[Home Cooking] A day filled with the flavors of a Korean mother's cooking.
For me, whose "youthful memories = 2nd generation K-POP idols",
that excitement from back then has returned...⭐︎
Two weeks ago, I went to my first K-POP event since my student days,the "ZE:A Unit Fan Meeting", and it was truly, truly fun and I was so moved.
It was a dreamlike time with Taeheon, Heechul, and Minwoo singing and dancing right in front of me.
"Blooming Us"
@ Asakusa Kyugeki
It was a happy time, being able to reaffirm that the idols I loved in my youth are still my favorites no matter how many years pass.
I've completely returned to my youth! Lol
With the momentum of having returned to my student days, I can't stop watching live performance videos and variety shows.
In that flow, I unexpectedly discovered a deli specializing in
"Korean home-style side dishes" handmade by a Korean Omoni (= mother in Korean)!
From the top left,"Changja, Oi-kimchi"
From the top right,"Yangnyeom Chicken, Napa Cabbage Kimchi"
The Gimbap was on the house. So happy.
Honestly... everything was so, so delicious.
It had the most comforting, gentle, and delicious flavor of any Korean food I've ever eaten, and strangely, it made me feel nostalgic.
As if memories of a Korean mother I never had were being revived, the flavors sank deep into my heart as I ate.
I almost feel like crying.
The same food I've seen so many times in meal scenes on idol reality shows and in Korean dramas was right in front of me.
And it was handmade by a Korean mother.
The Pajeon is chewy and delicious even when cold.
[Yangnyeom Chicken]
I remembered the Yangnyeom chicken I ate in Shin-Okubo a long time ago being sweet and spicy like a snack, but this time, the rich sweet and spicy sauce was exquisite, and it was light enough that I kept eating it—it was delicious!
[Gimbap]
This... this is the real home-style Gimbap, right? *cries*
A nostalgic taste so gentle it makes me want to cry.
It was a Gimbap that brought to mind nostalgic scenes like in the drama 'Reply 1997'.
[Japchae]
Well, you see... it's a moving deliciousness cast by a mother's magic!
It's lightly seasoned, but it has that home-cooked flavor where the richness of the sesame oil spreads through the glass noodles and vegetables.
The thick glass noodles are chewy, soft, and easy to eat.
I'm definitely going to repeat this mother's Japchae!
[Various Kimchi]
The Napa Cabbage Kimchi had such a great crunch, it was super crisp, and while it had a solid depth of flavor, it wasn't too salty, too sour, or too spicy... it was an easy-to-eat kimchi.
Oi-kimchi had a meticulous touch and volume, with carrot and radish kimchi stuffed between the cucumbers.
Changja also had the perfect saltiness and a crunchy texture that was irresistible!
Everything was delicious, and I was healed by Korean home cooking that had a "sense of security like returning to my parents' home."
I'm so happy to have found such a wonderful shop.
What should I choose next??
Thank you for the meal!
[ZE:A Fan Meeting Report] can be read here!
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