07. 24. DINNER

capsosiphon fulvescens soft tofu soup (매생이순두부) and rice

Yes, I am going to call it that, so suck it. I despise translating food names with all my heart. Every time it pops up during translation class, I want to punch the language barrier in the face and feed its mangled corpse to a pack of wild dogs. This doesn’t really work out well for maintaining a food blog, but hey, at least I found some name to call it by. It’s actually accurate, though it’s about as intelligible as any other name that you feel like inventing on the spot. The Korean word for it is considerably less confusing. Anyway, it’s a type of algae that’s supposedly super healthy for you, and my mom is a huge fan. We were all wet and tired by the time we got back from my dentist’s appointment — which was why we were in the neighborhood of the Italian restaurant for lunch — and so we gave up on frugality and diligence and just decided to eat out. The tofu restaurant ten seconds away from home was a good choice. Making soft tofu soup with this capsosiphon fulvescens nonsense makes the result not spicy at all and actually pretty refreshing. I don’t know if I can enjoy an entire bowl of it, and my brother won’t touch it because he thinks it looks hideously unappetizing, but the two or three spoonfuls I had were good.

굴전: oyster pancakes

“전” is another word I hate translating. It obviously has nothing to do with pancakes. It’s more of an egg-coating and grilling affair than anything to do with pancake mix and maple syrup. But I rather get a kick out of this gross chasm of logic, so I’m going to go with pancakes here. I grovel for oysters. It’s nearly safe to say that oysters were the only good thing about Baltimore, but not completely safe, because it’s not completely safe to say or do anything in Baltimore. I’ve been eying the oyster pancakes on the menu since the last time I was at the tofu restaurant, and today I decided to get some. God they were so amazing. I totally understand why many, many people think oysters are gross, but it’s just — they’re so — they’re so good. It’s an explosion of taste and it’s — well, you know, it’s like nothing else. Oyster pancakes tone that flamboyant individuality down somewhat, so it’s easier to stomach overall, but it’s so warm and soft and augh it makes up for the loss of distinct flavor. This restaurant makes a mean batch.

yoghurt-flavored ice cream sandwich

Yes, I am also going to spell “yoghurt” like that so suck it. This isn’t a democracy. We went to the bakery ten seconds away from the tofu restaurant to get dessert, and my mom was craving an ice cream sandwich. As soon as we saw the fridge I realized that she was going to get the yoghurt-flavored one and that there was nothing my brother or I could do about it. I guess it wasn’t bad, as far as yoghurt-flavored things go, but I’m not a huge fan and I would have much rather had the green tea flavored ice cream or something along those lines. But here’s a picture — hi mom.

07. 24. LUNCH

insalata caprese

If you asked me to pick my favorite Italian restaurant, my answer would have nothing to do with the quality of the food offered. Alright, so their food isn’t bad or anything, but the fondness that I have for Di Matteo goes miles deeper than that. It’s the first “restaurant” that I remember frequenting, the first place that I felt that we might visit again later and know what to do. It doesn’t even have street cred, it was opened by a celebrity and it’s not a tiny hole in the wall or anything. But we first came here as family, I think, and sometimes I drag friends here just because however vaguely, I can sort of remember that once we were all ten years younger and in the exact same place eating the exact same thing. Also that leads me to believe that this was where I was introduced to caprese salad, which I little knew would become one of the great loves of my life. It’s only halfway to being authentic, but honestly I’m not going to be elitist about a topic that I’m so little acquainted with. Anyway, the taste of basil is something like enlightenment. The smell of rosemary is fulfillment and the stench of sea salt is a battle.

tomato, cheese and arugula pizza

Arugula is the correct word, right? They use the Italian names on the menu and I don’t think they have a Korean name, as far as I know. So this is what we never fail to order, every single time we’re there. And I would call this the best pizza I’ve ever had in my life, despite it being soggy, not quite thin, a little saggy, a little watery for the two mouthfuls that it lasts you. Unfortunately, I don’t think that’s going to change anytime soon — the pizza, or my misguided opinion. But across the street is where my mother works, the roasted chestnuts from the street vendor that I wanted more than anything when I was ten, the School of Nursing, the children’s hospital, the bubblegum and enamel taste of the dentist’s office, the tang of blood in my throat, the rainy walks, and every time we sat down in this completely uncool restaurant just because we knew it would be there. Where else can you get arugula on pizza in this city, anyway? Nobody is a fan of diversity.