Soju House (소주찝)

Recently my friend took me to an infamous soju joint in downtown Daegu to lift my spirits after a long week. This was the most rustic and laid-back soju bar I've been to; I could really feel my body winding down and I really wanted to just concentrate all my attention on all the comfort food piping in front of me.

Budae Jjigae (부대찌개)

What's in it: Ramen, kimchi, fish cakes, sausages, spam, greens, and red peppers.

It's otherwise known as 'army stew' because this became popular during the Korean War. I remember watching my all-time favorite Korean drama, Gourmet, when I ate this. In the drama, there is a story about a Korean American food critic who was adopted by a non-Korean American family as a young child. His memories of his difficult childhood during Korean wartime is a blur, but one memory soothes him. He remembers his mother making a special kind of stew that incorporated whatever ingredients she could salvage at the time. Unable to remember the recipe, he remained forever haunted by his craving for this taste. Fortunately, the hero of the drama was able to figure it out and recreated this dish. It was budaejiggae! I cried as I watched the character cry while savoring this warming stew. I thought it was such a sweet story and it made me think about how nostalgic and comforting the food we ate as children is. (Sorry for ruining the drama ending for some of you...)

Maekgeolli (막걸리)

What's in it: Sweet rice, and alcohol.

It was a perfect chaser for the spicy budijigae. Another one of my favorite comfort foods/drinks.

Ddeokbukki/Spicy Rice Cakes (떡볶이), Pajeon/Green Onion Pancake (파전), Hong-hop Tang/Mussel Soup (홍합탕), and various sides.

Thank you, Korea.

- Angela