Focus On… A Dash of Love

Last week I tried to give you a glimpse into the various mouth watering foods I’ve had the privilege of eating during my time in Seoul. However, in order for one's hangriness(hungry + angry) to be properly satiated someone must prepare the meal. Now, when I was at Syracuse my dad would often supply me with ample boxes of groceries delivered to my door. I had no choice but to cook.When I’m back in the 305, I can count on my mom’s famous Mac n Cheese, abuela's arroz con pollo or even my brother to put his own spin on a family favorite dish. I enjoy the aspect of preparing a meal from “scratch” but it can be time consuming. Also, It can be daunting preparing something you’ve never made before. Contrary to my thoughts of inadequacy in the kitchen, I’ve been repeatedly reassured that “You can cook anything, you just have to try”. In combination with an eagerness to learn, a recipe book and patience, I can make anything. Now, my boys and I are always looking for some activity to fill our weekends. When it was suggested we’d do a cooking class I was immediately interested. I gleefully went about my week and recalled the bibimbap I’d made with one of the grocery kits I’d gotten. I thought about how hard it could be. Sunday arrives and It’s a gorgeous day out. Spontaneously, I decided to hop on the bus and just take a ride out until I felt “ready” to get off. I had no recollection about our cooking class until the reminder text went out. As a man of my word, I made sure to be back in time for our cooking adventure. What follows next surely ingrains itself as one of my favorite cooking experiences to date. 

We arrive at our meeting point as directed by our chef about 10 minutes early. 5:30pm arrives and we wonder if maybe we were waiting at the wrong exit. It even crosses our mind that she won’t know what group of people to approach. Then as if out of thin air, an energetic Korean woman approaches saying a name we were unfamiliar with. Then she says, “Hello K Cookingclass?”. I looked to our travel manager who had organized the outing and he confirmed that she was indeed our guide for the evening. Our next stop was a produce market. 
 

I kid you not, Chef’s energy was contagious. She knew how to keep us engaged and eager for more. It felt like something out of a movie.I mean she had great reviews on tripadvisor and we were her second class for the evening. If there was a definition for booked and busy you’d probably find Chef Junghee on the first page. Arriving at the market felt like something out of a Netflix docuseries. We walked past various stalls that were littered with herbs,spices and everything in between. Our first stop entailed finding the difference between some spicy peppers. Upon closer looks at these crimson red peppers, I couldn’t tell them apart. Chef went on to indicate that without the specific description from the supplier the only way to tell them apart would be tasting them. And I’m good at that. She then guided us to a food stall where we ate something fried on a skewer. It was a hit because our whole group went quiet. We then wandered through the rest of the market with our guide and emerged at an inner street.

It wasn’t long before we arrived at her studio. After about 5 minutes of entering we learned it was also her place of residence. Learning to cook Korean food while a toddler cheers you on or maybe just stares at you is energizing. It can’t get any better than that. She had everything we needed laid out to prepare our meal.

Chef gave us our assignment and then BOOM. We were off. 30 minutes on the clock. While I’d be down for a Masterchef- like experience, maybe another time. Our first dish Bibimbap entailed preparing some rice, vegetables and meat. I think I heard her say that mine was the most beautiful in presentation, but don’t quote me on that.

Dakgalbi was up next. It was a stir fried chicken that used various spices to prepare. It wasn’t too hard to season. With the proper measurements and recipe at hand our chicken came out tangy and juicy. The hint of curry powder made all the difference. Thanks Chef. Since time was cutting it close, our chef simply showed us how to make doenjang-jjigae, a fermented soybean paste stew.

She did insist that we have our ultimate chef experience by making haemul pajeon, a seafood pancake. I whisked my batter until it transformed from a flour-like desert to a semi-liquid oasis. Chef was impressed with my ability to get the batter stable on my first try. Having mixed in my sea food, I was ready for the frying pan. I summoned my flame from the depths of my portable stovetop. Followed by lubricating my pan with just the right amount of oil. Simultaneously, my colleagues had reached about the same point in their pancake journey. We all poured our batter in and then waited. If we happened to be in a simulation and time had slowed down, I would totally believe you. This part was probably the most stressful. There was no spatula to flip the pancake. Chef wanted us to flip it. The mix of terror and excitement that filled me was riveting. Enough time had passed and she said, “pans up”. She demonstrated the motion she wanted us to emulate and then gestured it was our turn. I go for the flip and the pancake flys through the air, I ask God to activate my years of culinary experience. My eyes widen, my stance grounded, and arms nimble. I activate my laser focus and retrieve my pancake. 

All in all, that cooking class was a blast. Everything was made with a dash of love.Cooking my own food was definitely worth it and doing it with my boys was definitely worthwhile. I mean come on, we even took a “prom photo” to document the success of the night. If you’re ever in Seoul, check out “Hello K Cooking Class”.