Diane

09/29/2021

Abalone farm in Wando #완도

Shot for

04/13/2021

I was absolutely delighted when reached out to me asking if I was interested in learning about Masan food from her mother.

When I met her mother, I immediately noticed her bright twinkling eyes and toothy smile with a light-heartedness that I aspire to have when I become her age. Meeting her for the first time, I would never have been able to guess that she was a cancer survivor. Apparently, she was able to find healing and purpose through food, and eventually published a cookbook that includes traditional Masan recipes. On top of creating her own cookbook, she illustrated key ingredients and dishes that were published in the book.

Since is located on the southern coast of Korea, somewhat close to , they are known for their seafood dishes. We made or #멍게 and a seafood or #뚝배기. I appreciated her mild seasoning, using no in her bibimbap, and adding a light touch of perilla oil instead so the fresh and high quality ingredients were highlighted rather than the condiments.

After our meal, her husband, a former professor, showed us around his home gallery. An equally passionate man, he gleefully showed us his art collection while telling stories of the artists behind them. He was as passionate about the frames that held the art as the art itself telling us that in another life he would have loved to be a frame designer.

Thank you for reaching out allowing me to have such a wonderful experience !

If you're interested in her mother's book, it is called #평생레시피 by #김외련 (the fifth photo in this carousel).

Photos taken with my .

#마산

01/26/2021

01/26/2021

🍓 Satisfyingly sweet, soft and luscious, I am absolutely obsessed with Korean strawberries.

Ever since I was a child, I noticed the huge difference in fruit quality in Korea compared to America. More specifically -- strawberries. I noticed a distinct difference starting from the visuals. The way they were carefully laid out in their styrofoam containers, their vibrant red colors, minimal white flesh under the stems, and perfectly evenly spread out seeds made it obvious that when consuming these, the strawberries would be on a different level.

Interestingly enough, there is actually a reason as to why Korean strawberries are superior to the ones in the US. One of those reasons is that strawberry season in Korea is in the winter as opposed to America where the season to buy strawberries is in the summer. Growing strawberries in the winter actually slows down the speed of the growing process which yields a sweeter and higher quality fruit.

Have you guys tried Korean strawberries? 😋❤️

#딸기

01/13/2021

Incredible piece about onggis!

12/19/2020

Who wore it better: me or the tomato beer? 🍅🍺

I was so surprised when I saw Tomato Beer on the menu at Cafe Idaho in Mangwon. Naturally, I tried it because I was so curious. Once I had a sip, I immediately realized it was like a (without the spices) -- one of my favorite drinks! The light effervescence of the beer with the mild savory and fresh notes from the tomato make for a surprisingly delicious combo.

Even more surprising was when I received a message from (thanks for the intel!) that tomato beer is pretty popular in Japan. Looking it up, there were tons of blogs and articles about a tomato beer released by Asahi Super Dry called Red Eye which date as far back as 2012, so it's been around for quite a while. What!

Would you guys want to try tomato beer?

Thanks for the pics

07/15/2020

There’s something I really respect about restaurants that only have one menu item.

It gives me the impression that their priority is providing the best experience and meal for that single menu item, and aren’t being distracted by having too many things going on that could end up in a mediocre meal.

Geumsan Jemyeonso #금산제면소 is an 8-seat restaurant with just one menu item: noodles. And they do it exceptionally well.

If you’re not feeling too full, I highly recommend doing the fried onion and white rice add-on at the end of your meal to mix in with any leftover sauce. I’m salivating even thinking about it.

@ 금산제면소

07/14/2020

I was going through my photos and realized I never shared any of the shots I took from Mosu Seoul. I loved shooting with this minimalistic, clean aesthetic. I think it really works well with Chef Sung's sincere food. Need to eat here soon. If you haven’t been yet, you should check it out! A great experience, even from the first step into the restaurant to the last bite. 😍

03/18/2020

Spending my birthday in quarantine so, of course, had to do a whole cake.

Thanks to everyone for the birthday wishes. ♥️ Hope everyone is staying healthy and safe during this time.

Shout out to for the the tee-shirt I'm wearing in the last photo! 🙏 Thinking we could all use a little bit of the encouraging jiā yóu spirit right about now.

@ New York, New York

03/07/2020

My favorite fruit: .

I remember as a young girl, I would throw these on the ground thinking they would soften up and become hongsi #홍시. Hongsi is a soft and decadently sweet persimmon that reaches that state only once the persimmon reaches peak ripeness.

Little did I know, me throwing them on the ground only bruised the poor little persimmon. To enjoy hongsi, I would have to wait.

There's a saying in Korean culture: 감나무밑에 누워서 홍시입안이떨어지기를 기다린다. Translated, it means: Lying beneath a persimmon trees waiting for a Hongsi to drop into their mouth. It's an idiom for someone waiting for a sweet reward without putting the work in.

It's funny because it really reminds me of when I was a little girl. I was so impatient, I wanted to enjoy the delicious sweet Hongsi without waiting. Now, I know that patience and hard work is truly one of the most important things you can do to reap sweet rewards.

Shot by me 😊
#감 #대봉감 #단감