My First Korean Friend

2010 has left me with so many new experiences, but the newest one has been meeting my first Korean friend. I have only met one other Korean adoptee in my life, but now I have met a Korean woman who did not reject me immediately because I couldn't speak fluent Korean with her. She explained that Koreans get frustrated or stressed speaking English and some of them refuse to move out of their comfort zone. Keeping that in mind, I have a new understanding of why Koreans never speak to me the second they find out I can't respond in Korean. For me, that has always been a barrier to meeting Korean people, let alone befriending any of them. Every now and then, when she speaks Korean, I catch a word or phrase that I know, but other than that, I get totally lost!

As January 2011 keeps rolling along, I keep thinking of how lucky I am to have met her and how many new things I have learned just by being around her. It seems like such a strange thing to say that I don't have any Korean friends, but that was a true statement up until 2010. So, 2010 will mark a very important and meaningful change in my life: I can finally say that I have a Korean friend! I couldn't tell you why exactly that is so important to me, but it is.

When I hear her talk about Korean food and Korean customs, I just feel like those were all the things that were missing from my life, things that I never had a chance to fully partake in and learn about. Sure, I had Korean food for the first couple years of my life and I spoke Korean when I was a toddler, but I can't remember it all now. I feel like I need to make up for lost time. There haven't been a lot of people in my life who have spoken to me about Korea, so this is a very welcome change. She told me that in Korea, the emergency number is 1-1-9, the opposite of the American emergency number, 9-1-1. I found that intriguing. She also told me that the bathrooms in Korea have drains in the floors, so you can just rinse the floors easily with water and clean them quickly, whereas here, you have to carefully mop or hand-scrub the floors. Those little details about Korea are so interesting and I might not necessarily be able to read about that kind of stuff in a book about Korea.

The first time she invited me to her house, she made me some delicious jap chae (Korean noodles).  She respectfully omitted the beef since she knew I didn't eat beef--bless her heart! I've had jap chae before, but never homemade, so that was a real treat!  She also made me some Korean pancakes, which were so comforting and yummy! I'm hooked! More recently, she made me some kimchi fried rice, which I have also never really had before. It was so good! I've seen it made before, but never attempted to make it myself. She introduced to me to Korean "junk food," (as she called it) "Shin Ramyun Gourmet Spicy Noodle Soup." Eating Shin Ramyun is the equivalent to going to McDonald's she said, because it's junk food, quick and easy, but comforting on a rainy day. The noodles are a little thicker than the typical Top Ramen Noodles and they had a nice al dente bite to them. She added some egg to make the soup a heartier snack. The broth was very flavorful and spicy (it hit me in the back of my throat, but in a good way!). She was surprised that I could take the heat! (Note: She also said that the packaged noodles are better than the noodles that come in the bowl, so skip the styrofoam bowl version. I found Shin Ramyun Noodle Soup at Walmart, of all places, for $1.00.) She said she would try to make me other Korean dishes now that she knows I can handle the heat. I can't wait! I may not have been raised by Korean parents, but I certainly have an insatiable Korean appetite--she appreciated my hearty appetite and enthusiasm for food. Even though I grew up in California, my Korean tummy has remained with me my whole life, that's for sure!

Yesterday, I checked out this great cookbook again at the library, The Korean Kitchen: Classic Recipes from the Land of the Morning Calm by Copeland Marks. I found a recipe for Jap Chae, which I want to make later. I plan on omitting the beef and substituting chicken or tofu instead.

Jap Chae
Vegetable, Noodle, and Steak Stir-Fry

3 oz Korean vermicelli
3 Tbs corn oil
1 large onion, coarsely chopped (1 cup)
1 carrot, cut in 3-inch julienne strips (about 3/4 cup)
1/2 lb flank or sirloin steak, sliced into strips 3 inches long and 1 inch wide
1 small green pepper, seeded, cut into 3-inch julienne strips (1 cup)
1/2 lb Chinese chives, well rinsed, cut into 3-inch lengths or 1/2 lb fresh spinach, well rinsed, stems trimmed
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp sugar
1 Tbs soy sauce
1 tsp Korean sesame oil
1/4 cup tree ears, soaked in warm water for 1/2 hour, drained and rinsed well

1. Bring 4 cups of water to a boil in a large pan. Add the vermicelli and boil over moderate heat for 3 minutes. Do not overcook. Drain and rinse in cold water and set aside. The noodles are translucent when cooked, but still firm.

2. Heat the oil in a wok, add the onion, and stir-fry over moderate heat for 2 minutes.  Add the beef and continue to fry for 1 minute. Now add the carrot, green pepper, chives or spinach as you stir-fry for 2 more minutes.

3. Add the salt, sugar, soy sauce, sesame oil, and tree ears. Stir-fry and toss the mixture for a minute. Fold in the vermicelli and mix well.

Serve warm.

Serves 4 with salads and kimchi.