Do you dream of food? I do. All the time. Also of a lot of things but they are all in technicolour. Someone once told me everyone dreams in black & white. I think it may be my ex-husband so obviously that's bull-shit right off the bat.
I can see things in colour, smell things and even taste things in my dreams. And most of the time I remember them vividly.
So, I just dreamt of pajeon.
Would you believe I did not have Korean food till I was in my early 20s? Of course, it was the ubiquitous Korean barbeque and of poor quality too. So for years I was not fond of bulgogi or kimchi and avoided Korean food. Then I met a Korean friend.
She must have been the first authentic Korean I had ever met. Notice I say authentic Korean because I met a couple of American Koreans who were more American than George Bush. Both of them. They could not speak Korean and did not even think they were Asian in any way. So needless to say they were hardly ambassadors for converting me.
But my friend N was a born and bred Korean. She was the one who introduced me to Korean cosmetics and food. Both of which I am eternally grateful for. It was during one of my visits to her house that I tasted pajeon for the first time. Also soju which I never developed a real fondness for although I partook a lot during those visits, which explains why we became such fond friends. Hic.
Anyway, she told me she was not a good cook, unlike me, but she would prepare a couple of snacks. And thus, I learnt what Koreans mean when they refer to "a couple of snack", which equates to banchan, which to me is like a 10-course Chinese banquet. Ah, Koreans ... masters of understatement.
I gorged myself on the wonderfully tasty snacks she made. There were so many but pajeon made an impression on me. It was similar to the Chinese scallion pancakes but just ... more! Crispy yet soft and spongy and the taste was so much more evocative and memorable. She made a simple scallion pancake a masterpiece for the palette. There were also a corn and a green bean versions which were a little strange to me as they seemed undecided between being sweet or savoury snacks. Another winner was the kimchi pajeon.
From N, I developed an enduring love for kimchi. Real kimchi. Which I later learnt was a much debated topic due to the proliferation of varieties. There are as many types of kimchi as there are provinces in Korea. But I believe what constitutes as "real kimchi" to a person is the first, unforgettable bite of kimchi. If you tasted kimchi using oysters, you are gonna regard that as "real kimchi." Anything else without it is going to fall short. Likewise, if you are used to really fermented kimchi, any fresher variety is going to be labeled as "fake". So, one's definition of authentic is really based on personal experience and provenance.
Anyway, I cannot really tell where my definition of real kimchi comes from since I never really learnt which part of Koran N was from. Unfortunately I lost contact with her but certainly not my love of many things Korean.
Anyway, back to pajeon. There is a Japanese equivalent which is just as good but something about pajeon just pulls me back in. I still crave for N's seafood pajeon which was phenomenal. She always made it DIY. In other words, like a buffet but with the batter all ready so we can mix up our choice of ingredients and gather around a giant electric skillet as we fried our way to heaven. She would make some as "samples" so we would not come up with concoctions that were too bizarre but we were an international group made up of some seriously disturbed individuals ... no prizes for guessing who ... twitch, twitch ...
These sessions were always fuelled with giggles, soju and other alcoholic beverages. Which explains the giggles. And there would always be the latest Korean series or music video, imported from Korea via N's family and friends, playing in the background. We lived for the days when the care packs arrived!
Years down the road, I have eaten a number of pajeons but somehow none quite compare. Firstly, because not many commercial establishments serve seafood pajeons with oysters. Secondly, most commercial establishments charge you an arm and a leg for the few seafood they add to the pajeons.
I am going to make my own seafood pajeons this weekend. Since I dreamt of it, it must be a sign. It will probably be a simple one. I have some oysters meat and shrimp in the freezer. No spring onions or leeks which is a darn shame but I do not think I am well enough to venture out to get some and my usual care pack friend is away. So I will make do with the few vegetables I have. And I have kimchi! Woo hoo! Joy!
So back to bed and tomorrow is another day ... pajeons ahead!
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