Korean Market Field Trip

This morning at 9am our good friends José and Shannon picked us up for a field trip. We were headed for an adventure. The agenda - two korean markets and one carniceria (Mexican market). The first Korean market was HUGE!!! We hit the mother lode. I wished we did a little more homework before going because there was so much there, we were like kids in a candy store. The produce was unbelievable. We grabbed some fresh mangos - they just looked amazing. Then, we were drawn to noodles - there were rows and rows of them. Which ones to choose? We went with the udon. I've always been a fan of udon soup (memories of San Francisco). We snatched up some yummy shitake mushrooms that we thought would go great with the udon.

Now, it was time to hunt down some kimchi and they had an entire section of it with different levels of spiciness. We decided to go with the mild since José and Shannon said that the one they chose the last time was quite spicey. Next up, beverages. Here is a picture of Brian with the kimchi and our fav Korean beer OB (yes, we were "those people" yet again taking photos like tourists).

Here is me with a 40 ouncer of the OB (we stuck with a 6 pack). . .


Here is a photos of José and Shannon with some frozen tuna steaks. You could get the whole tuna or chopped in little squares.

I got grossed out a bit at the meat section. I went to get the thinly sliced tenderloin beef to make bulgogi. Well, they pretty much had every part of the cow available if you wanted it. I think I threw up a little in my mouth when I saw cow brain and something that looked like liver or possibly intestine? Lots of gagging and a little dry heave.

We grabbed a few more things - some sauces, gyoza, dessert, etc. and headed out. Then off to the next two locations. Queso fresco (fresh cheese), fresh salsa and the ever-so-healthy chicharones (deep fried pork rinds) are a few items purchased. We decided to head home and have a feast for lunch. Here are a few photos of our mid-day lunch.

Here's Brian stir frying the udon noodles and gyoza.

José BBQ-ing the bulgogi outside on the grill. BULGOGI!!!

We ate and drank like little piggies in the middle of the day and although we can't wait until we bring our sweet Wesley home, we appreciated the fact that days like this probably won't be exactly like this in the future. We all took a moment and savored the meal, drinks and the company. I think it's something that we will look back at some point with fond memoires. It was a great way to get even more excited about our pending trip and our new adventure ahead. Thanks guys :)