07. 21. DINNER

grilled salmon

I am developing a knack for grilling fish! Basically you alternate between having the heat on full blast and attempting in a silly fashion to steam it by turning the heat down and putting a lid on the frying pan. And then you check anxiously every ten seconds or so. Then when you think that the entire thing is so burnt that it would probably taste like wood and ashes, give it five more minutes. Then it is done! Delicious delicious fish. That doesn’t taste like wood and ashes. And is actually thoroughly cooked. I am a miracle worker.

올갱이국: marsh snail soup

Alright, this is definitely not the right name. I just can’t find an alternative. These aren’t snails, they’re more like very tiny freshwater conches — that is, if conches are actually snails — are they? — then I guess these might be snails, but as far as I know they aren’t famous for living in marshes. They’re usually found on cold mountain stream beds or something, or I could be completely confused and making all of this up. At any rate, they taste so incredibly good even when the soup comes out of an airtight packet and is suspiciously easy to cook. What I would much rather be having is a paper cup full of hot steamed tiny freshwater conches that they have at the feet of hiking trails, and then, you know, not actually do the hiking. Mmm.

07. 21. LUNCH

짜장면: noodles with stir-fried black bean sauce

This is to actual 짜장면 what Spam is to meat. It comes out of airtight packaging and is suspiciously easy to cook. Also you don’t necessarily have to cook it at all but otherwise people look at you funny. I would think of other analogies but it is not really worthy of my time. I’ve been having an unusual amount of 짜장면 this vacation, for some reason — I must be craving salt and grease. Wow, the radio show is playing the theme from Indiana Jones and I’m torn between wanting to sing along and trying to figure out what it signifies in the context of the story. I am so preoccupied right now, aren’t I. Well, to be fair, when I look over this blog for my own pain months from now, I’m not going to be doing any reading. Just staring. And salivating.

07. 21. BREAKFAST

crackers with tuna salad

I am having this. Which means that we went to E-Mart. Huzzah for food! I keep forgetting that I should stock up, I might as well, so I always end up getting three cans and polishing it off in a week and then being very sad about the whole ordeal. Anyway Monday starts off smoothly. Also right now I am still listening to this radio show and it is all kinds of ridiculous. Of course half the jokes fall flat, but the other half don’t where they should, so it’s just even more ridiculous. For example currently Zhuge Liang and his brother have been making fools of themselves for five whole minutes out of a twenty-minute episode. Actually let me revise something back there — half the jokes that fall flat are only half failures, because at least you can tell what they’re referencing with the gag, which is marginally better than some avant-garde invention of humor that involves creative ways of inducing awkward silences. I am so sick of awkward silences in comedy shows. Let me just make that clear, out of the blue.