It’s a Korean chain of bakeries that has just got a few branches back stateside.  They make the best sandwiches I’ve had in a long time.  Their use of a croissant like bread reinforces my long standing position that it is the bread not the meat which makes a good sandwich great.  I especially like the cranberry walnut chicken sandwich and their ham sandwich isn’t half bad itself.

All in all Korea has yet to let me down with a really bad meal.