Cookin' Nanta

We were invited to a BBQ at Amber and Liesl’s today. Because they live in an adjoining neighborhood, Jay, Imy, and I walked to their apartment. In between, we went through Seoul’s Embassy Row. On Jay’s road I saw the Indian Embassy (they are living large) and the Argentine Embassy. Just up the street from the BBQ was the Saudi Embassy and the Embassy of Carbonaise. Not sure where or what that is, yet. I’ve got to remember to look it up. We arrived at Amber and Liesl’s to find several others, many of whom I met the night before. The crowd was mostly ex-pats teaching at local universities and schools. In one conversation, I found myself speaking with a Canadian, a South African, and Korean. The Americans are from the western states: Washington, Oregon, California, and Colorado, Castle Rock specifically. It’s not often when I travel internationally (or nationally), I can say I was raised in Monument and someone actually knows where that is.

Following the BBQ, we took the subway to Myeongdong. It is a central shopping district and reminded me of Hong Kong. It buzzed with people and sounds. Lighted signs advertised everything from Levis and Nike to Starbucks and Krispy Kreme. I’m not sure what the multitude of Korean signs read, but there were several cosmetics, clothing, and shoe stores. In addition to the large commercial buildings, there are vendor stalls sprawled up and down the streets selling Louis Vuitton bags, Calvin Klein boxers, and Tommy Hilfiger socks. Street food was scattered in between, offering squid, dried fish, potatoes, and some weird cooked sugar thing. Having a sweet tooth, the cooked sugar had me curious. I’m not sure the ingredients, but older women use propane to fire a small metal bowl in which they mix a caramel goo-probably pure sugar. After heating, the goo is scooped onto a wood slab and flattened into a thin circle with about a 1-2 inch radius. A small pattern is imprinted in the middle, then it is cooled and place in a cellophane bag for sale. We purchased one for 1000 won (less than $1 US) and had at it. The first bite brought one sudden image: toasted marshmallow. Yummy. I quickly found out that, just like eating too many s’mores, eating the whole thing gives one a little tummy ache. I think it’s meant to be nibbled on. Oh well.

As the night approached, we made our way to the theatre to see the show Nanta. The theatre was small and intimate, with a simple stage. The seats appeared filled to capacity just before the show began. Nanta has been playing since 1997, and one of the reviews I read described it as, “Jackie Chan meets Benihana and the three stooges.” I think this is an understatement. I would describe it more as the Blue Men (without the blue) stuck in a Korean kitchen with large knives and audience participation. It was a fun show based on the story of five characters: the sexy guy, the female, the manager, the nephew, and the head chef. The manager informs the kitchen staff that they have one hour to prepare a wedding banquet, which then leads to a variety of slap stick, food throwing, and plate tossing. The underlying activity is percussion, which is accomplished through kitchen utensils, mops, brooms, and the occasional human forehead.

We all enjoyed the show and topped off the night at a curry restaurant. It was a little late for me to eat curry, so I had a bowl of pumpkin soup. It was the perfect ending to a great day in Seoul.Read more