For this Eats with Jeff, somehow we ended up eating two bizarre foods, chicken feet and raw beef. Coincidentally, the restaurants happened to be in the same neighborhood. I will say that I'm no stranger to unique foods. Even though I was raised in America, my parents were really adamant about introducing me to other cultures and their foods. I think that's one of the best parts of life and traveling is experiencing new things.
I apologize for the shameless photo of me, but I was really excited about my outfit. As Jeff told me, it was very Korean. I find that the longer I live in Korea, the more Korean I look. All my Korean friends already tell me they think of me as one of them. Before I know it, I'll be an honorary Korean and will be so confused when I'm back in America.
Chicken Feet
Chicken Feet
Chicken Feet Wrap
I've eaten chicken feet at dimsum restaurants before and I've enjoyed it. It's not necessarily my favorite dish and I wouldn't immediatley think to eat it, but it's quite tasty. Although, I hate holding up a mangled chicken foot and knawing away at it. I always feel a bit awkward. Thankfully, these chicken feet were deboned, so I didn't have to spend heaps of time taking off the meat. Korean style chicken feet is very different from the Chinese style. It's mixed with red sauce and sesame seeds. It's also grilled so it's not full of sauce. When you find a really nice blackened piece and eat it with a sesame leaf, it's really yummy.
Jeff is seriously the little brother I never had. It's really creepy how similar he is to my older brother Chris. They make the same expressions. They even speak like one another. Even though they have similarities, Jeff is also completely different. I'm so thankful we were able to meet and become friends. Just think, if we never met, I never would have tried so many delicious foods.
Hanu Beef Pajeon
Raw Beef or Yukhoe
Beef Sashimi
I've always been a bit iffy about raw meat. I think it's one of the things that they drill in your head back home. Raw meat can lead to an upset stomach, food poisoning or worse, death. It isn't something that I was keen on, but after being in Korea, I really wanted to try it. Jeff was able to find a really good restaurant that only served raw beef and at a reasonable price. I couldn't believe some of the prices he quoted me. Since we stuffed our faces full of chicken feet earlier, we decided to order a small sampler. There was ground marinated beef with a raw egg and beef sashimi. The beef sashimi wasn't that great. It was cold and a little tasteless. The marinated beef was amazing. It was so flavorful. I would actually eat that again if I get the chance.
Ugh, why is his face so cute?
Seriously, sometimes I can't deal with it.
Carrot Cake
Strawberry Cake and Cappuccino
Afterward, we wandered around Seomyeon for a bit looking for a nice cafe. We finally found the Coffee and Cake Studio and ended the evening with yummy cake and coffee. I feel like Eats with Jeff wouldn't be complete unless we eat some kind of cake or sweet treat. Overall, I was pleasantly surprised with how much I enjoyed chicken feet and raw beef. It's definitely something I would recommend to anyone in visiting or living in Korea.
