We were incredibly pleased with the Bitch'n Food Swap's success again this year.  We had people come from far and wide to meetup in Seoul and share in the joy of home made foods.

We did change things up this year and bring in an expat who is starting her own catering business instead of doing potluck.  It was a very relaxing choice and we ate until our big bellies might burst.  It was wonderful to share in the flavors of the Philippines and even try a few new things.

Some of The Items this Season:

  • Soju Vanilla
  • Salted Sesame Chocolates
  • Ginger Molasses Cookies
  • Sriracha Salt
  • Granola 
  • Cookies
  • Sauteed Onions (for soups later, a standard favorite)

We are already looking forward to the next event, so start planning your swap items and stay tuned.

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Homemade soju vanilla will be up for grabs at the 4th Bitch'n Food Swap
4th Bitch'n Food Swap


When: Saturday, October 24, 2015 from 2:00 PM to 6:00 PM 
Where: Seoul! 
(We will send you the address since it's in a private residence.)

What Will Happen: Bitch'n Food Swaps are about coming together to share food, stories, friendship and community.  We gather for food and bond over adventures. 

During the event we will eat a meal with our hostess who has some pretty delicious treats lined up. After we have dined and delighted in conversation, we divide up the evenings bounty and head home to cook with all our new treats.

You don't have to arrive right at 2pm.  
Food the shared meal is always served family style so that late comers always feel welcome.

What to Bring: Anything that can be taken home.  In the past there has been bagels, head cheese, jam, taco mix, beer, cookies, tea, hummus, cheese, pizza dough, pasta, etc.   

SIGN UP HERE

Once you have signed up we will send you the address for the event.
The hostesses house is centrally located and easy to access from the Subway.
If you think you can make it, please sign up as soon as possible
for meal planning purposes.  

We look forward to seeing everyone and sharing another lively expat table.

A sampling of past contributions

A guest photo of pizza made with the homemade pizza dough that was taken home.

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THE KITCHEN

FROM: Syria
LIVING: South Korea

When blessed with a sudden vacation we were finally able to venture a few hours away to visit our dear friend from Syria who works in the countryside near Icheon.  We have known him for a number of years, but we had yet been able to steal away an entire day to eat with him in his home.   Since he loves to cook, we couldn't wait to see what was in store for us.

Our friend lives in a typical bachelor, one-room apartment similar to what many English Teachers live and although he loves to cook, he doesn't usually cook for himself so he was excited to have visitors so he could enjoy some of his favorite foods.

THE FOOD

Various Dishes we can't name

We started with what you saw above, it is a traditional breakfast food from his region.  It is a mix of nuts and spices that is eaten with bread and olive oil.  You take the bread, dip it in olive oil, and then dip it in the mix.  It's hard to describe it - specifically because we don't eat anything like it in the states - but we would say it was nutty, easy to eat, and fragrant.  This dish was sent from his area of Syria and is not available elsewhere.

After that we moved on to what you see below, that is hard to see in the dark bowl.  This was spiced pickled mango.  This is available for reasonably cheap in international markets across Korea.  This was very strong and so good on bread.  Not for the faint of hear though.  You have to love strong spices, which we do.  We like it on bread that had been dipped with a bit of olive oil.  It was almost like eating meat; hearty and filling.


After that we moved on to this sweet treat that is also usually eaten for breakfast which had also been shipped from Syria.  This is Tahini, sugar, and marshmallow.  No not the white balls for smores, but the real flower that the original marshmallow came from.  The treat was soft, sweet, and nutty.  You couldn't eat much, but it was so smoothy and comforting you just wanted to keep nibbling away all afternoon.


After that he brought out the star of the meal: a strong, earthy, traditional goat cheese sent from Syria.  He told us beutiful stories of his father's love of the cheese and how they prepared it and kept it back home. He said that in Syria they buy the cheese once a year and keep it in a brine of salt and sesame.  It doesn't not need to be refrigerated.  You just scoop out what you need, rinse it and eat it.  


For the main course he made used rice cakes to make a fusion dish that was like a gnocchi or pasta.  We were very inspired and will try something like this at home as well. It melted in your mouth.  We listened to stories about how his mom worked all year to prepare the foods for the family, carefully preparing all of the staples through out the year.


The final course was a delicious steak rubbed in spices with onions, peppers, and garlic.  It was delicious. So very, very delicious and we ate it while he told us stories of his father's "meat charisma" and how he learned to chose the best meat for each dish.  These stories made every bite taste even more delicious than the last, and it was already as tasty as it comes.








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THE STAPLE

Taean Garlic

We are ignorant.  We thought garlic was garlic.  Now we know the error of our ways and we repent.  Some garlic is sent from heaven by angels. This is that garlic.  The smell is strong but the taste is so smooth and soft.  It's not aggressive while remaining rich and full.  You don't feel bitch slapped, you feel protected.  Can't wait to roast some of this up with tahini and eat it with chicken.  

We can't vouch for the Taean garlic in the stores, but we can say the stuff sold on the side of the road is the bees knees.




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 Where :: Kolkata, India

In order to make sure we knew what to try we first read 10 Epic Street Foods That Explain Why Kolkata is India's Gastronomic Capital. Then we completely ignored all of the advice to never eat Indian street foods.  We couldn't be happier with this choice.  The food was inspiring and exactly why we wanted to come to India in the first place. 




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Growing a Community

With both cooks in the proverbial kitchen of learning cooking up a new language, we had not time for the actual thing.  In fact, we had not time for sanity or sleep.  Thankfully though, we did have time to help start a wonderful new online community called Expat Gardening In ROK.

This little group has grown faster than we could have imagine and it's filled with excellent advice and moral support.  It's done wonders for helping keep us honest this year.

In addition to finding out how to keep up your indoor or outdoor garden, you can also ask advice for finding your own little plot of heaven in the ROK.

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Easy Tomato Soup
Ingredients:
1 can of tomatoes
2 diced tomatoes
1 tablespoon basil
A few dashes sea salt
black pepper to taste

Process:
Combine ingredients in a food processor and puree. 
Put smooth mixer in a sauces pan over medium heat,
cook until flavors have combined.  Maybe 15 minutes.

Goat Cheese Sandwich

Just do what you do, but use goat cheese and a few fresh basil leaves.

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WHAT TO WATCH

TITLE:  Pasta
TYPE: Drama
COUNTRY: Korea

Alright, so this isn't exactly a movie, but it is something lovely to watch with dinner.  When we had first begun thinking about moving abroad, we started watching dramas from other countries as research.  This charming little number not only gave us some insight into what Korea was like, it also taught us a little bit about cooking pasta.

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WHAT WE ARE

This is a group of loosely associated foodies working together to make life more delicious.  We love spending time in the kitchen and we want to share that joy with others who.  If you would like to be part of our little group fill out the easy little form we've provided to make it all simple for everyone:  This is the form.

WHAT WE AREN'T

We are not food service professionals.  This is a place of sharing, not selling.  Everything you swap will vary in taste, flavor, perfection.  These are homemade foods, not mass produced food stuffs.  The beauty is in the variety, the unpredictability, and the humanity of it all.  We aren't people who take ourselves to seriously and this is not a "western food only" zone.  It's open to every delicious thing you can come up with.

WHAT IT INVOLVES

How will I know when the swaps are happening?
Participants are asked to contribute on a schedule that suites them.  We will use these to make an annual calendar of events starting in March.

How often will I need to swap?
You will be expected to participate in swaps at least 3 times each year.

Do I have to be present to participate?
No, you do not have to be present to swap.  However, you must provide product to be swapped.  If you bring it or someone else brings with with a list of what you want, that's just fine.  We can have your items shipped to you wherever you are in Korea.

How will we make sure the trading is equal?
We will work out a fair marketing points system for items.  When you bring your items you will be given a certain number of points that can then be used to swap for other items at the swap.  We are working on a cute and clever name for these points, but for now they are called points.

THE 5 SIMPLE RULES

1. Don't be an ass.  
2. Give the good stuff.  
3. Respect the group.
4. Don't be high maintenance.
5. Be reliable.

 




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Where it all begins.  An idea.

THE KITCHEN

FROM: England
LIVING: South Korea

This last weekend we finally had the opportunity to visit one of Korea's most dedicated expat home brewers in his fantastic little home brewing hideaway on the outskirts of Seoul.  His small three bedroom apartment was decked out to the teeth in everything a person would need to make the beers of his dreams. 

On this particular Sunday a small group of beer making newbies and experienced brewers had gathered to make and IPA that our host, Rowan, had decided on.  It was delightful to have the opportunity to be part of a group so excited and willing to share their knowledge and passion for brewing.

Although our host, had quite the setup, most brewers in Korea make it happen in their studio apartments. So if you are interested in home brewing, don't worry about having as much space as our host.  With that said, here is how the day went:


We started the day by sampling the many grains Rowan had on hand.  We instantly found great value in this, not only as people interested in making beer, but also as beer drinkers.  Tasting the ingredients gave us a deeper insight into the flavors we have been tasting all these years.  It was like things we hadn't even known were a mystery finally made sense.


After that it was time to get started and grind up the grain for the beer.



While one group was working on grinding the grains, inside a second group was prepare the water for brewing.  Boiling, adding tablets, and filtering.  It quickly became clear that brewing is one of those magical things that is best done with a group of people who love talking, problem solving, and who aren't in a big hurry.  You know, the best kind of people.



Then there was the mixing of the grain, the water and getting it cooking.  We love stirring so we did that whenever we could.



After these basics were taken care of, it was time to break out a few of the past beers and give them a try.  They were of course, delightful.  As were the stories of how they weren't right, what could be done better, and the tales of all that had happened on that brew day.  Each bottle held a memory of community, adventures, dreams, hopes, and ideals.  It was like opening a moment in time that had been trapped in a bottle.



During each step of the process we tasted the progress.  To be honest, we would drink that as is.  The grains are just delicious.


For a long time it was mostly just sit and wait, but at a certain point, things started to go pretty quickly. 





And with the addition of a little soju and the yeast, bam, an IPA ready to ferment and eventually bottle.  That's sure a lot of beer.


On the long subway ride home we couldn't help but feel we had just witnessed the whole point of this expat life we have chosen.  It's about the stories we create with those around us and save in our memories for future lazy Sundays.  The stories that age into rich and vibrant tales of adventure and turn us all into heroes in someones mind.

To learn more about brewing your own adventures in Korea, check out these links.  There are so many stories yet to be brewed:
Seoul Brew Club: http://www.facebook.com/groups/161208454016072/ 
Seoul Home Brew: http://www.seoulhomebrew.com/
Home Brew Korea: http://www.homebrewkorea.com/

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 THE ITEM

Homemade Kimchi

When you are lucky enough to be offered homemade kimchi, just say yes.  Even if you hate it, take it and give it to a friend who loves it because it's culinary gold.  Personally, we find that unlimited kimchi is one of the many delicious perks to living in the countryside.  Our current supplier is one of our employers whose family has become like family to us.  This is just one of the boxes delivered this year during 김장 (kimchi making season).  In addition to this, we are allowed unlimited refiles for the rest of the year.  

You might be thinking, "Isn't this a bit of an overkill for a bunch of foreigners?  Not in our kitchen. We have already finished half of this giant tub in only last three months.  It's just magic in about everything we put it in.  We don't eat kimchi because we have to, we eat it because we love it.

The two kimchi based recipes we make the most of are these :

Kimchi Fried Rics:


Kimchi Jjigae:



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A sample 3-4 person basket

THE SERVICE

Organic Home Delivery

**** Special update :: WWOOF CSA contacted us and let us know that you can order weekly organic baskets without bread!  The will add additional produce in place of these items. ****

After our time together at AsiO Gusto exploring Asia's magical slow foods, our friends at WWOOF told us they were thinking about starting an organic home delivery service.  We were over the moon as soon as we heard.  This has been something we were dreaming might happen.

They sent us our first sample box in December, and then a second one came in January because the first had a bit of trouble finding us in the mail.  The lesson being, don't always trust your landlord with giving you an accurate address.  Double check your details in Naver.

The box contained enough things for a few simple meals.  One of the highlights, which we weren't expecting, were the fantastic eggs.   We immediately decided we wouldn't us them for baking or dumping in ramon, instead we saved them for breakfast (which you can see below).  The fruits and veggies were also excellent, and the greens were especially top quality.  It's always a plus, for us, when our veggies arrive covered in the dirt they grew in.  It added a little bit of magic to the experience.

Our only issue came in the form of the bread and the "side dishes" that we received.  Since we are driven to cook, in large part, by our allergies and chemical sensitivities we were sad to see so much of our basket were things we couldn't/shouldn't eat and - well - we also thought the bread was terrible and can't recommend it to anyone.  It tasted like a dry flour paste and it definitely had preservatives in it.

In order to solve this issue, we contacted WWOOF and suggested that customers be allowed to request substitutions.  They said that they would consider it, but for now they recommended ordering the vegan delivery option in order to avoid receiving the breads and side dishes.  This is what we will do.  So instead of getting bread and omelet, we will get more produce.

Despite our issues with some of the products, we are very happy with our WWOOF CSA delivery.  We feel confident that WWOOF listens to its community and will provide some sort of solution for those of us that can't use the bread and side dishes.   We will let you know what there final decision is and what to do if there are products in the boxes that you can't eat.

Who Is It Good For?

This box is great for busy people who want to eat healthy and always have a little something around the house.  Unlike the grocery store, where you usually have to buy a Korean sized portion, these boxes come with a nice amount of food for two busy people.  The catch is that the box we received (that you see in pictures) was the 3-4 person option.  So I don't really recommend even considering the 1-2 person box if you are more than one person.  That's right, pass-go and proceed straight to the 3-4 person box.

If you aren't sure that this service is right for you, there is also the option of ordering one box to give it try.  I recommend this as the best place to start.  You can't lose with $40 of organic food delivered to your door.

WHAT WE MADE WITH WWOOF CSA

Eggs Baked Over Tomatoes and Garlic
Topped with Rosemary Carrots
Garnished with Onion Bread

The great thing about this dish is that you don't need a real oven.  You can easily make it in a small toaster oven using tinfoil if you don't even have a pan.  We used this recipe from Whole Living.

Don't worry about making your eggs fit in the tomatoes though, it tastes just as good making a bed of medium sized tomatoes and cooking them only 20 min.  Then break the eggs evenly over the top of the cooked tomatoes before putting them back in the oven for 8 more minutes.  Maybe it's not as pretty, but it's crazy delish.

This recipe was so good we added it to our weekly breakfast routine.

Get signed up for organics from WWOOF CSA
www.wwoofcsa.com

Breakfast tasted like it was straight from the farm.


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