Vegan Miscellaneous Things

So before my massive post on Cambodia I was looking at smaller things to talk about. I found three things to discuss. One was Coexistence Vegan Cafe in Dapsimni. 

Coexistence Vegan Cafe is basically what it is in the title; it is a cafe that offers vegan goodies. It is very close to where I live and I absolutely love it! The ladies are nice and the food is decent. They have a simple menu so they could focus more on quality over quantity, and they seem to portray a love for animals and a love for vegan culture. I think restaurants like these offer a bit of humanity to the lesser known and less popular parts of Korea. Dapsimni isn't like itaewon or hongdae, so there isn't a large foreigner base or even a liberal viewpoint. Having Coexistence Vegan Cafe in Dapsimni is like finding a designer bag at a discounted store, or finding a great book at the library. Coexistence Vegan Cafe is a great place and I highly recommend it. Go out of exit four and walk down the street. Turn left at the fruit seller guy and go straight for about four blocks. Coexistence Vegan Cafe will be on your left. It is a fun bright yellow building. Also there is an animal rescue right next door so you should check it out.

Cafe Sukkra is a jazzy little cafe in Hongdae, and proves the point that Hongdae is actually good. While there might be a huge uproar on this confession, i feel like to should make it, I personally did not like Hongdae. I always figured it was an area for wannabe hipsters and huge fraternity assholes. However there is a calmer side to the district. Going left, from exit nine you can see a more relaxed setting. Cafe Sukkra exemplifies that feeling. It offers a healthier meal set, with large vegan options to make you feel comfortable and less processed. The better thing is that Whole*istic provides their cooking there. So you can experience the deliciousness of raw vegan food. There is even vegan hot chocolate which is rich and delicious all at the same time.

For some strange reason I forgot that there is very few vegan or even healthy items in South Korea and convinced myself at the notion that I can cook totally gourmet vegan meals for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. I have become a lot wiser to that foolish thought but beforehand I managed to scrounger up a chia seed pudding for one of my breakfasts. The chia seed pudding is very easy to make. Basically all you need is....

1/2 cup of chia seeds

a smidge of maple syrup

a smidge of cinnamon 

1 cup of soy milk

Mix that shit all together, keep it in the fridge for about 12 hours, and there you have it.

I'll try to throw up some more posts soon!

Marche@!

I've been hearing about it, but I have never gone, until now. 

There is a artisan market called Marche@ that occasionally sets up shop in different areas in Seoul. It is called Marche@ because wherever it is, where it was at would finish the name. That might seem horribly confusing but let me give you an example. Let's say Marche@ was at Los Angeles May 23rd. On that day, it would be called Marche@Los Angeles. My friend and I decided to go to the May 12th one, and I was so happy because of it.

Look at these beautiful people eating their beautiful food

Everything about this place was great. EVERYTHING. I didn't buy much but I got a couple of free things. I got a bag, a beeswax candle (I KNOW, NOT VEGAN), and I managed to get a DELICIOUS lentil burger, and a great candle.

I've seen blogs writing about Mellowsong's candles. They're soy candles beautifully designed like little animals. I got the owl which was ADORABLE. I don't think I could ever use it because it is just way too nice.

Cute 

 cuter

too fucking adorable

Having that candle is great because the smell of lavender cascades through my small little apartment. I really loved my experience at Marche, and I am sure as hell going to the one on June 2nd!

What do you think of my candle?

Miscellaneous vegan experiences in South Korea

Ok this post is going to be random. It is comprised of a series of one of two photos chronologizing (is that a word?) events that happened in a series of three weeks or so. They all are centrally located around veganism, so I think it is appropriate to put them into one post.

Whenever one of my students has a birthday, their parents are required to bring a cake and other essential goodies for the students as well as the staff. I usually don't eat anything, because I can't, but recently I was given a little somethin' somethin' by one of the parents for their child's birthday.

Tomato cake

Tomatoes are treated like a fruit in South Korea. Yes, I know they ARE a fruit, but in South Korea, they are TREATED like one. So I was very fortunate enough to get a bag full of tomatoes. I wish I could get free vegetables fruits every day.

Last week I went to a thai restaurant. It is called Buddha's Belly and it's in Itaewon. Honestly I have nothing really good to say about this just that they manage to accommodate for me by taking out the eggs and making it vegan. I got the pad see ew but it was more like the boring dull ew. No real flavor, and no exciting moments occurred while eating this meal. Basically when I was done, I was 13,000 won poorer. It actually made me quite homesick because there is a FABULOUS vegan thai place in Los Angeles, and basically I wanted to go there instead. I will eventually, but it is going to take nine months and one week.

It even looks boring in the picture

That same week I went to Buddha's Belly, I also made it to a awesome vegan potluck that congregates once of month. It was really exciting to find my own kind, like hearted souls that care for animals and eating well, so I had a good time. Like an idiot I forgot to take any pictures of the food that was made by my fellow comrades, but I managed to get a aftermath shot of what I ate. Someone, some beautiful brilliant someone, made vegan cupcakes which I ate like five of. Another person made delicious pepper tofu, and another person made focaccia bread that made me think of the good food back in Los Angeles. All in all, it was a great experience, and it made me so happy and comfortable for the first time in a long time.

The aftermath, no one survived

 I've also been doing something special for myself once a month. Every month, I have been buying a package worth of vegan goodies from iherb.com. Even though I keep getting chastised by some of my coworkers, I find iherb purchases to be really beneficial and comforting. I find that recently I have been feeling a bit lost and bored. Having a bunch of american goodies have made me feel a lot better. It is hard having to deal with the same annoying stuff day after day, so having a fancy peanut butter now and then makes it all worth it.

Delicious scottish oatmeal

Vegan iherb package

four boxes of hemp cereal brudda...

I have also had a idea for the blog that I thought might be kind of fun. I thoroughly enjoy writing about all the cooking posts I have made so I thought it might be interesting if I write about every meal I have during lunch. I might work at a hagwon, but I make my own meals every day. This day I had green tea with a tomato, green pepper, and walnut, salad, pistachios, and dried mango. What do you think about me writing about every meal I make? Would you like that?

I wish I could only eat 24/7

So what do you think about all the stuff I did?

Posts that needed to happen a lot sooner...

OK!

So I did something AMAZING this weekend! I went to the Great Wall of China! However I now realize I am way behind of my blogging. I haven't blogged about the art show, foods I've made, and other wonderful events that have happened in the past two weeks, so I think I'm going to just go on writing mode and make a ton of posts. So I'm going to start with the one that is the most dear to my heart, food.


So I am still continuing to make my own meals and try to be as healthy as I can. I go through phases where stir fries are the main focus then small salads become the focus afterwards. So far I have stopped using tofu in my diet and have been focusing more on grains and protein through vegetables. This is one of the meals I make.

1. Israeli Cous Cous stir fry

Ingredients

• israeli cous cous 
• bok choy
• onions
• green peppers
• Braggs Liquid Aminos
• Nutritional Yeast
• Coconut oil

Directions

Basically I would cook the israeli cous cous while I would fry the onions in coconut oil. Once the israeli cous cous is fully cooked, I would mix the israeli cous cous with the onions. I would throw some Nutritional Yeast to make it nice and crispy. I would throw in bok choy leaves as well as the green peppers. I would then end it off by sprinkling it off with some Bragg's Amino Liquids.

  2. Lotus Root stir fry

Ingredients

• lotus root
• enoki mushrooms
• bok choi
• onions
• green peppers
• Bragg's Liquid Aminos
• Nutritional Yeast
• Coconut Oil

Directions

Similar to the Israeli Cous Cous stir fry, I cook the Lotus roots first by frying them in coconut oil and amino liquids. Once they a crispy and tender, I set them aside and cook the onions in coconut oil. Once the onions are soft, I put in the lotus roots, enoki mushrooms, bell peppers and last bok choy. I throw in some  nutritional yeast and some more amino Liquids, and them I'm done, and Bob's my uncle.

I find it easy to cook a large portion because I am a lazy bastard, and I like to save some for school the next day.

Another thing I have been meaning to write is a sort of food observation of produce you can find in Seoul, South Korea. I thought, it might be easy for you the reader to see food options in Seoul, read the reviews, and see where you can buy it. This is one of my first ones.

Chocolate bread

 At the Achasan Loving Hut there are a significant amount of pastries and other vegan items to buy. Yes, you can buy things at most Loving Huts but the Achasan one seems to have the largest amount of things to buy. One of these items is the chocolate bread.

 While the chocolate bread isn't exactly nutritious, it is a good comfort food. The chocolate bread certainly has a good chocolate taste, and overall I liked the pastry. I probably won't buy it again because I think I need to take care of myself more.

You can possibly buy this at the local Loving Hut but if you can't find it, go to the Achasan Loving Hut.

I promise to write more soon! 

Not much has happened.... BUT SOMETHING WILL GOD DAMN IT!

So I think I've been having a blasé couple of weeks....

Nothing too exciting, but I am pretty pumped about the next couple of days. I figure I can easily list it here so I can, 

a. remember

b. have something to write about

So this is what I plan on doing this weekend. I promise to take pictures so you guys can visually experience this with me!

• Wednesday May 8th 2013
• I plan on making tattoo tights with the girl I tutor. I know it isn't really "teaching" or "tutoring" but she is actually pretty smart. She basically only needs to bring her homework to class and study more. So I try to make tutoring fun so she would want to stay with me and so I can still get paid more.
• I am going to make Yubu Chobab which is like a fried tofu skin with rice in the middle. I mean, as a "experienced cook", I plan on jazzing it up a bit to make it fantastic.
• Thursday May 9th 2013
• I am HOPEFULLY going to a art show at the Seoul Auction Horim Art Center!
• Friday May 10th 2013
• Adventure to get vegan pizza possibly?
• Saturday May 11th 2013
• VEGAN POTLUCK! There is a group in Seoul called the Seoul Veggie club and I have been wanting to join them on their monthly potlucks! I am so stoked to go to this one!
• My co-worker/friend joined a orchestra and is having a performance that night! I am definitely going to that!
• Sunday May 12th 2013
• I have to blog everything I did!

So it seems like I have a busy couple of days!

What are you going to do?

Oh look! It's thursday and here's another post!

I have fallen in love with a place that I have not written about for about a month. I know I have been cheating on you (the reader) but for some weird reason I never have time to take a picture.

Because I'm usually stuffing my face

But this place is my favorite restaurant  A lot of people have been complaining that it is not is good because it is not a buffet. I don't really care.... good food is good food.

The better thing is that it is so close. 

Do you hear angels singing? I know I do.

The Loving Hut near Achasan station is so good. They make authentic korean food but it's 100% vegan. 100% FANTASTIC

Can you just say perfect?

I know I feel perfect whenever I'm there. Also, if you want some delicious food to go, or you want to make some meals on your own, you can buy some of their "meat" or other grocery products!

Basically I really do not have much to say but I go there maybe once a week. You'll probably see me there this weekend. I'm not joking.

It's good, it's vegan, and it is certainly healthy.


It makes me a happy camper.

You basically take the subway to Achasan station and get off exit 1. It is right outside your exit. 

Enjoy the joy I feel every single time I have been there.

Oh this is a dress I bought that I really liked. What do you guys think?

More Of My Crazy Vegan Cooking

So, I am so far keeping up with my promise. I have another entry. 

It's full of food, cause that's all I care about now.

It's the only thing I care about.

#1

Another delicious stir fry

Honestly I think I mastered the stir fry, but it's probably considered the easiest thing to make. Whatever, I'm damn proud of myself. I made this a while ago so I might be a tad off my recipe...

• 1/3 of a pumpkin 
• 1/3 of a onion
• 4 garlics
• 3 bok choy bulbs
• 1/4 of enoki mushrooms
• 1/4 of a tofu block
• oil
• nutritional yeast
• braggs liquid amino

I basically do what I usually do with all my stir fries. I put the oil in a saucepan with some chopped up garlic and onion, and I wait for all of it to heat up and get nice and soft. After that I throw a dash of nutritional yeast to get it crispy and so I can have my B12 vitamins. Then I put in the mushrooms, pumpkins, and bok choy in that order. I top it up with a sprig of braggs and some diced up tofu, and I'm done!

#2 

A soufflé! jk it's another stir fry 

I know I shouldn't write about every stir fry I make, but seriously I am super proud of what I make.

• 1/3 of a pumpkin 
• 1/3 of a onion
• 5 or 6 of those little bouquets of broccoli
• 4 garlics
• 3 bok choy bulbs
• 1/4 of enoki mushrooms
• 1/4 of a tofu block
• oil
• nutritional yeast
• braggs liquid amino

Basically it is the same instructions as #1 but this incorporates broccoli. Try putting the broccoli in after the mushrooms so it can be a bit soft but still crispy.

#3

The god warrior salad

This was a special treat. It contains one thing I can't find in South Korea, and one thing that is hard to find in South Korea. Quinoa is as foreign to South Koreans as peeing standing up is to me, and avocado is only found in the English owned giant supermarket HomePlus, which is taxicab drive away. Basically I combined the two to make one of my favorite dishes I always made in California. I'm going to call it the god warrior salad because that is what I felt like when I was eating it; I felt like a god warrior.

• nutritional yeast
• 1/4 of a cup of quinoa
• 1/2 of a avocado
• pinch of salt
• 3 or 4 red lettuce leaves chopped and diced

Boil the quinoa or cook the quinoa in a pot. Mash the 1/2 of the avocado and add a pinch of nutritional yeast and the salt. Once you have a great mashed consistency, mix it with the quinoa. Once that is done, throw it on the bed of lettuce and then bob's your uncle. Well, actually, I don't know much about your family.

Are they nice?

Garobee Buffet in Gangnam

So I feel like I've been cheating on you...

I haven't been out a lot, but I have been to some vegan restaurants, and I haven't written about it.

I'm sorry

Yeah I'm super sorry about my own inconsistency. Truthfully I've been feeling like I've been cheating myself a lot. I've stopped reading, and I barely write in my blog, or write in general.

I'm going to try to change that.

What I am going to do is write a new entry every tuesday, thursday, and one of the weekend days. I figure I can remain true to myself, my vegan beliefs, and I could find a great way to collect my thoughts.

So first, I will talk about Garobee. 

Picture from trip advisor

Garobee is a 100% vegan buffet in the Gangnam area. Even though the term "buffet" reminds me too much of the fast food joint Souplantation, it is a regular thing here in Korea, and something you find everywhere. 

just like trash

However the problem with buffets in Korea, is that they offer mostly meat dishes, which, as you know, I really don't want.

just like trash

But Garobee is something different, it is something for me. Like I wrote before, Garobee is a 100% vegan buffet that offers healthy food for the morally conscious. 

OH YEAHHHHHHHH

I have been three times so far and I seen the usual stuff. There is a fake bulgogi that is made out of beans, a vegan curry fried rice, fried mushrooms with a sweet and sour sauce, fake cutlets, glass noodle chow mein, and my personal favorite, balsamic vinaigrette for your oh so scrumptious red leaf salad. 

I would like to rub that all over my mouth 

then eat it.

One of the major things I miss about leaving my beautiful California is the lack of vegetables. So whenever I am at a buffet place like this, I load up on the green. It's my drug. 

In the three times I've been here I've seen one thing change occasionally which is either the vegan fried bean curd, or the mushroom sushi.

I know that I've read some so so reviews about this place, but I really like it. The staff are friendly, and it's good to relax at a restaurant and not second guess what you eat. So if you ever show up in Gangnam, check it out. Get off the Gangnam station exit 11 and walk straight. Pass the UNIQLO and the Baskin Robins until you see a awkward divide that is connected to a parking lot. Turn right and walk up the alley. Then turn left. You should see a Irish pub on your left, and Garobee should be slightly further down on your right. Remember, LOOK UP TO FIND GAROBEE.YOU WON'T REGRET IT.

Would you eat at a vegan buffet?