Now in Nowon~

     I've been without a personal computer for a while now and (regardless of how obvious this realization will be), I have gained so much more time and general appreciation for my surroundings. I still access email and facebook (eghhhm) but have swapped afternoons home and reading random news, dreamy recipes, and tumblr rolling with stronger bonds and friendship(s). I've been in a great place just connecting with people and getting that buzz from being social.
    Though~ I've missed this blog. I have been eating delicious (and simple) things, been doing some art projects, bonded with some beautiful Seouls, and actually breathing~ (And now the air is cleaner...Nowon!) I've stuck as gluten free as presently aware of (I'm a learning gf baby) and still use soy sauce from time to time (tamari...I'm hunting around for you~) but I have knowledgeably turned my head from being 100% gf...how could I say 'No thank you' to my student's grandmother who put so much effort into making a vegan meal? And one time I really wanted a beer... I can keep this up, but I've been dreaming of pumpernickel rye bread lately.
     I have my final day of work tomorrow and I have been counting down the hours. I will miss (some) of the kids...but I am eager to have more time to do my hobbies, spend more time with friends, and just live more. More often than wanting to admit, I will sometimes just go to work and come straight home, no social action, no activity, no creating...not even stretching or kicking it with the girls! All around pumped...anyways~~ Here's a few things consumed by this lady...

Smiles~

Special vegan kimchi for me!! photo taken by VeganBeats

yummy Thai salad~ photo taken by VeganBeats

Fresh juicy mango fruit salad~ photo taken by VeganBeats

Some vegan eats~

     Oh right...this is a vegan blog~ Here are some eats from the past couple weeks...

loaded 김치김밥~ (photo taken by VeganBeats)

반찬~ (photo taken by VeganBeats)

마파두부~ (photo taken by VeganBeats)

extremely disappointing hummus from Rocky Mountain....do NOT get~ (photo taken by VeganBeats)

Balwoo Kong: Budget Vegan Resto

     A long time ago I went to a Baru, temple food resturaunt with fellow veg heads Mipa of AliensDayOut and the lovely Kia! Since that last time, I haven't wandered over there but this past weekend I did! After the last hike with Alex and the family, we were hankering for food (some of our reasons differed) and going vegan was a natural choice, being in 인사동 and all..oh yea, and because of me!!
     A while ago I spoke with Mr. Seouleats and he mentioned how Baru actually has a more affordable restaurant, since then it's been on my list...and coincidentally this was the place we wandered to!

photo taken by VeganBeats

     The second floor restaurant is slightly more gentle on the wallet and offers a pretty decent spread of options! I can't state how it really works, it's a bit overwhelming. There is a buffet near the entrance and people line up grabbing plates, trays, bowls, etc. I think the price is determined by which bowls/plates you get. Everyone was in a hustle down the buffet line, apologies that my tired eyes didn't study fully the "order."

menu~ photo taken by VeganBeats

     When I went there was grained rice, soybean sprout and kimchi soup, turnip kimchi, spinach banchan, lotus root banchan, hot crispy mushrooms, and a colorful salad.

a loaded plate~ (photo taken by VeganBeats)

     I bailed on the rice (obviously), and loaded up on greens. Although 반찬 typically is loaded with salt, the 반찬 here didn't overwhelm your palate, everything was light and fresh. I use "fresh" a lot, the vegetables were not over-flavored, marinated, or sauced up...the vegetables were left mostly untainted with palate-teasers. The mushrooms were crispy and served with a spicy sauce, I usually would steer clear of the fried stuff, but I was hungry and considering the previous night's adventure...I'll be a bit easy on myself! And, bonus, the mushrooms were not oily at all...phew~
     While leaving the restaurant, I spotted the chefs rolling thick, ingredient-heavy 김밥. Dried tofu, shitake mushrooms, spinach, carrots, etc...the 김밥 I'm accustomed to (the easy vegan pick-ups) are skimpy on the filling, and there's so much damned rice. I decided to grab one and save for a later starving time~ for 4,000원, I'll say it's worth it!

boxed up and ready to go~ (photo taken by VeganBeats)

     The roll I saw when I opened it way later was not what I expected. Again, used to the rolls that are easy to pick up, it's packed with rise, low on veggies, and has no distinct odor. This 김밥 smelt delicious, the toasted sesame oil teased the senses while the hinting sweet carrots played with my eyes!

filling spilling out...a tad~ (photo taken by VeganBeats)

     So much color, so much filling, and though it's hard to see, the rice is full of other grains...quality 김밥 for the win!

loaded 김밥~ (photo taken by VeganBeats)

     Oh, and how did it taste? Easily the best 김밥 I've had (outside from mama Beats' loving creations!!)

바루 Balwoo phone#: 02.2031.2081

website

address: 서울시 종로구 견지동 71번지 템플스테 5층 

71 Gyeonhji-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul 110-070

Directions:

안국역6번, Anguk station (line 3) exit 6. Walk straight, pass Insadong street on your left and at the street where Mao's Vegetarian is, take a left. Walk straight for maybe 300 yards and you'll see the Temple Stay building..hit up the 2nd floor!! 

Sandeul Kimbap: 산들김밥

     I haven't indulged in any 김밥 for a hella long time. It's a traditional, inexpensive, and on-the-go type of meal for Koreans (think sandos, wraps, granola, or even powerbars for the state-siders). It's pretty straight forward, rice, veggies, maybe a protein all rolled into some 김 (seaweed) or laver. There's  a place close to my house that really packs them...overflowing and generous.

loaded (photo taken by VeganBeats)

     I like that the fillings are far more generous versus the rice...if only Korea got on the brown rice trend...

Directions to Sandeul Kimbap:
Seoul University of Education (교대역) station, exit 14, walk straight for about 5 minutes and take a Right (at the light) and walk straight for another 5 minutes. Take the Right after the Emart express store and BBQ place, walk about 200 ft and it's on your left.

Most 김밥 is around 2,700 W..($2.00)

Cooking and 고구마 's photo shoot from the weekend^^*!~

steamed assorted veggies on top of raw carrot pasta with balsamic reduction and siracha (photo taken by VeganBeats)

김밥 from Amy^^*!~ (photo taken by VeganBeats)

steamed rice flour and beans~ another gift from Amy^^*!~ (photo taken by VeganBeats)

고구마 sleeping...photo taken by VeganBeats

고구바 all ready to play...photo taken by VeganBeats

김밥 천 국 중계점 (kim bop chun kuk)

So there's this 김밥 place across the street from my place that is (!!!!!) 24 hours, and on my super early wanderings home, I've found myself here getting some cheap eats that are with fresh veggies, Great portions, and a personal staff....they are called 김밥천국중계점 (kim bap chun kuk) I think there are several, but the one by me is full of great people and yummy fresh ingredients!!

I tend to go with the easy staple for every vegan in Korea, 야챼비빔밥, vegetable bibimbap, niente on the egg....

look at all the veggies! yummm~pre-mix
photo taken by VeganBeats

post mix
photo taken by VeganBeats

Everything is very well priced, this HUGE portion is 4,000W (about 3.75 US) and more than filling.
Early mornings or late nights seem to favor this place....

to Get here, it is a tad complicated, but the one in Jungyye, get out exit 2 from Jungyye station, take the bus 1135 to Eunhangsaagudee, it's across the crosswalk from KB bank, and across from Dunkin Donuts*!~

They have all sorts of stuff too*!~

A field trip to the National Korean museum and my Kimbop skills*!~



photo taken by VeganBeats



The other day we had a field trip!!! Myself and two other teachers piled seven energetic kids into a bus and we drove for an hour to Korean National Museum, it was HUGE!!! The kids who were filled with boat loads of energy in the beginning were now tired and hungry, an hour car ride does that to you...I nearly fell asleep. Anyways the first program we had set up was a reading class and craft shop where they learned the "birth" of Korea. It was all in Korean so from what I understand, there was a tiger and a bear, and the bear had to eat moss for a month straight, and only moss...after a month of this diet the bear turned into a human and gave birth to a god, who was the fatherof Korea. Here are my students!! Don't they look stoked?!!

photo taken by VeganBeats

After this we went to an activity museum (the childrens section) where they all got to see the old villages that Koreans used to live in, along with the tools the people used to make rice, farm, weave, etc. There were some cool exhibits where the kids could retrace the old drawings and carvings...These two girls are such sweethearts. I have another pic of the two of them but their eyes are squeezed shut so tightly!!

photo taken by VeganBeats

We also rocked out some of the King's crowns!! This little guy we call Baby...he thinks it's his real name!! eeep



photo taken by VeganBeats



The kids got tired out quickly, we took them to a nearby park and had kimbop, played on the playground...then after a couple more hours of teaching I went home and tested out my kimbop skills....developing they are*!~

These were made with soybean Sprouts, sesame leaves, kimchi (that I made!!!) burdok root, cucumber, pickled daikon, spinach...just a lot of stuff!!!

Anyways, off to another day of teaching....two more days until my weekend!! Casino then shopping...*!~

Some 콩국수 Kongguksu and 김밥 kimbop

The other day while running errands, it slipped my mind I was so weak and tired. I was out of the house since 7am just exploring, wandering, people watching, kicking it really, it was nearing 3, I hadn't eaten and all my stuff was really wearing me out. Fuel, needed fuel.
I stopped at a food court *I cringe at this...but food courts are not nearly the same as American ones...* Scrolling through all the Korean I know (not much) I managed to say "I can't eat meat, chicken, fish, or egg, I have an allergy, I cannot eat meat, chicken, fish or egg." This super sweet ajuma hooked me up with the summer dish of Kong-guk-su.


photo taken by VeganBeats

I didn't touch the kimchi, who knows if there was baby shrimp or fish in it, but the kong-guk-su really hit the spot! It was cool, healthy, and a hint of salty. It was served with a side dish of salt and of course the kimchi. And this was a HUGE portion, I paid 3500W, about $3 USdollars.

photo taken by VeganBeats

Later that night, again I did the same thing. Forgot to refuel. Was cleaning my apartment, writing, reading, and more wandering...my stomach started lurching and then it hit me...so I stopped into this tiny place across the street from me called "KIMBOP." Kimbop is seasoned vegetables and meats all wrapped in rice and kim/laver, It is similar to sushi, except the vegetables aren't raw, everything is cooked and prepped....and yummy!

The ajashi who owned the place was really kind and when I explained to him my dietary lifestyle in as much broken Korean as I could muster, he let me point to what I wanted in my kimbop. I brought some of my own kimchi with me and he hooked me up! I got yaetchae (vegetable) kimbop and my own kimchi kimbop. 
The kimchi kimbop was sooo good, he put in some sesame leaves so there was an extra tang to it, I love sesame leaves so...as embarassing as it is I couldn't hide my excitment and let out a small yelp of happiness. This ajashi laughed at me too much, but hooked me up. I only spent 4000W for all this and he even gave me some extra veggies! So only about $3.50ish US Dollars.

Must remember to refuel...and luckily I found some extra spots that my vegan tummy can tolerate!

I leave you with a sign I found at the subway...